How to Win at Craps: The Bets, Odds and Strategy That Give You the Best Chance

There is no way to beat craps in the long run. Every bet on the table except one has a built-in house edge, and no betting system or way of throwing the dice changes that. What you can do is choose your bets so that you lose as little as possible on average and give yourself the best chance of finishing a session ahead.

The gap between good and bad craps bets is huge. A Pass Line bet backed with full odds carries a combined house edge below 0.4%, while the Any 7 bet costs you 16.67% of every stake. Knowing how to win at craps mostly comes down to sticking to the first group of bets and ignoring the second.

This guide covers which bets to make and which to skip, how the free odds bet works with worked examples, a simple strategy you can use online or at a live table, bankroll management and the mistakes that cost players most. If you are new to the game, read our guide to craps rules and bets first.

You can win in a single session, and many players do. Over thousands of bets, though, the house edge decides the result. On a £10 Pass Line bet with a 1.41% edge, you lose an average of about 14p per bet. That is small, and normal swings mean you can finish a session well ahead or well behind.

Craps strategy is really about three things:

• Bet selection: put your money on bets with the lowest house edge.
• Bet structure: put as much of your total stake as you can on the odds bet, which has no house edge.
• Bankroll control: decide in advance how much you will play with and when you will stop.

Anything that promises more, such as progressive betting systems, “hot” tables or dice-control methods for online play, does not change the maths.

The table shows the house edge on the main craps bets, measured per bet resolved. Lower is better for you.

A quick check shows where the edge comes from. Any 7 wins on 6 of the 36 possible dice combinations. For every 36 rolls at £1 you win £24 (6 × £4) and lose £30, a net loss of £6, or 16.67%. Place 6 at 7:6 wins 5 times for every 6 losses (5 ways to roll a 6, 6 ways to roll a 7): 5 × £7 = £35 won against 6 × £6 = £36 lost, which is 1.52%.

For comparison with other games, see our guide to the casino games with the best odds.

Once a point is set, Pass Line players can place an extra bet behind their line bet, called “taking the odds”. It pays at the exact true odds of the point being rolled before a 7, so the casino has no edge on it. Most casinos limit it to a multiple of your Pass Line stake.

Because the odds bet carries no edge, the more of your money sits there, the lower your overall house edge:

• Pass Line alone: 1.41%
• With 1x odds: 0.85%
• With 2x odds: 0.61%
• With 3-4-5x odds: 0.37%
• With 10x odds: 0.18%

Worked example (3-4-5x odds): you bet £10 on the Pass Line. The table allows 3x odds on 4 and 10, 4x on 5 and 9 and 5x on 6 and 8.

• Point is 6: you add £50 odds. If the 6 hits, odds pay 6:5 = £60, plus £10 on the line: £70 profit.
• Point is 5: you add £40 odds. A 5 pays 3:2 = £60, plus £10: £70 profit.
• Point is 4: you add £30 odds. A 4 pays 2:1 = £60, plus £10: £70 profit.

If a 7 comes first, you lose the line bet and the odds. Taking odds does not raise your chance of winning, but it lowers the average cost of each pound you bet. Compare £10 on the Pass Line plus £50 odds (expected loss about 14p) with £60 on the Pass Line alone (expected loss about 85p).

This approach keeps you on the low-edge bets and is easy to follow at an online table or a live dealer game.

1. Bet the Pass Line on the come-out roll. You win on 7 or 11, lose on 2, 3 or 12, and any other number becomes the point.
2. Take the maximum odds you can afford once the point is set. If maximum odds would stretch your bankroll, lower your Pass Line stake rather than skip the odds.
3. Optionally add one or two Come bets with odds to have more numbers working. Each Come bet works like a fresh Pass Line bet.
4. If you want a place bet, use the 6 or 8 only, in multiples of £6 so the 7:6 payout works out. A £12 Place 6 pays £14.
5. Skip everything in the middle of the table: hardways, Any 7, Any Craps, Yo and the other one-roll bets.

Spreading across several Come bets increases how much you have on the table at once. That raises your swings without lowering the edge, so only do it if your bankroll can absorb it.

Don’t Pass is the mirror image of Pass. It wins on 2 or 3 on the come-out, loses on 7 or 11, and a 12 is a push (the “bar 12” rule). After a point is set, it wins if a 7 comes before the point. Its house edge of 1.36% is slightly lower than the Pass Line’s 1.41%.

Don’t players can also lay odds, which again carry no house edge. Because a 7 is more likely than any point, you risk more to win less: on a point of 4 you lay £20 to win £10, on 5 or 9 you lay £15 to win £10, and on 6 or 8 you lay £12 to win £10. With 3-4-5x odds, the combined edge on Don’t Pass drops to about 0.27%.

The trade-off is mainly social and emotional. At a busy land-based table you are betting against the shooter and most other players. Online, that does not matter, so pick whichever side you are more comfortable with. The difference in edge is tiny.

• Playing the proposition bets. The 15:1 or 30:1 payouts look generous, but the edges of 11% to nearly 17% cost far more than the line bets.
• Skipping the odds. Many players put more on the line and nothing behind it. You get the same exposure at a much lower cost by keeping the line bet small and taking odds.
• Trusting the Field. It wins on seven numbers, but those numbers cover only 16 of 36 combinations (44.4%). Only play it if the 12 pays 3:1, and even then it costs more than the line bets.
• Using progressive systems. Martingale and similar systems change the size of your bets, not the edge on them. Table limits and losing streaks can wipe out a bankroll quickly. Our tests of betting systems explain why.
• Believing in hot or cold dice. Each roll is independent. In online RNG craps, dice-setting and throwing technique play no part at all.
• Playing too fast. Online craps can resolve bets much faster than a land-based table, so your expected losses per hour can be much higher at the same stake.

Online craps comes in two forms: RNG versions, where software rolls the dice, and live dealer games streamed from a studio. The bets and edges above apply to both, but table rules vary, so check the game’s help screen before playing.

• Maximum odds: some online games offer limited odds or none at all. Without odds, your best bets are Don’t Pass at 1.36% and Pass at 1.41%.
• Field payout on 12: 3:1 halves the house edge compared with 2:1.
• Buy and lay commission: a 5% commission charged only when you win is much better than one charged upfront. Buying the 4 or 10 with commission on wins only costs 1.67%, compared with 6.67% for placing them.
• Bonus terms: table games often contribute little or nothing to wagering requirements. Read our guide to casino bonus terms before using bonus funds on craps.
• Licensing: only play at casinos licensed for your country, such as the operators in our UK casino list.

If you prefer a real table and dealer, our live dealer guides explain how the streamed games work.

Craps has big swings because your money is often spread across several bets. A sensible bankroll makes it far more likely that you reach the end of a session on your own terms.

• Set a session budget you can afford to lose completely and keep it separate from everyday money.
• Size your bets so that one full Pass Line plus odds is a small share of that budget. For example, £10 on the line with up to £50 odds risks £60 a time. A budget of a few hundred pounds can be wiped out by a short losing run, so lower the base bet if needed.
• Set a loss limit and a win goal before you start, and stop when you hit either.
• Never chase losses by raising your stakes. The house edge stays the same, so you only risk more.

• No strategy beats craps long term. The aim is to cut the house edge and manage your swings.
• Stick to Pass/Come or Don’t Pass/Don’t Come, and back them with as much odds as you can afford. With 3-4-5x odds the combined edge falls to about 0.37% (0.27% on the Don’t side).
• Place 6 and 8 are the only other bets worth considering. Avoid the proposition and hardway bets.
• Check online table rules for maximum odds, Field payouts and commission terms.

Craps is entertainment, not a way to make money. You must be 18 or over to play. Use the deposit limits, time-outs and reality checks your casino offers. If gambling stops being fun, take a break and contact a support service such as GamCare or BeGambleAware. For more on the game, browse our full craps guides.