Introduction
Craps can be an intimidating game for the beginner. The table seems to have about a hundred different kinds of bets, the players are barking out commands in what seems to be a foreign language, and the pace is too fast to ever ask a question. I can sympathize with the beginner, because at one point in time this was how craps appeared to me.
If this is how you view the game, I have good news. There is one fundamental bet, the “pass line” bet, that almost all players make. You can easily get by knowing just this bet your first time. As you get more experienced, you can add more bets to your repertoire. After just your first five minutes, you should feel comfortable with the flow of the game and can start acting natural, like you’ve been a craps player for years.
Defining the House Edge
Craps has a lot of different kinds of bets. Some always resolve in one roll and others may take many rolls. The standard definition of the house edge is the ratio of the expected player loss to the initial wager. Almost every legitimate gambling writer counts pushes in this calculation. However, in craps it often takes many rolls to resolve a bet, with the player being allowed to take down the bet at any time until it wins or loses.
Should such meaningless rolls, that don’t effect the outcome, be treated as the wager pushing? Compared to other casino games, that would be the consistent thing to do. However, craps players usually leave such bets up until they are resolved. The question gambling writers must face is whether to count meaningless rolls as a push in calculating the house edge, or wait until the wager is resolved. After much thought, I have decided to express the house edge in craps three ways:
- Per bet made (counting pushes).
- Per bet resolved (not counting pushes).
- Per roll (house edge per bet resolved divided by average number of rolls).
If your reason for knowing the house edge is a measure of how good of a bet it is and/or the value at generating comps, then you should go by the “per roll” figure. In all forms of gambling I try to teach the player to make the best bets. In my opinion, the best bets in craps are those with a low “per roll” house edge.
Pass
The Pass is the most fundamental bet in craps; almost every player at the table bets on it. If you only understand one bet in craps, it should be this one.
The Pass bet is put on the the pass line itself on a come out roll. You can tell it is a come out roll if there is a black laminated marker on the table that says “off.” If the come out roll is a 7 or 11, then you win even money. If the come out roll is a 2, 3, or 12, then you lose. If any other total is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that total is called “the point.” The dealer will turn over the marker that says “off” to the white “on” side, and place it on an area of the table with that number, to help the players remember what the point is. Then, the shooter will roll the dice until he either rolls that same point again, or a seven. If a seven comes before the point, then you lose. If the point is rolled first, then you win even money.
Do not make a Pass bet after the come out roll. This is allowed but is highly ill-advised because the value of a pass line bet is diminished after the come out roll.
Here is a flow chart (I made myself) showing how to adjudicate a pass bet.
The Odds
The Odds is like a side bet in craps made after a point is thrown. It pays if the point is thrown before a seven. The odds on the Odds are exactly fair, which zero house edge. To be specific, the Odds pays 2 to 1 on points of 4 and 10, 3 to 2 on a 5 and 9, and 6 to 5 on a 6 and 8. To make an odds bet after a pass line bet just put the odds bet behind the pass line bet, outside of the pass line area on the side closer to you.
Taking the Odds
| Per | House Edge |
|---|---|
| Bet made | 0.00% |
| Bet resolved | 0.00% |
| Roll | 0.00% |
Because the Odds has zero house edge the player can only bet so much on it compared to his Pass bet. Most casinos allow what is known as “3- 4-5X Odds.” This means the player may bet up to three times his Pass bet on the odds after a point of a 4 or 10, four times after a 5 or 9, and five times after a 6 or 8. How did they come up with this? I think because if the player always takes the maximum odds, and he wins on the pass line, the Odds bet will always pay 6 times the pass line wager, making the math easier for the dealers.
Some casinos pay even more, like 5X, 10X, 20X, or 100X odds on all points. If you see a casino advertising something like “10X Odds,” that means that you can bet up to ten times you Pass bet on the Odds.
Finally, if comps are important to you, then be warned that most casinos do not count bets on the Odds towards the average amount you bet, because they don’t stand to make any profit on it.
Don’t Pass
The don’t pass is almost the opposite of the pass line bet. If the come out roll is a 2 or 3 then you win, a 7 or 11 you lose. A 12 is a push, except in Reno and Lake Tahoe, where a 2 is a push instead of the 12. Otherwise, the dice are rolled over and over until either the point or a 7 is rolled. If the 7 comes first you win, if the point come first you lose. All wins pay even money.
A person betting on the don’t pass is called a “wrong” bettor and is usually winning when everone else is losing, and vise versa. If you make this bet, keep a low profile. The other players do not want to see you yelling “yippy” as they are losing.
Don’t Pass
| Per | House Edge |
|---|---|
| Bet made | 1.36% |
| Bet resolved | 1.40% |
| Roll | 0.40% |
Laying the Odds
This is the opposite of taking odds, in other words betting that a seven will be rolled before the point. It is called Taking the Odds if you bet on a point after a Pass bet. It is called Laying Odds if you bet against a point after a Don’t Pass bet. In both cases the odds are statistically fair, with no house edge. To be specific Laying the Odds against a 4 or 10 pays 1 to 2, against a 5 or 9 pays 2 to 3, and against a 6 or 8 pays 5 to 6.
Much like Taking Odds, the amount you may take Laying Odds is limited to some multiple of your Don’t Pass bet. For example, if casino allows 5X Odds, then you may bet up to an amount such that a win would be no more than 5X the Don’t Pass bet. In the case of the common 3-4- 5X Odds, you can Lay up to 6X the Don’t Pass bet after any Point, which would result in a win of 3, 4 or 5X the Don’t Pass bet.
Laying the Odds
| Per | House Edge |
|---|---|
| Bet made | 0.00% |
| Bet resolved | 0.00% |
| Roll | 0.00% |
Come, Don’t Come
A Come bet is mathematically the same as a Pass bet. The only difference is it is made any time other than a Come Out roll. The following roll after a Come bet will act as a Come Out Roll for purposes of the Come bet. Like Pass bets, you may take Odds after a Come bet. Wins and the multiple you may take on the Odds is the same for both Pass and Come bets.
Likewise, a Don’t Come bet is like a Don’t Pass bet, except made anytime except a Come Out roll. You may also lay the Odds if any point is rolled after a Don’t Come bet, in the same way as a Don’t Pass bet.
