Every bet, every payout, every house edge — sorted from best to worst, so you can make decisions with the math, not against it.
The cleanest math at the table. Stick here and the casino barely earns its rent.
Casinos love when these chips hit the felt. The flashier the payout, the worse the math.
Two six-sided dice produce 36 outcomes. Every craps bet's math comes from this grid.
The fundamental craps wagers — what almost every player at the table starts with.
| Bet | Pays | True Odds | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | 1 to 1 | 251 to 244 | 1.41% |
| Don't Pass | 1 to 1 | 976 to 949 | 1.36% |
| Come | 1 to 1 | 251 to 244 | 1.41% |
| Don't Come | 1 to 1 | 976 to 949 | 1.36% |
The only bet in the casino with zero house edge. Pays at true mathematical odds. Available only as a backup to a line bet.
| Bet (Point) | Pays | True Odds | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taking Odds — 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 0.00% |
| Taking Odds — 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 3 to 2 | 0.00% |
| Taking Odds — 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 6 to 5 | 0.00% |
| Laying Odds — 4 or 10 | 1 to 2 | 1 to 2 | 0.00% |
| Laying Odds — 5 or 9 | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3 | 0.00% |
| Laying Odds — 6 or 8 | 5 to 6 | 5 to 6 | 0.00% |
Bet directly on a specific number to roll before a 7. No line bet required, but no zero-edge odds backup either.
| Bet | Pays | True Odds | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 6 | 7 to 6 | 6 to 5 | 1.52% |
| Place 8 | 7 to 6 | 6 to 5 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 | 7 to 5 | 3 to 2 | 4.00% |
| Place 9 | 7 to 5 | 3 to 2 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 | 9 to 5 | 2 to 1 | 6.67% |
| Place 10 | 9 to 5 | 2 to 1 | 6.67% |
Like Place bets but pay true odds in exchange for a 5% commission. Often a better deal on the 4 and 10 — especially if the casino only takes the commission on wins.
| Bet | Pays (commission always) | HE (always) | HE (on win only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 4 or 10 | 39 to 21 | 4.76% | 1.67% |
| Buy 5 or 9 | 29 to 21 | 4.76% | 2.00% |
| Buy 6 or 8 | 23 to 21 | 4.76% | 2.27% |
| Lay 4 or 10 | 19 to 41 | 2.44% | 1.67% |
| Lay 5 or 9 | 19 to 31 | 3.23% | 2.00% |
| Lay 6 or 8 | 19 to 25 | 4.00% | 2.27% |
A single-roll bet that wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Loses on 5, 6, 7, or 8. House edge depends on the bonus payouts on 2 and 12 — always check the table felt.
| Field Payout Structure | Pays on 2 | Pays on 12 | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (most common) | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 5.56% |
| Better — bonus 12 | 2 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 2.78% |
| Better — bonus 2 | 3 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 2.78% |
| Best — bonus both | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 0.00% |
Center-table bets. Big payouts, big house edge. The casino's favorite section.
| Bet | Pays | Win Probability | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 6 (3+3) | 9 to 1 | 9.09% | 9.09% |
| Hard 8 (4+4) | 9 to 1 | 9.09% | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 (2+2) | 7 to 1 | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| Hard 10 (5+5) | 7 to 1 | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| Any Craps (2, 3, or 12) | 7 to 1 | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| Any 7 ("Big Red") | 4 to 1 | 16.67% | 16.67% |
| 2 or 12 (any single) | 30 to 1 | 2.78% | 13.89% |
| 3 or 11 (any single) | 15 to 1 | 5.56% | 11.11% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1 to 1 | 45.45% | 9.09% |
If you remember nothing else from this card, remember this:
Combined house edge with this approach (Pass Line + 3-4-5x odds): 0.374%. That's 1/40th the edge of slots and 1/15th the edge of double-zero roulette. Craps, played correctly, is one of the best bets in the entire casino.
Every craps bet's house edge comes from one source: the casino pays less than true mathematical odds. The smaller the gap between true odds and casino payout, the lower the house edge. The bigger the gap, the more the casino keeps over time.
Take a quick example: rolling a 4 has true odds of 8 to 1 against (1 in 9 chance — but you might mean "place bet on 4 winning before a 7," in which case it's 2 to 1 against). The Place 4 bet pays 9 to 5, which works out to 1.8 to 1 — less than 2 to 1. That gap is where the 6.67% house edge comes from.
Compare that to the Free Odds bet on a point of 4: it pays exactly 2 to 1, the true odds. Zero gap, zero house edge. That's why the Free Odds bet is uniquely powerful — and why most pros leverage it as much as the casino allows.
You'll see house edge listed three ways for craps. The differences matter for some bets but not all:
For practical decisions, use per-bet-resolved when comparing different craps bets to each other, and use per-roll when comparing craps to other games (blackjack, baccarat, roulette).
Craps tables move fast and have a lot of jargon. A few quick rules to fit in:
All house edge values on this page are sourced from Wizard of Odds (Michael Shackleford), the canonical authority on casino math. True odds are derived from the 36 dice combinations directly. We've verified every number against multiple sources.
Once you've got the bets sorted, the next layer is bankroll management — how much to bring, how much to risk, how to weather the swings. That's covered in our bankroll guide (coming soon) and our Play the Long Game guide on responsible bankroll smarts.
The questions craps players ask most often.
The free odds bet is the best bet in craps — and the only bet in any casino with zero house edge. It pays at true odds, but you can only place it after backing a Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, or Don't Come bet.
The combination of pass line + maximum free odds gives you the lowest combined house edge in any casino game (under 0.2% with 100x odds).
The pass line has a house edge of 1.41% per bet resolved. This is one of the lowest house edges on the table.
Don't Pass is even slightly better at 1.36% per bet made (1.40% per bet resolved). Both are great bets compared to most other wagers in the casino.
The free odds bet is a supplementary wager you can make after a point is established on a Pass Line or Don't Pass Line bet. It pays at true mathematical odds with zero house edge.
Casinos limit how much you can bet in odds based on your line bet — typically 3x-4x-5x or higher. Most casinos in Vegas allow 3-4-5x odds; some offer 5x, 10x, or even 100x.
Place bets vary widely. Place 6 and 8 are decent bets at 1.52% house edge per bet resolved. Place 5 and 9 are mediocre at 4.00%. Place 4 and 10 are bad at 6.67%.
Compare these to the free odds bet at 0% — place bets should never be your primary strategy, but Place 6 and 8 are reasonable supplements when the table is hot.
The center-table proposition bets are the worst. Any 7 has a 16.67% house edge (you lose 1 in 6 bets, on average). Hop bets (single number) can carry 13-16% house edge. Hard ways are 9-11% house edge.
The general rule: if the bet looks exotic and the payout looks flashy, the math is bad. Stick to line bets and free odds for the best long-term value.
The field bet wins on a single roll if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is rolled. It loses on 5, 6, 7, or 8. The 2 and 12 typically pay double (2:1) or sometimes triple (3:1).
House edge depends on payouts: 2:1 on both 2 and 12 = 5.56% house edge. 2:1 on one and 3:1 on the other = 2.78%. 3:1 on both = 0% (rare). Always check the table felt for the field's specific payout structure.
7 is the most common roll in craps — six combinations out of 36 (16.67%). On the come-out roll, 7 is your friend (it wins for the Pass Line). After a point is set, 7 is the enemy (a "seven-out" loses your Pass Line bet and ends the shooter's roll).
This duality is why craps players cheer the come-out 7 and groan when 7 hits during the point round.
3-4-5x odds is the most common free odds limit in U.S. casinos. It means you can bet 3 times your line bet on a point of 4 or 10, 4 times on 5 or 9, and 5 times on 6 or 8.
The reason: with this structure, the maximum win is always 6 times your pass line bet, regardless of point — making the math easier on dealers when paying out.