How can you win at craps? Well, the short answer is – Don’t place stupid bets! There is a bit more to it than that. Any advanced craps strategy should take the house edge into account.
The house always has an edge. Reducing the house edge by playing the right bets and taking advantage of bet timing (based on odds – I’ll explain further) will maximize your opportunity to win.
I have been playing craps in Vegas, online casinos, and in my local area for nearly 20 years. I’ve read a number of books, attended seminars, watched countless YouTube videos, and tried every craps strategy that seemed reasonable over the years.
The best craps strategy I have found maximizes your odds of winning by using the lowest house edge bets possible. It is a game of math! Let’s dig into it.
Lowering the House Edge – Maximum Odds
Have you ever heard that pass line bets are the best bet in the casino? Well, that’s partially true. The key here is to place maximum odds, that will ensure the lowest house edge.
A pass line bet with odds brings the house edge down incrementally based on the amount of odds taken.
Pass Line | Come Bet Odds and House Edge.
What is house edge? It is the percentage of your bet the house is expected to win based on wager payouts and probability. Some refer to it as the house advantage.
These vary from bet to bet and even casino to casino. It depends on their payouts. But in general, odds from come betting and a pass line wager are as follows.
- 0x Odds = 1.41% House edge
- 1x Odds = .85% House edge
- 2x Odds = .61% House edge
- 3x Odds = .47% House edge
- 5x Odds = .33% House edge
- 10x Odds = .18% House edge
- 20x Odds = .20% House edge
- 100x Odds = .02% House edge
When you bet max odds, you can see how low the house advantage really is.
That’s why come betting, with the maximum odds you can afford, is the best craps betting strategy. There simply is NOT a better bet on the craps table.
It’s important to know the casino policy on odds. Some, like the Bellagio, follow a 3-4-5 odds system. This only allows you to take 3x odds on 4&10, 4x odds on 5&9, and 5x odds on 6&8. Most casinos on the Vegas strip limit odds, usually 10x odds is the highest.
Going to a smaller casino in cities like St. Louis or Kansas City, you can find up to 100x odds. Check here for a list of vegas casinos and their craps odds.
For a list of craps terms and definitions, check out this post. It also includes common dealer lingo.
Come Betting – The Best Craps Strategy
Personally, I don’t bet on the come out roll unless I am rolling. No line bets at all, not on other shooters that is. I also follow a roll count system that will reduce my exposure to short rolls, but allow me to get into the game on a long roll.
It’s important to understand the probability of throwing a 7 is 1-in-6. Again, that is probability. Since I am expecting a 7 to be thrown once every six rolls, I do not place a come bet until after the 5th roll has occurred.
If a shooter throws the 7 on that 6th roll, my come bet pays even money. If they throw a point number, my come bet travels and I’ll place maximum odds. My initial wager is always the table minimum.
I’ll then place another come bet and again take max odds. From there, I’ll simply hold my position until one of my bets wins. When it does, I’ll replace it with a new come bet. After two bets hit, I’ll work to get a 3rd come bet on the table and continue building from there.
That’s it, it’s that simple.
Benefits
- Reduces exposure to short rolls
- Takes advantage of the 7 showing up 1-in-6 rolls
- Minimizes the house edge
- Gives me more time on the table, maximizing potential comps
Down-side
- It requires discipline
- It’s not as fun and exhilarating as hitting prop bets.
This craps strategy will reduce the house edge and mathematically beats the snot out of many of the craps betting systems you’ll find. And honestly, that’s really the best approach. It is a game of math.
Worst Craps Bets
Proposition bets are the absolute worst bets on the craps table. Some craps strategies include them as a “hedge betting strategy”. But let’s take a look at some and see what the house edge looks like.
Worst Proposition bets
- Any 7 = 16.67% house edge
- World/Whirl bet = 13.33% house edge
- Horn = 12.5% house edge
- Hard 4/10 = 11.11% house edge
- Any crap/Yo bet = 11.11% house edge
- Hard 6/8 = 9.09% house edge
- Field bets with 2x = 5.56% house edge
- Field bets with 3x = 2.78% house edge
Place Bets
- Place 4/10 = 11.11% house edge
- Place 5/9 = 4% house edge
- Place 6/8 = 1.52% house edge
The bottom line – prop betting is a terrible idea. The odds are NOT in your favor. Place betting is marginally better, but still nowhere close to come betting, even with minimum odds.
How can I start making money on the Craps Table?
You can start by learning the odds of the game and the probabilities of numbers being rolled. If you already play craps, you know how fun the game can be. Playing craps can be even more fun when you walk away a winner.
You don’t need some complex system of craps betting strategies. If you do the math on each of the bets you are placing, you’ll see that none of them compare to come betting with maximum odds.
There is not a single craps betting strategy on the planet that can. It may look like it on the surface, and it may hold up in the short term. But over the long run, this is the only craps strategy that will truly reduce your chances of losing.
Dice Control – Does it work?
The short answer is, it really depends on the shooter. I have absolutely witnessed dice control working. It isn’t some magical thing where you’re going to make millions of dollars. Simply setting your dice can help. Here is how dice setting works, along with common sets.
Stick with me for a minute!
The normal sevens to rolls ratio (SRR) is 6.0. That is one 7 in every 6 rolls. That is simply the probability of the 7 showing up on the dice. If a dice controller can simply reduce that by 1/2 of 1%, you have an advantage over the casino when following the betting strategy outlined above.
If you are interested in figuring out what your SRR is, or tracking your rolls at home or in the casino, check out our roll tracker! It’s free and mobile-friendly.
