Craps
Craps has the second-lowest house edge after blackjack basic strategy — but only if you bet the right way. Stick to Pass Line + Don't Pass + max-odds backing bets and the house edge can drop below 0.5%. Stray into proposition bets (Hardways, Field, Yo, Big 6/8) and edges balloon to 5%–11%. The math is unforgiving but the optimal strategy is simple: ignore most of the table.
How to play craps
- 1A "shooter" rolls two dice. The first roll is the "come-out roll."
- 2Pass Line bets win on come-out 7 or 11, lose on 2/3/12, and on any other number that becomes the "point."
- 3After a point is set, the shooter rolls until rolling the point again (Pass wins) or rolling a 7 (Pass loses).
- 4Once a point is set, you can place 'odds' behind your Pass bet — these pay true odds with zero house edge. Most casinos cap odds at 3-4-5x or higher.
- 5Don't Pass is the opposite — wins on 2/3, loses on 7/11, and waits for a 7 before the point on subsequent rolls.
- 6Other table bets (Field, Hardways, Place bets, Hop bets) have wildly varying house edges, mostly bad.
What the numbers actually say
| House edge — Pass Line | 1.41% |
| House edge — Don't Pass | 1.36% |
| House edge — Pass + 3-4-5x odds Backing odds is the cheapest legitimate bet on the casino floor | 0.37% |
| House edge — Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| House edge — Field bet | ~5.6% |
| House edge — Hardways 6/8 | ~9.1% |
| House edge — Big 6 / Big 8 Same exact bet as Place 6/8 but worse payout. Never play Big. | 9.1% |
The rules that actually matter
Pass Line + max odds is the only bet structure you need
Why · Drops effective house edge from 1.41% (Pass alone) to ~0.37% (Pass + 3-4-5x odds). Among the lowest house edges in any casino game.
Don't Pass + lay-odds is mathematically equivalent
Why · Slightly lower house edge (1.36% vs 1.41%) but socially awkward — you're betting against the table. Same long-run EV.
Skip the proposition bets entirely
Why · Field, Hardways, Yo, Hop bets all carry 5%–16% house edges. They look small in stake but the edge is brutal.
Crypto-casino craps is mostly RNG, not live dice
Why · Stake, BC.Game, Cloudbet etc. offer RNG craps. Math is identical to live dice but the social/timing element is missing.
Common mistakes that cost real money
Our take, scored
Gamsites editorial rating · weighted aggregate combines all four dimensions · see manifesto for the rubric
Casinos with craps
How we sourced this
House-edge figures are standard craps math derivations. Backing-odds payouts assume 3-4-5x odds (most common). Some operators offer 10x or 100x odds, lowering effective edge further.
Craps questions, answered
What is the house edge in craps?+
With optimal strategy, Craps carries a house edge of ~0.4% (Pass + max odds). Typical (non-optimal) play runs at ~1.4% (Pass alone). The gap between the two is the recoverable EV — see the strategy section.
Can you beat craps with strategy?+
Pass Line + max odds is the only bet structure you need Drops effective house edge from 1.41% (Pass alone) to ~0.37% (Pass + 3-4-5x odds). Among the lowest house edges in any casino game.
What is the most common mistake in craps?+
Playing Field bets because they look like multiple-number coverage Cost: 5.6% house edge — almost 4× worse than Pass + odds.
Where can I play craps?+
Craps is carried by 4 of the casinos we cover. See the "where to play" section on this page for the full list with tracked sign-up links.