Craps Odds and Strategy: Every Bet Ranked
Craps is the casino game with the widest spread between the best and worst bets on the same table. The Pass Line carries a 1.41% house edge. The odds bet behind it carries zero. “Any Seven” in the middle of the layout carries 16.67%. That’s a 12× difference in edge, all on the same felt, all bet on the same two dice. Knowing which bets to make and which to ignore is 90% of craps strategy. Here’s the complete ranking.
Try Every Bet on the 3D Practice Table
The fastest way to internalise the house-edge table below is to feel it. This free 3D practice table deals every core wager — Pass Line and Don’t Pass with true odds, Come, Field, and the Place numbers — with the exact casino payouts, and prints the house edge next to every bet as you place it. Symbolic chips only: nothing to deposit, nothing to win, just reps.
Select a bet to see its payout and house edge.
How the practice table works
This is a free practice table with symbolic play chips — no real money, no prizes. Every bet shows its true house edge so you can feel the difference between the smart wagers and the expensive ones.
Come-out roll: place a Pass Line or Don't Pass bet first. A 7 or 11 wins the Pass Line, 2 or 3 loses it, and 12 is a push for Don't Pass. Any other total becomes the point.
Point phase: back your Pass Line bet with free odds (zero house edge), add Come or Place bets, and roll until the shooter makes the point or sevens out.
Field is a one-roll bet: 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 pay even money, 2 pays double, 12 pays triple.
Cheapest bets on the table: Pass/Don't Pass with maximum odds, then Place 6 and Place 8. The strategy guide above walks through why.
Drag on the table to look around; scroll or pinch to zoom. Click the felt or the buttons to bet.
The Complete Craps House-Edge Table
| Bet | Payout | House Edge | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odds (behind Pass/Don’t Pass) | True odds | 0.00% | Best |
| Don’t Pass | 1:1 | 1.36% | Core |
| Don’t Come | 1:1 | 1.36% | Core |
| Pass Line | 1:1 | 1.41% | Core |
| Come | 1:1 | 1.41% | Core |
| Place 6 | 7:6 | 1.52% | Good |
| Place 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% | Good |
| Don’t Place 6/8 | 4:5 | 1.82% | Good |
| Buy 4 (5% vig on win) | 2:1 − vig | 1.67% | Good |
| Buy 10 (5% vig on win) | 2:1 − vig | 1.67% | Good |
| Place 5 | 7:5 | 4.00% | Meh |
| Place 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% | Meh |
| Field (2:1 on 12) | 1:1 / 2:1 | 5.56% | Skip |
| Field (3:1 on 12) | 1:1 / 2:1 / 3:1 | 2.78% | Better |
| Place 4 | 9:5 | 6.67% | Skip (use Buy 4) |
| Place 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% | Skip (use Buy 10) |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1:1 | 9.09% | Skip |
| Hardway 6 or 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% | Skip |
| Hardway 4 or 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% | Skip |
| Any Craps | 7:1 | 11.11% | Skip |
| C&E (Craps + Eleven) | various | 11.11% | Skip |
| Horn | various | 12.50% | Skip |
| Any Seven | 4:1 | 16.67% | Worst |
The five best bets (Odds, Don’t Pass, Don’t Come, Pass, Come) cluster under 1.5%. The proposition bets jump to 9–16%. There’s almost nothing in between.
The Odds Bet Is The Only Free Lunch
The odds bet pays true mathematical odds with no house markup. If the point is 4 and you take odds, you’re paid 2:1 if the 4 rolls before 7 — which is exactly the true probability ratio (you have 3 ways to make a 4, versus 6 ways to make a 7, so the 7 is twice as likely, so 2:1 is fair).
This is unique in casino gambling. Every other bet at every other game has a house edge baked in. Odds doesn’t.
The practical result: combining a Pass Line bet with full odds lowers your effective edge. Because the two bets are combined into a single position, the total edge is blended across both.
| Odds multiplier | Effective edge on combined Pass + Odds |
|---|---|
| 1× odds | 0.85% |
| 2× odds | 0.61% |
| 3-4-5× odds (standard) | 0.37% |
| 5× odds | 0.33% |
| 10× odds | 0.18% |
| 100× odds (rare Vegas tables) | 0.02% |
A 3-4-5× craps table with full odds is the closest thing in any casino to a break-even game.
Pass Line vs Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass has a 1.36% edge; Pass Line has 1.41%. Why?
On a come-out roll of 12, Don’t Pass pushes (your bet neither wins nor loses) while Pass Line loses outright. That single edge case — which happens 1 spin in 36 on average — reduces the Don’t Pass house edge by 0.05 percentage points.
Don’t Pass is therefore the best core bet in craps by a small margin. The social cost is that you’re rooting against the shooter, which feels strange at a physical table full of strangers cheering for a 7 to land the point. Online, this social dynamic doesn’t apply — take Don’t Pass if you want the tiny edge advantage.
Place 6 and Place 8: The Only Place Bets Worth Making
Place bets let you wager on specific numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) winning before 7. House edges:
- Place 6 or Place 8: 1.52% — good.
- Place 5 or Place 9: 4.00% — meh.
- Place 4 or Place 10: 6.67% — skip.
The edge difference comes from payout-rounding. 6 and 8 pay 7:6, which is nearly true odds. 4 and 10 pay 9:5, which is significantly below true odds of 2:1. If you want action on 4 or 10, use “Buy” instead — you pay a 5% commission on wins but the effective edge drops to 1.67%.
Hardways, Field, and Centre-of-Table Traps
The centre section of a craps table is where the house’s most profitable bets live. Every bet there has double-digit house edges. A quick review:
- Hardway 4 or 10 (both dice showing 2-2 or 5-5): 11.11% edge. Pays 7:1. Most common trap because “7:1” sounds attractive.
- Hardway 6 or 8 (3-3 or 4-4): 9.09% edge. Pays 9:1.
- Any Seven: 16.67% edge. The single worst bet in mainstream casinos.
- Any Craps (2, 3, or 12 on next roll): 11.11% edge.
- Horn (split on 2, 3, 11, 12): 12.50% edge.
These exist for variance-hungry players. If you enjoy the occasional big-payout spike, fine — but understand the long-term cost.
Strategy Cards: What Good Players Actually Do
Three strategies, ranked by conservatism:
1. Pure Pass + Max Odds (Most Conservative)
Only bet: Pass Line + maximum odds once a point is set. Do nothing else. Effective edge: 0.18–0.85% depending on the table’s odds multiplier. This is the mathematically cleanest play.
2. Pass + Max Odds + 2 Come Bets (Standard)
After a point is set, place a Come bet on each of the next two rolls and take odds on both Come points. Now you have action on 3 numbers simultaneously. Blended edge still under 1% on a 3-4-5× table. Gives the game its “engaged” feel.
3. Standard + Place 6 and 8 (Aggressive)
If the point isn’t 6 or 8, add Place 6 and Place 8 bets. You’ve got action on 4 numbers. Blended edge rises slightly because Place 6/8 adds 1.52% exposure, but you now cover most of the table. Stop here — anything more aggressive means adding high-edge bets.
Bankroll Management
Rough rule of thumb for a session: bring 40× your Pass Line unit. On a €5 Pass Line table with 3-4-5× odds, that’s €200 minimum. This covers streakiness without forcing you to stop in the first 10 rolls.
Set a stop-loss (e.g., half your bankroll) and a stop-win (e.g., +25%). Walking away when either trigger fires is what separates a disciplined player from a broke one.
FAQ
What’s the best bet in craps?
The odds bet behind a Pass Line or Don’t Pass. Zero house edge — the only fair bet in any casino. Always take maximum odds your bankroll allows.
What’s the worst bet?
Any Seven in the centre of the table. 16.67% house edge. Pays 4:1 for an event with true odds of 5:1.
Should I use Don’t Pass or Pass Line?
Don’t Pass is 0.05 percentage points better (1.36% vs 1.41%). At a physical table, you’re betting against the shooter which some find socially awkward. Online, just pick the lower edge — Don’t Pass.
Is there a “best” point to get?
For Pass Line bettors: 6 or 8 are best, because they come up more often than 7. 35 ways to win (25 ways to roll a 6 or 8 before 7 + 10 ways to avoid 7 outright isn’t quite the right frame, but intuitively 6/8 win more often than 4 or 10). For Don’t Pass bettors: the opposite — 4 or 10 are best.
What does 3-4-5× odds mean?
The table’s maximum odds multiplier varies by point. You can take 3× your base bet in odds if the point is 4 or 10, 4× if the point is 5 or 9, and 5× if the point is 6 or 8. It’s the industry standard online and at most Vegas tables.
Do online craps tables use real dice physics?
RNG craps uses a certified random number generator with provably fair dice-roll distributions (audited by eCOGRA, GLI or similar). Live-dealer craps uses real dice rolled by a human dealer under camera. Both deliver the same mathematical house edges.
Can I count dice rolls like card counting?
No. Each dice roll is independent of every previous roll. There’s no state to track and no edge to gain from tracking outcomes. Dice have no memory.
Play Craps Online
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Social casino craps for US players.
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Canadian real-money craps.
Best Craps Casinos UK
UKGC-licensed operators with craps.
How to Play Craps Online
Rules, come-out phase, point phase, bet placement.
The History of Craps
From medieval Hazard to the modern pass line.