Craps Strategy Guide for Beginners and Advanced Players
Craps is a dice game offering multiple betting opportunities. With so many different outcomes, the game can sometimes be hard to grasp, especially for people who are just starting out. However, craps isn’t that difficult to master once you start playing, and there are various strategies you can employ and have fun along the way.
So, what craps strategy is best for winning the game? This article explores odds, different approaches, offers, and the casino’s house advantage, also known as the house edge, to help you figure out the best craps strategy.
Before Playing
Before diving in, let’s see what the house edge is and what the difference is when you play craps online and in a physical casino.
House Edge Definition
Understanding the house edge is essential because it’s what drives casinos’ business model and guarantees the gambling venue’s profitability in the long run.
The term “house edge” refers to the casino’s mathematical advantage over the player. If a game has a house edge of 5%, it means that for every $100 players wager, the casino gets $5, returning $95 to the players. Thus, the lower the house edge, the higher the return to player (RTP), and the better the players’ chances of coming out ahead.
It’s important to understand that different craps strategies have a different house edge. Craps strategy options like Pass Line and Don’t Pass are the best for cautious players.
Assessing Strategies: Online vs. Live Casinos
Playing online craps games is a good way to learn the rules and figure out the best way to play before putting real money on the line. You can do so for free until you feel comfortable enough to play at a craps table. Here are some other reasons to start at an online casino:
- You’ll understand the basics of the craps game better without the pressure of the crowd.
- You can take all the time you need to develop a craps strategy that works for you without feeling rushed.
- Other players may try to influence your decisions based on their superstitions, making you second-guess your choices.
The Best Way To Play Craps: Play To Win
The approach you should take mainly depends on your personality and budget. A low-risk strategy is the way to go if you prefer taking things slowly and building up from there.
But if you’re a daredevil and have a handsome budget to back up your gambling adventures, you may want to consider a high-stakes approach that has the potential to bring you greater rewards.
Keep in mind that bettors tend to get carried away when playing craps or any other gambling game. So, remember to bet responsibly and don’t place stakes higher than what you can afford to lose.
Now, let’s review some reasonable (low-odds), intermediate, and advanced (high-odds) strategies.
Craps: Low-Odds Strategies
If you prefer a safer approach and are okay with lower rewards, focus on the following strategies:
Pass Line
In general, Pass Line is a simple craps strategy and the safest overall. The casino’s advantage is set at 1.41%, which is significantly lower than what any other craps betting strategy offers. If you’re successful, you get even money (1:1).
If you roll a seven or 11, you win, as you’re betting that one of these outcomes will happen. If the outcome is two, three, or 12 (craps), you lose. Any other number, for example, four, becomes the Point and the number you want to see rolled next instead of a seven.
The dealer rolls the dice again and continues until one of two things occurs. If the dice roll four, you win, but if they roll seven, you lose.
So, if you wonder how to win at craps as often as possible, this craps strategy is the one you should pursue.
Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass is another basic craps strategy most gamblers prefer to safe bets. The house edge is 1.37%, which is 0.05% lower than in a Pass bet, and earnings are even. The rules are almost the same as in a Pass bet, but two and three are winning numbers, seven and 11 mean you lost, while 12 signals a draw.
Come and Don’t Come
Come is a craps strategy nearly identical to Pass Line, with one exception. You can place this bet only after the Point has been determined. Don’t Come is a Don’t Pass equivalent you can place after the Point has been established.
These bets have almost the same house edge as Pass Line and Don’t Pass (1.41% and 1.37%, respectively), so they are among the safest craps betting strategies.
Craps: Intermediate Strategies
Craps odds and 6/8 are some popular strategies for intermediate bettors playing craps. Let’s take a look:
Craps Odds
The only bet with no house advantage is the Odds bet. As craps is a game played with two dice, the odds of each number being rolled are not equal. For example, two can be rolled only by both dice landing on one, making the odds of that happening lower than, for example, a four being rolled, which can be achieved by dice landing on two and two or one and three.
As playing the odds carries no house advantage, online casinos limit how much money you can bet. Punters place an initial bet on the Pass Line, Come, Don’t Pass, and Don’t Come, trying to guess which number will be rolled next.
The maximum you can bet here depends on the casino you play at. Some may limit your Odds bets to between 3x and 5x of your Pass Line/Come bet. The limit will depend on how many numbers you bet on and how likely it is that those numbers will be rolled.
If you bet on:
- Four or 10, you wager up to three times and can earn a 6:3 return.
- Five or nine, you wager up to four times and can earn a 6:4 return.
- Six or eight, you wager up to five times and can earn a 6:5 return.
Six/Eight
Betting on six or eight offers some of the best odds in craps. Not counting seven, landing these numbers is the most probable, so it makes sense to bet on them being rolled. Also, the house advantage is low, which makes betting on six or eight a great choice for players who want to be careful. If you bet $6 and win, you get another $6 on this bet.
Advanced Strategies
A few adventurous strategies are Three-Point Molly, Field Bet, and Wild Bettor.
Three-Point Molly
Three-Point Molly is an advanced craps strategy most often employed by seasoned gamblers with hefty budgets. If you’re one of them, you can try this strategy when you feel the big win’s coming. Three-Point Molly is a continuous betting method, and it works on several bets.
Bet the Pass Line: You win if the Come Out roll is a seven or an 11. You lose if the Come Out is two, three, or 12. Any other result sets the Point, which serves as the basis for all wagers from that moment on. There are two additional Come wagers: In the Three-Point Molly, your Pass Line bet is supported by a Come bet.
Once the Point has been determined, a Come wager is placed. To put it another way, it is placed after the Point, whereas the Pass Line wager is placed first.
The Come is a bet on the result of the shooter’s subsequent roll. A seven or an 11 results in a win for the wager, which is lost if a two, three, or 12 are revealed. The Come bet is placed in a designated box on the table in the event that a four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10 is revealed.
This figure becomes your Point number. Depending on the number thrown after this, your wager will either win or lose. When your Come bet succeeds, you must immediately put in another one. After that, the process is repeated until the Point or a seven is rolled.
Field Bet
The Field bet is a favorite among punters looking for the best way to win at craps. After the Come-Out roll and after the Point has been established, bettors can wager on all numbers except seven. The house edge may not be the lowest, but you still have a chance of winning.
The Wild Bettor
Bettors appreciating the adrenaline rush can try the most profitable craps strategy that is also the riskiest. The Wild Bettor approach promises big wins to lucky players, but the likelihood of winning is low. Additionally, the house edge is pretty high (11.11%) for Yo and Hi-Lo, the most popular proposition bets.
A Yo bet provides 16:1 earnings to lucky punters. The gamblers need the dice to land on three or 11 to win. The odds of such an event are two in 36.
A Hi-Lo bet is placed on either two or 12. You win when the dice produce these numbers, earning a 31:1 return. The probability of this event is two in 36.
A reasonable approach to this winning craps strategy would be to come up with a budget for this style of play and not bring more money than you’re willing to lose.
The Best Betting Strategy for Craps
Whatever strategy they choose, players risk losing the money they’ve wagered. That’s why it’s always advisable to set a budget and stick to it. Another essential piece of advice for all gamblers would be to never chase their losses and to consider the budget set aside for gambling as a price you pay for entertainment rather than a financial investment.
That said, let’s see what the best bets for beginners and advanced players are.
Budget Players: Combining Don’t Pass and Six and Eight Bets
This approach is the best mathematical craps strategy for budget and cautious players. First, wager $10 on Don’t Pass. You will win if the shooter rolls two or three, or lose if they roll seven or 11. However, establishing the Point is the main objective here. After the Point has been set, follow up with $6-bets on six and eight.
This strategy protects you best against seven – the most probable dice combination. Seven will result in a 1:1 payout ($10) on Don’t Pass. However, if the dice land on six or eight reasonably frequently, your earnings will be pretty satisfactory.
Expert Players’ Best Craps Bets
You can devise various wager strategies once you become a seasoned craps player. But before that, ensure you completely understand the implications of different approaches, the house edge, and payoff.
If you think you’re already there, the strategy you might consider is placing bets on Pass Line, five, six, and eight, and a three-way bet. Essentially, this approach covers various outcomes and is likely to succeed, but prepare to lose many throws in the process.
Final Words
Now that you are familiar with different craps strategies, you can put them into practice, figure out which one works for you, and have fun along the way.
If the dice serve you well and you win by placing bets in cryptocurrency, ensure you understand your crypto gambling tax obligations. Otherwise, you may end up paying penalties that exceed your gains.
Always stay within your limits, though. And remember the golden rule of gambling, which is to only play with the money you can afford to lose.
FAQ
Is there a way to always win at craps?
It’s impossible to find an infallible strategy. However, you can devise a betting system that will cover as many outcomes as possible and keep you within your financial limits.
What is the safest bet in craps?
The safest craps strategy is the Pass Line bet. The casino’s house advantage is 1.41%, and you get a 1:1 if the dice roll seven or 11.
What is the best strategy in craps?
The best craps betting strategy usually depends on the player’s personality and budget. Budget punters typically pursue the Pass Line, while expert bettors mix different bets, such as Three-Point Molly, to cover multiple potential scenarios.
