If you’re new to poker, you may have heard that you’re playing against the house or that the house always wins. This might cause you to question who exactly the house is and why they’re holding all the power in a poker game.
“The house” is the place where your poker game is played. This can either be a physical casino that you’re visiting or an online poker platform. For the latter, the site operator is considered the house, no matter which type of online casino you’re visiting.
In short, the house is who you’re playing against. So, if you’re at Caesar’s Palace, then Caesar’s Palace is the house. Or, if you’re accessing anonymous poker sites where you can play with Bitcoin to maintain your privacy, then those sites would be considered the house.
However, there is a distinction in the type of poker games, and you might not always be playing against the house. For example, if you’re playing three-card poker, then you’re up against the dealer—which would be the house in this case. Poker tournaments or cash games where you’re playing against other players do not have a house, as it is only the players who can win the game.
You play against the house when you’re playing a game in which the casino pays you when you win, and not another player. That means that several casino games involves playing against the house, including slots, roulette, baccarat, craps, and blackjack. When you lose against the house, your money goes to the casino or platform operator when playing online.
When you’re playing a poker game with friends at home or a professional poker tournament and everyone is chipping in to the pot, then there is no house, since your winnings will come from other players (and your losses will go to humans, not a casino). Although there might be a dealer that shuffles and deals during these games, you’re not playing against them, which means the dealer does not always equal the house.
Even if you’re playing against other players, the casino will still earn money. Most casinos take a rake in poker games—that is, a fee charged for players to use a card room or dealer for their game.
The rake fee is either added to the buy-in in bigger tournaments, or can be a percentage of the pot in a smaller cash game.
Unfortunately, the saying “the house always wins” holds true. That is because each game you play against the house has odds, and the odds that the casino will win is greater than the odds of you winning any money.
All casino games, including poker, have a built-in house edge, which decreases your chances of winning big. The house edge is odds in favor of the casino, and is represented as the average profit that a casino can make per game, whether that is slots or table games.
Even games with a low house edge, like blackjack, will see the casino taking at least a 1.5% average gross profit. Poker’s house edge can range from 1.5% for three-card poker to 5% for video poker, which means no matter how lucky you are and how cleverly you strategize, the house will still make a profit off of you.
