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Hopefully, MonkeyBet is providing the information you need to play craps online, or to
play craps in a real casino. We hope we help you enjoy playing craps as much as we do.
Once you understand the basics, and have the whole come-out roll thing figured out, you know what a point
is and how the basics work. The next step is to talk about the pass line bet
with odds, then move on to the other bets. We are starting with the easy bets,
but it goes a little further than that. The fact of
the matter is, the best bets you can make at the craps table are these basic
ones, as they maintain the lowest house edge. See table below.
A pass line bet with odds is just like the pass line bet in how it wins and
loses, but different in when you can place it. The difference is, while you can make
a pass line bet before the come-out roll, you can't do that for a pass line
bet with odds, because what your 'odds' are set to is a function of what the
point is set to. Make sense?
To place a pass line bet with odds, place a pass line bet and then 'back it'
after the point is set. For example if you were betting $5 on a pass line bet
and the point got set to '4', you could put down the equivalent to, or a larger
bet, just below your original wager. Physically place the chips half on and
half off of the bottom of the pass line. If on the next roll a '4' is hit you
win your pass line bet back, and an additional sum of money derived from the
odds bet. In this case you are paid 2 to 1 on the odds bet. What determines
the payout on odds bets is the actual number the point is set to (because some
points are easier to hit than others, refer to the dice chart on our rules of
craps page). If the point is set to 4 or 10, odds bets are paid back at 2 to
1 odds. If the point is set to 5 or 9, odds bets are paid back at 3 to 2 odds.
If the point is set to 6 or 8, odds bets are paid back at 6 to 5 odds.
The odds bet is simply the most intelligent bet in the game of craps. This
stems from the fact that the more you wager in odds (double, triple, quadruple)
the lower the house edge drops. A standard pass line bet holds a house edge
of 1.41, which alone beats the house edge of the best bets in almost every other
casino game. When you add odds to the bet the house edge can downright plummet.
The house edge on a pass line bet with ten times odds is only 0.18%.
| Bet |
Casino
Payoff |
Casino
Advantage |
| Pass Line Bet |
Even Money |
1.41% |
| With Single Odds (1x) |
Even Money Plus Odds |
0.85% |
| With Double Odds (2x) |
Even Money Plus Odds |
0.61% |
| With Triple Odds (3x) |
Even Money Plus Odds |
0.47% |
| With Five-Times Odds (5x) |
Even Money Plus Odds |
0.33% |
| With Ten-Times Odds(10x) |
Even Money Plus Odds |
0.18% |
The ultimate craps strategy is truly to only ever play pass line bets with
odds, as you won't find a lower house edge on any other bet. If this were all
there was to the game though, regular players would quickly die of boredom.
To look further into developing a strategy, simply learn every possible bet,
and choose between the best and worst. Each of the other bets available on the
craps table are described below, along with where to find them on the table.
Pass Line Bet
A simple pass line bet works like this: you place your bet on the pass line before a new shooter begins their roll. You simply place your chips in the middle of the big band of felt with the word PASS written on it. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on their come-out roll, you and all the other pass line bettors win. If the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12, you lose. If the shooter rolls any other number that number becomes the 'point' number. Both the shooter and all of the other pass line bettors want the shooter to roll the point again before they roll a 7. If they manage to hit the point again, you win! If they hit a seven first the shooter has 'sevened out' and they along with you and all the pass line bettors lose; the round is finished.
Craps StrategySo for the come-out roll the player wants a 7 or 11 because it's an instant win. They want to avoid a 2, 3, or 12 because it's an instant loss. The great thing about craps is that you can jump into the betting at any time, with the exception that you cannot place a pass line bet with odds before the point is set. This is because of the fact that the odds you place are dependent on what the point is set to (some points are easier to make than others).
Pass line bet with odds
Placing odds on your pass line bet is easy and intelligent. It is bar none the best bet on the craps table, and the more money you put into the odds the lower the house edge (it can drop as low as 0.18% on 100x odds, which aren't commonly available). To place odds on your pass line bet, you must first wait until a point number is set. Then you simply take some chips and put them half off half on the pass line, just beneath your pass line bet. Craps StrategyThis is called backing your bet, or playing the free odds. Do not pass by this bet thinking you don't need to know it. Yes it's true, there are tons of bets to choose from on the table, but most of them carry a very high house edge and are not played by smart players (high rollers are definitely not always smart players).
The field bet
Although the field bet is often thought among gamblers to be one of the smarter bets in craps, it's house edge doesn't compare to the deal you get on a pass line bet with odds. The fields house edge hovers around 5.56%. This isn't an attractive number.
The field is the area, well with the world 'field' written on it, along with a whole slew of numbers, but those numbers aren't choices. When you're betting on the field you're betting that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. The field bet pays even money for 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, and usually 2 to 1 for a 2 or 12. Some casinos pay 3 to 1 for 2 or 12, but not usually for both, just one or the other. Our advice, don't play the field, in love or craps.
The don't pass bet
If you're in a land based casino and having a good time at the craps table, maybe making a few new friends, then you should probably avoid making the don't pass bet. Essentially it's like betting against the shooter, commonly referred to as betting 'against the dice'. This means that when pass line bettors and the shooter win, you lose, and more importantly when you win, they all lose. Not the best way to make friends. Playing online craps however annuls this restriction on the don't pass bet, as there is no real shooter or set of people playing with the dice to upset. At the casino though good vibes are as important as anything else at the craps table, so I don't recommend putting out any bad vibes by playing against the dice.
To make a don't pass bet move your chips to the narrow strip just above the pass line, labeled clearly with the words 'don't pass'. You can think of the don't pass bet as the opposite of the pass bet, when the pass bet would win, the don't pass bet loses, and vice versa. This means you lose on a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, but win on a 2 or 3. A 12 on the come-out rule is a tie, just like a push in blackjack. If a point is set, the don't pass bettors win if a 7 is hit before the point (notice how a lot of other 'with the dice' people at the table will be quite unhappy when this happens, and even more unhappy when you collect money on their bad fortune).
It seems awfully nice of the casino to offer an opposite bet of the normal one, wouldn't you think the house edge would also flip and give you the advantage in this situation? Indeed, only if the casino kept its numbers straight. Unfortunately though, on a don't pass bet with odds, the casino pays out crappy amounts. The odds of a seven coming out before a ten are quite good, so the casino has to hedge its bet in a way, and alter its payouts.
The come bet
The come bet is certainly easy to find on the board, with a major portion of the felt at the center of each end being dedicated to it. With the word C O M E spelled across it, it's hard to miss. The come bet essentially allows you to make a 'virtual' pass line bet even after a point has been established. The come bet makes the next roll of the dice into a come-out roll specifically for the person making the come bet. So now the individual making the come bet has their own little round going. So just think of it like this, when you place a come bet the next roll of the dice will affect your come bet the same as if it were a come-out roll for a pass line bet. The same rules apply to both the pass and come bet. If Craps Strategya point is rolled (the players personal point) the come bet is moved to the point box of the specific number rolled. This will be resolved just like a pass line point number, if the point is rolled first the come bet wins, if 7 is rolled first the come bet loses.
The don't come bet
The don't come bet is the opposite of the come bet, in the same way the don't pass bet is the opposite of the pass bet. The don't come bet must be made after a point is set by the shooter. If a 7 or 11 is rolled you lose, if a 2 or 3 is rolled you win, and a 12 is a standoff. Otherwise a come point is set and you win if a 7 is rolled before Craps Strategythe come point is repeated, and lose if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. The don't come bar is kind of small compared to the come area, but you can find it highlighted in our graphic.
Once again the odds are in your favor that a seven would be rolled before a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 so the odds bets pay the opposite of a pass line odds bet.
The hard way bet
Although I will describe them briefly, I refuse to go into detail. These bets, along with the other proposition bets, exist only to make the house easy money, they all have horrible house edge values, and nobody in their right minds would bet on them with any consistency. The only real advantage to the player is the ability to put some unlikely bets on the table to break the monotony. Not everybody wants to play the pass line with odds all the time.
Making a hard way means to make the total of the two dice on doubles. Say you wanted to hit a hard six, the only way to do it is with two threes. Why is it called the hard way? Because it sure isn't easy to win anything on it. There are only four hard way combinations: 4 (2x2), 6 (3x3), 8 (4x4), and 10 (5x5). These are not one-roll wagers. Hard ways win if the selected hard way is rolled before a seven appears or an "easy" combo Craps Strategyof the hard way total is hit. So if you have a bet on a hard 4, if a 3 and 1 comes up before two twos you're out of luck. The payouts for hard four and hard ten are 7 to 1, and the true odds are 8 to 1. The house edge is 11.11%. The payouts for hard six and hard 8 are 9 to 1, and the true odds are 10 to 1. The house edge is 9.09%.
The place bet
A casino favorite, the place bet is very common at the craps table. Although the pass, don't pass, come and don't come bets with odds should be your regular bets, it would of course get a little boring only playing those few (hey, making you feel bored with the good bets is half of the casinos plan; they know everyone will throw some money away on the other options at some point). The only other place on the board you should consider putting your money is the place bet area.
You can make a place bet on any of the point numbers at any time; these include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If your number comes up before a 7 you win, if a 7 comes up before your number, you lose. This has a classic ring to it, and kind of embodies the idea of playing around the dice. You make a place bet by putting chips on the table and then telling the dealer to 'place the 6' or whatever number you want to place. Don't move around too much when making a place bet, because the dealer puts your chips in position on the board to correspond with where you're standing around the table.
Part of the place bet's popularity comes from the fact that you can place the bet any time in the game, and you can bet on more than one number at a time. To take down your place bet you have to ask the dealer to 'take me down' and you'll get your bet returned, you can take your bet down at any time.
The odds on place bets are better for some numbers than others. You can work this out logically by knowing which numbers are more likely to come up, or glance at the chart below to see the exact house edge.
One thing in particular is noticeable: the only place bets worth anything are the 6 and 8, which you'll remember the casino tries to get you not to bet on by putting the "big 6 / big 8" options right in front of you. If you place, always place on 6 or 8, and never bet on big 6 or big 8.
Proposition bets
These center of the board bets are as horrible a choice as the hard ways themselves. Lets just run over each of them once, reveal the house edge, and then never think of them again (sure as heck don't bet on them).
* Any Craps
This is a one roll bet that the next roll will be craps, that is, 2, 3, or 12. It pays 7 to 1 and has a house edge of 11.11%
* Any Seven
This is also a one roll bet, but that the next roll will be a 7. It pays 4 to 1 and has a house edge of 16.67%
* Eleven or Three
This is really two separate one roll bets, one that that the next roll will be 11, and one that it will be 3. It pays 15 to 1 and has a house edge of 11.11% - if you're confused by it, take comfort in the fact that you should never play it.
* Twelve or Two
Again two separate one-roll bets, one that the next will be 12, one that the next will be 2. It pays 30 to 1 and has a house edge of 13.89. As all the other proposition bets, don't even thing about it.
* Horn Bet
The horn bet is a one roll bet on four numbers: 2, 3, 11, and 12 (or horn). You have to place one unit on each number. If any one of these numbers is rolled, you win. If any other number is rolled, you lose. If a winner appears the bet is paid at the posed odds of the individual number. The house edge works out to be 12.50%
* Horn High Bet
This bet is the same as a horn bet but putting an extra unit on the 'high' number of your choice. The house edge depends on what number you choose to be high, but it's always humongous.
* C & E
This is a one roll bet that the next number will be 2, 3, 11, or 12. 2, 3, 12 is craps, so the name is simply saying Craps and Eleven. This bet is cool because you get to use those neat little circles. Oh and the house edge is well into the double digits, so if you actually bet on it, you're so very uncool.
* Hop Bet
The hop bet is a one roll bet that the next roll will result in a particular combination of the dice. So the image of a combination of dice is put right on the felt, how friendly. What's unfriendly is the 13.89% house edge on the 30 to 1 bets, and the 11.11% edge on 15 to 1 bets
Big 6 / big 8 bets
Little else in the casino is more horrific than this bet, it's the equivalent of plunking two slot machines down in front of a slots fan, one with an atrocious payout rate but fancy graphics and sound, and the other with a half decent payout rate but no bells and whistles. What do I mean? I mean the big 6 bet is the fancy looking slot machine, and the place bet for 6 is the unglamorous one. The fact of the matter is the place bet on a six or eight is exactly the same thing as the big 6 (or 8), the only difference is what you get paid. For a place bet on the 6 or 8 you get paid 7 to 6, but for the big 6 / 8 you only get paid even money. Calculating it out this difference in payouts is directly responsible for the house edge of 9.09% on this bet, compared to 1.52 on the place bet. Translation, this is a major sucker bet, the casino knows placing the 6 or 8 is better than placing any other number, Craps Strategyso in an effort to stop it from becoming popular, they put a big fat 6 and 8 in a sexy and easy to reach part of the board, which they collect better off of.
So instead of learning more about the big 6 / big 8, just get familiar with placing place bets.
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