The one-line definition
RTP (Return To Player) is the theoretical payback percentage to a player over millions of repetitions. House edge is its complement to 100%. An RTP of 96% equals a house edge of 4%. Both numbers describe a long-run average — not a forecast for a single session and not a guarantee for any individual player.
The formula worth memorizing
Expected loss = average bet × rounds per hour × house edge. This is the only fair way to compare games, because a game with a low edge but a fast pace can cost more than a game with a high edge and a slow pace.
Variance — why one evening proves nothing
House edge is the average; variance is how widely results scatter around it. A high-variance slot can go 300 spins without paying and then pay out 200x. That is why people "win" at a casino in the short term, and that exact same reason is why the win disappears over a large sample.
Quick comparison table
The numbers vary slightly depending on specific house rules, but these are the widely accepted reference ranges.
- Blackjack (basic strategy) — 0.5%
- Baccarat Banker — 1.06% · Player — 1.24%
- French Roulette — 1.35% · European — 2.70%
- Casino Hold'em — about 2.2% · Three Card Poker — about 3.4%
- American Roulette — 5.26%
- Slots — 3%-8% · Keno — 10%-25%
Where RTP is completely irrelevant
Poker has no RTP, because there is no house playing against you. There is rake — a commission on the pot — and the outcome is decided against your opponents. That is the one place where study and persistence actually change the final number.
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