The Best Craps Bets

It is possible to bet on any two dice combo but if you’re a newcomer to the game you should limit your bets to those listed below.

Pass Line Bet: This is a basic crap bet that is placed prior to the game’s first roll (come out). In games where the shooter rolls 7 or 11 you’ll win money if you placed a pass line bet but you’ll lose the bet if he rolls 2, 3 or 12. Likewise when the shooter throws the point number you’ll win on this bet and lose if he rolls a 7 before he rolls the point. Pass line bets are popular because players generally like to root for the shooter.

Don’t Pass Bet:  The don’t pass bet is the exact opposite of the pass line bet. In this case players are betting against the shooter. The result is that you’ll win the don’t pass bet if the game’s shooter rolls a 2 or 3 or if he rolls 7 before rolling a second point. You’ll lose if he manages to roll the point before the 7 a second time around. If the come out roll is 12 the don’t pass bet neither wins or loses.

Odds Bet: This bet comes in just behind the pass bet if there is a point set in the game’s first roll. The bet is paid out at true odds which mean that there is no house edge on this bet. In the casino craps table there is no room for odds bets and a lot of casinos allow odd bets to be placed as much as 100 times the bet placed for pass line. An example would be, if you place a pass line bet of $10 your odds bet can be $20 or up to 100 times that which will be $1000.

For point numbers of 6 or 8 the odds bet pays 6 to 5. It pays out 3 to 2 for point numbers of 5 or 9 and 2 to 1 when the points are 4 or 10. Odds betting should always be placed on a point.

Laying Odds Bet: The laying odds bet is a stark contrast of the odds bet. It is a bet that is made to say that the shooter will throw a 7 before he rolls a second point. It also has a zero house edge.

Come Bet: Similar to a pass line bet the come bet is wagered on the outcome of point rolls. There is a designated area on the table that is marked for come bets.  You’ll win the bet if the forthcoming roll is either 7 or 11 and lose if it’s a 2, 3 or 12. A point is set up for any roll other than those numbers.

Come Bet Odds Bet: Come bet odds are very similar to odds bet the only difference being that it must be used on a come bet rather than on a pass line bet.

Don’t Come Bet: The odds for this bet are the same as the don’t pass bet and is very similar to this bet except that it is wagered on a point number.

The bets listed above are the basic craps bets that you should be familiar with and use especially if you are a beginner. The smallest possible house edge is available on these best craps bets and they cannot be eliminated from the table until resolved.

Craps Bets With High Casino Edge

For those with a greater risk appetite, there are opportunities to win more on each roll through alternative bets. While these do pose a more aggressive house edge, players can use these bets to their advantage in order to win more substantially with each successful shoot.

Place Bet: The place bet pays slightly less than true odds, but allows players the chance to profit from rolling a place number before they roll a 7, and are associated with a particular place number depending on the bet.

Place To Lose Bet: Similar to the place bet, the place to lose bet wagers that a 7 will be rolled before the relevant place number, providing players with inverse odds to the place bet.

Buy Bet: Players can choose a place bet or a buy bet for particular numbers. The buy bet pays out at true odds, but usually attracts an additional commission of 5% from the casino on winning amounts.

Big 6 and 8 Bet:A big 6 or 8 bet pays out when the die total 6 or 8, depending on the bet, before they total 7. These bets are often avoided because they pay out at even odds, versus a place bet on either the 6 or the 8 which will pay out in a ratio of 7:6.

Hard Ways Bet: The hard way bet is a wager that the shooter will roll a 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 with exact match even die before rolling a 7, or the same number the easy way (i.e. with an odd and even die). For example, 3-3 is a hard way 6, whereas 5-1 is an easy way 6. These bets pay out at 7:1.

Single Roll Bets:These bets are resolved in one roll, as opposed to running, multi-roll bets which can continue to pay on more than one roll. There are a number of single roll bets, or proposition bets, that can be placed, as follows:

Snake Eyes – where the shooter rolls 1-1.  Pays at 30:1.

Ace-Deuce – where the shooter rolls 1-2.  Pays at 15:1.

Yo-Leven – where the shooter rolls 11. Pays at 15:1.

Boxcars – where the shooter rolls 12. Pays at 30:1.

Hi-Lo – where the shooter rolls 1-1 or 6-6. Pays at 15:1.

Big Red – where the shooter rolls a 7. Pays at 4:1.

The Horn – effectively four distinct bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12, paying out after a three-parts deduction for the losing three bets depending on the number rolled. Pays at 27:4 on 2/12 and 3:1 on 3/11.

World – effectively five distinct bets on 2, 3, 11, 12 and 7. Pays at 26:5 on 2/12, 11:5 on 3/11 or 0:1 on 7.

On The Hop – a bet on two particular die being rolled, i.e. 3 and 5. Pays at 15:1 for singles and 30:1 for a pair (e.g. 4-4).

While each of these bets will offer more significant returns, these bets are positioned at less favorable odds to the shooter, and as such command a much more significant house edge. As a result, these wagers should only really be placed by more experienced or more confident players.

A pair of dice is used in the game and the players make wagers on the outcome of rolling the dice. In street craps wagers are made against money that players put up against each other.

Street Craps Rules

1. Players must first identify the player who will be shooting dice – the shooter. The shooter will then need to make a bet followed by the rest of the group in the clockwise direction. Each player can cover a portion of or all of the shooter’s bet. Betting continues until the shooter’s wager is matched.
2. The come out roll comes next. This is the game’s first roll and it could end the game if it is a 7, 11, 2, 3 or 12. The shooter and any other player who bet in favor of the shooter win the game if a 7 or 11 is rolled. If a 2, 3 or 12 come up when the dice are rolled the shooter and other players who bet for him lose.
3. A Point number, which is a number other than those mentioned above, must be set up. So if the come out roll is not any of those numbers listed above that number will be designated as the point number.
4. The roll is next and the goal is for the shooter to roll the number identified as the point before he rolls a 7. The 7 is referred to an “Out 7” and once the shooter gets this before rolling the point he loses the game.
5. Rolling dice proceeds until a 7 or the Point is rolled. The shooter loses if the 7 comes up and wins if the Point is rolled. If other numbers are rolled the shooter continues rolling the dice. The round ends only after a 7 or the point is rolled.

It is important that you remember that all bets should be made before the come out roll and you will only win what you bet. As you can see the street craps rules are very similar to rules of casino craps.

Street Craps vs Casino Craps

Rules of street craps vary from casino craps in several ways. The first obvious variation is the absence of a banker. In the street version there is no specific person to handle the money, monitor the bets and pay the winners.

Another difference is that there is no craps table when playing the more informal street craps. This is a disadvantage because it then becomes more difficult to place complicated bets. Due to this street craps usually will only have two betting options – Pass and Don’t Pass. This is limited especially when compared to the numerous options available in casino craps.

A final and very important difference between casino craps and street craps is that the latter is generally illegal. Players must keep their play secret and if they are caught they will face stiff fines.

With this in mind you can decide if you want to play the rolling dice game live and face possible problems with the authorities or you can play the casino version in an offline casino or online.

Let’s say you make a “Come” bet and the point was set to 5. They would then place your “Come” wager in the “Come” area and wait for the next throw. Failure to reach a 7 or 11, you win (and the shooter looses), and at a craps roll, you lose (2, 3 or 12). Is it any other number, then this becomes your “come-point”. Their “come-point” is reached before a 7 you win. So a 9 is rolled, the stickman pushes your “Come” bet on the field at the 9th Now if the shooter rolls a 9 before a 7, you win, but will achieve a 7 before 9, you lose. Remember that when you “Come” bets also have the opportunity to share as a “pass” bet, a profit opportunity to use after your come-point was determined.

What is the difference and why this is important?
A “buy” bet reduces the house edge and you put in a position to win more. The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9  to 10  can all be bought, but most of the election falls on the 4 or 10, because they promise a higher return.
A bet “Buy” is similar to the “Place” bet is that the number that you buy must be made before a 7. The odds for a “Buy” are-stakes higher. 2:1 when buying a 4 or 10, 3:2 for a 5 or 9, or 6:5 for a 6 or 8 .
The problem is that you must pay a 5% commission on all bets that you buy (often called “vig” means). Depending on how much you bet, you can bring in the purchase of a wager ultimately more money, even after deduction of the commision are only one “buy” bet on a 4 or 10 good for you
So you think of other numbers on the “Place” wager.

Sometimes, players go on a winning streak, these players are “on a roll,” as they say. Players who increase their total wagers can win big quickly. Moreover, the money may run out as quickly as it is not mathematically possible for a “hot line” that holds for any given period. To remedy this, players  maximize the craps odds bet which have zero house edge. Unlocking its craps odds bet in combination with pass line bet and come best will reduce your pass/come bet casino edge but will not remove the house edge completely.

Most casinos have a ceiling on how high the odds bet may be with respect to the flat bet, with single, double, and five times odds of regular. 3-4-5 odds are offered by some casinos, which refer to higher compund that can put the 4 and 10, 5, 9 and 6 and 8, respectively. When there are promotions, 100x odds bets that some especially land based Vegas casinos offer during promotional periods, a casino may even offer 100x odds bets, leaving the house edge to almost zero. If each player takes the 100x odds, the above cost will not be enough.

There are many casinos that belong to the middle market to the benefit of the game is insignificant given the limited size of the chip, and that business plan focuses on generating income from the sale of alcohol. These institutions handled gently craps in exchange for incoming guests allowing the home to offer drinks to the large amount of visitors generated by a table that wins. Low limit craps is used as a “loss leader” with similar odds to paint a clear picture of a casino game derives its income as a place for winners and makes visitors enjoy playing other games favored by the house that do not have such zero house edge bets as is craps odds bet.

But determining precisely how and when it originated the game of craps as well as the roots of his name and the whole craps history is certainly open to debate. But here is one of those theories:

Arabs adopted the pastime of “throwing the bones” (rolling dice) that had brought the Midwestern legionaries during the expansion of the Roman Empire. The Arabs made these little numbered cubes called “azzahr. Eventually the game came back across the trade routes to Europe during the Middle Ages, in France was called “Hazar” or “hasard”. During the interminable wars between France and England in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, English knights brought the game home and named it “hazard” – meaning to take a chance or a risk (as the word says in English).

As the English game to its lowest they called “crabs.” But after another war, French soldiers picked up this variation of the game, but maintained their linguistic independence, called “crab”. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, French colonists took the game to the Canadian border, and while England extended its reach in North America many of these settlers migrated to Louisiana where the end of the century appeared a simplified version of Hazard lost “or risk missing simply took the name of “pancakes”, but the descendants of French settlers continue writing “crab”.

As Cajun riverboat journeyed up the Mississippi River, this old game attracted the attention of anglophone residents of the area. This time the American colonists adopted the game and corrupted the name to “craps“. At the time of the Americans spread out across the West, dice, craps or treat in a game is essential to every saloon and casino in the land. After the American Civil War, a producer of dice maker introduced an innovation that made imperfectly dice of the past, which opened the doors to third parties bet for or against someone who threw the dice. While the growing popularity of dice, different ways of betting emerged simultaneously. Among the best known are: Bets Difficult (Hardway) and type Horn (Horn Bets). The incorporation of new forms of gambling not only added to the popularity and excitement of the game, but also the odds for players and spectators.

Today the game of dice or craps, is one of the most popular games in any casino worldwide. Craps tables are easy to spot on the casino – are those that attract many people and where emotion the rapt fascination.