Types of Craps Bets

Craps is a game that revolves around bets. Without a detailed understanding of how these bets work, you are essentially playing with a handicap. It might take some time to learn how all of the craps bets work, but until you fully understand any given bet, you shouldn't use it in a real craps game.

Pass Line Bet

The 'Pass Line' bet is the most basic bet in the game of craps. The majority of players at any given table will be playing the pass line bet, or will be 'right bettors' (as opposed to wrong bettors placing bets on the don't pass line). All bets behind the pass line must be placed before the come-out roll of the round. If the come out roll is a 7, or an 11 you win 'even money' (the same amount of money you wagered). If the come out roll results in a 2, 3, or 12, then you lose your pass line bet. If the come out roll results in any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) then that number is set as the point. As the shooter keeps rolling your pass line bet wins if he rolls the point before rolling a seven. If however he rolls a seven before hitting the point, the round is over and your pass line bet loses. This bet has a 1.41% house edge (very reasonable).

Taking the Odds

Odds bets on your pass line bet are simply additional wagers that the point will be rolled. Seven is the most likely number to be rolled so betting on a point normally would seem foolish. To account for this casinos can offer you payouts higher than your actual bet when you make an odds bet. The odds bet is a bet that is made in addition to, or on top of your line bet. If the point is a 6 or an 8 the odds payout 6 to 5, if the point is a 5 or 9 the odds payout 3 to 2, and if the point is a 4 or 10 the odds payout 2 to 1. These payouts are statistically fair (true odds). If it wasn't for the pass line (not paid with true odds) there would be statistically no house edge. The bigger your odds bet, the lower your net house edge.

Don't Pass Line Bet

If you want to play craps but don't want to place a pass line bet, you're probably going to place a don't pass line bet by default. The don't pass bet is in everyway opposite of the pass line bet. Because placing a don't pass bet is technically betting against the shooter and the majority of players, therefore it is considered 'betting wrong'. As you would expect from the opposite of the pass line bet, on the come out roll, your don't pass line bet will win when a 2, or 3 is rolled, and lose on a 7, or an 11 (when 12 is shown you just get your money back). If a point is determined the don't pass line bet wins if the shooter sevens out, and loses when the point is rolled. The house edge on this type of bet is 1.40%, just slightly lower (and therefore better) than the pass line bet.

Laying the Odds

'Laying the odds' is the opposite of 'taking the odds'. By laying the odds you are making an odds bed that predicts the shooter will seven out. Based on the point, the odds payout the same as they do for taking the odds. If the point is a 6 or 8, laying the odds pays out 5 to 6. A point of 5 or 9 pays out 2 to 3, and if the point is either a 4 or a 10, laying the odds pays out 1 to 2.

Come Bet

The come bet is a bet that takes place AFTER the come out roll. The roll after the come bet is made determines the value used as the point for that come bet. Just like a pass line bet, odds can be placed on come bets. If the shooter hits the point for the pass line bets before one or more come bets, the round has to end. So what happens to the come bets you laid on the table? When the dice are passed, the next roll (the come out roll for the next round) will still apply to the active come bets. If the come out roll is a seven the odds bets placed on your come bets will be returned. The house edge, and odds payouts are the same for the come bet as they are for the pass line bet.

Don't Come Bet

The 'don't come bet' is the opposite of the come bet. It is just like the don't pass bet, but placed after the come-out roll of any given round. Refer to the odds and house edge listed under the don't pass line bet.

The Line Bets and Come Bets are the safest and most basic bets at the craps table. You should expect to see a ton of players using these regularly to protect their bankroll.

Place Bet

Place bets can be put on any number that could potentially be a point (4,5,6,8,9, and 10). The difference between a place bet and an odds bet is that place bets don't require you to place a wager on the pass line or the don't pass line. Because of this difference, casinos pay out with lower odds to help maintain a house edge. 6 and 8 payout 7 to 6. 5 and 9 payout 7 to 5. And 4 and 10 payout 9 to 5. If you get a winning place bet you get your winnings but generally your place bet is left on the table (as a fresh place bet). At any point to can have your bet taken down but normally players like to keep playing a winning number. If a seven is rolled, your place bets lose.

There are also 'place bets to lose' which is wagering that 7 will be rolled before a specific non-7 number; the opposite of a place bet. Place bets to lose however, are NOT available in all casinos.

Buy Bet

Buy bets are like place bets in that they do not require a pass or don't pass line bet. Buy bets are paid with fair odds but to compensate, a 5% commission on all possible winnings must be paid when making your buy bet. Players should buy numbers in $20 multiples because if the bet doesn't have an even 5% for the commission it is usually rounded up at your expense.

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Lay Bet

Lay bets are the opposite of buy bets. They are placed on a number (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) that you're betting will NOT be rolled before a 7. The same 5% commission on potential winnings is charged when laying the bed and fair odds are then paid out.

Field Bet

Field Bets can be made at any point in the game. They are bets made on the next roll. A field bet wins when a the following roll is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or a 12. When any other number is rolled your field bet is lost. You should know that these field numbers can be rolled in 16 combinations, the other, non-field numbers have 20 combinations. Because every number will either result in a win or a loss your field bet eliminates the waiting seen in so many of the other types of craps bets.

Proposition Bet

Proposition bets are often considered 'sucker bets' because the house odds against you are higher than many other types of bets. These bets do however meet the needs of risk taking, thrill seeking high rollers. Even if you are not planning to use proposition bets, a good craps player should be familiar with them because you will see them played pretty often. There are two categories of proposition bets: Hardway Bets, and One Roll Bets.

Hard Way Bets

Hard ways are where you get a 4, 6, 8, or 10 by rolling doubles. For instance a 4 rolled the hard way is rolled when each dice shows a 2. A 6 rolled the hard way occurs when the dice each show 3's. You win this bet if your hardway is shown before a seven or any non-pair, and lose it if either a seven rolls, or any non-pair is rolled.

One Roll Bets

Just like the name implies these bets are on what you believe will be the very next roll. With even higher payouts than hard way bets (and of course higher house edges) these are the riskiest and most exciting bets at the table. You can combine several one roll bets to try to improve your strategy with such patterns as the 'horn bet', but in the end of the day these are still going to carry big wins and big losses, and can quickly wipe out a player with a small bankroll. If you are playing one roll bets you need to use careful money managment to avoid losing more than you can afford.

Now that you know about the different types craps bets, you can take advantage of our section on craps strategies. When you feel that you are ready to put this knoledge to use, you owe it to yourself to read some casino reviews and start playing. It is way easier to pick the right casino the first time and avoid both the hassle, and the risk involved with playing in a low end casino.