The center of the table: every prop bet, ranked

The middle of a craps layout is where the big payouts live: 30 to 1, 15 to 1, whole stacks of chips flying to whoever called yo. It's also where the house makes most of its money. Here is every proposition bet, what it pays, what it should pay, and how to enjoy them without getting hurt.

What a proposition bet is

A proposition bet, or prop, is any of the bets in the center of the layout, the ones you toss to the stickman rather than placing yourself. Almost all of them are one-roll bets: you bet on what the very next throw will be, and the bet wins or loses on that throw. The exceptions are the hardways, which stand until a 7 or the easy way, and are covered in their own article.

Props are priced like everything else in craps, from the 36 ways two dice can land. The difference is how much the casino shaves: 1.41% on the pass line, 9% to 17% in the center.

Every one-roll prop, ranked worst to best

The true odds column is what a fair payout would be. The edge is the gap between fair and actual, spread over every possible roll.

Check one line to see how the math works. Any seven wins on 6 of 36 rolls, so a fair price is 30 to 6, or 5 to 1. The casino pays 4 to 1. Over 36 rolls at $1 you win 6 times for $24 and lose 30 times for $30. Down $6 on $36: 16.67%, the worst bet on the table. It's the worst because a unit shaved off 5 to 1 is a fifth of the payout.

Now aces. One way in 36, so fair is 35 to 1. Paid 30 to 1. Win once for $30, lose 35 times for $35: down $5 on $36, 13.89%. Yo has two ways, so fair is 34 to 2, or 17 to 1. Paid 15 to 1. Win twice for $30, lose 34 for $34: down $4 on $36, 11.11%. Any craps wins on 4 ways (1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 6-6), fair is 32 to 4 or 8 to 1, paid 7 to 1. Win 4 times for $28, lose 32 for $32: down $4, 11.11%.

A hop bet is a prop you name yourself: any exact combination on the next roll. “Hop the 3-4” wins two ways (3-4, 4-3) and pays 15 to 1 like the yo. “Hop the 5-5” wins one way and pays 30 to 1 like aces. The edge is always one of those two numbers.

“To” versus “for”

Some layouts print “30 for 1” instead of “30 to 1.” They are not the same. Thirty to one means you win $30 and keep your $1. Thirty for one means you get $30 back total, including your original dollar, so your profit is $29. “30 for 1” is just “29 to 1” printed to look bigger, and it raises the edge on aces from 13.89% to 16.67%.

The payouts in the table above, and on PointPuck, are all “to.” The only “for” bets on the PointPuck layout are the Bonus Craps side bets (35 for 1 and 176 for 1), covered in the house edge list. Whenever you see a big number in the middle of a table, look for the little word next to it.

The horn, worked in dollars

A horn bet is four props in one: equal amounts on the 2, 3, 11, and 12. That's why horns are bet in $4 steps. A $4 horn is $1 on each. On the next roll:

• An 11 shows. The $1 on the 11 pays 15 to 1, so $15. The other three dollars lose. Net +$12.
• A 3 shows. Same math, 15 to 1 on the 3. Net +$12.
• A 2 or 12 shows. That dollar pays 30 to 1, so $30, minus the $3 that lost. Net +$27.
• Anything else (30 of the 36 ways). All $4 loses. Net −$4.

So the dealer shouting “yo eleven, horn pays twelve” makes sense: $15 won, $3 lost, $12 to the player. Run it over 36 rolls: two 3s and two 11s at +$12 is $48, one 2 and one 12 at +$27 is $54, total $102 won. Thirty losing rolls at $4 is $120 lost. Down $18 on $144 wagered: 12.50%.

C&E: the horn's two-bucket cousin

C&E stands for craps and eleven. It splits your bet two ways instead of four: half on any craps (2, 3, or 12 at 7 to 1) and half on the eleven (15 to 1). Bet it in even amounts. A $2 C&E puts $1 in each bucket. A 2, 3, or 12 pays $7 on the craps dollar while the eleven dollar loses: net +$6. An 11 pays $15 while the craps dollar loses: net +$14. Any other roll loses both, net −$2.

Over 36 rolls: four craps rolls at +$6 is $24, two elevens at +$14 is $28, total $52 won; 30 losers at $2 is $60 lost. Down $8 on $72: 11.11%. The C&E is a little cheaper than the horn because it folds the 2 and 12 into any craps at 7 to 1, which is the better price. Both are common comeout bets, which brings us to the insurance idea.

The “insurance” myth

On the comeout, a pass line bet loses to a 2, 3, or 12. The stickman may suggest “a dollar any craps to protect your pass line.” It sounds like insurance. It isn't.

Say you have $5 on the pass line and add $1 any craps every comeout. Over 36 comeouts, craps shows 4 times. Each time your pass line loses $5 and the any craps pays $7, so you net +$2 instead of −$5. Nice. But on the other 32 comeouts your any-craps dollar simply disappears: $32 gone. You paid $32 to collect $28. That's the 11.11% edge on any craps, unchanged, added on top of the pass line's 1.41%. You didn't protect anything. You bought a second losing bet and attached it to the first.

The same logic kills every hedge in the center: edges only add. The myths article goes through the popular hedges one by one.

Why the stickman keeps talking about them

The center is the stickman's territory, and part of the job is keeping the action lively: calling the roll, announcing the props that hit, inviting bets on the next one. That's the game as designed, not a scam. But the loud, exciting part of the table is also the part with the highest edges, and props are the traditional way players bet for the dealers as a tip. The energy is real; the value isn't. See table etiquette for how to toss a prop properly, and how to say no politely.

How to play props without hurting yourself

Most people who play craps eventually throw a dollar at the yo. That's fine. Here's how to keep it harmless.

• Keep them at $1. A $1 prop costs you 11 to 17 cents in expectation per roll. A $5 prop costs five times that. The thrill of a 30 to 1 hit doesn't scale with the bet; the loss does.
• Bet them rarely. A $1 yo on every roll of a 200-roll session is $200 wagered at 11.11%, about $22 gone. Once per hand and it's pocket change.
• Prefer the cheap end. If you want a pair, the standing hard 6 or 8 at 9.09% is better than hopping it at 13.89%. If you want the craps numbers, any craps at 11.11% is better than aces or boxcars at 13.89%. Never bet any seven; 16.67% is the price of a bad joke.
• Never call it a hedge. The moment a prop bet feels like protection, it's costing you more than you think.
• Count it against your bankroll honestly. If your session budget is $100, decide up front that $5 of it is prop money, and stop when it's gone.

The easiest way to feel this is with play money. Put $1 on the yo for 100 rolls on the practice table. It'll hit a few times, you'll cheer, and you'll finish down. Then do 100 rolls of pass line and odds and compare. Same dice, different prices.