WELCOME BONUS 300%
UP TO €2000 + 100
FREE SPINS
UP TO €2000 + 100
FREE SPINS
Home → Games
Casino games at Arctic Casino
Split, Double, and Surrender: Three Decisions Explained
Blackjack Surrender allows the player to forfeit half the bet after the dealer checks for blackjack, a rule that improves the Return to Player by approximately 0.08 percentage points compared to games without this option.
Early surrender is significantly more valuable than late surrender, offering a house edge reduction of up to 0.6 percentage points, although this specific variation is extremely rare in modern online casino environments and usually unavailable.
The standard payout for surrendering is exactly 50% of the original stake returned to the player, which serves as a defensive mechanism to minimize losses on weak hands against strong dealer upcards during the initial deal phase.
House Edge and RTP: Two Names for the Same Number
Roulette American features thirty-eight sectors including both a zero and a double zero, resulting in a Return to Player of 94.74 percent and a house edge of 5.26 percent on all standard inside and outside bets.
The additional double zero sector effectively doubles the house advantage compared to the European version, which only has thirty-seven sectors and offers a superior Return to Player of 97.30 percent for players seeking better mathematical odds.
A straight bet on a single number in American Roulette pays 35:1, but the presence of the extra green pocket ensures the casino retains a consistent mathematical edge regardless of the specific type of wager placed by the user.
Why the Double Zero Almost Doubles the House Edge
The American Roulette wheel features 38 sectors including a double zero, resulting in a house edge of 5.26 percent and an RTP of 94.74 percent. This additional sector effectively doubles the casino advantage compared to European variants that contain only 37 sectors with a single zero. Consequently, players lose approximately 5.26 cents for every euro wagered on straight bets paying 35:1 over the long term.
In contrast, the European Roulette variant utilizes a wheel with 37 sectors containing a single zero, which lowers the house edge to 2.70 percent. The RTP for this game stands at 97.30 percent, offering significantly better value than its American counterpart. Players betting on red or black still receive even money payouts, but the probability of winning is slightly higher due to fewer losing numbers.
The French Roulette inner bets do not benefit from La Partage rules, maintaining the same 2.70 percent house edge as the European version. Although the wheel layout matches the European standard, the absence of special surrender rules means the casino retains its full advantage on all inside wagers. A straight bet on a single number pays 35:1 while the true odds are 36 to 1 against hitting it.
Jacks or Better: Check Payout Table Before Betting
The Jacks or Better 8/5 video poker machine offers an RTP of 97.29 percent with a house edge of 2.71 percent due to reduced payouts. Specifically, a Full House pays 8 coins and a Flush pays only 5 coins instead of the standard 9 and 6 respectively. This reduction costs 2.25 percentage points in RTP compared to the optimal 9/6 full pay table version available elsewhere.
The superior Jacks or Better 9/6 variant provides a much higher RTP of 99.54 percent with a minimal house edge of just 0.46 percent. Players must bet five coins to qualify for the enhanced Royal Flush bonus of 4000 coins instead of the standard 800. Using optimal strategy on this machine allows skilled players to minimize losses significantly over hundreds of thousands of hands played.
The 7/5 variant drops the RTP further to 96.15 percent, while the 6/5 version falls to an even lower 94.99 percent return rate. These variations demonstrate how sensitive video poker returns are to minor changes in the payout schedule for mid-tier hands. Players should always verify the paytable before starting a session to ensure they are playing under favorable mathematical conditions.
Craps Odds Bet with 0 Percent House Edge
The Craps Free Odds bet carries a zero percent house edge because it pays out at true mathematical odds without any casino markup. When combined with a Pass Line bet using 3-4-5x odds, the overall house edge drops to 0.37 percent for the total action. This makes it the only wager in the casino where the player faces no statistical disadvantage on the odds portion.
Payouts for the odds bet vary based on the point established: Point 4 or 10 pays 2:1, while Point 5 or 9 pays 3:2. Points 6 or 8 offer the most frequent wins with payouts set at 6:5 according to the actual probability of rolling those numbers. These payouts are strictly determined by the dice probabilities rather than arbitrary casino margins found in other games.
Combining the Pass Line bet with maximum 5x odds results in a per-roll house edge of only 0.111 percent for the total amount wagered. Without any additional odds, the edge sits at 0.251 percent, and with 2x odds it improves to 0.180 percent. Players seeking the lowest possible house edge should prioritize tables offering generous odds multiples alongside the base Pass Line wager.
Game categories at a glance
| Category | Examples | Stakes From | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slots | Money Train 4, Gonzo's Quest, Major Millions | 0,10 EUR | thousands of titles |
| Table games | Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat | 0,50 EUR | classic rules |
| Live casino | Infinite Blackjack, Speed Baccarat | 0,20 EUR | real dealers |
| Jackpot games | Mega Moolah, Divine Fortune, Age of the Gods | 0,20 EUR | progressive pools |
| Instant games | Aviator, Plinko, Mines | 0,10 EUR | fast rounds |
| Video poker | Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild | 0,25 EUR | strategy based |
How many sectors does the Game Show wheel have?
The Sic Bo game involves three dice and offers specific side bets like Triple, Double, and Single Number outcomes with varying risk levels. A Specific Triple pays 180:1 but carries a high house edge of 16.20 percent, whereas a Single Number bet has the lowest edge at 7.87 percent. Players can choose between Any Triple paying 30:1 or Specific Double paying 10:1 depending on their risk tolerance.
The Baccarat Player Pair side bet uses eight decks and pays 11:1 when the first two cards form a pair for the Player hand. However, this side bet suffers from a poor RTP of 89.64 percent and a substantial house edge of 10.36 percent. This edge is orders of magnitude higher than the main Banker or Player bets, making it a statistically unfavorable choice for regular play.
The Baccarat Tie bet pays 8:1 but presents the worst return in the game with an RTP of only 85.64 percent and a 14.36 percent house edge. If the dealer shows a Tie, the Banker and Player bets push, meaning the stake is returned without loss or gain. The standard deviation for this volatile bet is 2.64, indicating high variance in short-term results.
Martingale Fails After 8 Rounds at Table Limit
The Blackjack Insurance bet is a separate side wager allowed up to 50 percent of the main bet when the dealer shows an Ace. It pays 2:1 if the dealer has a ten-value card underneath, but the house edge is 7.47 percent with an RTP of 92.53 percent. Basic strategy dictates always rejecting this bet unless the player is counting cards with a true count of plus three or higher.
Using six decks, the insurance bet increases the effective house edge to approximately 5.88 percent compared to multi-deck games. This negative expectation makes it a poor option for players relying on flat betting systems like the Martingale progression which assumes even-money wins. Over time, the statistical disadvantage ensures that progressive betting strategies cannot overcome the built-in casino advantage.
The Blackjack Surrender rule offers late surrender allowing players to forfeit half their bet after the dealer checks for blackjack. This rule improves the RTP by approximately 0.08 percentage points, providing a slight mathematical benefit to the player. Early surrender is more valuable but extremely rare, so players should rely on standard basic strategy for most decisions instead of complex betting progressions.
37 vs. 38 Sectors: What the Double Zero Costs
European Roulette features 37 sectors including a single zero, yielding a house edge of 2.70% and an RTP of 97.30%. American Roulette adds a double zero for 38 sectors, which doubles the casino advantage to 5.26% while dropping the RTP to 94.74%. This extra sector significantly reduces player returns across all bet types compared to the European variant.
The Straight bet pays 35:1 in both versions, yet the probability of winning decreases from approximately 2.70% to 2.63% with the additional zero. Consequently, the expected loss per unit wagered increases substantially when playing the American wheel version against the European option.
Split bets pay 17:1 in both variants, but the presence of the double zero in American Roulette increases the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%. Players lose nearly double their expected value on identical wagers by choosing the wheel with more pockets.
Game Shows: sectors, multipliers, and bet ranges
Roulette offers specific payout structures such as Dozen bets paying 2:1 and Column bets also returning 2:1 on winning outcomes. The Corner bet provides an 8:1 payout, while Street bets yield 11:1 for successful wagers placed on adjacent numbers. These fixed ratios apply regardless of the total number of sectors on the wheel layout.
Sic Bo includes Specific Triple bets that pay 180:1, representing one of the highest multipliers available in this dice game category. Any Triple bets offer a lower 30:1 return, whereas Single Number bets provide modest payouts ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 depending on matching dice counts.
Craps Free Odds bets pay according to true probabilities, offering 2:1 for points 4 or 10, and 3:2 for points 5 or 9. The 6 and 8 points receive the most favorable 6:5 odds ratio among all point numbers in the Pass Line sequence. These odds carry no house edge, contrasting sharply with the initial Pass Line bet.
En Prison on Zero Gives Second Chance
French Roulette allows the En Prison rule for even-money bets when the ball lands on zero, granting players a second chance. However, Arctic Casino only offers French Roulette for inner bets where La Partage does not apply, maintaining the standard 2.70% house edge. Consequently, the potential benefit of recovering half the stake is unavailable for these specific wagers.
European Roulette lacks any prison rules, meaning a zero result immediately loses all outside bets without exception. The house edge remains constant at 2.70% for all wagers due to the 37-sector layout. Players cannot recover losses from zero hits in this variant, unlike in games featuring En Prison provisions.
American Roulette features two zeros, further complicating any recovery mechanisms since neither En Prison nor La Partage exists here. The house edge jumps to 5.26%, making zero hits significantly more costly than in European or French versions. No second chances are offered for even-money bets landing on either zero pocket.
Video Poker 9/6: What the Two Numbers Mean
Jacks or Better 9/6 Full Pay video poker pays 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush. This structure yields an impressive RTP of 99.54% with a minimal house edge of just 0.46%. Achieving the Royal Flush requires five coins, triggering a bonus payout of 4000 coins instead of the standard 800.
Reducing payouts to 8/5 lowers the RTP to 97.29%, increasing the house edge to 2.71% significantly. The Full House now pays only 8 coins and the Flush drops to 5 coins compared to the full pay version. This reduction costs players 2.25 percentage points in theoretical return over long-term play sessions.
Intermediate variations like 9/5 pay 98.45% RTP, while 8/6 offers 98.39%, sitting between the optimal and reduced structures. The 7/5 variant drops further to 96.15%, and the 6/5 version falls to 94.99% RTP. Players should strictly avoid anything below the 9/6 standard for maximum mathematical efficiency.
Standard deviations vary slightly across these configurations, with the 9/6 version showing a volatility measure of 4.42. Higher variance occurs in lower-paying tables due to the increased frequency of smaller wins versus fewer large jackpots. Bankroll management must account for these fluctuation differences when selecting the specific machine type.
How Long Does a Roulette Round Take on Average?
Roulette rounds typically last between 20 and 30 seconds, allowing for rapid succession of spins throughout a gaming session. This pace enables players to place numerous wagers within a short timeframe compared to slower table games like Blackjack. The speed directly impacts the volume of action and potential turnover per hour.
Blackjack deals proceed at a variable speed, averaging roughly 30 hands per hour with basic strategy usage. Each hand involves card distribution, decision-making, and settlement, extending the duration significantly beyond a simple spin. Insurance bets add complexity if chosen, potentially slowing the dealer's processing time during active rounds.
Baccarat Player bets resolve quickly, often taking less than 15 seconds per round due to automated dealing procedures. The simplicity of drawing cards for Player and Banker positions minimizes decision time for participants. Side bets like Pair options introduce slight delays but do not drastically alter the overall fast pace of the game cycle.
Contact
Live - online chat
Banking
Providers
Arctic Casino 2026