RTP stands for Return to Player and when you see a figure listed alongside that acronym associated with any casino game it will enlighten you as to how much of your stake money and that of all other players combined will be returned as winning pay-outs over the long term.
So, for example, if you see a video poker game or a slot machine displaying an RTP of 97% then when playing that slot over the long term £0.97 from every £1.00 fed through it and played off is paid back out as winning pay-outs.
Obviously that RTP figure is based on the slot or video poker machines unique design and pay table and they will vary depending on just which games and variants you play, but the general rule of thumb for all savvy players is to stick to playing the games with the highest possible RTP’s.
Conversely, all casino card and table games have a figure displayed on their help files, pay tables or even on the website of some casinos that is known as the house edge of each game.
The house edge is the expected profit a casino is going to make once again over the long term from each game and it is displayed as a percentage too, for example European Roulette has a house edge of 2.70% so in theory based on the rules and pay-outs associated with that game the casino will earn £2.70 per £100.00 played through such a game.
Obviously being random each game will return to you a different RTP and earn the casino a different house edge over the short term, but when you are on the hunt for a card or table game to play do make sure you loo up its certified and verified house edge and the lower that figure the better.
Blackjack Game House Edges
The three biggest companies involved in the UK casino marketplace when it comes to gaming platforms and actual casino games are NetEnt, Microgaming and Playtech.
With that in mind below, for those of you that enjoy playing Blackjack games I have listed the variants available from those three companies along with the house edge associated with each one. You should of course be looking to play the variants with the lowest house edge.
Microgaming Blackjack House Edges
Microgaming have designed an enormous range of various categories of casino games over the years and their collection of Blackjack game variants is second to none, below you will find details of the house edges that each variant has been built around.
- Classic 0.13%
- Vegas Strip 0.35%
- Vegas Single Deck 0.35%
- Atlantic City 0.36%
- Spanish Blackjack 0.38%
- Pontoon 0.39%
- Vegas Downtown 0.39%
- Bonus Blackjack 39%
- European 0.42%
- Hi-Lo 13 0.42%
- High Streak 0.42%
- Perfect Pairs 0.42%
- Big 5 0.47%
- Multi-hand 0.59%
- Multi-hand Classic 0.59%
- Triple 7s 0.59%
- Double Exposure 0.79%
- Super Fun 21 0.94%
As you can see from above, the lowest house edge variant currently is the Classic Blackjack game from Microgaming but be aware that there will also be a multi-hand variant of the game available which as you can see from above does have a much higher house edge so avoid playing the latter and stick to the single and game.
NetEnt Blackjack House Edges
You are sadly not going to find a huge and impressive array of Blackjack game variant when you play at a casino offering just the NetEnt range of games, however there are a handful of such games on offer and below are the house edges associated with those variants:
- Standard 0.40%
- Pro 0.40%
- Pontoon 0.41%
- Single Deck 0.48%
- Double Exposure 0.73%
For reference you do have full control over the stake levels that you can play the above named games for so they are suitable for low to high stake players and most casinos using the NetEnt suite of games do offer their Blackjack players comps and often bonuses that can be used on card games such as Blackjack.
Playtech Blackjack House Edges
You are likely to stumble across plenty of UK casino sites that offer the huge suite of games from Playtech, and if you do and are a Blackjack player then be aware of the following house edges that each of their variants have been built around:
- Blackjack Switch 0.16%
- Pontoon 0.38%
- Surrender 0.39%
- Standard 0.49%
- Progressive 0.49%
- Live 0.57%
- UK 0.61%
- Double Attack 0.62%
- 21 Duel 08%
As you can see, it is their Blackjack Switch game that is the best one to play, but be aware that it is a unique variant, and when playing it you are playing two hands per game but are allowed to switch a card from one hand to the other.
It is that special game play rule that gets the house edge down to a low figure, but it will call for a quite different playing strategy, so my advice will be to learn to play the game optimally via the demo mode version of the game to master playing it before you play it for real money.
Megaways Slot Machines
With there being thousands of different online slot machines available to players these days, I have chosen to list the RTP’s of the most popular slot game category currently below, those slots being of course the Megaways slots.
There are literally dozens of different Megaways slots, however as you can see below the ones that I have highlighted certainly come with some of the best long term expected paybacks, so are the ones you should be thinking of concentrating most if not all of your playing efforts on.
- Medusa Megaways 97.63%
- Dwarven Gems Megaways 96.70%
- Safari Gold Megaways 96.50%
- Temple of Treasure Megaways 96.46%
- The Amazing Money Machine 96.42%
- Vikings Unleashed Megaways 96.50%
- Wheel of Fortune Megaways 96.46%
- Bar X Safecracker Megaways 96.50%
- Buffalo King Megaways 96.50%
- Chili Heat Megaways 96.50%
- Legacy of Gods Megaways 96.47%
- Genie Jackpots Megaways 96.52%
- Lightning Strike Megaways 96.50%
- Rick and Morty Megaways 96.55%
When playing Megaways slot machines, you will find low, high, and medium variance ones available online and that is another thing to factor into your playing sessions for when playing a high variance slot for example your slot playing bankroll may not last as long as it would when playing a low variance slot.
Video Poker Games
One category of casino game that some of you out there may never have played before or may even find boring to play are famed for offering the highest possible RTP’s of any category of game, and they are video poker machines.
I have listed below the variants offering the best RTP’s but be aware with several different pay tables that can be used on these games, the RTP’s can vary depending on where you choose to play them and whether you are playing a single or multi hand variant, I have listed that information below too.
- Jacks or Better 99.56% NetEnt (Single Hand)
- Joker Poker 98.60% Party Gaming
- Deuces Wild 99.37% Microgaming (Multi-Hand)
- Tens or Better 99.14% Microgaming
- All American 99.38% Microgaming
- Double Bonus 99.11% Microgaming
- Bonus Poker 99.17% Microgaming
- Aces & Faces 99.26% NetEnt (Single Hand)
- Double Joker 98.10% Microgaming
- Deuces & Joker 99.07% Microgaming
- Double Double 98.98% Microgaming
- All Aces 99.92% Microgaming
When playing video poker, you will be initially dealt out five playing cards and once you have been you are then tasked with selecting which, if any of those cards to hold for the second round of that game.
The second round will see any cards you have not chosen to hold being removed and replaced by new ones dealt out from the deck.
Therefore, whilst video poker is random there is a skill element involved in playing it, that skill being players knowing which the best cards are to hold. Holding the wrong cards will see the RTP being lowered.
The way to get around making any playing errors is for players to activate via the individual game play settings, the auto hold setting, for with that switch on the game will then hold the best possible cards for you, thus removing the risk of you making any strategic playing errors that lowers the RTP from the one the game is built around with optimum play.
Keno
For those of you that enjoy playing Keno games, keep in mind that the RTP on each individual number grouping on any one single variant can and will vary, and as such to get the best and highest possible paybacks over your long term play you should stick to placing the number grouping bet with the highest return to player payout percentage.
NetEnt Standard Keno Variant
Should you decide to play the NetEnt standard Keno game variant below you will find the RTP’s associated with the available number grouping bets that you can place a wager on when playing that game:
- 2 Numbers 90.19%
- 3 Numbers 91.58%
- 4 Numbers 91.45%
- 5 Numbers 92.02%
- 6 Numbers 92.09%
- 7 Numbers 91.47%
- 8 Numbers 91.81%
- 9 Numbers 91.60%
- 10 Numbers 91.84%
Bonuses and comps can help give you more play time when playing Keno, but when it comes to bonus offers always do select the ones that offer you the best and most liberal terms and conditions, as no two bonus offers from different casinos will come with the same set of terms and conditions and some are way more generous than others.
