House Edge For Craps Bets

Old set of craps dice. Al Moe

The game of craps has a reputation for offering some of the best odds of all casino games. Unless you play perfect Basic Strategy at blackjack or perhaps count cards, you can't beat the Pass Line (or Don't Pass Line) with odds for a friendly bet at the casino.

In fact, when a casino offers 3-4-5 odds on line bets, the overall house edge falls below one-half of one percent! That's a very tiny amount, and one that can keep you happily playing craps for hours at your favorite casino, unless you veer off-track and place bets all over the layout.

The genius of craps is that waiting for a decision on a Pass or Don't Pass bet can take a long time. A good hand at craps might be 15 or 20 rolls, and players get anxious and antsy. Then they make proposition bets that tank their good odds and send their bankrolls screaming into the night!

Some players turn to crazy craps systems to stem the flow of chips away from their pockets thinking that something like the Colonel's Craps system will help, but systems just reroute the wagers. They can be successful and fun, but the house still has the edge. The only way to beat the game of craps for any period of time is to stay will low house-edge bets and catch a lucky shooter or a hot game and press your wagers while good luck is on your side.

If you were introduced to a new table game called Any 7 where you knew the house edge was 16.7-percent, would you play it? There are six ways to roll a 7 and 30 ways to roll something else. It's a one-roll wager. You'll win once in 6 rolls and get paid 4-to-1 odds. Wanna play?

Probably not! However, players make the Any 7 bet all the time during a craps game. They also bet on long-shot wagers like boxcars (12) and snake eyes (2), where the house takes an average of nearly 14-percent. Sure, an occasional Hardway bet is fun, but it's going to drain your bankroll fast. Take a look below at the edge the house has on the wagers available at a craps game. Then, next time you play, try and keep your bets in the area of 5-percent or lower. You'll thank yourself in the morning.

Craps House Edge

Bet House Edge (Percent)
Pass Line/Come Bet 1.41
Don’t Pass/Come 1.40
Pass Line/Come Bet 2X odds .85
Don’t Pass/Come 2X odds .83
Place 6 and 8 1.52
Place 5 and 9 4.00
Place 4 and 10 6.67
Buy 6 or 8 4.76
Buy 5 or 9 4.76
Buy 4 or 10 4.76
Lay 6 or 8 4.00
Lay 5 or 9 3.23
Lay 4 or 10 2.44
Field Bet 5.56
Any Craps 11.11
Hardway 6 or 8 9.09
Hardway 4 or 10 11.10
Yo or 3 11.10
2 or 12 13.90
Any 7

16.70