Introduction

Craps is a popular game that is often a center of activity at land based casinos. Craps is available with all common online casino softwares. Unfortunately the game rarely counts towards wagering with cashable bonuses because it is possible to simultaneously bet on winning and losing outcomes, greatly reducing variance.

 

Rules and Play

Craps has complicated rules and many betting options. The game can be difficult to understand from just reading a summary like this, so I recommend playing a few rounds in practice mode to get a feel for the rules before playing for money. After placing your bets, two dice are rolled. Any winning bets are paid according to the specified payouts. Possible bets are listed below.

Pass -- The Pass bet is the central bet of craps. If a 7 or 11 is rolled, the bet wins and is paid 1:1. If a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, the bet loses. If anything else is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), a place marker is put on the box corresponding to this number. This number is called the point. The player continues to roll until he either rolls the point again or rolls a 7. If he rolls the point before a 7, he wins the bet. If he rolls a 7 before the point, he loses the bet. The house edge of the Pass Bet is 1.41%.

Pass Odds Bet -- If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, so the Pass Bet is not resolved on the first roll, then the player is offered a Pass Odds Bet with no house edge. If the player wins the Pass Bet, the Pass Odds Bet also pays. If the player loses the Pass Bet, the Pass Odds Bet does not pay. The odds bet pays more than 1:1 since there is a greater chance of a 7 being rolled than the point number. If the point is 6 or 8, the odds pay 6:5. If the point is 5 or 9, the odds pay 3:2. If the point is 4 or 10, the odds pay 2:1. To make a Pass Odds Bet, you can place additional chips either on or below the pass bar, depending on casino software. The maximum size of the pass odds bet varies between casino softwares. It is usually 2-3x the size of the Pass Bet. The house edge of the Pass Odds Bet is 0%. However, you must make the pass bet before taking this bet, so the net house edge between the Pass Bet and Pass Odds Bet is relevant. If you take 2x pass odds whenever possible, the combined house edge is 0.61%. If you take 3x pass odds whenever possible, the combined house edge is 0.47% (see House Edge table below).

Come -- The Pass Bet often takes several rolls to complete. The player cannot begin another Pass Bet until all the rolls of the previous Pass Bet have completed. However, the player can make a Come Bet before the rolls of the Pass Bet have completed. The Come Bet has the same rules and house edge as the Pass Bet, but it is done at at a different time. The player can only place a Pass Bet on the initial roll, and can only place a Come Bet on any other roll of the Pass Bet. The Come Bet is independent of the active Pass Bet and has a separate point and separate marker. Some online casinos limit the number of Come Bets that can be active prior to completing the Pass Bet. Like the Pass Bet, the Come Bet offers an Odds Bet with no house edge. Place your chips on top of the corresponding placemarker to make this bet.

Don't Pass -- The Don't Pass bet is a near opposite of the pass bet. If the first roll is a 2 or 3, the bet wins and is paid 1:1. If the first roll is a 7 or 11, the bet loses. If the first roll is a 12, the bet pushes. If anything else is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), a place marker is put on the box corresponding to this number. The player continues to roll until he either rolls the point again or rolls a 7. If he rolls the point before a 7, he loses the bet. If he rolls a 7 before the point, he wins the bet. The house edge of the Don't Pass Bet is 1.36%, slightly lower than the Pass Bet.

Don't Pass Odds Bet -- Like the Pass Bet, the player may also make a no house bet following a Don't Pass Bet. If the player wins the Don't Pass Bet, the Don't Pass Odds Bet also pays. If the player loses the Don't Pass Bet, the Don't Pass Odds Bet does not pay. The odds bet pays less than 1:1 since there is a greater chance of a 7 being rolled than the point number. If the point is 6 or 8, the odds pay 5:6. If the point is 5 or 9, the odds pay 2:3. If the point is 4 or 10, the odds pay 1:2. To make a Pass Odds Bet, you can place additional chips either on or below the don't pass bar, depending on casino software. The house edge of the Don't Pass Odds Bet is 0%. If you take a 2x odds bet whenever possible, the combined house edge of the don't pass and odds bets is either 0.46% or 0.58%, depending on multiplier rules (see table House Edge table below). If you take 3x odds whenever possible, the combined house edge is either 0.34% or 0.45%, depending on multiplier rules (see table House Edge table below). Again these, numbers are lower than the corresponding pass bets.

Don't Come -- The Don't Come Bet has the same rules and house edge as the Don't Pass Bet, but it is done at at a different time. The player can only place a Don't Pass Bet on the initial roll, and can only place a Come Bet on any other roll of the Don't Pass Bet.

Buy Bets -- You can make a Buy Bet on any of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). Like Pass Odds Bets, Buy Bets win if the selected number is rolled before a 7, and lose if 7 is rolled before the selected number. The key difference between the Pass Odds Bets is Buy Bets have a 4-5% commission, while the Pass Odds Bets have no commission and a 0% house edge. The commission may be applied on all bets or only on winnings bets, and the commission may or may not be rounded.

Place Win Bets -- You can make a Place Win Bet on any of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). Like the Pass Odds Bets and Buy Bets, Place Win Bets win if the selected number is rolled before a 7, and lose if 7 is rolled before the selected number. The key difference between the Place Win Bets and the others is a different payout and different house edge. 6 and 8 pay 7:6, resulting in a 1.52% house edge. 5 and 9 pay 7:5, resulting in a 4.00% house edge. 4 and 10 pay 9:5, resulting in a 6.67% house edge.

Big 6 / Big 8 -- The Big 6 & Big 8 bets are the same as the a Buy or Place Win Bet on 6 or 8, with a higher house edge. The house edge of the Big 6 / Big 8 bets is 9.09%, while the house edge of a Place Win Bet on 6 or 8 is 1.52%. A Buy Bet on 6 or 8 has a house edge somewhere between the two, depending on rules.

Lay Bets -- You can place a Lay Bet on any of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). Like Don't Pass Odds Bets, Lay Bets lose if the selected number is rolled before a 7, and win if 7 is rolled before the selected number. The key difference between the Don't Pass Odds Bets is lay bets have a 4-5% commission, while the Don't Pass Odds Bets have no commission and a 0% house edge. The commission may be applied on all bets or only on winnings bets, and the commission may or may not be rounded.

Place Lose Bets -- You can make a Place Lose Bet on any of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). Like the Don't Pass Odds Bets and Lay Bets, Place Lose Bets lose if the selected number is rolled before a 7, and win if 7 is rolled before the selected number. The key difference between the Place Lose Bets and the others is a different payout and different house edge. 6 and 8 usually pay 6:7, resulting in a 1.52% house edge. 5 and 9 usually pay 5:7, resulting in a 4.00% house edge. 4 and 10 usually pay 5:9, resulting in a 6.67% house edge.

Hard Ways -- Pays if the listed die combination is rolled before a 7. 3/3 and 4/4 pay 9:1 and have a 9.09% house edge. 2/2 and 5/5 pay 7:1 and have a 11.11% house edge.

Field -- The Field Bet pays if the next roll if the next roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. 2 and 12 pay 2:1 o 3:1, while the other numbers pay 1:1. If 2 and 12 pay 3:1, the house edge is 2.78%. If 2 and 12 pay 2:1, the house edge is 5.56%

Seven -- Pays 4:1, if the next roll is 7. The house edge is 16.67%

Yo Eleven -- Pays 15:1, if the next roll is 11. The house edge is 11.11%.

Any Craps -- Pays 7:1, if the next roll is 2, 3, or 12. The house edge is 11.11%.

One Roll Bets -- Pays if the next roll is the listed die combination. 1/1 and 6/6 pay 30:1 and have a 13.89% house edge. 1/2 and 5/6 pay 15:1 and have a 11.11% house edge.

 

House Edge Table

A summary of Pass / Don't Pass Odds rules and the corresponding combined house edge (per unit wagered) is below. Most online casinos use a 2 or 3x odds multiplier. After making a pass bet, you can make a 0% house edge odds bet of up 2 or 3x the size of your pass bet. The Don't Pass Odds bets can be either relative to the size of the original bet or the size of the win. For example following a $100 don't pass bet with an 8 point, you could make a don't pass bet of up to $200 at a Cryptologic casino (2x, relative to initial $100 bet) or $240 at a Boss Media casino (2x $120 bet for a 2x $100 win). Land based casinos typically are relative to the win, while Internet casinos are often relative to the size of the initial bet. Rival uses a unique system with 3-4-5x odds. The odds multiplier is 3x with a point of 4 or 10, 4x with a point 5 or 9, and 5x with a point of 6 or 8. In all cases the Don't Pass Bet has a lower house edge than the Pass Bet.

 

Strategy

There is no strategy to Craps. Simply choose one of the low house edge bets, roll the dice, and see if you have won or not. To minimize house edge (per unit wagered), you should make take the maximum odds with each bet. The lowest house edge bet is Don't Pass / Don't Come. Pass / Come has a similar house edge, as listed in the table above.

 

Variance and Bet Size