Craps strategy, by the numbers
No systems, no streak-chasing, no nonsense. Just every bet's real price, and how to pay as little of it as possible.
The only table that matters
"House edge" is what the casino keeps of every dollar you wager on a bet, on average, forever. These are the standard published figures for the strip rules PointPuck uses:
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Pass line + max 3-4-5x odds | even + true odds | ≈ 0.37% |
| Don't pass + lay odds | even + true odds | ≈ 0.34% |
| Pass line alone | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Don't pass alone | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Buy 4 or 10 (vig on win) | 2:1 − 5% | ≈ 1.7% |
| Lay 4 or 10 (vig on win) | 1:2 − 5% | ≈ 1.7% |
| Buy 5 or 9 in $20 units (vig on win) | 3:2 − 5% | ≈ 2.0% |
| Field (2x on 2, 3x on 12) | 1:1 / 2:1 / 3:1 | 2.78% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Hard 6 / Hard 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1:1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 / Hard 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps / Ace-Deuce / Yo / C&E | 7:1 / 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Horn | splits 4 ways | 12.5% |
| Aces / Boxcars | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| Any Seven | 4:1 | 16.67% |
| All Small / All Tall | 35 for 1 | ≈ 18.3% |
| All or Nothing at All | 176 for 1 | ≈ 20.6% |
Strategy 1: the textbook (lowest cost per hour)
Pass line for your table minimum, then max odds the moment a point is set. Nothing else. Your blended house edge lands under 0.4% — cheaper than almost any game in the casino. On PointPuck: bet PASS, then tap MAX ODDS. It's boring exactly as often as it's smart.
Strategy 2: the 6-and-8 grind
Place the 6 and 8 (in $6 units for the clean 7:6 payout) after the point is set. Each is 1.52% — still cheap — and you get action on ten of the 36 combinations every roll. Take them down or off if the table turns cold.
Strategy 3: the dark side
Don't pass plus lay odds is mathematically the cheapest line in the game — you're rooting for the seven, which is why nobody at a real table will love you for it. Practicing here, nobody can hear you cheer.
The Iron Cross, honestly
Field + place 5, 6, and 8 covers every number except 7 — you win something on 30 of 36 combinations, which feels incredible. The blended edge is around 2.5%, meaningfully worse than pass-and-odds, and the 7 takes the whole spread at once. Fun to run, fine to know, just know what it costs.
What the math says to skip
Every red row above. Props and hardways run 9-17%, and the Bonus Craps sets run higher still — they're lottery tickets with table-game costumes. A dollar for the thrill is entertainment; a strategy they are not.
The rules that actually protect your bankroll
- Decide your session bankroll before you play, and size bets so 20+ losses don't bust you.
- The dice have no memory: no number is "due", no shooter is "hot" — every roll is 36 fresh combinations.
- Odds behind the line are the only zero-edge money on the felt. Take them before adding anything else.
- Systems that vary bet size on streaks (Martingale and friends) change the shape of your losses, never the average.
PointPuck's stats screen tracks your per-bet results, so you can watch these numbers prove themselves on your own play.