| Updated: September 25, 2025The variety of betting options in craps is vast. One of the most common tips in craps literature and game theory is to avoid the so-called proposition bets at all costs. The reason is simple: they offer a very high house edge, which means the odds are definitely against you. Even so, many experienced casino players embrace the occasional risk and place prop bets regularly.
So what exactly are proposition bets, and why aren’t they recommended for novices? These are single-roll wagers, meaning the outcome is determined on the very next roll of the dice – you either win or lose. Unlike multi-roll bets, which let you decrease or remove your stake, there’s no way to retrieve your money with prop bets if luck isn’t on your side at the craps table. This “all-or-nothing” style of play may be unsuitable for novices, yet it’s also part of what makes the game of craps so exciting.
Bets on Single Numbers
There are various single-roll bets, and a large portion of them involve wagering on single numbers. As you might imagine, the odds on these bets favor the house. The probability of the dice landing on any particular number is quite low. This depends entirely on the number of possible dice combinations for each total – as we all know, 7 is more likely to appear than any other number in the game. It can be rolled in 6 different ways, the highest number of combinations available.
By examining the possible combinations for each number, we can clearly determine which bets are advantageous and which are harmful to long-term performance. Below, players will find all proposition bets on single numbers, together with their combinations and house-edge percentages.
Snake Eyes
Ace-Deuce Any Seven Yo BoxcarsSnake Eyes
Snake Eyes is one of the wagers with the worst odds in craps, and it is a single-roll bet on 2. Players can place it before the come-out roll or after the point has been established. This bet wins only if a 2 is rolled next. The name comes from the resemblance between the two single dots on the dice and a pair of eyes.
Because there is only one possible combination for this total – each die showing 1 – the probability of winning is 1 in 36. This translates to odds of 35 to 1 against the player and a house edge of 13.89%. A winning Snake Eyes wager pays 30 to 1.
Ace-Deuce
This poker-inspired wager is a single-roll bet on 3. It can be placed at any time during the game, and it wins only if the next roll is a 3. Naturally, players lose on every other outcome. The payout is 15 to 1, but the true odds against winning are 17 to 1. This discrepancy results in a house edge of 11.11%.
Any Seven
Any Seven is a well-known betting option and is widely regarded as the worst wager at the table. It is an independent, single-roll bet that is settled on the next toss of the dice. As noted above, there are six ways to roll a 7: 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, and 4-3. The odds against winning are therefore 30 to 6, or 5:1, which may not sound terrible.
However, the payout for this bet is only 4:1. Although the potential reward appears close to the 5:1 risk, the difference becomes obvious over time, and players face a steep house edge of 16.67%. Because uttering the word “seven” is considered bad luck at the craps table, many players refer to this wager as the Big Red.
Yo
Yo, also known as Eleven or Six-Five, is a proposition bet that wins if the next roll shows an 11. Its name comes from “Yo-leven,” a term used in land-based casinos to prevent confusion, because “eleven” sounds too similar to “seven” in fast-paced, noisy environments.
The wager loses on any roll that is not an 11 and pays 15 to 1 if the dice land on 5-6 or 6-5. The house edge is very high at 11.11%, meaning players are expected to lose $11.11 for every $100 wagered.
Boxcars
This single-roll wager on 12 goes by many names, including Twelve, Boxcars, Midnight, and Cornrows. With it, players bet that the shooter will roll a 12 on the next toss. As with Snake Eyes, there is only one winning combination – 6-6 – so the bet shares the same odds, payout, and house edge of 13.89%.
Boxcars, together with Snake Eyes, is considered a Hard Way bet – rolling a matching pair is called the hard way. Totals of 12 and 2 are always hard-way outcomes, whereas 4, 6, 8, and 10 can be rolled both hard and easy. Those four totals are multi-roll bets, however, and therefore fall outside this category.
Composition Bets
In addition to propositions on single numbers, there are many single-roll wagers covering groups of numbers. These bets differ from one another, yet they are all located in the center of the layout. Because they encompass multiple possible outcomes on a single roll, they are collectively known as composition bets.
Hi-Lo Bet Any Craps C&E Bet Horn Bet Field Bet Whirl/World HoppingHi-Lo Bet
With a Hi-Lo wager, players bet that the shooter will roll either the lowest or the highest possible total – 2 or 12. It wins if the next roll is a 2 or a 12 and loses on any other number. There are only two winning combinations, 1-1 and 6-6, versus 34 losing ones. Consequently, the true odds against winning are 34 to 2 (17:1). The payout, however, is just 15:1, so like most prop bets the Hi-Lo is risky and should be used sparingly.
Any Craps
This wager covers three numbers, as its name suggests – it is a bet on the craps numbers 2, 3, and 12. It can be made before the come-out roll or after a point is established and is resolved on the very next toss. The bet wins if any of the craps numbers appears and loses in every other case.
The house edge is identical to that of the Hi-Lo bet, even though more numbers are covered. There are 4 winning combinations against 32 losing ones; the dice must show 1-1, 6-6, 1-2, or 2-1 for Any Craps to succeed. While the true odds are 8:1, casinos pay only 7:1.
C&E Bet
This wager combines two separate bets, allowing players to bet on the Yo and craps numbers – 2, 3, 11, and 12. The name comes from “craps and eleven.” To place it, players stake equal amounts on the Yo and Any Craps areas of the table; one of the bets will always lose, and the other may win.
The true odds for this bet are fixed at 5:1 because there are 30 ways to lose and 6 ways to win (30:6 or 5:1). The payout, however, depends on the winning number. The two wagers inside the C&E do not pay the same as the standalone Craps and Yo bets – rather than 7:1 for craps and 15:1 for 11, the combined bet pays 3:1 on the craps numbers and 7:1 on 11. The house edge remains unchanged.
Horn Bet
The Horn is another combination bet, but unlike the C&E it involves four equal wagers on the numbers 2, 3, 11, and 12. Naturally, three of the bets will always lose, while one may win. Each individual wager pays the standard odds for its number.
The combined payout is effectively 27:4 when 2 or 12 is rolled – it reflects the 30:1 return for those numbers minus the three losing bets. If the shooter rolls 3 or 11, the payout is 3:1 (the net result of a 15:1 win minus the other three wagers). A popular variation, the Horn High bet, follows the same structure but doubles the stake on a chosen number. For example, a Horn High 12 means the player bets 1 unit on 2, 3, and 11, and 2 units on 12.
Field Bet
Unlike most prop bets, the Field is a self-service wager, meaning players can place it themselves. They simply put their chips on the large Field area situated between the Pass Line and the Come bet. The Field covers several numbers – 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
This is an even-money bet, paying 1:1, with one exception: if the dice show 2 or 12, the payout is doubled to 2:1. In some casinos, a winning Field 3 also pays 3:1. Under these rules, the house edge drops to just 2.78%.
Whirl/World
This wager also combines two bets – a Horn and an Any Seven. Players stake 1 unit on each of the following numbers: 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12. The Whirl bet offers relatively favorable odds of 2:1, with 12 possible winning combinations versus 24 losing ones. The payouts, however, are a bit more complex.
Naturally, four of the five numbers will always lose, but the likelihood of at least one appearing on the next roll is high. The combined payout is 26:5 when 2 or 12 is rolled and 11:5 when 3 or 11 appears. If the shooter rolls a 7, the wager pushes because the 4:1 win on the 7 is offset by the losses on the remaining numbers.
Hopping
This is an interesting way to bet on craps and it is found mainly in live casinos. Players who are “hopping” wager on a particular combination of numbers that will appear on the two dice. For example, a player asking for “a 6 and a 3 on the hop” is betting that one die will show 6 and the other 3. Hop bets can be placed on easy or hard combinations, and the payouts differ accordingly. An easy-way Hop pays 15:1, while hard-way Hop bets pay 30:1.
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