Craps Strategy Betting On The Martingale The Martingale betting system is known as “double up and catch up” which can be used in other casino games such as blackjack and roulette as well. If you bet $2 on the Pass Line and the number 2 is rolled you press on, only this time you double your bet to $4 on the Pass again. Craps Strategy 'The best strategy for winning at Craps. Use the following information to increase your odds to win money playing craps at land-based and online casinos.' Basic Rules The first roll of the dice is called the 'come out' roll. If you roll a 7 or 11, you win. If you roll a 2, 3 or 12, then you have rolled craps and you lose. This is a one-roll bet that the next total will be 2, 3, or 12. The bet has a payout of 7 to 1 and a house edge of 11.11%. This is a one-roll bet that the next total will be 7. This bet pays out at 4 to 1 and has a house edge of 16.67%. Eleven or Three. These are two separate bets, but they’re more or less the same. The fact is, the best strategy for playing craps is to keep the house advantage as low as possible. That’s done by playing the Don’t Pass and laying odds or the Pass Line and taking odds.

I’m writing a series of blog posts about casino games and the good and bad strategies for playing those games.

Craps is one of my favorite casino games, so I’ve been looking forward to writing this one.

And the beautiful thing about craps is that it’s a game of pure chance. The best strategy is just to choose the bets with the lowest edge for the house and have fun.

But I’ll have some things to say about some of the strategies and systems that other writers promote, too.

They’re mostly bad craps strategies.

Here’s the Only Craps Strategy You Need

When you’re dealing with an entirely random game – like craps – the only strategy that matters is choosing the bets with the lowest house edge and having fun.

I’ll have something to say about shooters and whether they have control over the outcomes later in this post, but for now, let’s just agree that games like craps are purely chance.

In other games that are entirely random, like slot machines, you don’t even really need to decide which bet to place. It’s chosen for you before you sit down.

When playing craps for real money, you have a handful of good bets you can make, but most of the bets on the table are bad. Just skip the bad bets, and you’re all set.

The Bests Bets at the Craps Table

The best bets at the craps table are the pass line bet and the don’t pass bet.

Craps Rolling Strategy Meaning

The come and don’t come bets are also great wagers.

I always advise casino gamblers to try to limit their gambling to games where the house edge is lower than 2% — preferably 1.5% or lower.

The house edge for the pass and come bets is the same, 1.41%, which means they qualify.

The house edge for the don’t pass and don’t come bets is even lower, 1.36%, but the 0.05% isn’t worth worrying about. Most people prefer to root for the shooter to succeed.

The other bet to think about at the craps table is the odds bet. This is a bet you can only place after making one of the 4 bets I already mentioned and when the shooter has set a point.

This is one of the only bets in the casino that has no house edge. It’s a break-even bet, but it can be expensive.

It can also drive the effective house edge on the money you have in action down to almost nothing.

Here’s how that works.

How the Odds Bet Changes the House Edge for the Better

If you’re betting on the pass line and the shooter sets a point, you can expect to lose $1.41 for every $100 you bet. That’s on average and in the long run.

If you’re playing at a casino that only allows you to place an odds bet at 1X the size of your pass line bet, you can put another $100 into action.

Craps Rolling Strategy Game

Your expected loss remains $1.41, though, which effectively cuts the house edge in half, from 1.41% to 0.71%.

If you’re able to bet 2X your original bet on the odds bet, you can lower that even further to 0.36%. (You have $300 in action, but your expected loss is still only $1.41.)

The more you’re able to bet on the odds bet, the lower the house edge for all the money you have in action becomes.

It’s clear why betting on the pass line and taking the most odds that you can is an effective strategy. With the odds bet, you can get the house edge in craps lower than 0.5% at least some of the time at the table, making it an even better game than blackjack.

And what’s more, you don’t have to memorize basic strategy to get the low house edge at craps.

You just need a big enough casino bankroll to make the right bets, and you need enough sense to avoid the bad bets at the table – of which there are many.

Any Strategy that Involves Placing ANY Other Bets at the Craps Table Is a BAD Craps Strategy

There’s a reason gambling experts measure bets according to their house edge. That’s because it’s the single best indicator of how good or bad a bet is.

The house edge is a statistical estimate of how much money you’ll lose as a percentage of your original bet over the long run.

If the house edge is 1.41%, the casino expects to win an average of $1.41 every time you bet $100.

If the house edge is 16.66%, the casino expects to win an average of $16.66 every time you bet $100.

Which bet looks like the better bet for the casino?

And which one looks like the better bet for the gambler?

It shouldn’t be hard to make the distinction.

Craps Rolling Strategy Definition

Even the best of the bad bets on the craps table are inferior to the 1.41% or 1.36% you can get from the pass, don’t pass, come, and don’t come bets.

And trust me on this:

You can have PLENTY of fun sticking with the basic bets at the craps table.

Betting Systems Where You Raise and Lower the Size of Your Bets Are Bad Strategies

The classic example of this kind of betting system is the Martingale System, where you double the size of your bets after each loss. When you do this repeatedly, you eventually win back the money you’ve lost along with a profit of one unit.

Craps Rolling Strategy Games

The problem with a system like the Martingale is that you’ll eventually run into a big enough losing streak that it will wipe out all those small profits and then some.

Most people underestimate how quickly a bet’s size gets when doubling after every loss.

They also overestimate how likely they are to avoid long losing streaks.

If you double a $5 bet once, that’s $10.

But if you run into a losing streak of 8 bets in a row, you’re looking at having to bet $640 to make up for your losses.

Also, every roll of the dice is an independent event. The odds don’t change based on how many times you’ve won or lost in a row.

You might think the probability of losing that 8^th bet is lower than the likelihood of losing the first one, but the truth is that the dice have no memory. They have the same 6 sides, no matter how many times you’ve lost in a row.

Each bet in craps is an independent event, and any betting system will assume that the odds are changing based on how many times in a row you’ve won or lost.

Money Management Strategies Don’t Hurt Anything, but They Won’t Improve Your Odds of Winning, Either

Money management strategies involve having strict gambling discipline about how much of your bankroll you’re willing to risk before quitting the game. They also require you to stop when you’ve won an arbitrary amount of money.

Money management techniques are often used in conjunction with betting systems.

Here’s an example of a money management strategy in craps:

You decide your bankroll for the session is $250, and you’re playing for $5 per roll of the dice.

Your stop-loss limit is $100, so, if your bankroll drops to $150, you must quit the craps session and go do something else.

Your win goal is $250, so once your bankroll gets up to $500, you must quit the game and go do something else.

This kind of strategy might increase your chances of walking away from the game a winner.

But that’s only because a lot of gamblers will just keep playing until they’ve lost their entire stake. They just don’t generally have a lot of sense about that sort of thing.

The Jury’s Out on Dice Setting or Dice Control

I’ve seen multiple reputable gambling writers express interest and some belief that some craps shooters can influence the probability of specific outcomes. I’m skeptical – in the extreme – but I’ll give it an appropriate amount of credence.

The idea is that you hold the dice a specific way – “setting” the dice – then throw with a minimum amount of force – just enough to hit the back wall and eliminate most of the rolling action.

A controlled shooting expert doesn’t have to be perfect. Instead, they’re trying to be like someone who’s playing darts. They improve the probability enough to change the negative expectation on a bet to a positive expectation.

You can buy books and videos explaining how to get an edge at craps this way, but I can’t imagine the amount of practice and record-keeping required to have any confidence in your ability to change the odds.

Imagine if you spent 1000 hours trying to learn how to control the dice and coming up short. Maybe you just don’t have the knack for it.

That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.

I’d rather learn to count cards in blackjack.

Conclusion

Those are the best and the worst of the strategies I know of for playing craps in the casino. I know plenty of people who would disagree with every recommendation I’ve made, but the math behind the game doesn’t lie.

The best strategy is to stick with the bets with the lowest house edge and have as much fun as you can.

'The best strategy for winning at Craps. Use the following information to increase your odds to win money playing craps at land-based and online casinos.'

Basic Rules

The first roll of the dice is called the 'come out' roll.

• If you roll a 7 or 11, you win.
• If you roll a 2, 3 or 12, then you have rolled craps and you lose.
• If you roll any other number it becomes the 'point'.
• The purpose of the 'come out' roll is to determine the point, which can be either 4, 5,6,8,9 or 10. There will be a puck marked 'on' above the point number printed on the table.
• The goal of this game is to throw the point again before throwing a 7. Rolling a 7 after the point is established is an 'out 7'.
• If you throw the point, you win and the round is over.
• If you throw an 'out 7', you lose.
• If you throw something else, you keep throwing until you get the point or an 'out 7'.

'Pass' bets

• This bet is placed on the 'pass' line before the 'come out' roll. This bet wins at even odds 1:1.
• You win if you roll 7 or 11 on the 'come out' roll, or if you later roll the point.
• You lose if you roll 2, 3 or 12 on the 'come out' roll, or an 'Out' 7 on later rolls.

'Don't pass' bets

• This is the opposite of a 'pass' bet.
• You win if the 'come out' roll is craps (2,3 or 12), or if a later roll is an 'out' 7.
• You lose if the 'Come out' roll shows 7 or 11, or if a later roll is the point.

'Come/Don't come' bets

• These are like 'pass/don't pass' bets, except that they are placed during a round. The same rules apply. You win if the next roll is 7 or 11 and you lose if it's craps.

'Come-out' roll 'pass line/come' 'don't pass/don't come'

• 7 or 11 win (even money) lose
• 2, 3 or 12 lose win (even money)
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 point is established
• Throw point before 7 win (even money) lose
• Throw 7 before point lose win (even money)

'Proposition' Bet

• You bet that the next roll will be a specific number. These include 2,3,7, 11 and 12 bets, the Any Craps bets, the Field, Hop and Horn bets.

'Odds Bets'

The best strategy is to get the best odds. The best odds in Craps are on the Pass/Don't Pass/Come/Don't Come bets, as the house has the smallest edge here (of about 1.40%). Other bets give the house odds that are too high, such as:

• The Field 5.6%
• Big 6/Big 8 9.1%
• Horn 12.5%
• Craps 2/Craps12 13.9%
• Any 7: 16.7%

The way to improve these bets is by either 'buying odds' or 'laying odds'. These bets are placed in addition to your first bet, after the Come Out Roll. They improve your first bet because the house doesn't take any edge on Odds. You're just betting on the dice.

An Odds Bet is a 'back up' of an original bet:

• Most casinos only pay in $1 dollar increments. You will lose anything less than a dollar. If you 'lay double odds' at $10 and get a 3-2 payout, or 6 - 5 in particular, you will lose everything less than $1, since you can't divide multiples of 10 by 3 or 6. On the 5/9 point you could lose $.67. This may not be a lot, but why give the house anything.
• So, try a $6 bet instead of a $5 bet, making the Double Odds bet $12.

'Pass Line Odds' Bets

• Bet placed after a Point is established (placed in 'Pass Line' bar after a Pass Line Bet has been made).
• Win: when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10

'Don't Pass Line Odds' Bets

• Bet placed after a Point is established (placed in 'Don't Pass' bar after a Don't Pass Line Bet has been made).
• Win: when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10

Come Odds' Bets

Bet placed after a Come Point is established (placed in '4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10' bar)

Win: when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10

'Don't Come Odds' Bets

• Bet placed after a Don't Come Point is established (placed in '4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10' bar)
• Win: when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10

'Field' Bets

• Win: when the roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12
• Lose: when the roll is 5, 6, 7, or 8

'Big 6' and 'Big 8' Bets

• A 'Big 6' Bet is a bet that 6 will be rolled before 7; a 'Big 8' Bet is a bet that 8 will be rolled before 7.
• The bet is placed in either the 'Big 6' or 'Big 8' box located in the left corner of the craps table. This bet wins even money. Unresolved bets may be removed.

'Place Win' Bet

• Win: when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 before 7
• Winning bets payout according to the following ratios: 7-to-6 on numbers 6 and 8, 7-to-5 on numbers 5 and 9, and 9-to-5 on numbers 4 and 10.
• Place Win Bets are inactive during Come Out Rolls. The markers are removed after the Come Out Roll since all Place Bets will be active. Unresolved Place Bets may be removed.

'Place Lose' Bet

• Win: when the roll is 7 before 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10
• Winning bets payout according to the following ratios: 4-to-5 on numbers 6 and 8, 5-to-8 on numbers 5 and 9, and 5-to-11 on numbers 4 and 10.

'Buy' Bets

• Win when the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 before 7 (bet covered with a 'BUY' marker). The bet is covered with a 'BUY' marker to distinguish it from a Come Bet. A commission charged when placing a 'Buy' Bet and the winnings are paid at true odds: 6-to-5 on numbers 6 and 8, 3-to-2 on numbers 5 and 9, and 2-to-1 on numbers 4 and 10. If a 'Buy' Bet is lost or removed, the commission is returned.
• Buy Bets are inactive during Come Out Rolls, an 'OFF' marker will cover your Buy Bet to indicate that is inactive. The markers are removed after the Come Out Roll since all Buy Bets will be active. Unresolved Place Bets may be removed.

'Lay' Bets

• Win: when the roll is 7 before 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 (bet covered with a 'LAY' marker)
• The bet is covered with a 'LAY' marker to distinguish it from a 'Don't Come' Bet. A commission is charged when placing the 'Lay' Bet and the winnings are paid at true odds: 5-to-6 on numbers 6 and 8, 2-to-3 on numbers 5 and 9, and 1-to-2 on numbers 4 and 10. Lay Bets are active even during the Come Out Roll. Unresolved Lay Bets may be removed.

'Any 7' Bets

• Win when the roll is 7
• If 7 is rolled, you win 4 times your bet.

'Any 11' Bets

• Win: when the roll is 11
• If 11 is rolled, you win 15 times your bet.

'Any Craps' Bets

• Win: when the roll 2, 3, or 12
• If 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, you win 7 times your bet.

'Horn' Bets

• Win: when the roll 2, 3, 11, or 12
• A Winning Horn Bet pays 15-to-1 on numbers 3 and 11, and 30-to-1 on numbers 2 and 12.
• Placing a Horn Bet divides your wager by four. A quarter of the bet is placed on each number. When you win, the amount won is a quarter of your total bet times the given odds.

'Hardway' Bets

• Win 4 (2+2), 6 (3+3), 8 (4+4), or 10 (5+5) rolled before 7
• Rolling a number by doubles is said to be rolling the number 'the hard way.' For example, a roll of 4+4 is a called a 'hard 8,' while a roll of 5+3 or 6+2 is called an 'easy 8.' A winning bet pays 7-to-1 on numbers 4 and 10, and 9-to-1 on numbers 6 and 8.
• Unresolved Hardway Bets may be removed; they are inactive during Come Out Rolls.

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How to Play Craps