Short version, friend: craps looks terrifying and it’s designed to. That chaotic table with a hundred betting spots is built to funnel beginners onto the flashy center bets — the ones with 9–17% house edges. Ignore roughly 90% of the table and craps becomes one of the best-value games in the casino. The good bets are simple: the Pass Line (1.41% house edge / 98.59% RTP), the Don’t Pass (1.36%), and behind them the Odds bet — the only bet in the entire casino with a 0% house edge.
So is it hard? To play well, no — you need to know two or three bets and deliberately skip the rest. The complexity is a smokescreen. Learn the Pass Line, take maximum Odds behind it, and you’re playing a ~1% effective game with a chunk of your money riding at literally zero edge. That’s better than almost anything on the floor. Here’s exactly what to bet and what to run from.
How a Round Works — the Simple Version
Forget the noise and follow one bet: the Pass Line. You bet it before the first roll (the “come-out roll”). On that roll:
- 7 or 11 — you win instantly.
- 2, 3 or 12 (“craps”) — you lose instantly.
- Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) — that becomes the point.
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling until one of two things happens: they roll the point again (you win) or they roll a 7 first (you lose — “seven out”). That’s the whole game. Everything else on the table is an optional side bet layered on top of this core loop. The Don’t Pass is simply the mirror image — you’re betting the 7 comes before the point — and it carries a hair lower edge (1.36%).
The Good Bets — Including the 0%-Edge Odds Bet
Here’s the tip that makes craps special. Once a point is set, you can put an Odds bet down behind your Pass Line bet. The Odds bet pays true odds — the house takes nothing. It’s the only 0% house-edge wager in the building. It doesn’t remove the 1.41% on your original Pass Line bet, but it lets you put more money in play at zero edge, which dilutes your overall house edge toward zero the more Odds you take.
The math is simple: take the maximum Odds the table allows (3x, 5x, even 100x at some casinos). A Pass Line bet with max Odds can drop your blended edge to well under 1% — better than baccarat, close to blackjack. So the entire winning approach is: Pass Line (or Don’t Pass) + maximum Odds, repeat. The Come and Don’t Come bets work identically to Pass/Don’t Pass for subsequent rolls and also accept Odds, if you want more than one number working.
The Bets to Avoid — the Center Traps
The middle of the table — the proposition bets the stickman cheerfully pushes — is where beginners bleed. They pay big and lose fast:
- Any 7 — a brutal ~16.9% house edge. The single worst bet on the table.
- Hardways (e.g., hard 8 = two 4s) — 9–11% edge.
- Field — looks friendly (wins on several numbers) but runs 2.78–5.56%.
- Most center/proposition bets (Any Craps, Horn, C&E) — 9–17%.
The rule of thumb: if a bet is in the center of the table and pays a flashy multiple, it’s a trap. Stick to the Pass/Don’t Pass line and its Odds, and you never touch the bad bets. For how craps stacks up against the rest of the floor, see our casino games best odds guide.
Why Dice Control and Systems Don’t Work
You’ll hear about “dice control” — the idea that a practiced shooter can influence the dice to beat the house. Set it aside. Even in a live casino it’s fiercely disputed and, at best, marginal for a handful of experts. Online, it’s completely dead: RNG craps generates each roll randomly with no physical dice to control, so there is nothing to influence. The dice (real or virtual) have no memory — a table that’s “due” for a 7, or a hot streak you think will continue, is a story your brain tells you, not a pattern.
Betting systems (pressing after wins, Martingale-style progressions) fail here for the same reason they fail everywhere: they don’t change the house edge on any bet, they just reshape your win/loss timing. The only real “system” in craps is bet selection (Pass/Don’t Pass + max Odds) and bankroll discipline.
Craps Bets Compared
| Bet | House edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Odds (behind Pass/Don’t Pass) | 0% | Best in the casino — take max |
| Don’t Pass / Don’t Come | 1.36% | Excellent |
| Pass Line / Come | 1.41% | Excellent |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | Acceptable |
| Field | 2.78–5.56% | Avoid |
| Hardways | 9.09–11.1% | Avoid |
| Any 7 | ~16.9% | Never — worst bet |
Craps — FAQ
What is the best bet in craps?
The Odds bet behind the Pass or Don’t Pass line — it has a 0% house edge, the only such bet in the casino. You can’t make it alone (it backs a Pass/Don’t Pass bet), so the best play is Pass Line (1.41%) or Don’t Pass (1.36%) with maximum Odds.
What is the Odds bet?
An extra wager placed behind your Pass/Don’t Pass bet once a point is set. It pays true odds with zero house edge, so taking maximum Odds puts more money in play at 0% and dilutes your overall edge toward zero. Always take the max your table allows.
Is craps hard to play?
No — the table looks complex on purpose, but you only need the Pass Line and the Odds bet. Ignore the flashy center bets and craps is one of the simplest good-value games there is. You can learn the two or three bets that matter in five minutes.
Does dice control work?
Not online. RNG craps randomises every roll, so there’s no physical dice to influence. Even in live casinos it’s hotly disputed and marginal at best. The dice have no memory, and no roll pattern or “system” changes the house edge.
What is the house edge in craps?
On the good bets, very low: 1.41% on the Pass Line, 1.36% on Don’t Pass, and 0% on the Odds bet behind them. Bad bets are far higher — Field 2.78–5.56%, Hardways 9–11%, Any 7 around 16.9%. Stick to the line bets and Odds.
Where can I play craps online?
At regulated US online casinos (RNG craps) and a growing number of live-dealer tables — see our live dealer casino USA guide. Confirm your state’s rules and check the max Odds multiple the table offers before you play.
The Monkey’s Take
Craps is the best example in the casino of a game whose reputation is backwards: it looks like the hardest table on the floor and it’s actually one of the easiest to play well. The trick is discipline, not knowledge — you have to ignore most of the table. Bet the Pass Line (or Don’t Pass), take maximum Odds behind it, skip every flashy center bet the stickman offers, and you’re playing a sub-1% effective game with the only 0%-edge wager in gambling working for you. Forget dice control, forget systems, set a limit, and enjoy the one loud table that’s actually a good deal — as long as you stay out of the middle. See how it ranks in our casino games best odds guide, and where to play in our best online casinos USA guide.
18+ (21+ where required) · Play responsibly. Even the best craps bets carry a small house edge (the Odds bet aside). Problem gambling? Call 1-800-GAMBLER, or the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline at 1-800-522-4700.