Craps Strategies

Which Craps Bets Give You the Best Odds?

The secret to successful craps play starts with knowing which bets offer you the best chance to win. These three bet types form the foundation of any solid craps strategy.

Pass Line Bets

Pass Line bets are central to most craps play, offering you excellent odds with a simple betting structure. When you place a Pass Line bet, you’re betting that the shooter will win by rolling a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, or by hitting their point number before rolling a 7.

If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, you win immediately. If it’s 2, 3, or 12, you lose. Any other number becomes the “point,” and the shooter must roll that number again before rolling a 7 for you to win. This straightforward approach makes Pass Line betting perfect for beginners while still being mathematically sound for experienced players.

The Pass Line’s house edge is 1.41% before accounting for odds. Taking maximum odds brings the house’s hold on this bet below 1%. 

The Come bet works the same way as the Pass Line. It is available once a point is established. 

Don’t Pass Bets

Don’t Pass bets flip the script by betting against the shooter, offering you slightly better mathematical odds than Pass Line bets. You win when the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 on the come-out roll, lose on 7 or 11, and push (tie) on 12. Once a point is established, you win if a 7 comes before the point number.

While Don’t Pass betting can feel awkward in live dealer online casino games since you’re rooting against everyone else, online craps eliminates this social pressure completely. You can focus purely on the superior odds without worrying about table dynamics or other players’ reactions.

The Don’t Pass has a house edge is 1.36% before taking odds on points. The combined odds and Don’t Pass bet hold less than 1% when accounting for odds.

The Don’t Come works like the Don’t Pass. It is available after a point is established. 

Free Odds Bets

Free Odds bets are the best craps bet because their payouts match the true odds of the dice, making them a unique and powerful wager. You can only place these bets after a point is established, backing up your original Pass Line, Come, Don’t Pass, and Don’t Come wager.

The Pass Line and Come payouts match the true mathematical odds of each point number:

• Points 4 and 10: Pay 2 to 1 (since there are 3 ways to make a 7 versus 3 ways to make these points)
• Points 5 and 9: Pay 3 to 2 (6 ways to make a 7 versus 4 ways to make these points)
• Points 6 and 8: Pay 6 to 5 (6 ways to make a 7 versus 5 ways to make these points)

The Don’t Pass and Don’t Come odds work in the opposite way:

• Points 4 and 10: Pay 1 to 2 
• Points 5 and 9: Pay 2 to 3 
• Points 6 and 8: Pay 5 to 6 

Most online craps games allow you to bet 3x to 5x your original wager on odds, making this the most important bet for maximizing your winning potential. A 3x game means that from the Pass Line and Come, you can bet up to three times the size of the original bet. When betting $5 on the Pass Line, you may go up to $15 at a 3x table and $25 at a 5x one. 

From the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come, the 3x and 5x odds apply to the winning amount. For example, assume at a 3x table,  the player backs a 4 from the Don’t Pass. Every $2 wins $1 if the 7 comes first. The player may win up to 3x the Don’t Pass bet. This means the Don’t Pass odds can be up to 6x the bet because it only wins 3x if it hits. 

Avoid Sucker Bets

Craps tables offer many bets with a low house edge. Many more are sucker bets. These should be avoided.. Big payouts on side bets like Fire and All Tall Small may be tempting. However, the casino holds 10% to 25% of these types of bets. 

Hardways are when a number comes as doubles before any other way or a 7. It is offered on the 4, 6, 8, and 10. The 7/1 and 9/1 payouts seem like a good deal until you find out the house advantage is around 10%. 

Hop bets are another wager to avoid at craps. This is a one-roll bet that pays 15/1 or 30/1 when called exactly. The 2, 3, 11, and 12 are examples of Hop bets. The 15/1 bets have an 11.1% house edge, while the 30/1 hops hold 13.9%. 

Craps Bets: House Edge and Payout Odds

Do Popular Craps Strategies Really Work?

Many craps players swear by specific betting systems, but it is important to understand what these strategies actually accomplish. Let’s break down three popular approaches and see how they compare mathematically.

Iron Cross Strategy

The Iron Cross strategy covers most of the craps table by combining a Field bet with Place bets on the 5, 6, and 8. This gives you winning combinations on 30 out of the 36 possible dice outcomes, creating frequent small wins that can feel very satisfying.

However, the math tells a different story. While you will win often, the Field bet’s payout structure is less favorable over time compared to other wagers. It has a house advantage of 2.78% when 12 pays triple and 5.58% when 12 only pays double. You might enjoy a lot of small victories, but those losses on the 7, which hits more frequently than any other number, will gradually drain your bankroll despite the high hit rate.

3 Point Molly System

The 3 Point Molly system involves making continuous Come bets to establish three separate point numbers, each backed with maximum odds bets. This creates multiple ways to win on each roll while taking advantage of the favorable odds bets.

This approach works by placing a Pass Line bet, then making Come bets after points are established until you have three numbers working. The strategy reduces the impact of bad streaks since you have multiple chances to win on most rolls. The downside is that you need a larger bankroll to handle the swings related to simultaneous bets. 

A 7 outside of the come-out roll will wipe any established points and odds out. Come odds do not work on come-out rolls unless the player specifies this to the dealer while the dice are still in the center. This makes a 7 on the come-out roll after a point is made less damaging than a 7-out.  

6 and 8 Place Betting

Focusing your Place bets on the 6 and 8 makes mathematical sense because these numbers appear more frequently than other point numbers while also offering the lowest house edge of these types of wagers. Each has five ways to be rolled (compared to three ways for 4 and 10, or four ways for 5 and 9), giving you more opportunities to win and less held by the casino..

Place bets on 6 and 8 offer reasonable odds while hitting often enough to keep your action exciting. The key is knowing when to take your bets down after a few hits, since the 7 will eventually show up and wipe out your Place bets. Many successful players use a “hit and run” approach, collecting profits after two or three wins on each number.

Some craps felts have a Big 6 and Big 8. These only pay even money and hold 9.1%. Never wager on 6 or 8 here. Always make a Place bet. 

How Do You Manage Your Craps Bankroll?

Smart money management separates winning players from those who quickly go broke. Your bankroll strategy should protect you during cold streaks while allowing you to capitalize on hot rolls.

The 5% session rule means never risking more than 5% of your total gambling bankroll in any single craps session. If you have $1,000 set aside for gambling, your craps session should never exceed $50. This conservative approach ensures that even a terrible night won’t devastate your entire bankroll.

Individual bet sizing should follow the 1-2% rule, meaning each bet represents no more than 1-2% of your session bankroll. Using our $50 session example, your Pass Line bets should stay between $0.50 and $1.00, with odds bets scaled accordingly. This might seem small, but it allows you to weather the inevitable losing streaks that every craps player faces. This level of betting is permitted at many online casinos. 

Setting win goals and loss limits before you start playing removes emotion from your decision-making and promotes responsible gaming. A reasonable win goal might be 50% of your session bankroll (turning $50 into $75), while your loss limit should never exceed your entire session amount. When you hit either number, walk away regardless of how you’re feeling about the game.

Ready to Put These Strategies to Work?

The most beneficial approach for beginners combines Pass Line betting with maximum odds bets, keeping individual wagers small relative to your bankroll. This strategy offers excellent mathematical odds while remaining simple enough to execute without mistakes.

Intermediate players can explore the 3 Point Molly system or focused 6 and 8 Place betting, but only after mastering basic bankroll management principles. These approaches require larger session bankrolls but can provide more action and winning opportunities during favorable rolls.

Hard Rock Bet’s online craps platform gives you the perfect environment to practice these strategies with lower minimum bets and complete pace control. The mobile-friendly interface lets you implement disciplined money management while enjoying the excitement of this classic dice game from anywhere you choose to play.

FAQ about Craps Strategies

Below we’ve put together a few questions and answers about moneyline bets.