Craps is one of the most exciting games on the casino floor, and also one of the most misunderstood. Between the flurry of bets, the shouted table lingo, and the sheer number of ways to wager on a single roll of two dice, it's easy to see why new players stick to slots instead. The good news: the core game is simple, and a handful of bets offer some of the best odds anywhere in the casino, including the only wager in the building with a mathematically zero house edge. This guide covers the rules, every major bet type with its actual house edge, the odds bets almost no beginner guide explains properly, and the practical differences between playing online and at a live table.
Craps is one of the most exciting games on the casino floor, and also one of the most misunderstood. Between the flurry of bets, ...
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Craps is a dice game played with two six-sided dice, traditionally on a large table marked with the different bets available, accommodating up to around 20 players in a physical casino. One player, the “shooter,” rolls the dice while everyone at the table, including the shooter, can place bets on the outcome.
The first roll of a new round is called the come-out roll. From there, the game either resolves immediately or moves into a second phase where the shooter tries to repeat a specific number (the “point”) before rolling a 7. Every other bet on the table, from odds to proposition bets, builds around this basic structure.
“Online craps is a game where players roll two dice to determine the game’s outcome. Players can place a stack of chips on various areas of the craps table to bet on the number rolled. The game begins with a come-out roll, which is the first roll of the dice, and players can place pass and don’t come bets on whether the shooter will win or lose.
These bets can be resolved after a single dice roll or multiple rolls. In addition, to pass and don’t come bets, players can place other bets, such as field bets, which offer even money payouts. Most casinos offer both types of bets, and they can be exciting ways for players to win big in online craps.”
A craps table is divided into clearly marked betting areas, and understanding the layout makes the rest of the game click into place:
| Table Area | What It’s For |
|---|---|
| Pass Line | The main betting area running along the table edge for pass line bets |
| Don’t Pass Bar | Where don’t pass bets are placed |
| Come / Don’t Come | Areas for come and don’t come bets, placed after the point is established |
| Field | A one-roll bet area covering 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 |
| Place Bets (4-10) | Numbered boxes where players place bets on specific point numbers |
| Proposition Area | The center section of the table, covering hardways, horn bets, any seven, and other high-payout, high-house-edge bets |
Online, this layout is usually recreated visually even in RNG versions, so the table itself will look familiar if you’ve played in person.
Now that you understand the basics of craps, let's dive into how to play the game. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Find a craps table that has an open spot:
To play online craps, you'll need to find a table at an online casino that offers the game. Look for craps tables that have an open spot for you to join. A busy craps table is not necessarily the best choice for a beginner, even though it is an exciting place to be.
Place your bet on the pass line or don't pass line:
Once you've found a spot, you'll need to place your bet. You can either bet on the "pass line" or the "don't pass line." The pass line bet is betting that the shooter will win, while the don't pass line bet is betting that the shooter will lose.
The shooter rolls the come-out roll:
The shooter is the person who is rolling the dice. The first roll is called the "come-out roll." If the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11, the pass line bet wins. The don't pass line bet wins if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12.
If the come-out roll is any other number, that number becomes the point:
If the shooter rolls any other number besides the ones mentioned above, that number becomes the "point." The shooter must continue rolling the dice until either the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled.
The shooter continues rolling the dice until either the point or a 7 is rolled:
If the shooter rolls the point number before rolling a 7, then the pass-line bet wins. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point number, then the don't pass line bet wins.
The game continues with a new come-out roll:
After the round is over, a new shooter takes over, and a new come-out roll begins. The game continues this way, with players placing bets on the pass line or don't pass line and the shooter rolling the dice until a winner is determined.
This is the table most craps guides skip, and it’s the one that actually determines how much a bet costs you over time:
| Bet | House Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pass line / Come | 1.41% | The standard “right” bettor bet |
| Don’t pass / Don’t come | 1.36% | Slightly better odds than pass line, considered the “wrong” bettor bet |
| Odds bet (any point) | 0% | True odds, no house edge at all, see below |
| Place bet on 6 or 8 | 1.52% | Better than Big 6/Big 8, see comparison below |
| Place bet on 5 or 9 | 4.00% | |
| Place bet on 4 or 10 | 6.67% | |
| Buy bet on 4 or 10 (with 5% commission) | 4.76% | Only worth it on 4 and 10, where true odds outweigh the commission |
| Field bet (standard 2:1 payout on 2 and 12) | 5.56% | Check if your table pays 3:1 on either 2 or 12, which lowers the edge to around 2.7-2.8% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 9.09% | Avoid; a place bet on the same number is strictly better, see below |
| Hardway 6 or 8 | 9.09% | |
| Hardway 4 or 10 | 11.11% | |
| Any craps (2, 3, or 12) | 11.11% | |
| Horn bet | 12.5-16.7% (blended, varies by number) | A combination of four proposition bets, all with poor odds |
| Any seven | 16.67% | One of the worst bets on the table despite the tempting 4:1 payout |
The pattern here matters more than any single number: bets near the pass/don’t pass line and their backing odds are where craps is a genuinely good game mathematically. Bets in the middle of the table (proposition bets) are where casinos make most of their craps revenue, precisely because they look exciting and pay big, while carrying some of the worst odds in the building.
This is the single most important thing to understand if you want to play craps well, and it’s missing from most beginner guides entirely.
Once a point is established, you’re allowed to place an additional bet, the “odds bet,” behind your original pass or don’t pass wager. This bet pays out at the true mathematical odds of the point number being rolled before a 7, with no house edge whatsoever. It’s the only bet in any standard casino game, not just craps, that carries a 0% house edge.
| Point Number | True Odds Payout | Approximate Probability of Point Before 7 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 33.3% |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 40% |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 45.5% |
Why doesn’t everyone just max out their odds bet? Two reasons. First, most tables cap how much odds you can place relative to your original bet, commonly “3x-4x-5x odds,” meaning you can bet 3x your line bet on the 4 or 10, 4x on the 5 or 9, and 5x on the 6 or 8. Second, you can only place an odds bet after already placing a pass or don’t pass bet, it’s a backing bet, not a standalone wager, so your overall bankroll still carries some risk from the base bet even though the odds portion itself is mathematically neutral.
Practical takeaway: if you’re going to play craps seriously, learning to use odds bets properly, and knowing your table’s odds limit before you sit down, does more for your expected losses than any dice-rolling technique or betting system ever will.
These three bet types are often confused with each other, but they work differently:
Big 6 and Big 8 bets (wagering that a 6 or 8 rolls before a 7) pay even money, 1:1. A place bet on the exact same numbers pays 7:6. Since both bets resolve on exactly the same condition, there’s no scenario where Big 6/Big 8 is the better choice, it exists mainly because it’s positioned at the edge of the table where it’s easy to bet without needing help from the dealer. If you want to bet on the 6 or 8 specifically, use the place bet, not Big 6/Big 8, and pocket the better payout for identical risk.
Craps strategies don’t change the underlying probability of any roll, dice have no memory, and every roll is a fully independent event regardless of what came before. What these approaches actually do is manage which bets you’re exposed to and how your bankroll is structured:
None of these strategies turn craps into a positive-expectation game. The house edge on every bet except odds bets is real and permanent, strategies just determine how efficiently or inefficiently you’re exposed to it.
A Note on “Dice Control”
You may come across claims about “controlled shooting” or “dice setting,” the idea that a skilled shooter can influence dice outcomes through a specific grip, throw, and landing technique at a live table.
This is a genuinely contested claim in the advantage-play community: proponents argue it produces a small statistical edge over large sample sizes, while rigorous independent testing has generally failed to demonstrate a reliable, repeatable effect. It’s not something we’d recommend relying on, and it has no equivalent at all in RNG-based online craps, where every roll is generated independently by certified random number generation software.
You’ll typically find two versions of craps online:
Both follow identical rules and identical house edges per bet type; the dice are just generated differently (software vs. a physical roll captured on camera, or in some live formats, a certified shuffling/rolling device). The choice comes down to preference: RNG craps is faster and more private, live craps offers a more social, authentic casino atmosphere. Note that displayed RTP ranges for craps titles online can vary quite widely (often cited anywhere from roughly 88% to over 99%) because RTP is usually blended across all the different bets available on the table, not a single fixed number, your actual RTP depends entirely on which bets you personally place.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Shooter | The player rolling the dice |
| Come-out roll | The first roll of a new round |
| Point | The number established by the come-out roll, which the shooter must repeat before rolling a 7 |
| Pass line | Bet that the shooter wins (7/11 on come-out, or point before 7) |
| Don’t pass | Bet that the shooter loses (2/3 on come-out, or 7 before point; 12 pushes) |
| Come / Don’t come | Same mechanics as pass/don’t pass, but placed after the point is already set |
| Odds bet | A true-odds, zero house edge bet placed behind a pass/don’t pass or come/don’t come bet |
| Place bet | A bet that a specific number rolls before a 7 |
| Buy bet | Like a place bet, but paid at true odds in exchange for a 5% commission |
| Lay bet | A “wrong bettor” bet that a 7 rolls before a specific number, with 5% commission |
| Field bet | A one-roll bet covering 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 |
| Hardway | A bet that a pair (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, or 5-5) rolls before a 7 or before that total is rolled “the easy way” |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | An even-money bet on 6 or 8 before 7; strictly worse than the equivalent place bet |
| Horn bet | A combination single-roll bet covering 2, 3, 11, and 12 |
| Any craps | A single-roll bet that the next roll is 2, 3, or 12 |
| Any seven | A single-roll bet that the next roll is a 7 |
| Sevening out | When the shooter rolls a 7 after a point is established, ending their turn as shooter |
There are two main options when you want to play Craps online from your laptop or mobile phone
Live craps are played in a live casino setting with other players and a live dealer. Online crap, on the other hand, is computer-simulated. While both versions of the game follow the same rules and gameplay, there are some key differences to consider.
Live craps offer the excitement and social atmosphere of playing with other people, while online craps provide convenience and the ability to play at your own pace.
However, some players may prefer the authenticity and human interaction of live craps, while others may enjoy the speed and ease of computer-simulated online craps. Ultimately, the choice between live craps and online craps comes down to personal preference and what experience you are looking for.
This website is created and driven by online gambling experts with multiple years in the igaming industry. Topnoaccountcasinos will always remain free of charge and its primarly task is to provide transparent and accurate information to its users. We operate and make money via affiliate commission, so the compensation does not influence our recommendation, review or analysis of any given online casino on the website.
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Is craps hard to learn? No. The core game, pass line, come-out roll, and the point, can be learned in a few minutes. The wide range of side bets on the table looks intimidating, but you never have to use them.
What’s the best bet in craps? The odds bet, with a 0% house edge, is mathematically the best bet in the entire casino, not just in craps. Among standalone bets, pass line and don’t pass (1.41% and 1.36% respectively) are the best options.
What’s the worst bet in craps? Any seven, at roughly a 16.67% house edge, is generally considered the worst standard bet on the table, followed closely by hardway 4/10 and any craps.
Can I really place a bet with zero house edge? Yes, the odds bet placed behind a pass, don’t pass, come, or don’t come bet pays true mathematical odds with no house edge, provided you’ve already placed the underlying line bet.
Is craps a game of skill or luck? The dice rolls themselves are entirely luck, dice have no memory and each roll is independent. Skill in craps is really about bet selection and bankroll management, choosing low house-edge bets like pass line plus odds instead of proposition bets, not influencing the dice.
How much can you win playing craps? That depends entirely on your bet size, the specific bets you choose, and luck. Proposition bets pay much higher odds per win than pass line bets, but lose far more often, so bigger potential payouts come with a much higher house edge.
Why do Big 6 and Big 8 pay less than place bets on the same numbers? There’s no mathematical reason, it’s simply a worse-paying, easier-to-access version of the same bet, historically popular because it doesn’t require help from the dealer to place. Use the place bet instead if it’s available.
