Rust has a small casino hidden inside it. There is a blackjack dealer in a train car, a Big Wheel above the swamp at Bandit Camp, slot machines that eat 2 scrap a pull, and Texas Hold’em tables where you can take scrap off other players. None of it costs real money, but all of it can empty a box of scrap faster than any raid.
This guide covers every casino game in vanilla Rust, with the most detail on Rust blackjack: where the tables are, the exact rules, how to play a hand and a simple hit and stand chart. Then it covers the Big Wheel odds, the slot machines and poker, and which game keeps the most of your scrap. If you are planning a session around a fresh map, our Rust force wipe countdown shows exactly when the next wipe lands.
- Every Casino Game
- Where to Play Blackjack
- Blackjack Rules
- How to Play Blackjack
- Blackjack Strategy Chart
- Big Wheel Odds
- Slot Machines
- Poker
- Which Game Is Best
- Tips
- FAQ
Every Casino Game in Rust
Facepunch added the games one at a time. The Big Wheel came first with the Bandit Camp monument in August 2019. Slot machines followed in March 2021, poker tables in April 2021, and blackjack arrived with the Lucky Caboose train car in the November 2022 update. Every game uses scrap, the same currency you spend on blueprints, vending machines and the tech tree.
| Game | Where | Added | You play against | Stake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | Lucky Caboose train car, Outpost caboose | November 2022 | NPC dealer | 5 to 500 scrap a hand |
| Big Wheel | Bandit Camp | August 2019 | The house | Any amount on 1x, 3x, 5x, 10x or 20x |
| Slot machines | Bandit Camp, Lucky Caboose, Outpost caboose | March 2021 | The house | 2 scrap a spin, more with the multiplier |
| Texas Hold’em poker | Bandit Camp, Lucky Caboose, Outpost caboose | April 2021 | Other players | 100 to 1,000 scrap buy-in |
None of these machines can be crafted or placed in your base. They only exist at the monuments and in the caboose. For the rest of what Bandit Camp offers, from the black market to the Air Wolf helicopter shop, see our full Bandit Camp guide.
Where to Play Blackjack in Rust
This is the part most players get wrong: blackjack is not at Bandit Camp. It lives in a caboose, and there are two of them.
The Lucky Caboose (rail network)
The Lucky Caboose Casino is a train car that spawns on the sidings of the above-ground rail network. Inside is a blackjack machine for one to three players, a four-seat poker table and two slot machines. It is a normal train car, so there is no safe zone. Anyone can walk in and shoot you while you are holding a stack of scrap, and train cars can be attached and moved.
The rail network only spawns on maps of size 4250 or larger, so small custom maps have no Lucky Caboose at all. Our Rust map sizes guide lists the size of popular servers, and the Train Yard guide covers how the rail cars work.
The static caboose at Outpost
One month after the Lucky Caboose arrived, the December 2022 Big QoL Update parked a static, indestructible caboose at the Outpost train platform. It has the same blackjack machine, poker table and slots, and because it sits inside the Outpost safe zone, nobody can kill you for your winnings while you play. For most players this is the easiest place to play blackjack in Rust.
Rust Blackjack Rules
Rust blackjack plays like the casino version you know, but it is simplified. You never play against other players at the table, only against the dealer, and your aim is a hand closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over.
| Rule | Rust blackjack |
|---|---|
| Opponent | NPC dealer, never other players |
| Seats | 1 to 3 players |
| Bet per hand | 5 to 500 scrap |
| Natural blackjack | Pays 3:2 (a 100 scrap bet wins 150) |
| Normal win | Pays 1:1 |
| Tie (push) | Your bet comes back |
| Card values | 2 to 10 at face value, J, Q, K = 10, ace = 1 or 11 |
| Your moves | Hit or stand (no split or double down at launch) |
| Joining | Between hands only, never mid-hand |
When the caboose launched, Facepunch said splits and double downs were planned for later, and players report that an insurance prompt shows on screen without doing anything. Play the game as a hit or stand table and you will not be caught out.
How to Play Blackjack in Rust
- Find a caboose. Go to the Outpost train platform, or find the Lucky Caboose on a rail siding.
- Sit at the blackjack machine. Take one of the three seats in front of the dealer.
- Load your scrap. Put at least 5 scrap into the card game storage port in front of your seat. That is your stack for the session.
- Set your bet and start. Choose a bet between 5 and 500 scrap and start the hand from the dealer terminal. If a hand is already running, you wait for the next one.
- Hit or stand. Take cards until you are happy with your total, then stand. Go over 21 and you bust and lose the bet.
- Collect. Wins go back into your stash. Take your scrap out of the storage port before you leave the seat.
Rust Blackjack Strategy Chart
Because Rust blackjack only lets you hit or stand, the best play is a short version of normal blackjack basic strategy. Find your total down the left, the dealer’s face-up card across the top, and do what the box says. A soft hand is any hand with an ace still counted as 11, like ace and 6 (soft 17).
| Your hand | Dealer shows 2 to 6 | Dealer shows 7 to ace |
|---|---|---|
| Hard 17 or more | Stand | Stand |
| Hard 13 to 16 | Stand | Hit |
| Hard 12 | Hit on 2 and 3, stand on 4 to 6 | Hit |
| Hard 11 or less | Hit | Hit |
| Soft 19 or more | Stand | Stand |
| Soft 18 | Stand | Stand on 7 and 8, hit on 9, 10 and ace |
| Soft 17 or less | Hit | Hit |
Bandit Camp Big Wheel Odds
The Big Wheel is upstairs in the main building at Bandit Camp. You sit at a betting terminal, put scrap on one or more numbers (1, 3, 5, 10 or 20), and the wheel spins on a timer. If it lands on your number you get your stake back plus the stake times that number. A 100 scrap bet on 3 that wins pays out 400 scrap in total.
| Bet | Segments | Win chance | A win pays (total) | Scrap returned per 100 bet | House keeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | 12 of 25 | 48% | 2x your bet | 96 | 4% |
| 3x | 6 of 25 | 24% | 4x your bet | 96 | 4% |
| 5x | 4 of 25 | 16% | 6x your bet | 96 | 4% |
| 10x | 2 of 25 | 8% | 11x your bet | 88 | 12% |
| 20x | 1 of 25 | 4% | 21x your bet | 84 | 16% |
The 1x, 3x and 5x bets all cost you the same 4% over time, they just swing harder. The 10x and 20x bets are the worst value on the wheel, three to four times worse than the low numbers. Spreading scrap across several numbers on the same spin does not change the math, it just mixes those edges together.
Rust Slot Machines
Bandit Camp has three slot machines in the same room as the Big Wheel, and each caboose has two more. You sit at a machine, deposit scrap and pull the arm. A spin starts at 2 scrap, and since an April 2021 rebalance you can raise a bet multiplier to stake more per spin for bigger payouts.
At launch in March 2021, Facepunch’s patch notes listed payouts from 20 to 1,500 scrap. A month later the machines were reworked so three matching symbols pay out more often, after most wins had been coming from wildcard symbols. Facepunch has never published the full pay table, so nobody outside the studio knows the exact return. What players can see is that most spins pay nothing and the machine drains a pile of scrap quickly, because you can pull it as fast as you like.
Rust Poker (Texas Hold’em)
Poker came to Bandit Camp in the April 2021 update, and it is the only casino game in Rust where you play other people instead of the house. The game is Texas Hold’em. You buy in with 100 to 1,000 scrap, and a hand needs at least two players to start.
Bandit Camp has several tables for two to six players, including a big table near the recyclers, and each caboose has a four-seat table. Sit down, put scrap in the storage in front of you and start the hand from the table. If you leave between hands, your scrap goes back to your inventory. Because there is no house edge, a good player can come out ahead. The catch is finding another player willing to sit down, which on most servers only happens on wipe day.
Which Rust Casino Game Is Best?
- Poker if anyone will play you. No house edge, so skill decides it.
- Blackjack played with the chart above. Small edge, and you control every decision.
- Big Wheel on 1x, 3x or 5x. A fixed 4% edge, nothing you do changes it.
- Big Wheel on 10x or 20x. 12% to 16% edge. Fun once, expensive as a habit.
- Slots. Unknown pay table and very fast spins, so they burn scrap quickest.
Rust Casino Tips
- Set a scrap budget first. Decide what you can lose before you sit down, and never touch scrap you need for a gun or a blueprint. 1,000 scrap is a lot of tech tree progress.
- Play blackjack at Outpost, not on the rail. Same game, but the Outpost caboose is in a safe zone.
- Bet low numbers on the wheel. 1x, 3x and 5x lose 4% over time. 20x loses 16%.
- There is no wheel or slots strategy. Past spins do not change the next one. Anyone selling a system is selling the gambler’s fallacy.
- Price your bet first. Before you drop 2,000 scrap on the wheel, check what the same scrap buys in boom with the Rust raid calculator.
- Watch the exits. Players camp the roads around Bandit Camp and Outpost for people carrying winnings.
- Recycle on the way. Both Bandit Camp and Outpost have safe recyclers, so you can turn components into scrap before you play.
Rust Blackjack and Casino FAQ
Where is blackjack in Rust?
Blackjack is inside a caboose. The static caboose at the Outpost train platform has a blackjack machine inside the safe zone, and the moving Lucky Caboose train car has one on the rail network. There is no blackjack at Bandit Camp.
How much can you bet on blackjack in Rust?
Between 5 and 500 scrap per hand. You need at least 5 scrap in the storage port to join, and a natural blackjack pays 3:2.
Can you split or double down in Rust blackjack?
No. When blackjack launched in November 2022 you could only hit or stand. Facepunch said splits and double downs were planned, so play it as a hit or stand game.
Is the Lucky Caboose a safe zone?
No. The Lucky Caboose on the rail network is a normal train car with no protection. Only the static caboose at Outpost is inside a safe zone.
What are the odds on the Bandit Camp wheel?
The wheel has 25 segments: 12 for 1x, 6 for 3x, 4 for 5x, 2 for 10x and 1 for 20x. That gives win chances of 48%, 24%, 16%, 8% and 4%. The 1x, 3x and 5x bets return 96% of your scrap over time, 10x returns 88% and 20x returns 84%.
How much does a slot machine spin cost in Rust?
A spin starts at 2 scrap, and you can raise the bet multiplier to stake more per spin. Bandit Camp has three slot machines and each caboose has two.
How do you play poker in Rust?
Sit at a card table at Bandit Camp or in a caboose, buy in with 100 to 1,000 scrap and start the hand once at least two players are seated. The game is Texas Hold’em against other players, with no house edge.
Can you craft a casino game for your base in Rust?
No. The blackjack machine, Big Wheel, slot machines and casino card tables only exist at Bandit Camp, Outpost and in the Lucky Caboose. You cannot craft or place them in a base.