The pass line is the main bet in craps — a wager placed before the come-out roll that wins when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3, or 12, and rides on any other number until that number repeats (win) or a 7 kills it (loss). It's the bet nearly everyone at the table makes, and it carries the lowest house edge of any multi-roll bet on the layout at 1.41%.
Combined with free odds — the only zero-house-edge bet in the casino — the pass line becomes the foundation of every mathematically sound craps strategy. Nothing else on the layout gets you as low as 0.37% combined edge. This page explains exactly how the combination works and why it's the right starting point for any session.
How the Pass Line Works
You place a pass line bet before the come-out roll. From there, three things can happen:
- 7 or 11 on the come-out — you win even money immediately.
- 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out — you lose immediately (these are craps).
- Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) — that number becomes the point. The dealer moves the puck to that box and flips it to "ON." Now you need the point to roll again before a 7.
If the point repeats before a 7, you win even money. If a 7 rolls first, you lose. That's the entire pass line bet.
The house edge on a standalone pass line bet is 1.41%. That's already one of the better bets in the casino. Free odds push it considerably lower.
What Free Odds Are
Once a point is established, you're allowed to place an additional bet directly behind your pass line bet — called "taking odds" or "backing your bet." This bet is called free odds because it pays at true mathematical odds, with zero house edge. The casino makes nothing on it.
The payouts depend on the point number, because the probability of each number repeating before a 7 differs:
| Point | Odds payout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 3 ways to make it, 6 ways to roll a 7 |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 4 ways to make it, 6 ways to roll a 7 |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 5 ways to make it, 6 ways to roll a 7 |
These are true odds — no rounding, no casino markup. A $10 odds bet behind a point of 4 wins $20 if the 4 hits. A $10 odds bet behind a point of 6 wins $12. No other standard bet on the craps layout pays at true odds.
How Much Odds Can You Take?
Each casino sets its own odds multiple — a cap on how large your odds bet can be relative to your pass line bet. Common structures:
- 1X odds — odds bet can equal your pass line bet
- 2X odds — odds bet can be double your pass line bet
- 3-4-5X odds — the most common structure at major casinos. You can take 3X on a point of 4 or 10, 4X on 5 or 9, and 5X on 6 or 8. This is designed so a full odds win always pays exactly 6X your pass line bet, regardless of the point.
- 10X, 20X, 100X — some casinos offer much higher multiples, usually as a promotional feature
Always take the maximum odds allowed. It's the only bet in the casino where putting more money down genuinely helps you.
The Combined House Edge
When you combine the pass line with free odds, your blended effective house edge across both bets drops well below the 1.41% the pass line carries alone:
- Pass line only: 1.41%
- Pass line + 1X odds: 0.85%
- Pass line + 2X odds: 0.61%
- Pass line + 3-4-5X odds (full): 0.37%
- Pass line + 10X odds: 0.18%
At 3-4-5X odds with full odds taken every time, you're playing at a 0.37% house edge — one of the lowest numbers in any casino game, period. For comparison, a single-zero roulette wheel runs at 2.70%, and most slot machines operate between 4% and 10%. The Odds & Math page shows exactly how every other bet on the layout compares to this combination.
How to Place the Bet
The pass line is a self-service bet — you place your chips on it yourself before the come-out roll. No need to ask the dealer.
Once a point is established, to take odds: place your odds chips directly behind your pass line bet, outside the pass line area (toward you). The positioning tells the dealer they're odds, not a new pass line bet. If you're unsure, you can always tell the dealer "odds" and they'll confirm the placement.
One important rule: you cannot remove a pass line bet once a point is established. Odds, however, can be taken down or reduced at any time before the roll resolves. Most experienced players leave their odds up, but the option to pull them is there.
Why This Is the Starting Point
Every other strategy on this site — the Iron Cross, the 3-Point Molly, the don't side — either builds on this combination or represents a different way of approaching the same math problem. None of them gets the house edge as low as pass line plus maximum free odds. The more complex systems add action, more numbers covered, or social variety. They don't improve the math.
If you want to add more numbers once you're comfortable with the pass line and odds, the 3-Point Molly is the natural next step — it extends the same approach across three points simultaneously.