In this guide, you will learn how your bets can greatly affect your craps session results. Some craps bets odds are better than others, giving you better payouts and lower vigs to have to overcome to get ahead.
Don’t be like the guy I saw at the casino craps table today.
He was down to his last $125, frustrated, and put his final tall stack of five-dollar chips on the field. It was his turn to shoot and the table was empty except for the two of us.
Rather than let him make his field bet, the pit crew stopped and gave him a five-minute lesson on why he shouldn’t bet that way with the last of his chips.
I thought that was decent of them. We were playing on a crapless table, where the 2, 3, 11 and 12 pay off handsomely when hit.
Key Takeaway
Instead of betting your last money on a single roll bet that doesn’t pay that well or is that likely to win, you could bet $96 across, $10 units on 2 through 12. Then if any of those numbers hit, you would win more than the even money your field bet is going to pay you.
Not only that, your field bet loses the five, six, seven or eight rolling, even though the craps payouts, in this case, could seem favorable.
That’s because the field bet is only a single roll bet. With the crapless across bet, it can stay up and win for you over and over again, losing only when the 7 rolls. This just shows how important knowing the best craps strategies really is.
The player tried to point out that the 2 and 12 pay off better than even money on the field bet, but the pit crew countered, saying, “This is crapless, hitting the $10 bet on 2 or 12 pays even better than it does on the field bet.”
The player couldn’t seem to grasp what they were trying to get through to him about how to bet better.
Still confused, he ended up just putting all his chips back in his rack, without betting either way.
Since then I’ve been thinking about the crew’s advice, and I’m not sure it was such good advice after all.
He would have more ways to win and his bet might last longer by betting across, but if he did hit a field number on his field bet, he would at least win his $125 field bet in one fell swoop, while with the $96 2 thru 12 across bet, the most he could win in any one roll would be six times his $10 bet, if the really hard to hit 2 or 12 was rolled.
On the other numbers, he’s won much less.
I guess that shows you that even the betting advice from the pit crew, with all their good intentions, can be less than perfect advice.
Sometimes, the craps odds bet and payoffs are confusing and hard to figure out.
The craps odds chart below should provide you with lots of good betting advice over the course of your time as a craps player.
This printable craps payout chart is color-coded, as to which are the best bets to make; starting with dark green highlights at the top for the lowest vig bet for you to make and finally ending up at the bottom with solid dark red highlights on the bets you should stay away from.
The wagers in between are highlighted in varying shades to show where they rank between the two extremes.
The trick is to make the bets in the darker shades of green and stay away from those bets reaching the darker shades of red, simply because your bankroll will last much longer if you are making the best dark green highlighted bets and avoiding the worst dark red highlighted bets.
| Bet Type | True Odds | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line / Come Bet | 251 : 244 | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Don't Pass / Don't Come | 967 : 949 | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| Pass Line / Come Bet Odds | |||
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 2:1 | 0% |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 3:2 | 0% |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 6:5 | 0% |
| Don't Pass / Don't Come Bet Odds | |||
| 4 or 10 | 1:2 | 1:2 | 2.44% |
| 5 or 9 | 2:3 | 2:3 | 3.23% |
| 6 or 8 | 5:6 | 5:6 | 4.00% |
| Field Bets | |||
| 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 | 3:1 | 1:1 | 5.50% |
| 2 or 12 | 35:1 | 2:1 | 5.50% |
| Place Bets | |||
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| 5 or 9 | 2:3 | 2:3 | 4.00% |
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| 4 or 10 (bought for 5% vig, instead of placed) | 2:1 | 2:1, less vig. | 4.76% |
| Big 6 or Big 8 | 6:5 | 1:1 | 9.90% |
| Hardways | |||
| 6 or 8 | 10:1 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| 4 or 10 | 8:1 | 7:1 | 11.10% |
| Single-Roll Bets | |||
| 2 and 12 (Hi-Lo) | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| 3 (Ace / Deuce) | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| 11 ( Yo Eleven) | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps (2, 3 or 12) | 8:1 | 7:1 | 11.10% |
| C&E Bet (Any Craps plus the Yo) | - | 7:1, minus half the bet, for Any Craps | 11.10% |
| 15:1, minus half the bet for 11 | |||
| Horn Bet (Any Craps plus the Yo) | - | 15:1 for 3 and 11, minus 3/4 the bet | 12.50% |
| 30:1 for 2 and 12, minus 3/4 the bet | |||
| World or Whirl (Horn plus Any 7) | 2:1 | 15:1 for 3 and 11, minus 4/5 the bet | 13.33% |
| 30:1 for 2 and 12, minus 4/5 the bet | |||
| 4:1 for any 7, minus 4/5 the bet | |||
| 12 (Boxcars or High) | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.90% |
| 2 (Snake Eyes or Low) | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.90% |
| Any 7 (Big Red) | 5:1 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
House odds are usually not a major concern with most players, they glance over them, maybe pick a few bets to make with the lower odds and go on, not to think about them again. They do have an effect on how long your money lasts at the craps table, especially if you are playing high odds bets and not hitting them.
You really can’t put house odds in the bank, either, unless you have the ability to toss the higher bet paying extreme outside numbers way more than expected.
A lot of players swear by the Three-Point Molly bet, pass with odds, and two come bets with maximum odds, because it has the lowest vig available, giving the player a near-even chance of winning.
But the craps tables have trends and tend to run streaky. Sometimes you win small and sometimes you lose small. Other times you win big or lose big. You might end up breaking even.
Remember
On the craps payout chart, where it says minus 3/4 of the bet, that is because only part of the bet won and got paid, but the other parts of the bet lost and must be deducted.
The best bets you can make are what the casinos call the free odds bets on pass, don’t pass, come and don’t come, because the house takes zero vig on these bets. Those odds bets pay off at true odds, so that the casinos don’t enjoy any advantage on those odds bets.
Craps casinos offer free full-paying odds to get you to bet on the pass, come, don’t pass or don’t come. Without this enticement, players would most likely avoid making those line bets, unless they wanted to shoot the dice, where such a bet is required.
House edge in craps comes about because of the casino paying less than true odds on a bet.
Pays 1 to 1 and carries a 1.41% house advantage.
On the even-paying pass and come bets, the player enjoys an advantage on come out rolls, because on come out rolls, these bets lose only to the 2, 3, and 12, which can be made four ways, while the winning 7 and 11 can be made eight ways.
So on come out rolls, players’ pass and come bets are twice as likely to win, as they are to lose. It is also possible that rather than win or lose, a point number will roll, instead.
Remember
The come bet is played just like the pass line bet; it is just made after a point has been established, by putting your bet in the come box at the middle of the table to make the next roll of the dice another point establishing come out roll.
After a point is finally established on a point number, the tables turn sharply against the player for the rest of the turn on those bets, because there are more ways to roll a losing 7 than any other number that might be the point.
Here are the possible scenarios with the Pass Line and Come Bet:
(1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2 and 6-1);
6: (1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2 and 5-1)
8: (2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3 and 6-2).
5: (1-4, 2-3, 3-2 and 4-1)
9: (3-6, 4-5, 5-4 and 6-3)
4: (1-3, 2-2 and 3-1)
10: (4-6, 5-5 and 6-4)
3: (1-2 and 2-1)
11: ( 5-6 and 6-5)
2: (1-1)
12:(6:6)
Please note
The harder the number is to roll, the higher the odds pay.
Pays 1 to 1 and carries a 1.36% House Advantage.
On don’t pass and don’t come come-out rolls, the 12 is a push, rather than being a win or loss, so that the casino gains an edge on the player.
The Don’t Come craps bet is played just like the don’t pass line bet; it is just made after a point has been established, by putting your bet in the don’t come box at the end of the table for the next roll of the dice.
The only bad thing about lay odds on dark-side bets is that you get paid less than you bet when you win. Because of this, you can actually win more simply by not laying odds; instead combine your would-be don't pass and odds bet, so that the total of both would-be bets becomes your initial don’t pass bet, then skip laying odds.
You’ll get paid 1 to 1 when you win that bet, which is better than the 1 to 2 that 4 and 10 pays, or the 2 to 3 that 5 and 9 pays, or the 5 to 6 that the 6 and 8 pays.
(The downside to this move is that you have to successfully get the combined bets past the 7 and 11 on the come out roll. You would expect to lose them once every six bets on average.)
The single bet that takes up the most space on the craps table is the field bet, which is a one roll bet that the casino really wants you to bet on.
They make it look like you’ve got a lot of numbers you can roll and win this bet: 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 (where you have a 1 in 3 chance of winning even money) and 2 and 12 (Where you have a 1 in 36 chance of doubling or maybe tripling your bet).
Important
The only trouble with the field bet is that there are not a lot of different ways to roll those numbers, 16 ways to win versus 20 ways to lose.
The field bet will need to be replaced on every roll that it loses if you want to keep it in play. That means you would be churning an awful lot of bets that make the casino money. Casinos pay 2 to 1 on the two and/or the 12, to help draw you into making that bet.
Some pay 3 to 1 on either the 2 or 12 and 2 to 1 on the other number.
A lot of players use the field bet as part of their Iron Cross bet; that lets them win every time a 7 doesn’t roll.
The field bet seems to be the best of choice for players looking to strike it rich on a single roll. You’ll see them standing around until they feel that a field number is due to roll, then quickly dump huge amounts of chips on the field bet.
They are usually instantly gone, having left the table, as soon as the bet has been decided, win or lose. It is almost as if they are looking for doubling their money or going broke on a single roll of the dice.
What makes place bets attractive is that they are not contact bets like the pass line and come bets are. You can take them down, regress them on a win to get your bets paid for quickly or call them off for a few rolls anytime you want to.
You have total control over them. If you choose to make them work on come out rolls, you can win them as soon as they roll, too.
In craps, lay bets are the opposite of Place Bets. They are not contract bets, can be made any time, and can be removed anytime. You win a lay bet when the 7 rolls before the number the lay bet is on rolls. You lose if the number the lay bet is on rolls before the 7 rolls.
Lay bets are often used as hedge bets to protect place and buy bets. You pay a 5% commission in order to lay a bet. And there is usually a minimum bet you have to make, so that it wins at least $20, in order to lay a bet.
Pro tip
If you want to improve your skills without risking any money from your pocket, you can train in demo mode with one of the free online craps games available on our site.
Craps has a wide range of bets available, but not all of them are necessarily worth the risk
The only reason this bet is on the layout is because it is a sucker bet that casinos use to take advantage of the uneducated. These bets pay even money, whereas making the same place bet on the 6 and 8 gets you paid 7 to 6.
That’s a $2 difference for every $12 bet.
Do you want to get $14 back from winning the place 6 bet or $12 back from winning the Big 6?
It is only inches farther reach to put that money out in the COME area and tell the dealer to place that 6.
You are betting on hard 6, 3-3, rolls before 1-5, 2-4, 4-2, 5-1, or 7 rolls.
Or on hard 8, you are betting that 4-4 rolls before 2-6, 3-5, 5-3, 6-2 or 7 rolls.
Pays 9 to 1 and carries a house advantage of 9.9%.
On hard 4, you are betting that 2-2 rolls before 1-3, 3-1 or 7 rolls
On hard 10, you are betting that 5-5 rolls before 4-6, 6-4 or 7 rolls.
Pays 7 to 1 and carries a house advantage of 11.11%.
Pro Tip
Hard way bets are often used as a partial hedge, in conjunction with a lay bet, to protect place or buy bets.
Most of the following bets are usually made on come out rolls, when the player thinks these numbers are more likely to roll.
This craps bet pays 30 to 1 for 2 or 12, minus four-fifths of the original total bet since the other four-fifths of the bet was lost.
Pays 4 to 1 for Any 7, minus four-fifths of the original total bet since the other four-fifths of the bet was lost.
1. Place betting gives you the most flexibility on how you bet.
2. Betting vertically, same overall bet amount but bet on few numbers, is harder to hit for the win, but pays a lot more per hit.
3. The most frequently tossed single numbers to bet on are 6 or 8.
Some players like to press their bets repeatedly out of their bets’ winnings, right out of the gate. This can win lots of money on a hot hand, but it also leaves lots of money on the craps table when the 7 finally rolls.
It should be obvious by now that the craps odds are not always in your favour.
If you just keep putting your winnings back out to raise your bets, you may toss several times and think you are doing good; then, up jumps the 7 and you find that even though you kept raising your bets with your winnings, you didn’t put any chips in your rack and you actually lost money for all betting you did.
This is caused by greed.
Some players like to take all their risks up front, betting heavily until their first hit, then cut their bets to where the bets left on the table are paid for at that time.
After that they can start to press their bets out of winnings, too.
Example
Betting $50 5, $60 6 and $60 8 for one hit, then regressing your bets to $15 5, $18 6 and $18 8, gets all your bets paid for with just one number hitting once; $70 won, then bets reduced to $51 total, letting you rack $19 and start to build your bets up by alternating between raising a number with your winnings and racking your winnings on your next hit.
Whichever way you choose to bet, one of your most powerful craps winning tools is that you get to decide exactly when to color up your chips and take your winnings home.
Most people can get ahead at some point during their play at the casino, the trick is being smart enough to know when to get it out the door.
Today at the casino, I saw a guy hit a big craps bonus bet, the ATS, for over $1,000 as soon as I got there; but half an hour later, he was heading to the ATM to draw out more money to continue to play craps with.
He made four ATM withdrawals and was still playing when I left. What good did his big win do him, if he stayed and squandered it?
So, be careful not to play too long and end up paying the price.
If you want to be successful at the table, stick to the best craps payouts and odds ratio, learn everything about craps, and always gamble responsibly!
