Craps house edge by bet

Craps house edge for every bet, ranked

The table lists the standard craps bets from cheapest to dearest, using the house edge per bet resolved from the Wizard of Odds craps house edge table (opens in a new tab). Where the payout varies between games, the common version is shown and the alternatives are covered further down.

That's a twelve-fold spread between the cheapest and dearest standard bets, all on the same pair of dice. Our craps hub explains each bet, and the house edge table compares craps with every other game on the site.

How the craps house edge is calculated

Every craps edge comes from the same two ingredients: how many of the 36 dice combinations win or lose the bet, and what the bet pays. The house edge is the average loss as a share of the stake. Casino mathematics also gives a shortcut: if a bet pays x to 1 against true odds of y to 1, the edge is (y − x) ÷ (y + 1).

Worked example: the Field

The Field is decided on one roll. It wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12, which between them account for 16 of the 36 combinations, and loses on 5, 6, 7 and 8 (20 combinations). With 2 and 12 paying 2 to 1 and the rest even money, play £1 on each of the 36 combinations: 14 even-money wins (+£14), 2 double wins (+£4) and 20 losses (−£20). Net −£2 over £36 staked is 5.56%. More on this bet is on our field bet page.

Worked example: place 5

Place 5 wins on any 5 (4 combinations) before a 7 (6 combinations). True odds against are 6 to 4, or 1.5 to 1, and the bet pays 7 to 5, or 1.4 to 1. Using the formula: (1.5 − 1.4) ÷ (1.5 + 1) = 0.1 ÷ 2.5 = 4.00%. Over 10 decisions at £5: 4 wins of £7 (+£28) and 6 losses (−£30), net −£2 on £50, which is 4%.

The probability basics page explains counting outcomes, and the craps dice odds page shows all 36 combinations.

Three ways to measure the craps house edge

Craps has bets that settle in one roll, bets that can sit for many rolls and bets that can push. That's why you'll see three measures quoted, and why the same bet can appear with different numbers on different sites.

Don't Pass is the clearest case. A 12 on the come-out roll is a tie for Don't Pass, so the bet stays up without winning or losing. Counting those ties as bets gives 1.36%; leaving them out gives 1.40%. Per-roll figures make multi-roll bets look cheap because the cost is spread over rolls that decide nothing.

For fair comparisons, use per bet resolved for everything, as this page does (with Don't Pass also shown per bet made, the figure most tables quote).

How the odds bet lowers the overall craps house edge

Once a point is set, Pass and Come bettors can 'take odds' and Don't bettors can 'lay odds'. The odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on 5 or 9 and 6 to 5 on 6 or 8 when taking, and the reverse (1 to 2, 2 to 3, 5 to 6) when laying. It has no house edge.

Adding odds doesn't reduce the cost of your line bet in pounds. It adds money at zero edge, so the edge on your total wager falls. A point is set on 24 of 36 come-out rolls (two times in three), so a £10 Pass bet with single odds puts, on average, £10 + £6.67 into action per decision. The expected loss is still about 14p, but as a share of £16.67 it's about 0.85%.

The catch: bigger odds mean bigger swings. Only add odds you can afford to lose; the extra money is at full risk on every roll. Online tables set their own odds multiples, so check the help screen.

Low, middle and high craps house edge bets

It helps to sort the layout into three bands rather than memorise every figure.

• Under 2%: Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, Don't Come, place 6 and 8, buy 4 and 10, and all odds bets. These are the bets a budget-minded player builds around.
• 2% to 7%: buy 5/9 and 6/8, place 5 and 9, place 4 and 10, and the Field. Costlier, but not wildly so.
• Over 9%: Big 6 and Big 8, the hardways and the one-roll proposition bets. These pay big headline numbers and carry the heaviest margins.

Most of the high-edge bets sit in the centre of the table. Our worst bets in the casino page shows how Any Seven compares with the dearest bets in other games.

What the craps house edge costs in pounds

Expected loss = stake × house edge × number of decisions. Here's what 100 decisions at £10 cost on average for a range of bets. Real results will differ, sometimes a lot, over a short session.

One hundred £10 Pass Line decisions and one hundred £10 Any Seven bets put the same £1,000 into action, yet the second costs nearly twelve times as much on average. For more on turning edges into budgets, see our theoretical loss and cost per hour guides.

Paytable rules that change the craps house edge

Several craps bets come in more than one version. A small payout change can halve or double the edge, so read the game's help screen before assuming the figures above.

Watch the wording on proposition bets too: '30 for 1' is only 29 to 1, which is worse again than 30 to 1. Under Gambling Commission rules, UK casinos must tell you your chances of winning, which can be shown as a house edge, an RTP or the probability of each outcome, so the figures should be in the game rules.

Craps house edge compared with other casino games

Played on the line bets, craps sits among the lowest-edge games you'll find. The figures below come from standard published house edge tables, including the Wizard of Odds house edge overview (opens in a new tab).

Craps covers almost the whole range on one table, from near the bottom of this list to near the top. See games with the best odds for a wider comparison, and craps vs roulette for a head-to-head.

How to check the house edge before you bet

1. Open the craps game's help or rules screen and find the paytable.
2. Note the payout for each bet you plan to use, and whether it says 'to 1' or 'for 1'.
3. Check the Field: does 12 (or 2) pay 2 to 1 or 3 to 1?
4. Check whether buy-bet commission is charged on wins only or up front.
5. Look up the maximum odds multiple allowed behind line bets.
6. Match each bet to the table on this page, and set a budget based on the expected loss.

Craps house edge myths

• 'Betting both Pass and Don't Pass cancels the edge.' A come-out 12 loses Pass and ties Don't Pass, so the pair loses money on every 12 and breaks even otherwise.
• 'Systems like Martingale beat the edge.' Every bet keeps its own edge regardless of stake size; a staking pattern only changes how wins and losses bunch together.
• 'Hot shooters change the odds.' Each roll is independent, as the gambler's fallacy guide explains.
• 'The odds bet is free, so there's no cost to craps.' You can only bet odds behind a line bet, which carries its own edge.

The Wizard of Odds craps guide (opens in a new tab) goes through the rules and bets in more depth if you want the full layout.

Where to play low-edge craps: partner offers

Our partners' welcome deals are slot-focused, and our data doesn't confirm craps at any of them, so check each lobby before joining. 18+ and terms apply.

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Table games like craps are often excluded from bonus wagering or count for less. Our UK casino bonus rules page explains the 10x wagering cap.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.