What this dossier covers
- The house-edge formula and a fully worked roulette and craps derivation
- A sorted reference table from lowest edge (craps pass + odds) to highest (proposition and tie bets)
- The rule premise attached to every figure — deck count, zero count, commission, payout
- The difference between house edge, hold and element of risk, defined without jargon
Download the dossier
Free, no sign-up. 2026 edition · Week 22. Every figure inside carries its rule premise.
About this reference
This dossier condenses material developed at length in First Principles, the encyclopedia's derivation section, into a printable reference you can keep. As with everything on BetCanon, the figures are mathematically derived and each is presented with the rule set it assumes — because a table-game number without its premise is not a fact, only a rumour.
Basic strategy, house-edge tables and probability figures reduce the average cost of play; they do not remove it. Every casino table bet retains a positive house edge against the player, and any single session can swing far from its expectation — see variance and standard deviation for why.
Frequently asked
Are these house-edge figures exact?
Each figure is the mathematically derived expectation for the stated rule set. Roulette and craps are exact closed-form values; blackjack and baccarat figures come from full enumeration of the fixed rules. Change the rules and the number changes — which is why every entry carries its premise.
Does a lower house edge guarantee I win?
No. House edge is a long-run average. Over any single session, variance dominates and results deviate widely from expectation. A lower edge slows the average rate of loss; it does not make a bet profitable.
Why do two sources sometimes quote different edges for the same game?
Almost always because of different rule premises — number of decks, whether the dealer hits soft 17, single versus double zero, or the payout on naturals. The game name alone does not fix the edge; the rule set does.