Craps Strategy
No craps strategy changes the house edge on an individual bet. What a strategy can do is choose bets with the lowest edge, put as much of your money as possible on the 0% odds bet, and size your session so that normal variance does not end it early. This page turns the figures from our craps bets and odds table into concrete betting plans.
Rule 1: Use the Line Bets and Take Odds
The four cheapest bets in craps are:
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Odds behind a line or come bet | 0% |
| Don’t Pass / Don’t Come | 1.36% |
| Pass Line / Come | 1.41% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
A practical base plan:
- Bet the Pass Line (or Don’t Pass) at the table minimum.
- When a point is set, add the largest odds bet you can comfortably afford.
- Optionally, make one or two Come bets and back them with odds as well.
- Leave everything else on the layout alone.
With 3-4-5x odds on every point, the combined edge on your Pass + Odds money falls to 0.37%. With 10x odds it is 0.18%.
Rule 2: Prefer Low Line Bets With Big Odds Over Big Line Bets
Consider two ways to put about A$60 in action on a point of 6:
| Setup | Line bet | Odds | Expected loss per round |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: big line bet, no odds | A$60 | A$0 | About A$0.85 |
| B: minimum line bet, 5x odds | A$10 | A$50 | About A$0.14 |
Both put similar money at risk once the point is set, but B costs about one-sixth as much, because only the A$10 line bet carries an edge. The trade-off is that B needs more cash available to cover the odds on every point.
Rule 3: Avoid the Centre of the Table
Proposition bets carry edges from 11.11% to 16.67% and are decided every roll. Two A$5 hardway or horn bets every roll can cost more than every other bet on the table combined. Big 6 and Big 8 duplicate Place 6 and Place 8 at a worse payout (9.09% against 1.52%).
If you want more action than the line bets give you, add Come bets or Place 6 and 8 rather than props.
Pass or Don’t Pass?
Don’t Pass has a slightly lower edge (1.36% against 1.41%). The practical differences:
- Win pattern: Don’t bettors win small amounts often and lose on hot streaks; Pass bettors lose small amounts often and profit from long rolls.
- Odds: Don’t bettors lay odds (risking more to win less), so they need a larger bankroll for the same odds multiple.
- Table atmosphere: at land-based tables, betting against the shooter is sometimes unpopular. Online it makes no difference.
Over 1,000 decisions at A$10, the expected difference between the two is about A$5. Choose the one that suits your bankroll and temperament.
What Popular Systems Actually Cost
Many named craps systems combine bets to cover more numbers. Covering more numbers increases how often you win, not the long-run return. The table shows the expected cost per 100 rolls of three common setups.
| System | Bets | Money on the table | Expected loss per 100 rolls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass + Come with 2x odds | Pass A$10, two Come A$10, 2x odds on each | About A$90 when all are working | About A$13 |
| Place 6 and 8 | A$12 each | A$24 | About A$11 |
| Iron Cross | Field A$5, Place 5 A$5, Place 6 A$6, Place 8 A$6 | A$22 | About A$39 |
| Three-point molly with props | Pass and two Come with odds, plus A$5 horn every roll | Varies | About A$75, of which about A$62 is the horn |
The Iron Cross wins on every number except 7, which makes it feel safe. In fact, the 5.56% Field bet is decided every roll and makes up about 70% of its cost.
Progressions Do Not Remove the Edge
Martingale (doubling after a loss) and its reverse (pressing after a win) change the size of your bets, not the expected value of each bet. In Martingale, a run of seven Pass Line losses in a row (roughly 1 in 115 for any seven-decision sequence) turns a A$10 starting bet into a A$1,280 bet, often above the table maximum. Read the Martingale system and the gambler’s fallacy before using any progression.
Dice Control Online
Some land-based players practise “dice setting” to influence throws. No independent study has shown a reliable edge, and the idea does not apply online: live dealer craps rolls the dice in a studio with no player shooter, and RNG craps uses a random number generator. Every roll is independent.
Budgeting a Session
Use expected loss for the average and table units for the swings.
- Pick your base bet. Example: A$10 Pass Line with 2x odds and up to two Come bets.
- Estimate exposure. With all three bets working and odds on each, about A$90 can be on the table.
- Set a session bankroll of 10 to 20 times peak exposure. For this plan, A$900 to A$1,800. A smaller bankroll should mean smaller bets, not fewer odds.
- Set a loss limit and a time limit. Live tables run fewer rolls per hour than RNG games, but both add up. Use the account tools covered in setting limits.
- Stop at the limit. Do not raise stakes to recover losses.
Online Table Checklist
- Confirm the maximum odds multiple in the help screen; higher odds lower your overall edge.
- Check whether 2 or 12 pays 3 to 1 on the Field, and whether buy commissions are charged on wins only.
- Check whether payouts are written “to 1” or “for 1”.
- Check bonus terms: many casinos weight craps at 0% to 10% for wagering or exclude it, and some ban opposite betting (Pass and Don’t Pass together).
Evolution’s live Craps is offered at casinos such as National Casino; the live dealer casinos list shows more. The rules of every bet are on our craps rules page, and the craps guide hub lists the full series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bet the Pass or Don’t Pass line, take the maximum odds you can afford, add Come bets or Place 6 and 8 for more action, and avoid proposition bets. This keeps your combined edge well under 1%.
No. Combining bets or changing bet sizes does not change the edge on each bet. Systems only change how often you win and how large the swings are.
Its edge is slightly lower (1.36% against 1.41%), but the difference is about A$5 per 1,000 decisions at A$10. Laying odds also needs a larger bankroll.
It includes a Field bet, which has a 2.78% to 5.56% edge and is decided every roll. Most of the system’s cost comes from that one bet.
A common guide is 10 to 20 times the maximum amount you will have on the table at once. Set the loss limit before you start.
Craps keeps a house edge on every bet except odds. Play only if you are 18 or older; Gambling Help Online (1800 858 858) provides free, confidential help.