Every bet on a craps table is priced differently — some are close to fair, some are a terrible deal, and one has literally no cost at all. This page explains how the math works, shows every bet ranked from best to worst, and tells you what each edge percentage actually costs in real dollars per session. For the full payout mechanics behind each one, see Every Bet Explained.
Best Odds in Craps: The Short Answer
If you're looking for the bets with the lowest house edge, here they are ranked:
- Free odds bet — 0%. The only bet in any casino with zero house edge. You can only take it after a point is set, placed behind an existing pass line or come bet. Always take as much as the table allows.
- Don't pass / don't come — 1.36%. Slightly cheaper than the pass line because the 12 pushes on the come-out instead of losing.
- Pass line / come — 1.41%. The standard bet. Low house edge, simple to play, and the foundation of every low-cost session.
- Place 6 or 8 — 1.52%. The only place bets worth making regularly. Bet in multiples of $6 so the 7:6 payout comes out to a clean dollar amount.
Everything else on the table runs a meaningful step higher. Pass line with maximum free odds is the combination that gives you the lowest blended house edge possible at any craps table — around 0.37% at 3-4-5x odds. Nothing else is close.
The 36 Combinations — Why Some Numbers Roll More Than Others
Two six-sided dice produce 36 equally likely combinations. That distribution is the foundation of every probability in the game — house edges, true odds, payout ratios all flow from it.
| Total | Ways to Roll | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1-1 | 2.78% |
| 3 | 2 | 1-2, 2-1 | 5.56% |
| 4 | 3 | 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 | 8.33% |
| 5 | 4 | 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 | 11.11% |
| 6 | 5 | 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1 | 13.89% |
| 7 | 6 | 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1 | 16.67% |
| 8 | 5 | 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2 | 13.89% |
| 9 | 4 | 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 | 11.11% |
| 10 | 3 | 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 | 8.33% |
| 11 | 2 | 5-6, 6-5 | 5.56% |
| 12 | 1 | 6-6 | 2.78% |
The 7 is the most likely outcome on any roll — 6 ways out of 36. That's why it ends a shooter's roll, why it's the main threat to every working bet, and why every payout ratio on the table is ultimately measured against it. The 6 and 8 have 5 ways each, making them the most likely point numbers. The 4 and 10 have only 3 ways each — half as likely as the 6 or 8 — which is why their payouts are higher and why the odds bet on them pays 2:1.
How House Edge Is Calculated
House edge is the casino's average profit per dollar wagered, expressed as a percentage. It's calculated by multiplying every possible outcome by its probability, summing them up, and seeing where the total lands relative to zero.
The pass line is the clearest example. On the come-out roll, 8 outcomes win (7 or 11 = 8 combinations), 4 outcomes lose (2, 3, 12 = 4 combinations), and 24 outcomes establish a point. When a point is established, you need that number to repeat before a 7. The exact probabilities of each point repeating — given the combinations above — work out to an expected value of −$0.0141 per dollar wagered. That's the 1.41% house edge.
Every other bet is calculated the same way: map out all outcomes, weight them by probability, and find the long-run expected return. A −1.41% expected return means for every $100 you wager over time, the math says you'll get back $98.59. It says nothing about any individual session — you can come out well ahead or well behind over a few hundred rolls — but over tens of thousands of rolls, that number grinds toward certainty.
True Odds vs. Casino Payouts
True odds are what a bet would pay if the casino took no cut — the exact mathematical probability expressed as a payout ratio. Casino payouts are always slightly below true odds on every bet except free odds. The gap between them is where the house edge lives.
| Bet | True Odds | Casino Pays | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | ~1:1 | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Free Odds — 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 2:1 | 0% |
| Free Odds — 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 3:2 | 0% |
| Free Odds — 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 6:5 | 0% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Hard 6 or Hard 8 | 10:1 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| Yo (11) | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Aces (2) | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Any Seven | 5:1 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
Free odds are the only bet where casino payout equals true odds — no gap, no house cut. That's why taking maximum free odds behind your pass line is always the right move regardless of which casino you're at.
What the House Edge Actually Costs Per Hour
House edge becomes real money when you factor in how many bets you're making per hour. A live craps table averages roughly 60–100 rolls per hour depending on how busy it is. Not every roll resolves a bet, but here's what different edges cost at common bet sizes:
| Bet | Edge | $10 bet, 60 rolls/hr | $25 bet, 60 rolls/hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | 1.41% | ~$8.50/hr | ~$21/hr |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | ~$9/hr | ~$23/hr |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% | ~$24/hr | ~$60/hr |
| Any Craps | 11.11% | ~$67/hr | ~$167/hr |
| Any Seven | 16.67% | ~$100/hr | ~$250/hr |
These are expected values — actual results vary session to session. But this framing makes the edge differences concrete. The gap between a $10 pass line bet and a $10 Any Seven bet is roughly $92 per hour in expected cost. That's what you're paying for the excitement of a one-roll prop bet.
What the Numbers Actually Mean
The house edge is the casino's average cut per dollar wagered over the long run. It has nothing to say about any individual roll — you can win ten in a row or lose ten in a row and the math doesn't change. What it does tell you is how bets compare to each other: two bets that feel identical at the table can carry wildly different long-run costs.
Think of it as a price tag for each bet. It doesn't tell you what to choose — that's up to you — but it means nothing on the layout will surprise you after the fact.
Every Bet Ranked by True Cost
- Free odds — 0% house edge. Pays true odds behind a pass line, don't pass, come, or don't come bet. The only bet on the layout with no house cut at all.
- Don't pass / don't come — 1.36% house edge. Betting with the house's long-run edge instead of against it, in the specific sense that the math favors this side slightly over pass line.
- Pass line / come — 1.41% house edge. The foundation bet at the table, and the one most players start with.
- Place 6 or 8 — 1.52% house edge. Pays 7:6, close enough to the pass line that the difference barely matters.
- Lay 4 or 10 — 2.44% house edge. Betting a 7 comes before the 4 or 10, with a 5% commission on the win.
- Field bet, better payout — 2.78% house edge. Applies when the table pays 3:1 on a 12 rather than 2:1.
- Lay 5 or 9 — 3.23% house edge.
- Place 5 or 9 — 4.00% house edge. Pays 7:5.
- Lay 6 or 8 — 4.00% house edge. The most expensive lay bet on the layout.
- Buy bets, any number — 4.76% house edge. Assumes the standard convention where the 5% commission is charged whether the bet wins or loses.
- Field bet, lower payout — 5.56% house edge. Applies at tables that pay only 2:1 on both the 2 and the 12.
- Place 4 or 10 — 6.67% house edge. Pays 9:5.
- Small or Tall (ATS) — 7.76% house edge, at the standard 34:1 payout. Covering either half of the board (2 through 6, or 8 through 12) before a 7.
- All (ATS) — 7.99% house edge, at the standard 174:1 payout. Covering every number but 7 before a 7 shows up.
- Big 6 / Big 8 — 9.09% house edge. Same premise as placing the 6 or 8 directly, but paying even money instead of 7:6.
- Hard 6 or Hard 8 — 9.09% house edge. Pays 9:1.
- C&E — 11.11% house edge. Splits a bet between any craps and yo (11).
- Hi-Lo — 11.11% house edge. Splits a bet between the 2 and the 12; wins at 15:1 if either rolls.
- Yo (11) — 11.11% house edge. Pays 15:1.
- Hard 4 or Hard 10 — 11.11% house edge. Pays 7:1.
- Easy hop bets — 11.11% house edge. A one-roll bet on a specific non-matching combination, paying 15:1.
- Horn — 12.5% house edge. Splits a bet across 2, 3, 11, and 12 in one call.
- Whirl (World) — 13.33% house edge. A horn bet with a fifth unit added on any seven.
- Aces or Boxcars — 13.89% house edge. A one-roll bet on the 2 or the 12 alone, paying 30:1.
- Hard hop bets — 13.89% house edge. A one-roll bet on a specific matching pair, paying 30:1.
- Any seven — 16.67% house edge. Pays 4:1 on a bet that wins roughly one roll in six — one of the worst-priced bets in the entire casino.
- Fire bet — roughly 20% to 25% house edge, depending on the paytable. A side bet on how many unique points a shooter makes before sevening out, with a headline payout that can run as high as 999:1.
The Buy Bet Exception Worth Knowing
Buy bets are listed at 4.76% in most house edge charts — but that number assumes the 5% commission is charged whether the bet wins or loses. Many casinos charge the vig only on winning bets. When that's the case, the effective edge drops significantly:
| Buy Bet | Vig on all bets | Vig on wins only |
|---|---|---|
| Buy 4 or 10 | 4.76% | 1.67% |
| Buy 5 or 9 | 4.76% | 2.00% |
| Buy 6 or 8 | 4.76% | 2.27% |
At casinos that charge vig on wins only, buying the 4 or 10 at 1.67% beats placing them at 6.67% by a wide margin. Always ask how vig is charged before placing a buy bet — it changes the calculation entirely. At $25 minimums and above, buy bets on the 4 and 10 often become the smarter play.
Which Bets Give You the Best Value
Read straight down this chart and a clear pattern shows up: the bets that require the most patience carry the lowest cost, and the bets that resolve fast with big flashy payouts carry the highest. That's not a coincidence — it's the entire pricing structure of the game.
If you're building a session around the lowest possible cost, the math points to one combination: pass line backed with free odds, or the equivalent on the don't side. Nothing else on this chart comes close to that combined cost, and everything below place 6 and 8 on this list gets progressively more expensive for the entertainment it adds. Place 6 and 8 are a reasonable next step if you want a number working immediately without waiting on a point. Everything from the field bet on down is priced for excitement, not value — that's not a judgment, just what the numbers say. Bet them if you enjoy them, but know exactly what they cost while you do.
If you want to see how any of these bets play out over a real session instead of just reading the numbers, the simulator lets you run them with no money on the line.