The lowest house edge in craps comes from four bets: Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come, each backed with as much free odds as the table allows. The odds bet pays true odds, so it has no house edge, and the more of it you take, the lower the edge on your total action. Everything in the center of the layout costs more.
Craps house edge at a glance
| Bet | House edge per bet made |
|---|---|
| Pass Line / Come | 1.41% |
| Don’t Pass / Don’t Come | 1.36% |
| Odds (taking or laying) | 0% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
| Field (2 and 12 pay 2 to 1) | 5.56% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9.09% |
| Any Craps | 11.11% |
| Any Seven | 16.67% |
Figures are for standard US payouts. Some tables pay 3 to 1 on the 2 or the 12 in the field, which cuts the field edge to 2.78%.
Step 1: find a table with high odds
The odds bet is the one bet in the casino that pays exactly what it should. Once a point is set, you can back your line bet with odds that pay 2 to 1 on the 4 and 10, 3 to 2 on the 5 and 9, and 6 to 5 on the 6 and 8. The house collects nothing on it, so every dollar you move into odds instead of other bets lowers the edge on your total wager.
The table limit on odds is set by the casino and shown on the table sign. A common limit is 3-4-5x: three times your line bet on the 4 and 10, four times on the 5 and 9, and five times on the 6 and 8. On a 3-4-5x table, a maximum odds bet that wins always pays six times your line bet, whatever the point. With a $10 pass line bet, that is $60 on any point.
Higher limits push the combined house edge on pass line plus odds even lower:
| Odds allowed | Combined house edge, Pass Line plus full odds |
|---|---|
| No odds | 1.41% |
| 1x | 0.85% |
| 2x | 0.61% |
| 3-4-5x | 0.37% |
| 10x | 0.18% |
| 20x | 0.10% |
| 100x | 0.02% |
These are measured against the total amount you put in play. The dollar cost per round stays the same as a flat pass line bet; taking odds just means you risk more money at no extra cost. Players with smaller bankrolls do not need 10x or 100x tables to play well. A 3-4-5x table is already one of the best bets in the casino.
Step 2: stick to four bets
Once you have a good craps table, the next step is to ignore the proposition bets in the center of the layout. Any Seven, Any Craps, the hard ways and the horn bets all carry edges of roughly 9% to 17%. Keep your money in four places: Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come, plus odds behind them.
If you want more numbers working, place bets on the 6 and 8 at 1.52% are the only place bets close to the line bets. Placing the 4, 5, 9 or 10 costs far more.
Playing the right side: Pass and Come
Most players bet with the shooter. This approach starts with a Pass Line bet. Once a point is established, take the maximum odds. A conservative player can stop there.
For a little more action at the same low edge, add a Come bet. It works like a new pass line bet: if the next roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, your Come bet moves to that number and you can take full odds on it. Many players stop once two Come bets are on numbers. More aggressive players keep adding Come bets until the shooter sevens out.
When the shooter makes the point, a new come-out roll starts. Odds on Come bets are usually off for that roll unless you ask for them to be working, so a seven on the come-out only takes your flat Come bets and returns the odds. Leaving the odds working keeps the house edge the same but increases the swings, because a seven then wipes out everything on the numbers.
Playing the dark side: Don’t Pass and Don’t Come
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come work the same way in reverse, and at 1.36% they have a slightly lower edge than the pass side. Once a point is set, you can lay odds against it at true odds:
- Against the 6 or 8: lay $6 to win $5.
- Against the 5 or 9: lay $3 to win $2.
- Against the 4 or 10: lay $2 to win $1.
Because you risk more than you win on the odds, this style needs a bigger bankroll. Its shape is also different: your numbers lose one at a time when they roll, but a seven wins every Don’t bet with a point at once. Expect long stretches of small losses broken by bigger wins when the seven shows. Don’t players also bet against the rest of the table, which some people find awkward at a busy game.
Craps strategy FAQ
What is the lowest house edge bet in craps?
The odds bet behind a line, Come or Don’t Come bet has no house edge. Among bets you can make on their own, Don’t Pass and Don’t Come are lowest at 1.36%, followed by Pass Line and Come at 1.41%.
Is 3-4-5x odds good?
Yes. Pass Line with full 3-4-5x odds has a combined house edge of about 0.37%, which is lower than almost any other bet in the casino.
Should I bet the Pass Line or Don’t Pass?
The difference is small: 1.41% against 1.36%. Pick the side that suits your bankroll and how you like the game to feel. Pass bettors win small and often when a shooter gets hot; Don’t bettors lay more money and win when the seven shows.
Can a strategy beat craps?
No betting pattern removes the house edge on line bets. The goal of these strategies is to lose as little as possible for the time you spend at the table.
Craps is entertainment, not a way to make money. Set a budget before you play, and if gambling stops being fun, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.