House edge on every craps bet, ranked best to worst
A craps layout has more than thirty different bets on it and their prices range from free to brutal. This is the whole list in one table, sorted from best to worst, with a plain-English verdict on each group.
What “house edge” means in dollars
The house edge is the slice of every bet the casino keeps over the long run, expressed as a percentage. It comes from paying you slightly less than the true chance of winning. A bet that should pay 2 to 1 pays 9 to 5 instead, and the gap is the edge.
The easiest way to feel it is per $100 wagered. A 1.41% edge means that for every $100 on the pass line, the casino expects to keep $1.41, averaged over hundreds of resolved bets. A 16.67% edge on any seven means $16.67 kept out of every $100.
All figures below are the Las Vegas standard rules that the free table uses: 3-4-5x odds, field paying triple on 12, and buy and lay commission charged only when you win. Buy figures assume $20 units on the 4, 5, 9, and 10 and $30 on the 6 and 8.
The full ranking
| Bet | Pays | True odds | House edge | Kept per $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free odds on pass/come (4/10, 5/9, 6/8) | 2:1, 3:2, 6:5 | 2:1, 3:2, 6:5 | 0.00% | $0.00 |
| Lay odds on don't pass/don't come | 1:2, 2:3, 5:6 | 1:2, 2:3, 5:6 | 0.00% | $0.00 |
| Don't pass / Don't come | 1:1 | see note | 1.36% | $1.36 |
| Pass / Come | 1:1 | see note | 1.41% | $1.41 |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 6:5 | 1.52% | $1.52 |
| Buy 6 or 8 in $30 units (vig on win) | 6:5 less vig | 6:5 | ≈ place, 1.52% | $1.52 |
| Buy 4 or 10 in $20 units (vig on win) | 2:1 less $1 | 2:1 | 1.67% | $1.67 |
| Lay 4 or 10 (vig on win) | 1:2 less 5% | 1:2 | 1.67% | $1.67 |
| Buy 5 or 9 in $20 units (vig on win) | 3:2 less $1 | 3:2 | 2.00% | $2.00 |
| Lay 5 or 9 (vig on win) | 2:3 less 5% | 2:3 | 2.00% | $2.00 |
| Lay 6 or 8 (vig on win) | 5:6 less 5% | 5:6 | 2.27% | $2.27 |
| Field (2 double, 12 triple) | 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 | 5:4 against | 2.78% | $2.78 |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 3:2 | 4.00% | $4.00 |
| Field (2 and 12 both double) | 1:1, 2:1, 2:1 | 5:4 against | 5.56% | $5.56 |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 2:1 | 6.67% | $6.67 |
| All or Nothing at All | 176 for 1 | — | 7.47% | $7.47 |
| All Small / All Tall | 35 for 1 | — | 7.76% | $7.76 |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1:1 | 6:5 | 9.09% | $9.09 |
| Hard 6 / Hard 8 | 9:1 | 10:1 | 9.09% | $9.09 |
| Hard 4 / Hard 10 | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| Any craps (2, 3, 12) | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| Ace-deuce (3) / Yo (11) | 15:1 | 17:1 | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| C&E | split | — | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| Hop, non-pair | 15:1 | 17:1 | 11.11% | $11.11 |
| Horn | split 4 ways | — | 12.50% | $12.50 |
| Aces (2) / Boxcars (12) | 30:1 | 35:1 | 13.89% | $13.89 |
| Hop, pair | 30:1 | 35:1 | 13.89% | $13.89 |
| Any seven | 4:1 | 5:1 | 16.67% | $16.67 |
Pass and don't pass have no single “true odds” figure because they resolve through a comeout and then a point; the arithmetic is in the 36 combinations.
Per roll versus per bet resolved
One caveat before comparing rows. Every figure above is per bet resolved: the expected loss each time the bet actually wins or loses. A field bet resolves every roll. A place 6 might sit through eight rolls before a 6 or 7 decides it. So if you instead measure edge per roll, the place bets look cheaper than they do here, while the field, the props, and any seven stay the same because they already resolve every roll.
The mistake is mixing the two in one comparison. This table uses per-resolution throughout, the standard way math references quote it.
Tier 1: free odds, 0%
The odds bet behind a pass, come, don't pass, or don't come bet pays exactly true odds. Bet $10 in odds behind a point of 4 and a winning 4 pays $20, which is precisely what 3 ways versus 6 ways is worth. The catch is that you can only place it behind a line bet, up to 3x behind 4 and 10, 4x behind 5 and 9, 5x behind 6 and 8 here. Verdict: take as much odds as your bankroll comfortably allows, every time. Every dollar you add costs nothing.
Tier 2: the line bets, about 1.4%
Pass and come at 1.41%, and don't pass and don't come at 1.36%, are the foundation of every sensible craps strategy. On $100 wagered they cost less than a dollar and a half, and they're the only bets that unlock the free odds behind them. A $10 pass bet with full 3-4-5x odds blends to 0.37%; the don't with lay odds goes to about 0.27%. These are the bets to build around.
Tier 3: place 6 and 8, buy 4, 5, 9, and 10, about 1.5% to 2.3%
These are the good bets you can make on a number directly. Placing the 6 or 8 for $6 pays $7 when it hits; true odds would pay $7.20, and that 20-cent shortfall is the 1.52%. Buying the 4 or 10 pays true 2 to 1 minus a 5% commission on the bet, collected only when you win: $20 buys $40 less $1, which lands at 1.67%. Charged up front on every bet instead, the same buy becomes 4.76%. Buying the 5 or 9 for $20 pays $30 less $1 and costs 2.00%, a step better than placing them at 4.00%. Buying the 6 or 8 is never better than placing: at $30 it's a wash at 1.52%, and at any other amount it's worse. One caution: the commission has a $1 minimum, so a $5 buy on the 5 wins $7 and still pays $1, about a 12% edge. Buy in $20 units or don't buy. Verdict: place the 6 and 8, buy the 4, 5, 9, and 10 in $20 units, and keep the props out of it.
Tier 4: the field and place 5 and 9, about 2.8% to 4%
The field looks generous because it covers seven numbers, but they add up to only 16 of the 36 combinations. With the 12 paying triple it's 2.78%; if a table pays double on both 2 and 12 it's 5.56%, so check the layout. Placing the 5 or 9 pays 7 to 5 on a bet that should pay 3 to 2, and that gap is a full 4.00%. If you have $20 to put on a 5 or 9, buy it for 2.00% instead. Verdict: fine in small doses, not as a foundation.
Tier 5: place 4 and 10, bonus craps, about 6.7% to 7.8%
Placing the 4 or 10 at 9 to 5 costs 6.67% because true odds are 2 to 1 and the casino trims a lot off. The fix is easy: buy them instead. The bonus craps side bets (All Small, All Tall, All or Nothing at All) ask you to roll every number in a set before any 7, including a comeout 7. They pay big, 35 for 1 and 176 for 1, but at 7.47% to 7.76% they're priced like a lottery ticket. Verdict: never place the 4 or 10 when you can buy them; treat bonus craps as a dollar of entertainment.
Tier 6: hardways and big 6/8, about 9% to 11%
Hard 6 and hard 8 pay 9 to 1 against true odds of 10 to 1, which is 9.09%. Hard 4 and hard 10 pay 7 to 1 against 8 to 1, which is 11.11%. Big 6 and Big 8 are the tourist trap of the layout: identical to placing the 6 or 8 but paying even money instead of 7 to 6, for 9.09% instead of 1.52%. Verdict: place the 6 and 8 every time instead of Big 6/8, and keep hardways to a dollar or two if you like the sweat.
Tier 7: the props, 11% to 17%
Everything in the center of the table is a one-roll proposition bet that pays well under true odds. Yo and ace-deuce pay 15 to 1 where 17 to 1 is fair. Aces and boxcars pay 30 to 1 where 35 to 1 is fair. Any seven pays 4 to 1 where 5 to 1 is fair, and at 16.67% it is the single worst bet on the table. Per $100, these bets cost between $11 and $17. Verdict: the stickman will offer them every roll. You can say no every roll.
What to do with this table
Play from the top down: line bets with full odds, then place the 6 and 8, then buy the 4, 5, 9, and 10 in $20 units. Everything below the field is entertainment you're paying for. The strategy comparison turns these tiers into complete betting plans with dollar amounts.
Practice every bet free on the tableKeep learning
- Craps strategies compared honestly: Molly, Iron Cross, don't, place 6 & 8 — Molly, Iron Cross, don't pass, $32 across, place 6 and 8: what each costs, how it feels, and who it suits.
- The Iron Cross in craps: how it works and what it really costs — Place the 5, 6 and 8, add the field, win on 30 rolls in 36 — and still finish down. The full ledger.
- The best craps strategy, mathematically — The real answer: don't pass or pass with maximum odds, nothing else, and here is the arithmetic.
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