List of Craps Bets

Here’s a rundown of all the various bets in craps…

(A) Pass Line

This is the basic bet that most players make, and it’s actually one of the bestbets on the layout, with a house edge of only 1.41%. Ifyou want an easy game then you can simply stick to this bet and ignore all the otherbets. (Though to get the best chances of winning, you should really learn the Free Odds bet too.)

(B) Field Bet

This wager good for ANY single roll of the dice at ANY time. The player wins evenmoney if a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 is rolled. On most tables a 2 pays double and 12 paystriple. The player loses if a 5, 6, 7, or 8 is thrown. The house edge is a modest2.77% — there are better and worse bets.

(C) Come Bet

A “virtual” Pass Line bet. It’s just like the Pass Line but can be made at any time,almost ALWAYS in the middle of a round when a point has already been established.

(D) Place Bets:

The Place Bet is basically an “on-demand Point”. The player is betting that thePlaced number will roll before a 7 rolls. This bet can be made at any time, butis usually made after a point number is already established. It’s paid as follows:

A “Buy” bet is the same as the place bet, only with a different payoff. When youBuy a point you pay a 5% commission and are paid true odds if the bet wins (2:1on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, and 6:5 on the 6 and 8). The house edge onBuy bets is 4.76%, making the Buy a better deal than thePlace bet on the 4 or 10, and a worse deal on any other numbers.

Some casinos take the 5% commission only on a win In such cases the houseedge for Buying the 4 or 10 is only 1.67%.

(E) Proposition Bets:

These bets can be made on any roll of the dice.

The house edge on prop bets ranges between 11.1% and 16.67%. If your folly requires you to make prop bets thenyou should at least find a table layout with Downtown odds in order to reduce theridiculous House advantage, though even then it’s still throwing money away.

(F) Free Odds on the Pass Line:

After a point has been established, the player can increase a pass line bet by “takingodds”. Free Odds bets are paid according to the TRUE ODDS of the dice, meaning thatthese bets carry NO HOUSE EDGE, which is why they’re called”Free” Odds. This is the only bet in the casino where the odds aren’t against you.For any given amount of money that you intend to bet on Craps, you want the highestpercentage possible on the Free Odds. Herein lies the reasonwhy you should shop for a casino that offers 5X, 10X, 20X or 100X table odds!

The Free Odds bet is placed behind the pass line or original “Flat” bet. Each pointnumber pays different odds.

We have a whole separate article dedicated to the Free Oddsbet.

(G) Free Odds on Come Bets:

Odds on come bets can be made exactly the same way as odds on pass line bets, exceptthat the player hands the Odds bet to the dealer who will place it on the numberrolled and on TOP of the original Flat bet. Just like the regular Odds bet, theOdds on the Come Bet also carries no house edge.

(H) Don’t Pass Line:

This bet is the same as a pass line bet only in reverse. If the first roll is 7or 11, the player loses, 2 or 3 wins and 12 is a push or what is called a “Bar”(neither wins or loses). Most people bet the Pass instead of the Don’t Pass, soif you bet the Don’t you may be viewed as an enemy by the other players. The houseedge is 1.36%.

Don’t Come Bet:

Same as a Come bet only in reverse. Just as with the Don’t Pass Line, dealer willplace bet behind the Don’t Come number as it is rolled. If a 7 is rolled beforethe number the player wins. This player is betting with that a point number willNOT roll before a 7 does.

Hardways

These bets win if 4, 6, 8, or 10 are thrown in pairs as pictured on the table layout.They lose when the number rolls “Easy” (not in pairs or as pictured on the tablelayout) OR if a 7 rolls first.