Craps intimidates newcomers with its crowded felt and rapid-fire jargon, but the core game is simple, and it hides some of the lowest house edges in the casino. Master a handful of bets - the pass line, come, and the near-magical free odds - and you play craps as sharply as anyone at the table. The trick is knowing which bets to make and, just as importantly, which to ignore.
The basics: the come-out roll
A round starts with a "come-out roll." The shooter rolls two dice, and the most common bet, the pass line, works like this:
- Roll a 7 or 11 on the come-out: pass line wins immediately.
- Roll a 2, 3 or 12 ("craps"): pass line loses.
- Roll any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10): that number becomes the "point."
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling until either the point number comes up again (pass line wins) or a 7 appears first (pass line loses - "seven out"). That is the whole heart of the game.
The best bets: pass, don't pass, and free odds
The pass line carries a house edge of just 1.41%. Its mirror image, the don't pass bet (betting the shooter fails), is even better at 1.36%. But the real magic is the free odds bet.
Once a point is established, you can back your pass or don't pass bet with an "odds" wager. This bet pays at true odds and carries a zero percent house edge - the only bet in the casino with no built-in margin. Taking maximum odds lowers your overall house edge dramatically. On a table offering 3x-4x-5x odds, a pass line bet with full odds drops the combined house edge to around 0.37%.
Come and don't come bets
After a point is set, the come bet works exactly like a fresh pass line bet on the next roll, and you can take odds on it too. This lets you have action on multiple numbers, all at the same low house edge. Come (1.41%) and don't come (1.36%) are, alongside the pass line, the backbone of smart craps play.
The full house-edge picture
| Bet | House Edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Free odds (behind pass/don't) | 0.00% | Best bet in the casino |
| Don't pass / Don't come | 1.36% | Excellent |
| Pass line / Come | 1.41% | Excellent |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | Good |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% | Fair |
| Field (12 pays 3x) | 2.78% | Mediocre |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | Poor |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 9.09% | Poor |
| Any 7 | 16.67% | Worst bet on the table |
Avoid the center of the table
The proposition bets in the middle of the felt - Any 7, Any Craps, Hardways, Yo (11) - are where craps gets expensive. They pay big and lose fast, with house edges from about 9% to a punishing 16.67% on Any 7. The dealers push these bets because they are profitable for the house. Ignore them entirely. Every dollar you would spend there is better placed on the line with odds behind it.
A simple winning approach
- Bet the pass line on the come-out roll.
- When a point is set, back it with the maximum free odds you can afford.
- Optionally add one or two come bets with odds to cover more numbers.
- Consider place bets on 6 and 8 (1.52%) if you want extra action.
- Never touch the center proposition bets.
This approach keeps your overall house edge well under 1% and gives you plenty of action - the ideal blend of good odds and excitement. Prefer the don't-pass side? It is marginally better mathematically, though you are betting against the shooter, which can feel antisocial at a live table.
Bankroll and reality
Free odds bets require additional money on the table, so craps can eat a bankroll faster than it looks if you are not sized correctly. Bring enough to cover your line bet plus full odds across a couple of numbers, and set a hard loss limit. Remember that even the best craps bets still carry a small house edge - the pass line grinds at 1.41% no matter how the dice fall, because each roll is independent and the dice have no memory.
Craps translates well online, including at live-dealer tables covered in our live dealer guide, where a real shooter rolls physical dice. Online digital craps uses a certified random number generator for fair rolls. Whichever you choose, play within your means and keep our responsible gambling resources handy.