| Updated: September 25, 2025Casino players who decide to try their luck at the craps table should understand how likely certain outcomes are, as well as the house edge they will be up against. There are dozens of bets in this game, and some offer significantly better odds than others.
Compared with other traditional table games, such as roulette or blackjack, craps features a house edge that can vary dramatically, depending on the single number or group of numbers that players choose to bet on. While most games have a house edge that is more or less fixed, in craps this fundamental factor fluctuates from 1.41% to nearly 20%. For this reason, players should carefully choose which bets to place if they want to improve their overall chances of winning.
The House Edge in Casino Games
Before craps players start placing real-money bets on the game, they should have a solid understanding of the house edge. It is a fundamental component of all casino games, bingo, lotteries, and virtually every form of gambling. This is the guaranteed advantage the house holds over its patrons – with it, casinos consistently generate profits even while paying out huge jackpots. So, what exactly is the house edge, and why is it so important when playing craps?
House Edge
Return to PlayerHouse Edge
The house edge is the mathematical advantage that commercial gambling venues maintain over their patrons over time. The term is used to describe how profitable or unprofitable a game is, be it craps, blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, or a slot game. This advantage guarantees returns for the casino over time and, therefore, an assured loss for the players.
There are various definitions of house advantage, but, simply put, it is the casino’s profit expressed as a percentage of players’ total wagers. If a game has a casino advantage of 5%, it indicates that the casino keeps 5% of players’ bets on average – or $5 of every $100 bet, for example. The house edge is not a result of luck; rather, games are designed to provide casinos with a guaranteed income – the advantage is simply the difference between the true odds and the odds casinos are willing to pay.
However, the house edge is a theoretical concept grounded in probability theory and the so-called Law of Large Numbers, which predicts stable long-term results for the averages of random events such as gambling games. It should be noted that it applies only when a large number of gaming rounds are considered – hundreds of thousands, or even millions.
This means that casino players may end up with significant profits after playing just 10 rounds of roulette or craps. After playing thousands of rounds, however, they will most likely lose a percentage of their total bets that is very close to the theoretical house edge.
Return to Player
The RTP, or return to player, is another term that conveys the same concept, but rather than focusing on the player’s losses, it expresses the percentage of the bet that players are likely to keep over time. In other words, the RTP often displayed for certain casino games is, in fact, the exact opposite of the house edge.
Games with a house edge of 5%, for example, have an RTP of 95%. Players who wager $100 on such a game are expected to end their session with $95. Once again, the return to player, or expected return as it is also called, is theoretical in nature and applies to an almost unlimited number of gaming rounds.
Slot machines, for example, rarely offer favorable RTPs – their house edge typically ranges from 2% to 10%, depending on the specific game. Most blackjack variations, on the other hand, provide RTPs above 99% – some games have a house edge as low as 0.45%. In craps, the house edge is not fixed; it varies greatly depending on the wager, and it is 1.41% for the most basic bet, the Pass Line.
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How to Calculate the House Edge in Craps
There are various ways to calculate the house edge in a casino game – usually, it is defined as the ratio of the expected player loss to the initial wager. One of the simplest formulas applicable to craps relies on the general equation for expected return. It combines the probability of winning multiplied by the return with the probability of losing multiplied by the lost initial bet:
Expected Return = {(ways to win*return) + (ways to lose*loss)}
So, what is the house edge for the Any 7 bet? This is a single-roll bet that settles within one roll of the dice – it wins if the dice land on any 7 (6 combinations) and loses if they show any other total (30 combinations). Therefore, the equation for the expected return for this wager will look like this:
{(6/36)*4} + {(30/36)*(-1)}
Here, 4 refers to the payout for the Any 7 bet (4:1), and 30/36 indicates that there are 30 losing combinations of the dice. The negative number -1 represents the stake we risk. The calculation proceeds with 0.6666 – 0.8333 = -0.1667. To find the player’s edge, we divide the expected return by the initial wager; because the wager is 1, the result is the same. Expressed as a percentage, the house edge is therefore 16.67%.
Line Bets Single-Roll Bets Multi-Roll BetsLine Bets
The Line bets are the most fundamental wagers in the game of craps, and with them, players bet on whether the shooter will win or lose. They include the Pass and Don’t Pass bets, which are necessary for the round to begin, as well as the Come and Don’t Come wagers, which are practically the same. These latter bets are not mandatory, and instead of being placed before the come-out roll, chips for them can be placed on the table only after the point number has been established.
In addition, players who have made any of these wagers can also take Odds on them by adding more chips to the table. To take 5x odds on their Pass Line, players simply place additional chips (five times the amount of the Pass bet) behind the Pass Line on the layout. However, these bets are rarely resolved in a single roll, which is why calculating their house edge requires several, more complex equations. The table below lists the house edge percentages per bet made, per bet resolved, and per roll.
| Type of Bet | Payout | True Odds | House Edge (HE) | HE (per bet resolved) | HE (per roll) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | 01:01:00 | 255:04:00 | 1.41% | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Don’t Pass | 01:01:00 | 991:49:00 | 1.36% | 1.40% | 0.40% |
| Come | 01:01:00 | 255:04:00 | 1.41% | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Don’t Come | 01:01:00 | 991:49:00 | 1.36% | 1.40% | 0.40% |
| Pass/Come Odds | 2:1 on 4,10; 3:2 on 5, 9; 6:5 on 6, 8 | 2:1 on 4,10; 3:2 on 5, 9; 6:5 on 6, 8 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Don’t Pass/ Don’t Come Odds | 1:2 – 4, 10 2:3 – 5, 9 5:6 – 6, 8 | 1:2 – 4, 10 2:3 – 5, 9 5:6 – 6, 8 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Single-Roll Bets
Single-roll bets, also called proposition bets, are quite straightforward, and unlike the Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets, they are resolved in a single roll of the dice. Generally, these wagers carry a much higher house edge because players bet on specific numbers or on a small group of numbers.
| Type of Bet | Payout | True Odds | Dice Combinations | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snake Eyes (2) | 30:01:00 | 35:01:00 | 01/01/19 | 13.89% |
| Ace-Deuce (3) | 15:01:00 | 17:01:00 | 1-2, 2-1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps (2, 3, 12) | 07:01:00 | 08:01:00 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6 | 11.11% |
| Any 7 | 04:01:00 | 05:01:00 | 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3 | 16.67% |
| Hi-Lo (2, 12) | 15:01:00 | 17:01:00 | 1-1, 6-6 | 11.11% |
| Yo (11) | 15:01:00 | 17:01:00 | 5-6, 6-5 | 11.11% |
| Boxcars (12) | 30:01:00 | 35:01:00 | 06/06/19 | 13.89% |
| C&E (2, 3, 12 + 11) | 3:1 on 2,3,12; 7:1 on 11 | 05:01:00 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6, 5-6, 6-5 | 11.11% |
| Horn (2, 3, 11 or 12) | 27:4 on 2,12; 3:1 on 3,11 | 05:01:00 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6, 5-6, 6-5 | 12.50% |
| World (2,3,7,11,12) | 26:5 on 2,12; 11:5 on 3,11; 0:1 (push) on 7 | 02:01:00 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3, 6-6, 5-6, 6-5 | 13.33% |
| Field (2,3,4,9,10,11,12) | 1:1 on 3,4,9,10,11; 2:1 on 2,12 | 05:04:00 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6, 5-6, 6-5, 1-3, 3-1, 6-3, 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 5-5, 6-4, 4-6 | 5.56% (2.78% if 12 pays 3:1) |
Multi-Roll Bets
Another group of wagers in craps includes bets that usually cannot be resolved in a single roll of the dice. Called multi-roll bets, they often require several subsequent rolls and can be canceled if the shooter makes the point number before some of these wagers are decided. The rules governing when and how to place them, along with their payouts and other details, may vary across casinos.
Note that the winnings generated from some of these bets are paid minus a 5% commission that is charged by the casino. Sometimes, the commission is taken only from the winnings, but in other cases, the 5% vig, as the commission is also called, applies to the stake itself.
| Type of Bet | Payout | True Odds | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 4/10 | 07:01:00 | 08:01:00 | 11.11% |
| Hard 6/8 | 09:01:00 | 10:01:00 | 9.09% |
| Big 6/ Big 8 | 01:01:00 | 06:05:00 | 9.09% |
| Place 4/10 | 09:05:00 | 02:01:00 | 6.67% |
| Place 5/9 | 07:05:00 | 03:02:00 | 4.00% |
| Place 6/8 | 07:06:00 | 06:05:00 | 1.52% |
| Buy 4/10 | 2:1 – 5% of bet | 02:01:00 | 4.76% |
| Buy 5/9 | 3:2 – 5% of bet | 03:02:00 | 4.76% |
| Buy 6/8 | 6:5 – 5% of bet | 06:05:00 | 4.76% |
| Lay 4/10 | 1:2 – 5% of win | 01:02:00 | 2.44% |
| Lay 5/9 | 2:3 – 5% of win | 02:03:00 | 3.23% |
| Lay 6/8 | 5:6 – 5% of win | 05:06:00 | 4.00% |