Any craps: meaning in craps

What the any craps bet is

In craps, the totals 2, 3 and 12 are called craps. On the come-out roll they lose for the pass line bet, which is where the name comes from. Any craps lets you bet that one of them will appear on the next roll. It is one of the proposition bets in the centre of the table, and it is settled in a single throw: win or lose, the bet is over.

This glossary entry shows where the 4 in 36 chance comes from, how the 7 to 1 payout produces an 11.11% edge, and why using any craps to protect a pass line bet adds cost rather than removing it.

Any craps odds: counting the dice

Two dice give 36 equally likely combinations. Only four of them make a craps number, as the table shows.

With 4 winning ways and 32 losing ways, the true odds are 32 to 4, or 8 to 1 against. A fair payout would therefore be 8 to 1. The casino pays 7 to 1, and that one-unit gap is the house's margin.

Any craps payout and house edge

The Wizard of Odds craps house edge table (opens in a new tab) lists any craps at 7 to 1 with an 11.11% house edge. You can check it with plain arithmetic. Bet £1 for 36 rolls covering every combination once: you win £7 four times (£28) and lose £1 thirty-two times (£32), a net loss of £4 over £36 staked, or 4/36 = 11.11%.

Watch the wording on the layout. "7 to 1" means £7 winnings plus your £1 back. If a table says "7 for 1", you get £7 in total including your stake, which is really 6 to 1. The same arithmetic then gives (4 × 6 − 32) / 36 = −8/36, a 22.22% edge.

Pass line and place figures are per bet resolved, as Wizard of Odds' summary table uses. Any craps is a one-roll bet, so every bet resolves immediately.

Using any craps as insurance: the maths

Some players add a small any craps bet on the come-out roll to protect a pass line bet against 2, 3 or 12. It feels like insurance, but it is a separate bet with its own 11.11% edge. Your pass line still costs 1.41%, and every pound on any craps adds 11.11p of expected loss on top. Over many come-out rolls, the hedge makes the combination more expensive, not safer.

1. Find any craps in the centre of the layout, or in the proposition area of an online game.
2. Place your chips before the roll (at a land-based table you can ask the stickman to place it).
3. Check whether the payout is shown as "to 1" or "for 1".
4. Accept that the bet is settled on the next roll, win or lose.

Where you meet any craps online and live

Any craps is a standard part of the craps layout, so you will usually find it in the proposition area of RNG craps games. Live dice games are a separate category, and Evolution's live craps and dice range (opens in a new tab) shows how varied they are; not every one carries the same bets. Confirm the bet and its payout in the game's help screen. UK rules require at least 5 seconds per game cycle for online casino games other than slots, and autoplay is not allowed. See can you play craps online in the UK for more.

Related terms

See point, shooter, craps dice odds, craps hardways and craps house edge.

Craps and UK casino offers

None of these welcome offers is aimed at craps; table and live games are often excluded or count for less, so read the terms and check each lobby. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo: 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, opt-in required, 10x wagering within 7 days, maximum £5 per bet while active. 10bet: 100% match up to £25, which must be wagered 10x on slots within 3 days; bonus winnings are capped at £1,000 and Skrill or Neteller deposits are excluded. Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots to get 100 free spins at 10p on selected games, with no wagering on winnings, 48 hours to accept and 7 days to play them.

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.