Table Games: Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat
Table games are where the rules matter most, because small differences in a table's rules move the house edge more than any betting system ever could. This guide covers the three tables you are most likely to meet, live or in software, and shows what to read on the table before the first chip goes down.
Roulette: one zero or two
A European wheel has 37 pockets — 1 to 36 plus a single zero. An American wheel adds a double zero for 38 pockets. Payouts are the same on both, so the extra pocket simply raises the house edge: 1 in 37 (about 2.70%) on a single-zero wheel versus 2 in 38 (about 5.26%) on a double-zero wheel. If both are available, the single-zero table is the better deal on every bet.
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Win chance, single zero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 number | 35 to 1 | 2.7% |
| Split | 2 numbers | 17 to 1 | 5.4% |
| Dozen or column | 12 numbers | 2 to 1 | 32.4% |
| Red / black, odd / even | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.6% |
Game-show variants such as Monopoly Roulette change this picture by adding bonus rounds, so check their payout list separately.
Blackjack: decisions and the payout for a natural
In blackjack you play against the dealer, aiming for a total closer to 21 without going over. Number cards count at face value, picture cards count ten, and an ace counts one or eleven. Your choices are to hit, stand, double down on two cards, or split a pair into two hands; some tables also offer surrender and insurance. The dealer has no choices: they draw to a fixed rule, usually standing on 17.
Two rules deserve a look before you sit down. First, the payout for a blackjack (ace plus a ten-value card): 3 to 2 is the classic payout, while 6 to 5 tables pay less and cost the player noticeably more over time. Second, whether the dealer hits or stands on a "soft 17" (a total of 17 including an ace counted as eleven). Both are printed on the table or in the help panel. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack; for players who are not counting cards it is generally a poor bet.
Baccarat: three bets and a fixed drawing rule
Baccarat asks you to choose one of three outcomes: Player, Banker or Tie. Cards are dealt by a fixed rule — you make no decisions after betting — and the hand closest to nine wins, with tens and picture cards counting zero. Banker wins slightly more often than Player, so a winning Banker bet usually pays even money minus a commission, commonly 5%. The Tie pays more but wins rarely, which makes it the most expensive of the three bets on most tables. Speed and squeeze variants change the pace and the drama, not the drawing rules.
Sizing stakes in Canadian dollars
Table games move a budget in steady steps, which makes them easy to plan. Pick a unit — for example 5% of the session amount, so C$5 from C$100 — and keep every bet at one unit. Do not raise the stake after a loss: progressions such as doubling up do not change the edge, they only make the losing streaks more expensive. If you are in Ontario, check the operator in iGaming Ontario's directory before you play.