The dice roll across green felt as players cheer, with craps offering more excitement than any casino game. Yet, many play without a strategy. The key to smart play isn’t predicting outcomes, but knowing which bets have better odds and how to manage bankroll.
Strategic players maximize entertainment and minimize losses, while careless bets can lead to costly mistakes.
Understanding House Edge in Craps
The house edge determines the long-term expected loss per wager. In craps, this percentage varies dramatically, ranging from near-zero on odds bets to over 16% on propositions. A pass line bet carries a 1.41% house edge, meaning players statistically lose $1.41 per $100 wagered.
How Multiple Bets Compound Your Edge
House edge compounds across multiple bets. Players scattering chips across the layout face combined edges that quickly erode bankrolls. Strategic players concentrate on low-edge bets and avoid high-edge propositions regardless of appealing payouts. Reducing aggregate edge across all active bets represents the foundation of winning craps strategy.
Pass Line and Come Bets: Foundation of Basic Craps Strategy
The pass line forms the cornerstone of optimal craps strategy. This wager wins on come-out rolls of 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3, or 12, and establishes a point on any other number. Once set, the bet wins if that number repeats before a 7.
With its 1.41% house edge, the pass line offers one of the best bets in any casino. The best craps strategy builds from this foundation, adding complementary wagers that leverage favorable odds.
Come bets function identically to pass line wagers but activate after the point is established. This allows multiple numbers to work simultaneously. A player might have a pass line bet on 8, a come bet on 6, and another on 5.
Working Multiple Come Bets
Advanced players typically work two or three come bets after the point is established, putting more money on low-edge bets while creating multiple win opportunities. Each maintains the same 1.41% house edge. This balances action with exposure without covering every number on the layout.
Taking Odds: The Best Bet at Any Table
Odds bets behind the pass line and come wagers carry zero house edge. These bets pay true mathematical odds, offering the only fair wager in the casino. A player who bets $10 on the pass line can back it with odds bets ranging from single odds to 100x odds, depending on the casino rules.
Why Maximum Odds Matter
The mathematics strongly favor maximum odds backing. Consider a pass line bet on 6 or 8, which pays 6:5 on the odds portion. A $10 pass line bet backed with $50 in odds creates a combined house edge of just 0.32%, compared to 1.41% on the pass line alone.
Most casinos offer 3x, 4x, and 5x odds, allowing three times the pass line bet on 4 and 10, quadruple odds on 5 or 9, and quintuple odds on 6 or 8. This structure equalizes payouts while providing substantial edge reduction. Players seeking the best online casinos should prioritize sites offering generous odds multiples, as this single factor dramatically impacts long-term results.
| Point Number | True Odds | Odds Payout | House Edge with Max Odds (3-4-5x) |
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 2:1 | 0.37% |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 3:2 | 0.33% |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 6:5 | 0.32% |
Bankroll Requirements for Odds Betting
Proper odds betting requires a sufficient bankroll. A player must maintain enough funds to back every pass line and come bet at maximum odds. This demands larger session banks but delivers substantially better mathematical outcomes.
Key considerations for odds betting:
- Calculate your required bankroll before approaching the table
- Maintain reserves to back all active bets at maximum odds
- Never reduce odds backing to chase losses or extend sessions
- Factor in point frequency when determining session stake
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come: Lower Variance Alternative
Don’t pass and don’t come bets flip traditional craps strategy. These wagers win when the shooter fails (i.e., on 7 or 11 during come-out) and lose when a 7 appears before the established point. The house edge sits at 1.36%, marginally better than pass line betting.
Betting against the shooter keeps most players away due to social dynamics, but mathematics doesn’t care. Don’t bet offers lower variance, with a win probability exceeding 49%, resulting in more frequent small wins rather than occasional large pass line payouts.
Laying Odds on Don’t Bets
Don’t bettors lay odds, betting more to win less based on true probability. A don’t pass bet on 4, backed at odds, requires wagering $20 to win $10, reflecting 2:1 odds of throwing a 7 before a 4. The combined house edge drops to 0.27% with maximum laying odds, though this requires larger bankrolls.
Place Bets Strategy: When Numbers Matter
Place bets allow players to wager directly on specific numbers without waiting for come-out rolls. A $30 place bet on 6 pays $35 when that number hits, offering immediate action without the multi-step process of come betting.
Choosing the Right Place Bets
The strategy considerations depend on which numbers receive place bets. The 6 and 8 carry a 1.52% house edge when placed, making them acceptable alternatives when a player wants specific numbers working immediately. Place bets on 5 and 9 jump to 4% house edge, while 4 and 10 reach 6.67%.
Experienced players often place the 6 and 8 while using come bets for other numbers. This hybrid approach provides control over which numbers work while maintaining a low overall edge. The strategy excels when shooters establish points on 4, 5, 9, or 10, allowing players to cover the more frequently rolled 6 and 8 through place bets.
Many mobile casinos now offer low-stakes craps tables where players can practice place betting strategies without risking substantial bankrolls. These platforms allow experimentation with different number combinations and betting patterns in real-money environments with minimal exposure.
Craps Strategies to Avoid: High House Edge Traps
The center of the craps table gleams with proposition bets promising 30:1 payoffs and instant wealth. These wagers carry house edges of 9% to 16%, making them sucker bets despite their appealing payouts. A $5 bet on any 7 faces a 16.67% house edge, meaning the player loses 84 cents per roll.
Hard ways bets, which win when doubles appear before a 7, and easy way bets carry edges of 9% to 11%. Field bets offer a 5.56% house edge in most casinos despite covering seven numbers. These bets occasionally hit but drain bankrolls through consistent mathematical disadvantage.
Bets strategic players always avoid:
- Any 7 (16.67% house edge)
- Any craps (11.11% house edge)
- Hard 4 or Hard 10 (11.11% house edge)
- Hard 6 or Hard 8 (9.09% house edge)
- Horn bets (12.5% house edge)
- Whirl/World bets (13.33% house edge)
Players checking casino reviews should note whether establishments offer favorable rules like triple pay on 12 in the field bet, which reduces that wager’s edge to 2.78%. However, even improved prop bets pale compared to pass line with odds or place bets on 6 and 8. Strategic players avoid the center of the table entirely.
The Field Bet Fallacy
The field bet covers seven numbers: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12, creating the illusion of covering more numbers. However, the frequently rolled 5, 6, 7, and 8 aren’t covered, giving the house a consistent advantage despite apparent generosity.
Bankroll Management and Winning at Craps
An effective craps strategy extends beyond bet selection to bankroll management. A session stake should support 10-12 full bet cycles, accounting for pass line wagers plus maximum odds on three numbers. With $10 minimum bets and 3-4-5x odds, this requires a $500-600 session bankroll.
Win goals and loss limits provide discipline during hot or cold streaks. Setting a stop-loss at 50% of the session stake prevents catastrophic losses. Win goals at 50-100% profit, lock in gains before regression to the mean.
Using units rather than absolute dollars helps scale bets appropriately. A player with $1,000 might use $10 units, while someone with $5,000 could bet $25 units, maintaining consistent risk across different bankroll sizes.
Session Length Considerations
Longer sessions expose players to more variance and greater cumulative house edge. Strategic players prefer shorter, focused sessions that limit total exposure. Those who understand the rules of craps recognize that fatigue and alcohol impair decision-making, leading to poor strategic choices.
Combining Strategies for Optimal Play
The most effective craps strategy combines pass line or don’t pass betting with maximum odds backing. This foundation provides the lowest house edge available in the game. Players can supplement this approach with come bets or selective place bets on 6 and 8, keeping aggregate edge below 1%. While opinions vary, most experts agree that the best strategy for craps is to maximize odds bets while avoiding high-edge propositions.
Conservative vs. Aggressive Approaches
A conservative strategy might involve pass line plus double odds with one or two come bets. Aggressive players might work three come bets with maximum odds on all numbers. Both approaches maintain a low house edge while offering different risk-reward profiles and action levels.
Sample conservative strategy:
- Pass line bet at the table minimum
- Back with 2x-3x odds
- Add one come bet with odds after the point is established
- Total exposure: 4-5x table minimum per shooter
Sample aggressive strategy:
- Pass line bet at the table minimum
- Back with maximum odds (3x-4x-5x)
- Work three come bets, all with maximum odds
- Place 6 and 8 when the point is 4, 5, 9, or 10
- Total exposure: 12-15x table minimum per shooter
The key lies in consistency and discipline. Players who abandon proven strategy during losing streaks often compound losses through emotional betting. Those who maintain patient, mathematical play through variance swings give themselves the best chance at positive sessions.
Roll with the Math, Not Against It
Craps offers some of the best odds in any casino for players who understand which bets to make and which to avoid. The foundation rests on pass line or don’t pass betting with maximum odds, supplemented by selective come bets and place bets on 6 and 8.
The dice don’t remember previous rolls. Each throw represents an independent event with fixed probabilities. Strategy can’t change these odds, but intelligent bet selection minimizes house edge and maximizes entertainment value.
The best craps strategies acknowledge that the house maintains an edge on nearly every bet. By focusing on low-edge options and maintaining strict bankroll discipline, players extend their table time while giving themselves the best chance of positive outcomes.
