Every bet, priced
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Exact | Per roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass line | 1:1 | 1.41% | 7/495 | 0.42% |
| Don't pass (12 barred) | 1:1 | 1.36% | 3/220 | 0.40% |
| Come | 1:1 | 1.41% | 7/495 | 0.42% |
| Don't come | 1:1 | 1.36% | 3/220 | 0.40% |
| Free odds, behind any line bet | True odds | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% | 1/66 | 0.46% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% | 1/25 | 1.11% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% | 1/15 | 1.67% |
| Buy 4 or 10 | 2:1, 5% of the bet | 5.00% | 1/20 | 1.25% |
| Lay against 4 or 10 | 1:2, 5% of the win | 1.67% | 1/60 | 0.42% |
| Field, 2 and 12 pay 2:1 | 1:1 to 2:1 | 5.56% | 1/18 | 5.56% |
| Field, 12 pays 3:1 | 1:1 to 3:1 | 2.78% | 1/36 | 2.78% |
| Big 6 or Big 8 | 1:1 | 9.09% | 1/11 | 2.78% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% | 1/11 | 2.78% |
| Hard 4 or 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% | 1/9 | 2.78% |
| Any craps (2, 3 or 12) | 7:1 | 11.11% | 1/9 | 11.11% |
| Three, or eleven (yo) | 15:1 | 11.11% | 1/9 | 11.11% |
| Two, or twelve | 30:1 | 13.89% | 5/36 | 13.89% |
| Any seven | 4:1 | 16.67% | 1/6 | 16.67% |
The house edge is the cost of each unit wagered, from the moment the bet is made until it is decided. Per roll divides that by how often the bet is decided: a pass line bet takes 3.38 rolls on average (557/165), a place bet on the 6 is settled on 11 rolls in 36, a one-roll bet on every roll. Per roll is what an evening costs, because the table rolls at its own pace whatever you bet; the craps cost calculator turns it into money per hour.
Buy and lay figures take the 5% commission up front on a buy and from the win on a lay, and divide by the wager alone (the 4.76% often quoted for a buy is the same bet divided by wager plus commission). Where a house takes the buy commission only on winning bets, buying the 4 or 10 costs 1.67% rather than 5.00%. The full ranking lists every variant, point by point.
How a round works
The first roll of a round is the come-out. A pass line bet wins on 7 or 11 and loses on 2, 3 or 12. Any other total (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) becomes the point, and the shooter rolls until the point comes again, which wins, or a 7 arrives, which loses.
The don't pass is the mirror: it wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11 and pushes on 12, then wins if a 7 beats the point. Come and don't come are the same two bets made after a point is set, with the next roll as their own come-out.
Once a point is set, free odds can be added behind a line bet. They pay true odds (2:1 on 4 and 10, 3:2 on 5 and 9, 6:5 on 6 and 8), so they carry no edge at all, up to a multiple the casino posts at the table.
How much the odds dilute the edge
The flat bet keeps its 1.41% whatever you add behind it; the odds simply add money at no cost. At 3-4-5x odds (three times the flat bet on 4 and 10, four on 5 and 9, five on 6 and 8), a pass line bet with full odds costs 0.37% of everything wagered.
The centre of the table
Hardways, the field and the one-roll propositions are where craps makes its money: 2.78% to 16.67% per bet. Per roll the gap narrows in an instructive way. The hardways and the Big 6 and 8 all come to exactly 2.78% a roll (1/36), the price of a field that pays triple on the 12, because the bets that cost more per decision are decided less often.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there a hard four bet in craps?
- Yes. Hard 4 wins if 2-2 is rolled before a 7 or an easy 4 (1-3 or 3-1) and pays 7:1. One way to win against eight ways to lose makes it 1 in 9, and the house edge 11.11%.
- What is free odds in craps?
- A bet added behind a pass, don't pass, come or don't come bet once a point is set. It pays true odds, so its house edge is exactly zero; the line bet in front of it keeps its own 1.41% or 1.36%.
- What is the maximum free odds bet?
- Whatever multiple the casino posts at the table, for example 3-4-5x: three times the flat bet on 4 and 10, four times on 5 and 9, five times on 6 and 8. At 3-4-5x, a pass line bet with full odds costs 0.37% of everything wagered.
- What is the commission on a lay bet?
- 5% of the amount you win. Taken from the win, laying the 4 or 10 costs 1.67% of the amount laid, the 5 or 9 2.00% and the 6 or 8 2.27%.
- What is the house edge on the don't pass?
- 1.36% (3/220) with the 12 barred, so a 12 on the come-out is a push. Without that push the bet would favour the player. Some casinos bar the 2 instead, which leaves the price the same.
- Is betting only the don't pass a good strategy?
- It is the cheapest line bet, at 1.36% against 1.41% for the pass line, and laying odds behind it costs nothing. No sequence of bets changes the edge on each one: a strategy changes only how fast the money goes and how large the swings are.
Every figure on this page is computed from the 36 combinations of two dice in exact rational arithmetic and checked against published reference values before publication. Payouts and house rules (the barred number, the field's triple, the odds limit, when commission is taken) vary between casinos, so read the felt before you bet.