Craps Strategy
Craps is the quintessential casino game. It offers some of the best odds in the casino, and while the table looks chaotic, the optimal strategy is surprisingly simple.
In recent years, it has taken a back seat to poker and the instant wins of online slots. Yet craps is a staple casino game, and with a few techniques, employing the optimal craps strategy can make it even more enjoyable.
The Goal of a Solid Craps Strategy
Like all gambling strategies, using a tactic for the game of craps is primarily about managing money.
People tend to use them to minimize losses, and in the good times, attempt to increase their chances of winning. The truth is that no strategy can guarantee a profit. This is because casinos have a house edge built into games. The house always wins, at least in the long run.
That does not mean strategy does not have its place. In craps, the house edge changes depending on the wager you make. A strategy can help you choose the right bet, minimizing the house edge and helping to manage your bankroll.
Selecting the Right Bets in Craps
A fundamental of craps strategy is understanding what the best bets are. Each one has a different house edge, which can increase your chance of taking home a win. Once you know the house edge, you can understand which are the options for the best craps strategy.
Foundational Bets
These are the most basic of craps bets.
The Pass Line Bet
The pass line bet is the first bet made, just before the come out roll, and provides a 1:1 payout. In this bet, you are rooting for the shooter, and if they win, you do too.
This bet is made when the “Puck is OFF” (the Come Out roll). You place a bet in the pass line. Should they roll a 7 or 11, it’s a win. If they roll a 2, 3 or 12, it's a loss. Any other numbers will mean the game carries on, and the number becomes the shooter's “point” on the craps table. A basic pass line bet has a house edge of 1.41%.
The Don’t Pass Bet
Before the first die is cast, you may decide to bet against the shooter. The Don’t Pass bet is just this and is the opposite of the Pass Line bet. You are betting on the shooter losing. If they roll a 7 or 11, they win, and you lose. If a 2 or 3 is rolled, they lose, and you win. A 12 is a push, and any other number becomes a point. It has a house edge of 1.36%.
The Come and Don’t Come Bets
Come and Don’t come bets are very similar to the above. The difference is that they are made after the first roll has been made and a point has been established. It is now up to the shooter to roll that number before a 7 to win. At this stage, you have the chance to make an additional bet.
You place the bet in the area marked COME. If any number other than a 7 or 11 is rolled, or a 2, 3, or 12, then your bet is moved to that number to mark it. You then have two bets on the table, one for the pass line bet and one for the come point bet. Once again, the Don't Come bet works in the opposite way, betting against the shooter.
The Odds Bet: One of the Most Important Bets
It is worth noting that the odds bet isn’t marked on the table, so it can be overlooked. Once a point has been established, it is an additional bet that involves betting on the shooter rolling a place number. You are essentially wagering they will get the number they need before they roll a 7.
Simply place the wager behind your pass bet and wait for the result.
The advantage of these is that they have no house edge and, as a result, are often referred to as the best bet in the casino. This is because it pays true odds. For example, if the odds of rolling a number are 2:1, the casino actually pays you $2 for every $1 wagered.
This makes them a key part of an optimal craps strategy.
The “Next Best” Bets
Place bets are the next best bets after these. They allow you to wager on a specific number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) being rolled before a 7. You can place these bets at any time. If a 7 does arrive, you lose your bet. If your number comes out, then you win based on the specific payout.
- Place 6 and 8 – House Edge 1.52% - Payout 7 to 6
- Place 5 and 9 – House Edge 4.00% - 7 to 5
- Place 4 and 10 – House Edge 6.67% - Payout 9 to 5
In advanced strategy, players typically “buy” the 4 and 10 (paying a 5% commission) to get true odds, which lowers the house edge.
Bets to Avoid
The Field Bet
The field bet is a one-roll wager. As the bettor, you are aiming to see a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 rolled. The bet pays even money, but this ratio increases to 3 to 1 if a 2 or 12 is rolled.
This can depend on the casino.
When placing it, you are given 7 out of the possible 11 combinations in which you can win.
However, they are the numbers with the lowest possibility of being rolled. Most people avoid this as the house edge is not as favourable as other bets in craps at 5.56%.
The Hardways
The Hardways bet is often referred to as betting on pairs or doubles. You are betting on both dice to reveal the same numbers, like 2 and 2, 3 and 3, etc. They are named Hard 4 for a double 2, Hard Six for a double 3 and so forth.
If the number rolled is easy, which defines a bet that is not hard, then you lose the bet, as does the appearance of a 7. Hard 4 and 10 pay out 7 to 1 and have a house edge of 11.11%, Hard 6 and Hard 8 pay out 9 to 1 and have an edge of 9.09%.
One-Roll “Proposition” Bets
These are one-roll bets on very specific outcomes. For example, it may include the shooter rolling a specific number on the next roll.
Proposition bets have many nicknames. The most common is Any Craps, which wins if the next roll is a 2, 3, or 12. This pays out at 8 to 1. They can also get more complex. The biggest of these is the Horn Bet, which is a combined bet on the 2, 3, 11, and 12. Like previous bets, they have a high house edge but with higher payouts.
Strategies for Craps
Strategy 1: The Foundational Strategy
The foundational strategy involves placing wagers on the passline bets and backing them up with odds bets. It is much favoured as it includes bets with the lowest house odds. Your passline bet has a house edge of 1.41%. This is then backed up with the odds bet, which has zero house edge. This makes it all extremely favourable and one of the chosen strategies for those just learning the game.
Imagine you start by placing a bet with the shooter. When the come out roll is made, you can then place your odds bet behind it if a point has been made. This will be a multiple of your original wager, which you choose.
Strategy 2: Playing the “Dark Side”
Turning to the dark side involves playing a strategy where you bet against the shooter. Thus, it can encompass don't pass, don't come, lay bets or don't place bets. As a result, it is more of a choice than an outright strategy.
As an example, you may start by placing a Don't Pass bet before the die is even rolled. If the point is established, you can make a Don't Come bet and place your money in the designated area on the table. People using a dark side strategy may then go on to incorporate lay odds, hardways bets and place odds which all favour the shooter getting a 7 before the point.
Strategy 3: Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is also known as Darby’s Field. It is a combination bet that aims to cover a wide range of numbers, increasing the chance of a win on each roll except a 7. It mixes a field bet along with place bets on 5, 6 and 8.
You begin by placing the field bet. This covers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and pays 1:1, with higher payouts on 2 and 12. When adding the place bet, you are betting that the shooter will roll your numbers before a 7. You will be paid 7-5 on the place bet for a 5 or 7-6 on either 6 or 8.
Strategy 4: Three-Point Molly
Three-point Molly involves making passes or come bets until three are stacked up with full odds. This manages to reduce the house advantage to 0.5%.
- At the start of a round, you bet on a passline bet.
- Once the shooter has rolled a point, you then place a come bet on another number.
- You then follow this up with another come bet and a further one.
Eventually, you should have three numbers you are covering, which are your original point and the two endpoints.
By maximizing the bet placed on each one, you reduce the house odds. You then need one of your numbers to be rolled for a win, or a 7 for a loss.