Craps Strategy

Online Gambling Guide > Rules & Strategies > Craps Strategy

This page’s sole purpose is to inform players of a strategy that will reduce the house edge by about 1%.

To maximize success and understanding, a player should be familiar with the terms: Pass Line, Come, Don’t Pass, Don’t Come, and Place. Almost all casinos feature a free gaming guide that explains these bets.

Watch a game until you are familiar with the procedures for throwing dice, making bets and collecting payoffs. If you have a question, feel free to ask the dealer.

Most players are “right” bettors. They make pass line and come bets and hope that the shooter will make several points before rolling a 7. Pass line and come bets have a house advantage of 1.41%. This can bring the house edge to a low 0.18%. Pass line and come, as well as their counterparts don’t pass and don’t come, are all paid off at even money. The odds bet is paid off according to true mathematical odds.

The odds ratio (the possible ways of rolling a 7 compared to the ways of rolling any other number) is:

6:3 (2:1) on the 4 or 10
6:4 (3:2) on the 5 or 9
6:5 on the 6 or 8

Example: If a player bet $5 on the pass line and the point is 4 or 10, he/she could take single odds. If the point is made, the player would win $5 on the pass line bet and $10 on the odds bet. If a player took double odds ($10 as an odds bet), he/she would win $5 on the pass line bet and $20 on the odds bet.

A player should start by betting the Pass Line and “taking” the odds. When comfortable with the pass line bet with odds, he/she should add a come bet and “take” the odds.

In the event of a win, the player should make another come bet and “take” the odds.

In this case, our player would have three bets working – a pass line bet with odds and two come bets with odds. The player must keep track of numbers and payoffs. Money should be retrieved promptly!

A player may occasionally want to place the 6 &/or 8. Increments of 6 must be used to pay these bets off. Place multiples of 6 in the come area and tell the dealer to “place the 8” (a player should only do this if the 8 is not the pass line point or the come number). If the 8 is made before 7, the player will be paid off 7:6 on the place bet. This bet has a house advantage of 1.52%.

A player may choose to be a “wrong” bettor at times, betting that the shooter will not make many points. Betting don’t pass and don’t come and “laying” the odds would indicate that this is the players choice. In this case, a player must “lay” the larger number (or increments of it) in the odds ratio to receive a smaller payoff. Don’t pass and don’t come bets have a House advantage of 1.40% which can be reduced to .69% by “laying” single odds and .46% by “laying” double odds. The edge is only .12% at 10 times odds.