RTP vs House Edge Explained
The short answer
RTP and house edge are the same underlying statistic, described from two opposite directions, and they always add up to 100%. A slot with a 96% RTP has a 4% house edge. A blackjack bet with a 0.5% house edge has a 99.5% RTP. Neither number tells you anything the other doesn't — if you know one, you automatically know the other by subtracting from 100%. The reason both terms exist, and the reason this still causes confusion, is that they're used by convention in different corners of the casino floor, not because they describe genuinely different things.
What each term actually measures
House edge describes the percentage of every dollar wagered that a casino expects to keep, on average, over a large number of bets. It's framed from the casino's side of the ledger: a 2.70% house edge on a roulette bet means the casino keeps roughly 2.70 cents of every dollar wagered on that bet, averaged across a very large number of spins.
RTP (Return to Player) describes the same gap from the player's side: the percentage of every dollar wagered that's returned to players, on average, over the long run. A 96% RTP means 96 cents of every dollar wagered comes back to players collectively, averaged across a very large number of rounds. Both figures are calculated from the identical underlying probability and payout structure — they're not independently measured or independently variable, which is exactly why they always sum to exactly 100%.
Why the terminology splits by game type
RTP is the term you'll almost always see attached to slots and video poker. These games are built around a single machine-wide (or paytable-wide) blended return figure across every possible outcome combination, and that figure is typically disclosed directly in the game's information screen, paytable, or regulatory certification, making "RTP" a natural, single-number way to summarize the whole game's payout structure. Typical online slot RTPs run from roughly 94% to 98%, and full-pay Jacks or Better video poker under perfect strategy runs close to 99.54%.
House edge is the more common term for table games, largely because a single table offers many different individual bets, each with a different edge attached, rather than one blended figure for the whole game. "The house edge of craps" isn't really a single number — a pass line bet carries roughly 1.41%, while a place bet on 5 or 9 carries roughly 4.0%, and a "big 6" bet carries roughly 9.09%, all available at the same table simultaneously. Discussing table games bet-by-bet in terms of house edge, rather than trying to force a single blended RTP onto the whole game, better reflects how those games are actually structured.
Converting between the two
The conversion is always the same, regardless of game type: RTP = 100% − House Edge, and House Edge = 100% − RTP. A few worked examples make this concrete:
| Game / Bet | House Edge | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Craps — Odds bet | 0% | 100% |
| Blackjack — perfect basic strategy | ~0.5% | ~99.5% |
| Full-pay Jacks or Better (perfect strategy) | ~0.46% | ~99.54% |
| European roulette | ~2.70% | ~97.30% |
| American roulette | ~5.26% | ~94.74% |
| Typical online slot | ~2%–6% | ~94%–98% |
| Baccarat — Tie (8-to-1 payout) | ~14.4% | ~85.6% |
Notice the one entry that looks unusual: certain full-pay video poker variants, most famously some Full Pay Deuces Wild pay tables, calculate to an RTP above 100% — meaning a negative house edge — under perfect strategy. This is a genuine, narrow exception rather than an error, and it's covered in more depth in can you beat the house?, since it's one of the few legitimate openings for a skilled player to hold a real mathematical edge on a standard casino game.
Why RTP is a long-run average, not a session guarantee
The most common misunderstanding attached to RTP specifically is treating it as a promise about any individual session, rather than what it actually is: a long-run average calculated across a number of rounds far larger than any player will personally complete. A slot's published 96% RTP is typically derived from simulation or exact calculation across tens or hundreds of millions of theoretical spins — a sample size no real player's session, whether it's 50 spins or 5,000, comes anywhere close to matching. Your specific session will virtually never land exactly on the published RTP; it'll land somewhere on a distribution of possible outcomes around it, and how wide that distribution is depends on the game's variance and volatility, not on its RTP figure. The relationship between RTP and that session-to-session unpredictability is covered fully in variance in casino gambling explained and casino volatility explained.
RTP, house edge, and expected value
There's a third related term worth placing correctly relative to the other two: expected value (EV), which takes house edge (or RTP) and applies it to an actual bet size to produce a dollar figure rather than a percentage. A 2.70% house edge on a $50 bet has an expected value of −$1.35 — the average outcome if that exact $50 bet were repeated many times. RTP and house edge describe the underlying rate; EV describes what that rate means for a specific wager. The full mechanics, with more worked examples across different bet sizes, are in expected value in casino games explained.
Where to find exact figures for a specific game
This guide covers the general relationship between RTP and house edge; the exact certified figures for a specific game or bet are covered in that game's own guides, since they vary by rule set, paytable version, and specific bet. See slot RTP explained for slots specifically, video poker odds and RTP explained for video poker, and blackjack RTP explained, roulette house edge explained, craps house edge explained, and baccarat house edge explained for the major table games. The full comparison across every major game type, alongside the related concepts of variance, volatility, and hit frequency, is in the casino odds & house edge guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is RTP the same thing as house edge? They're the same underlying statistic viewed from opposite sides, and they always sum to 100%. RTP describes what's returned to players on average; house edge describes what the casino keeps on average.
If a slot has a 96% RTP, does that mean I get back $96 for every $100 I deposit? No — RTP is a long-run average calculated across a far larger number of rounds than any individual session. Your specific session's result can land well above or below that average due to variance.
Why do slots advertise RTP while table games usually advertise house edge? Mostly convention. Slots and video poker have a single blended return figure across the whole game, making RTP a natural summary number. Table games offer many different bets with different edges at the same table, so house edge is typically discussed bet by bet instead.
Can a game have an RTP over 100%? In rare, specific cases — certain full-pay video poker variants under perfect strategy — yes, which corresponds to a negative house edge. This is a narrow, real exception rather than a standard outcome, and it requires exact optimal play to realize.
Does a higher RTP always mean a better game to play? For minimizing your expected cost of play, yes — a higher RTP (lower house edge) costs less on average over time. It doesn't account for volatility, hit frequency, or personal preference, which also affect what a session actually feels like.
How is house edge different from expected value? House edge is a fixed percentage describing a bet's long-run cost rate. Expected value applies that rate to an actual bet size to produce a specific dollar figure — the two describe the same underlying math at different levels of specificity.
