Craps has a reputation for being loud, chaotic, and intimidating. The table looks like it was designed by someone who hates newcomers, and the dealer’s vocabulary sounds like a foreign language the first time you hear it. But underneath all that noise is a surprisingly simple game with some of the best odds in the casino — if you know which bets to make.
Here’s what you actually need to know.
The House Edge Is the Starting Point
Every craps strategy starts with one question: which bets give the house the smallest edge?
Craps has over 40 different bet types, and the house edge ranges from nearly 0% all the way up to 16.7%. The difference between a smart craps player and a losing one isn’t luck — it’s knowing which bets to avoid and sticking to the ones that work in your favor.
The bets that matter:
| Bet | House Edge |
| Pass Line | 1.41% |
| Don’t Pass | 1.36% |
| Come Bet | 1.41% |
| Don’t Come | 1.36% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
| Any 7 | 16.67% |
| Hardways | 9–11% |
| Big 6/Big 8 | 9.09% |
The bets in the top half of that table are where you live. The bets in the bottom half are where your bankroll goes to die.
The Core Strategy: Pass Line + Odds
If you only learn one craps strategy, make it this one.
Step 1: Bet the Pass Line
Before the come-out roll, put your bet on the Pass Line. You win immediately if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11. You lose if they roll a 2, 3, or 12 (craps). Any other number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 — becomes the “point,” and the shooter keeps rolling until they hit the point again (you win) or roll a 7 (you lose).
Simple. 1.41% house edge.
Step 2: Take the Free Odds Bet
Here’s what makes craps genuinely unique among casino games: once a point is established, you can place an additional bet behind your Pass Line bet called the “Odds” bet. The casino pays this bet at true mathematical odds — meaning the house edge on this portion of your bet is exactly zero.
That’s not a typo. Zero house edge. No other bet in a standard casino offers this.
The free odds payout depends on the point number:
| Point | Odds Payout |
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 |
Most casinos offer between 2x and 10x odds, with some offering up to 100x. The more odds you take relative to your Pass Line bet, the lower your overall combined house edge becomes. At 10x odds, your effective combined edge drops to around 0.18%.
Taking full odds is the single most important thing a craps player can do.
Come Bets: Spreading Your Action
Once a point is established, Come bets work identically to Pass Line bets — they just apply to the next roll instead of the come-out roll. Roll a 7 or 11, you win; roll a 2, 3, or 12, you lose; any other number becomes your personal “come point.”
You can also take odds on Come bets, giving you the same zero-edge benefit.
Many experienced players use Pass Line + Odds as their foundation and then add one or two Come bets to have action on multiple numbers simultaneously. A typical setup might look like:
- Pass Line bet with full odds on the point (say, the 8)
- Come bet with full odds on a second number (say, the 5)
- Come bet with full odds on a third number (say, the 9)
Now you’re covered on three numbers. If any of them hit before a 7, you profit. This approach keeps you in the action without chasing high-edge proposition bets.
The Don’t Pass Alternative
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets are the mathematical inverse of Pass and Come bets. You’re essentially betting against the shooter. The house edge is marginally lower (1.36% vs. 1.41%), and you can lay odds behind these bets at the same true-odds payouts.
The catch: you’ll be betting against everyone else at the table on the come-out roll, which makes some players uncomfortable. The math is slightly better, but the social dynamics are different. Either approach is sound — pick the one you prefer and take your odds.
Place Bets on 6 and 8
If you want more flexibility than Come bets offer — specifically, the ability to take your bet down at any time — Place bets on the 6 and 8 are the next-best option at 1.52% house edge.
Avoid Place bets on any other number. The 5 and 9 jump to 4.0%, and the 4 and 10 go all the way to 6.67%. Not worth it.
One important note: Place bets on 6 and 8 pay 7:6, so bet in multiples of $6 ($6, $12, $18) to get the correct payout. Betting $5 on the 6 means getting paid 6:5 instead, which puts you right back at the same edge as a Pass Line bet — and removes the flexibility advantage.
Bankroll Management: The Flat Betting Approach
Knowing the right bets is half the equation. Managing your money is the other half.
Craps is a game of streaks. Shooters can throw 20+ numbers before sevening out, and they can also seven out on the third roll. No strategy can predict which you’ll face. What bankroll management does is ensure you’re still at the table when the long rolls happen.
The flat betting framework used by sports bettors translates directly to craps:
Set a session bankroll. Decide before you sit down how much you’re willing to lose in a single session. Treat it as entertainment cost — money you’re comfortable not seeing again.
Set a unit size at 5% of your session bankroll. Craps moves faster than sports betting, and the stakes often feel lower per decision, but the math is the same. A $200 session bankroll puts your Pass Line bet at $10.
Don’t escalate after losses. The temptation in craps is to increase your bets to “get back” after a bad run. This is exactly what destroys bankrolls. Your unit size doesn’t change because the table went cold. The next roll has no memory of the last one.
Don’t decrease after wins. Hot streaks are when craps players make money. Dropping your unit because you’re “up enough” ends your winning session early.
Take full odds consistently. This isn’t a bet adjustment — it’s a structural decision you make once and maintain throughout your session. If you’re playing 3-4-5x odds, do it on every point. The value is in the consistency.
What to Avoid
The following bets should be crossed off your vocabulary permanently:
Proposition bets (Any 7, Any Craps, Horn bets): These are one-roll bets with house edges ranging from 11% to nearly 17%. They pay big and they look exciting and they will drain your bankroll steadily over time.
Hardways: Betting that a 6 will be rolled as 3+3 before a 7 or an easy 6 carries an 11% house edge. Skip it.
Big 6 and Big 8: These are Place bets on 6 and 8 that pay even money instead of 7:6. The house edge jumps from 1.52% to 9.09% for the exact same bet, just placed in a different spot on the table. Never use them.
Field bets: One-roll bets that look attractive because they cover a lot of numbers. The house edge is 2.78% at tables that pay 2:1 on 12, and 5.56% at tables that only pay even money on 12. There are better options.
Realistic Expectations
Even with optimal strategy, the house still has an edge. Pass Line with full odds at a 10x table gives the casino roughly 0.18% over your total action — but that edge is still there, grinding in the background.
What good craps strategy does is stretch your bankroll, give you more time at the table, maximize your exposure to winning streaks, and minimize the damage from losing ones. Winning sessions happen. Losing sessions happen. Over a long enough sample, the house collects its edge.
The players who enjoy craps long-term are the ones who understand this clearly and play accordingly — consistent stakes, smart bet selection, and an entertainment budget they’ve already mentally spent before they walk up to the table.
Quick Reference
Always bet:
- Pass Line or Don’t Pass
- Full odds behind every point
- Come or Don’t Come bets with odds (optional)
- Place 6 and 8 in multiples of $6 (optional)
Never bet:
- Proposition bets
- Hardways
- Big 6 / Big 8
- Place 4, 5, 9, or 10
- Field bets (on most tables)
Craps is one of the few casino games where knowing the rules genuinely changes your outcomes. The math is on your side if you use it — and completely against you if you don’t.
