Craps trainer
Bet guide
Every bet on this table, best to worst. The house edge is what the bet costs you on average, per dollar bet.
Rules matter. Every house edge here is exact for the bet and payout shown, calculated from the 36 ways two dice land. Odds behind a line bet are fair by themselves, not the whole combined bet, and buy and lay figures assume the commission is charged on wins. Your casino's payouts may differ. How our odds are calculated
The best bets and the traps
Craps has some of the best bets in the casino and some of the worst, side by side on the same felt. You never make a decision about the dice, only about where your money goes. Learn that and you play craps well.
The smart bets
Don't pass and don't come are even slightly better at 1.36%, but you are betting against the table. Come bets are pass line bets made after the point, with the same 1.41% edge.
How a round plays
- The come-out roll7 or 11 wins the pass line. 2, 3 or 12 ("craps") loses it. Any other number becomes the point.
- The point is setThe dealer moves the puck from the Don't Come Bar to the point number and flips it to ON. Now the shooter rolls until the point repeats or a 7 shows.
- Point madeThe pass line and its odds win. The next roll is a new come-out by the same shooter.
- Seven outA 7 before the point loses the pass line, place bets and hardways. The dice pass to the next shooter.
| Total | Ways | Chance | Make the point before a 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 each | 2.78% each | - |
| 3 or 11 | 2 each | 5.56% each | - |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 8.33% each | 33.3% (1 in 3) |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 11.1% each | 40.0% (2 in 5) |
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 13.9% each | 45.5% (5 in 11) |
| 7 | 6 | 16.7% | - |
Taking odds
Odds pay exactly what the risk deserves, so they carry no house edge. The more of your money is on odds, the lower your overall house edge.
| Point | Odds pay | Lay odds pay | 3-4-5x limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 1 to 2 | 3x the line bet |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 2 to 3 | 4x |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 5 to 6 | 5x |
With 3-4-5x odds, a pass line bet backed by full odds costs about 0.37% of everything you bet. Odds work the same way behind a come bet: once your come bet moves to a number, hand the dealer chips and say "odds on my 6." On this table, tap + ODDS under the number. Come odds are off on the come-out roll unless you call them on, so a 7 then gives them back.
Bet in full units
A dealer pays in whole dollars and rounds down. Bet the wrong amount and you quietly lose part of your win.
| Bet | Bet in units of | Pays in full | Short-paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 6 or 8 | $6 | $6 pays $7 | $5 pays $5 (should be $5.83) |
| Place 5 or 9 | $5 | $5 pays $7 | $6 pays $8 (should be $8.40) |
| Place 4 or 10 | $5 | $5 pays $9 | $6 pays $10 (should be $10.80) |
| Odds on 4 or 10 | any amount | $5 pays $10 | - |
| Odds on 5 or 9 | $2 (even amounts) | $6 pays $9, $10 pays $15 | $5 pays $7 (should be $7.50) |
| Odds on 6 or 8 | $5 | $5 pays $6, $10 pays $12 | $6 pays $7 (should be $7.20) |
| Lay odds on 4 or 10 | $2 | $10 wins $5 | $5 wins $2 (should be $2.50) |
| Lay odds on 5 or 9 | $3 | $15 wins $10 | $10 wins $6 (should be $6.67) |
| Lay odds on 6 or 8 | $6 | $12 wins $10 | $10 wins $8 (should be $8.33) |
The biggest trap is the $5 place bet on the 6 or 8. It pays $5, even money, and the house edge jumps from 1.52% to 9.09%, as bad as a hardway. A $5 odds bet on a 5 or 9 pays $7 instead of $7.50, which turns a 0% bet into a 4% one.
Most casinos will pay you correctly if you bet the right amounts, and many dealers will suggest it. On this table the coach tells you when a bet is short-paid and what to bet instead.
Horn, World, hops, Big 6 and 8, buy and lay
The rest of the felt. Set bets go down as one bet split across numbers: a "$1 horn" is $4 on the table.
| Bet | How it works | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horn | One roll. One unit each on 2, 3, 11 and 12 | The hit unit pays 30 or 15 to 1; the other three lose | 12.50% |
| World (Whirl) | One roll. A horn plus one unit on any 7 | Like the horn; a 7 pushes | 13.33% |
| C and E | One roll. One unit on any craps, one on 11 | Craps 3 to 1, 11 pays 7 to 1, on the whole bet | 11.11% |
| Hi-Lo | One roll. One unit on 2, one on 12 | The hit unit pays 30 to 1; the other loses | 13.89% |
| Horn High | One roll. A horn with an extra unit on the number you call | Double pay on that number | 12.22% to 12.78% |
| Hop bets | One roll on an exact pair of dice, like 2-4 | Easy 15 to 1, hard (a pair) 30 to 1 | 11.11%, 13.89% |
| Big 6, Big 8 | The number before a 7. Works every roll | 1 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Buy 4 or 10 | Like a place bet, paid at true odds less 5% of the bet | 2 to 1, $20 pays $39 | 1.67% |
| Buy 5 or 9 | Same, at $20 or more | 3 to 2, $20 pays $29 | 2.00% |
| Buy 6 or 8 | Same; placing for $6 units is cheaper | 6 to 5, $20 pays $23 | 2.27% |
| Lay 4 or 10 | A 7 before the number. Works every roll | 1 to 2, $40 wins $19 | 1.67% |
| Lay 5 or 9 | Same | 2 to 3, $30 wins $19 | 2.00% |
| Lay 6 or 8 | Same | 5 to 6, $24 wins $19 | 2.27% |
Commission. This table charges the 5% on wins only, in whole dollars with a $1 minimum, which is common on the 4 and 10. Some casinos take it up front when you make the bet, which costs a little more (4.76% on a buy 4). Ask the dealer how they charge it.
Calling a bet. Hops and Horn High aren't printed on the felt. Toss your chips to the stickman and call it: "Two-four hop," "Hard eight hop," "Horn high yo." On this table, tap Call a bet in the center.
The Fire Bet and All, Tall, Small
Bonus bets with big payouts, and house edges to match.
| Bet | Wins when | Pays | Chance | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Bet | The shooter makes 4 different points before sevening out | 24 to 1 | 1 in 114 | 20.76% |
| 5 different points | 249 to 1 | 1 in 610 | ||
| All 6 points | 999 to 1 | 1 in 6,158 | ||
| All Small | 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all roll before any 7 | 34 to 1 | 1 in 38 | 7.76% |
| All Tall | 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 all roll before any 7 | 34 to 1 | 1 in 38 | 7.76% |
| Make 'Em All | Every number but 7 rolls before any 7 | 175 to 1 | 1 in 190 | 7.46% |
The Fire Bet goes down before a new shooter's first roll and stays up until that shooter sevens out. Each different point the shooter makes lights a box; the same point twice counts once. Some casinos pay 3 points too.
All, Tall and Small go down only before the first roll after a 7. Every roll counts, including come-out rolls, until any 7 ends them. Small can pay and Tall keep going.
All the house edges here are exact, computed from the dice probabilities. Lower paytables exist; read the felt.
The traps
- Any 7: 16.67%The worst bet on the table. It pays 4 to 1 on a 1-in-6 roll.
- 2, 3, 11, 12 and Any Craps: 11% to 14%One-roll bets the stickman will call out. Fun to watch, expensive to play.
- Hardways: 9% to 11%Hard 6 and 8 are 9.09%, hard 4 and 10 are 11.11%.
- Field: 2.78% to 5.56%It looks like a lot of numbers, but it misses 5, 6, 7 and 8, the most common totals. Check whether 12 pays 3 to 1.
- Place 4 and 10: 6.67%Buy them instead at $20 or more (5% commission on wins only, 1.67%). Switch the number boxes to Buy on this table to try it.
- Horn, World and C and E: 11% to 13%Set bets the stickman calls out. A "$1 horn" is really $4.
- Big 6 and Big 8: 9.09%Even money on a number that pays 7 to 6 as a place bet. Never bet them.
- The Fire Bet: 20.76%A great story when it hits. Keep it to the table minimum.
At the table
- Buy in between rollsPut cash on the felt and say "change only" when the dice are in the middle.
- Wait for the come-outThe puck says OFF on the come-out roll. That is when to put down a pass line bet.
- Hands off when the dice are outNever reach for chips while the shooter is throwing.
- ShootingUse one hand, and hit the far wall so both dice bounce off it.
- Place bets are off on the come-outThey stay on the felt but don't win or lose until a point is set, unless you call them on.
- Say "odds" with the chipsPut odds chips behind your pass line bet, just off the line.