Every Carnival Game Ranked by House Edge (Exact Numbers)
Last reviewed: July 2026
“Carnival games” — the poker-style table games that grew up beside blackjack — vary far more than players assume. Ranked by house edge per base bet, our five run from 2.88% at Casino War to 4.91% at Mississippi Stud. But rank them by what you lose per dollar actually wagered and the order nearly flips. Here is the whole picture, with numbers from our verified engines.
The table
| Game | House edge (per ante/base bet) | Element of risk (per dollar wagered) |
|---|---|---|
| Casino War (always go to war) | 2.88% | ~2.7% |
| Three Card Poker (Q-6-4) | 3.37% | 2.01% |
| Four Card Poker (simple strategy) | 3.40% | ~1.56% |
| Let It Ride (optimal) | 3.51% | 2.86% |
| Mississippi Stud (optimal) | 4.91% | 1.37% |
Why two columns?
The house edge measures your expected loss against your ante. But games like Mississippi Stud make you keep betting behind a good hand — the average hand puts about 3.59 antes in play. Spread the same expected loss over all that action and the element of risk on Mississippi Stud is just 1.37% — the cheapest of the five per dollar wagered, despite the scariest headline number.
The reverse warning also applies: Casino War’s friendly 2.88% has almost no betting volume behind it, and Let It Ride loses on 76% of hands — a low headline edge can still feel brutal in the chair.
Which should you play?
- Simplest: Casino War — one decision, and it is always “go to war.”
- Best strategy-to-effort ratio: Three Card Poker — one memorized rule (Q-6-4) gets you to 3.37%.
- Cheapest per dollar: Mississippi Stud — if you play the raise strategy exactly and can stomach folding 43.6% of hands.
- Most interesting decisions: Let It Ride and Four Card Poker — both reward knowing exactly when to press.
Every game above has a free simulator with the exact odds built in — pick one and prove the numbers to yourself.