| Updated: Casino 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 face. 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 number or group of numbers players choose to bet on. While most games have a more or less fixed house edge, in craps this fundamental factor can range 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 hold over their patrons over time. The term describes how profitable or unprofitable a game is, whether it is craps, blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat, or a slot game. This advantage gives the casino an expected return over time and therefore means expected losses for players.
There are various definitions of house advantage, but simply put, it is the casino’s expected profit expressed as a percentage of players’ total wagers. If a game has a casino advantage of 5%, it means the casino keeps 5% of players’ wagers on average, or $5 for every $100 wagered, for example. The house edge is not a result of luck. Instead, games are designed to provide casinos with an expected income, and the advantage is the difference between the true odds and the odds casinos are willing to pay.
However, the house edge is a theoretical concept based on probability theory and the law of large numbers, which produces stable long-term averages for random events such as gambling outcomes. It applies only when a large number of gaming rounds are considered, such as hundreds of thousands or even millions.
This means that casino players may end up with substantial profits after playing only 10 rounds of roulette or craps. After playing thousands of rounds, however, they will most likely lose a percentage of the total amount wagered that is very close to the theoretical house edge.
Return to Player
The RTP, or return to player, describes the same concept, but rather than focusing on players’ losses, it expresses the percentage of wagers likely to be returned to players over time. In other words, the RTP displayed for certain casino games is the opposite of the house edge.
Games with a house edge of 5%, for example, have an RTP of 95%. For every $100 wagered on such a game, an average of $95 is expected to be returned over the long term. Once again, the return to player, also called the expected return, is theoretical and applies over a very large number of gaming rounds.
Slot machines, for example, typically have a house edge ranging from 2% to 10%, depending on the particular game. Most blackjack variations, on the other hand, offer RTPs of over 99%; certain games have a house edge as low as 0.45%. In craps, the house edge is not fixed and varies greatly depending on the bet. It is 1.41% for the most basic wager, the Pass Line bet.
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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
Line bets are the most fundamental wagers in 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 placed for the come-out roll, and the Come and Don’t Come wagers, which work in a similar way. Come and Don’t Come bets are not mandatory, and instead of being placed before the come-out roll, they can be placed only after the point number has been established.
In addition, players who have made any of these wagers can take odds on them by adding more chips to the table. To take 5x odds on a Pass Line bet, players simply place additional chips equal to 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 | 1:1 | 251:244 | 1.41% | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Don’t Pass | 1:1 | 976:949 | 1.36% | 1.40% | 0.40% |
| Come | 1:1 | 251:244 | 1.41% | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Don’t Come | 1:1 | 976:949 | 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 on 4, 10; 2:3 on 5, 9; 5:6 on 6, 8 | 1:2 on 4, 10; 2:3 on 5, 9; 5:6 on 6, 8 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Single-Roll Bets
Single-roll bets, also called proposition bets, are quite straightforward. Unlike Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets, they are resolved in a single roll of the dice. Generally, these wagers have a much higher house edge because players bet on specific numbers or a small group of numbers.
| Type of Bet | Payout | True Odds | Dice Combinations | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snake Eyes (2) | 30:1 | 35:1 | 1-1 | 13.89% |
| Ace-Deuce (3) | 15:1 | 17:1 | 1-2, 2-1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps (2, 3, 12) | 7:1 | 8:1 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6 | 11.11% |
| Any 7 | 4:1 | 5:1 | 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3 | 16.67% |
| Hi-Lo (2, 12) | 15:1 | 17:1 | 1-1, 6-6 | 11.11% |
| Yo (11) | 15:1 | 17:1 | 5-6, 6-5 | 11.11% |
| Boxcars (12) | 30:1 | 35:1 | 6-6 | 13.89% |
| C&E (2, 3, 12 + 11) | 3:1 on 2, 3, or 12; 7:1 on 11 | 5:1 | 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 | 5:1 | 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 | 2:1 | 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 | 5:4 | 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 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 remain active for several subsequent rolls. Some can be canceled if the shooter makes the point number before the wagers are decided. The rules governing when and how to place them, along with their payouts and other details, may vary across casinos.
Winnings from some of these bets are paid after the casino deducts a 5% commission. 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 | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% |
| Hard 6/8 | 9:1 | 10:1 | 9.09% |
| Big 6/Big 8 | 1:1 | 6:5 | 9.09% |
| Place 4/10 | 9:5 | 2:1 | 6.67% |
| Place 5/9 | 7:5 | 3:2 | 4.00% |
| Place 6/8 | 7:6 | 6:5 | 1.52% |
| Buy 4/10 | 2:1, less 5% of bet | 2:1 | 4.76% |
| Buy 5/9 | 3:2, less 5% of bet | 3:2 | 4.76% |
| Buy 6/8 | 6:5, less 5% of bet | 6:5 | 4.76% |
| Lay 4/10 | 1:2, less 5% of win | 1:2 | 2.44% |
| Lay 5/9 | 2:3, less 5% of win | 2:3 | 3.23% |
| Lay 6/8 | 5:6, less 5% of win | 5:6 | 4.00% |