How To Win Big At Craps
If you want to learn to play craps, you should start by learning how the craps table works.
It might seem intimidating at first, but it’s less complicated than you think.
And smarts craps players ignore most of the table, anyway.
Some are risky, but they could win you a big payout. Pass Line Bet: The pass line bet is placed on the pass line, usually marked on each Craps table. Bet on the pass line if you expect the shooter to roll a seven or 11 on the comeout. Simply place your wager under the dotted line of either the 6 or the 8 on the far side of the craps table and hope that Lady Luck is on your side. Be careful not to fall victim to the “big 6” and “big 8” bets, which are exactly the same, but only pay 1:1. How to Bet in Craps If you want to be sure to get the best chances to win at craps, you need to pick the Pass / Don’t Pass or the Come / Don’t Come bets. Picking any of the four bets indicated above reduces the house advantage to 1.40%.
This post explains in detail for beginners what they need to know about placing bets on the craps table.
The Basics of the Craps Table
In casinos, craps is played at a table, usually one covered in green felt. The bets available are labeled on the felt. The table is also the playing surface for the game – you roll the dice on the same table where you place your bets.
Most of the best US casinos use a long table for craps – it’s 12 feet long, but it’s kind of rectangular. You’ll find smaller craps tables sometimes, but most casinos use the 12 feet long table because it accommodates more players – up to 16 people can play craps comfortably at a 12 feet long table.
The rail around the table is padded because a lot of people get tired of standing and want something to lean on. Craps isn’t like blackjack; you don’t sit on a stool at the craps table.
Each player has a rack where he can put his chips while he plays. That’s located next to the padded railing.
The green felt is considered the bed of the craps table, and it has (almost) all the bets available stenciled on it.
Also, the craps table isn’t really a flat table – it’s more like a big, rectangular bowl. This prevents the dice from rolling onto the ground. The walls inside the table are padded with rubber pyramids, which serve to further randomize the rolls of the dice.
If you’re the shooter, you’re required to roll the dice all the way to the pyramids on the other side of the table.
How the Bets Are Laid Out on a Craps Table
If you’ve never played before, you’ll think craps is too complicated because of all the different bets available on the layout.
But it’s easier than you think.
You can think of the table as having a side section and a center section. (Really, there are 2 side sections – one on either end of the craps table. They’re identical, though.)
You’ll see blocks with numbers and words in them in each section. Those are the bets you can place.
You should avoid the bets in the center section, which are the bets that the stickman will encourage you to make. I’ll explain the center section later, but for now, I want to focus on the section where you’ll be making the most bets if you’re a smart player.
The self-service bets – the bets you’re allowed to place for yourself – include the following bets:
- Pass
- Don’t Pass
- Come
- Don’t Come
- Field
- Big 6
- Big 8
These are the most basic bets in craps, and they have the lowest house edge – although Big 6 and Big 8 are the worst in this batch. (On some tables, those aren’t even in the self-service area at all.)
When one of these bets wins, the dealer puts your winnings on the table next to your bet. If you leave that money on the table, it goes back into action.
The other area in the side section is the dealer’s area. Here, you need to get the dealer to place your bet for you. This area includes the point boxes:
- 4
- 5
- Six
- 8
- Nine
- 10
You’ll notice that I spelled out 6 and 9. That’s how they’ll appear on the table so that players don’t get confused about which is which.
When a shooter sets a point, the dealer puts a puck in the appropriate box to signify the point for that game. These spots serve a 2nd purpose, too – you can ask the dealer to place Buy, Lay, and Place bets for you in those spots.
Come and Don’t Come are still self-service bets, but the odds bet for those must be handled by the dealer. The dealer uses the chips you bet on Come or Don’t Come to mark the number in those numbered boxes, and they put the odds bet next to the appropriate number, too.
The Center Section Is for Prop Bets, Which You Should NEVER Make
You’ll notice that the stickman, who’s running the center section of the craps table, acts like a carnival barker or one of those loud pitchmen you sometimes run into at a flea market. That’s because his job is to sell the worst bets on the craps table to the players.
The reason these are the worst bets on the table is because the house edge for ALL these bets is insanely high.
The house edge is a statistically expected loss that you’ll see over the long run with a specific kind of bet.
The pass line bet has a house edge of 1.41%, which is relatively low for a casino game. In fact, it’s one of the best bets in the casino.
But the house edge on the bets in the center of the table is 9% or higher.
Nonetheless, here you can place bets in this section if you want to.
To do so, you toss your chips to the center of the table to the stickman and announce what bet you want to place. Try to use some skill and deftness when you do this – you don’t want to knock someone else’s chips over, for example.
When you win one of these proposition bets, the chips are paid directly to you rather than just being placed on the table next to your original bet.
Examples of Proposition Bets and Their House Edge
The hard way bets are bets on totals like 4, 6, 8, or 10.
But they only pay off if the shooter rolls that total “the hard way.”
This means that a total of 4 must be a pair of deuces, a 6 must be a roll with of both 3s, an 8 must consist of a couple of 4s, and a 10 must be made up of 5s.
The payout for a hard 6 or hard 8 is 9 to 1, and the payout for a hard 4 or 10 is 7 to 1.
The house edge for the hard 6 or hard 8 bet is 9.09%.
The house edge for the hard 4 or hard 10 bet is 11.11%.
I often suggest that many gambling writers make too much of a fuss about the house edge on casino games, but this is one instance where it’s a big deal.
You’re looking at a statistical advantage for the casino that’s 10 times as great on one bet over the other bet.
You should pay attention to that, for sure.
Just skip the proposition bets.
You’ll have just as much fun at the craps table, you’ll probably stay in action longer, and you’ll have a better chance of going home from the craps table a winner.
How to Get Used to the Craps Layout
How To Win Big At Craps With $30
The best way to get used to the game of craps is to play at an online casino, like those recommended on this site. All the casinos listed here offer free-to-play versions of their casino games. You play for “play-money” chips.
The big advantage of doing this is that you’re not risking any real money when you’re playing these free craps games.
It’s much better to learn without risking money if you can.
Conclusion
You need to know how the craps table and its layout work if you want to stand a chance at winning when shooting dice.
The best way to do that is to practice on a free game after reading through this quick tutorial.
The most important advice I offer in this post, though, is to stay away from those bets in the middle of the table. The house edge is just too high on those.
We all love craps and we would all love to win at craps every time we play.
While there is no sure-fire five-minute strategy that will teach you how to play craps and win every time, there are a bunch of strategy tips and smart bets that can improve your chances of winning.
In this article, I am going to run you through all the most common strategy tips to play craps. I will show you how to pick the right bets when you play and how to understand when the house edge is too high for you to stay in the game.
Throughout the article, you will find references to concepts like casino bankroll management, common casino mistakes, and the way odds in craps are calculated.
If any of these sounds foreign to you, remember to check out the articles I just linked before you sit at the craps table.
Beating the C*ap Out of Craps
Despite what many beginners believe, craps is not the easiest game on the casino floor.
While it is true that your winnings are always one dice roll away, the game of craps comes with such a sophisticated set of bets that you won’t win unless you know how to play.
It's not so much down do using the right strategy to win at keno — it's about knowing how the game works.
Is There a Craps Strategy to Beat The Casino?
Rules are boring, I know. Unfortunately, there’s no way you can become a good craps player if you don’t know how the game works.
To help you get started, I set up a rules page for you to learn how to play craps.
Together with the game's rules, that article gives you some useful strategy tips on bankroll management and practical advice on how to limit your losses.
The key to getting more chances to win at craps is to learn what bets you can go for and what bets you need to avoid every time you play.
The only way you can do so is if you know the house edge connected to each one of the bets in the game.
How to Bet in Craps
If you want to be sure to get the best chances to win at craps, you need to pick the Pass/Don’t Pass or the Come/Don’t Come bets.
Picking any of the four bets indicated above reduces the house advantage to 1.40%. This is the best you can get in craps, especially if you combine it with laying or taking odds in order to reduce the percentage advantage even more.
Since choosing only the Pass / Don’t Pass and Come / Don’t Come bets would be awfully boring, I am going to give you some more craps strategy tips related to bets you can put your money on.
The other bets that give you the best odds of winning at craps are:
- the Place 6
- the Place 8
- the Field 2
- the Field 12
These four, combined with the ones I mentioned earlier, are the only bets worthy of your money. Anyone familiar with the basics of the craps optimal strategy know that all the other bets come with worse conditions and a higher house edge.
Keep in mind that when I say “higher house edge”, I mean that you stand little to no chance of winning when you pick one of the other bets.
Bets like the Hard-Way 4 and the Hard-Way 10 have an house edge of 11%. Why would you ever pick these ones instead of the much more favourable Pass / Don’t Pass line and Come / Don’t Come bets?
The next time you open a crap table at your favorite live casino online, have a look at what people bet on before you start playing.
Check out how many players don’t stick to these craps strategy tips I just gave you and count how many of those who try the top-paying bets end up in the red.
Pass and Come Bets
As you should know by now, the Pass / Don’t Pass and Come / Don’t Come bets are by far the best ones in the game.
The only way you will be respected by experienced players and dealers is if you show them you know this principle and you stick to these safe bets when you play craps.
The low house edge makes the Pass bet the most popular one in the game. With an house advantage of 1.41%, you always win unless the shooter hits a 2, 3, 2, or 7 after the point was hit.
The Come bet is equally popular and lets you win every time you or the shooter hit a 7 or 11 after the come bet is made. You lose the Come bet only when you or the shooter hit a 2,3,12.
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come Bets
If you don’t like to sit with the majority of players, you can also play “against” the others and become what is usually referred to as a Wrong Way Bettor.
Don’t let the name mislead you. Wrong bettors win whenever the other lose (and lose when the other players win) - which, in a gambling game like craps, is going to happen often.
Similarly, the Don’t Come bet is the one that you should go for after a point has been established in case you want to bet against the other players.
Whenever you opt for this bet, you win if the 3 or 2 is hit after the point has been made, and you tie if a 12 is rolled.
The Don’t Come bet pays even money and, like all the best bets in craps, has a house advantage of 1.41%.
Payout and House Edge of All the Bets in Craps
While the best explained above are the ones the optimal strategy to win at craps suggests, the game features a lot of other bets with different house edges.
To help you understand the bets you should avoid and the ones you should go for, here’s a table with all the information you need to pick the right one.
Craps Bets
| Bets | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Taking Odds on Pass/Come 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 0% |
| Taking Odds on Pass/Come 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 0% |
| Taking Odds on Pass/Come 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 0% |
| Don’t Pass | 1 to 1 | 1.36% |
| Don’t Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Laying Odds on Don’t Pass/Don’t Come 6 and 8 | 5 to 6 | 0% |
| Laying Odds on Don’t Pass/Don’t Come 5 and 9 | 2 to 3 | 0% |
| Laying Odds on Don’t Pass/Don’t Come 4 and 10 | 1 to 2 | 0% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
| Big 6 and 8 | 1 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Field 3,4,9,10 or 11 | 1 to 1 | 5.56% |
| Field 2, 12 | 2 to 1 | 5.56% |
| Lay 6 and 8 | 19 to 25 | 4.00% |
| Lay 5 and 9 | 19 to 31 | 3.23% |
| Lay 4 and 10 | 19 to 41 | 2.45% |
| Buy 6 and 8 | 23 to 21 | 4.76% |
| Buy 5 and 9 | 29 to 21 | 4.76% |
| Buy 4 and 10 | 39 to 21 | 4.76% |
| Hardways 6 and 8 | 10 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Hardways 4 and 10 | 8 to 1 | 11.11% |
Craps Proposition Bets
| Bets | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Any Craps (2,3 or 12) | 8 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Any Seven | 5 to 1 | 16.8% |
| Any Eleven | 16 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Ace Deuce (3) | 16 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Aces (2) | 30 to 1 | 13.9% |
| Boxcars (12) | 30 to 1 | 13.9% |
| Horn 3 or 11 | 15 to 1 | 12.5% |
| Horn 2 or 12 | 15 to 1 | 12.5% |
Essential Strategy Tips for your Craps Games
When considering how much to bet to beat a casino at craps, you should also consider how much money is in your expendable bankroll.
If your bankroll is limited (and I am pretty sure it is), you should limits the amount you press on the lay or place odds unless you want to be pushed out of the game after a single bad roll.
If you come to the table with a big bankroll, you should take advantage of the best bet in the game and not be afraid of pressing the maximum amount allowed by the table’s rule.
If you are looking to have more action at the table, you should at all costs stay away from most prop bets and stick to the Place and Lay bets.
Like in all gambling games, the key to beating a casino at craps is to walk away while you are ahead.
You need to know when to stop and take a break, Cash your winnings and leave the table. If you keep on playing, you put your winnings at risk - and you don’t want that.
Free Video Craps Strategy Lessons
Here’s a list of quick videos you should watch if you are serious about craps strategy and you want to take your game to the next level.
The 4-Minute Guide to Craps Strategy
Besides being an hilarious video (and I tend to agree with Roman Praha on the redhead being high), this is video is pure gold.
It drives you through everything you need to know before you start and it explains the essentials of the game in less than four minutes.
Plus, if you liked Leisure Suit Larry you will love this one.
The Mathematics of Craps
In this video, former craps dealer at the Hilton Las Vegas, Jim Luciano drives you through the numbers of craps to explain how to calculate odds, payouts, and winning chances.
This video complements the section of this article dedicated to the bets and the odds.
The 10-Minute Full Craps Strategy Course
This video features everything you need to become a pro. Watch it once you are familiar with the numbers in the game and the use these craps strategy tips from the Players Network!
The Five-Count Strategy System
In the video below Gaming author, Frank Scoblete, describes the so-called Five-Count System, an alternative craps strategy you can read on hit book Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos
How To Win Big At Craps 300 To 4000
The five-count system begins when a shooter rolls a point number of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Once any of these numbers is rolled, the next roll is the two-count. Assuming there is a third roll, here is where you would start betting with a come bet.
If the roll continues, it is considered to be the four-count where you would place another come bet. Once it reaches a five-count, here is where you would start to place odds on your come bets and also make your third come bet.
Best Way To Win Big At Craps
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