Craps Bets – How to Bet on Craps

There are lots of different bets to learn when it comes to playing craps. There are a number of bets to practice in the beginning and once you’ve mastered these the rest will be much easier to understand. We’ll start by introducing a few types of craps bets before going into more detail.

Craps Bets for Beginners

• Pass Line Bet – the favorite of many craps players and the best bet to place for beginners
• Don’t Pass Line – many players consider this to be the wrong bet, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re playing craps online
• Craps Come Bet – this is another of the better bets to place, particularly for beginners
• Don’t Come Bet – the reverse of the Come bet, also considered by many live casino players to be the wrong bet
• Put Bets – a Pass Line bet that’s made, or ‘put’ down after the come-out roll and a point has been established
• Odds Bets – laying or taking of odds
• Place Bets – you can make a place bet on any of the point numbers
• Buy Bets – some consider this a good bet and some consider it a bad bet
• Lay Bets – the opposite of a Buy Bet
• Field Bet – a one-bet that wins if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 appears and loses is a 5, 6, 7 or 8 appears. You might find a number of casinos swapping the 9 for a 5, where a 5 wins and a 9 loses
• Big Six and Big Eight – these bets are the same as the Place bets for the 8 and 6, except they pay off differently and are located in different places on the layout. Considered to be sucker bets, very few people bet on and as such many craps tables no longer have them
• Hard Way Bets – can only be bet on the 10, 8, 6 or 4 that it will appear before either the ‘easy way’ or a 7
• Any Craps – a one-roll bet, meaning it doesn’t ‘stand’ for repeated rolls in the same way as a PassLine Bet. If a craps appears immediately after making a bet you win. If it doesn’t ‘show’ then you lose. ‘Craps’ is when a 2, 3 or 12 shows
• Any 7 – a one-roll bet. If a 7 shows after making the bet you win and if it doesn’t you lose
• Craps and Eleven Bet – also called the craps bet C & E and is a proposition bet
• The 2, 3, 11 and 12 Craps Bets – all one-roll bets
• 3-Way Craps and Over/Under 7 Bets – a very rare type of bet
• A Hop or Hopping Bet – another proposition bet
• Craps Horn Bet – one-roll proposition bet on the 12, 11, 3 and 2
• Craps Whirl Bet – also known as a ‘World’ bet and is a one-roll proposition bet that adds the Any Seven bet to the craps Horn Bet
• The Fire Bet – a bet on one single shooter making at least four unique point numbers without rolling a 7-out
• The Small, Tall and All Bets – a fairly new type of bet with a minimum bet amount of just $1
• The Free Odds Bet – an unusual bet on the table because it’s the only one that doesn’t have a house advantage. But there is a catch in that it can only be plated in conjunction with another bet

Best Craps Casinos for Craps Bets in 2024

Different Types of Bets In Craps

We’ve just given you a pretty comprehensive list of the different types of bets you can make when playing craps. And on a previous page we looked at craps bets and layouts of the craps table. Now we’re going to look at a number of them in a little more detail, and from a slightly different angle. Basically, all the different bets can be divided into three separate categories: line bets, single roll bets and multi-line bets.

Line Bets

These are the most common type of wager placed in craps and include the Pass Line Bet and the Don’t Pass Bet. Both of which are an integral part of the game as the shooter has to make one of them before they can make their come out roll. You may also find a number of casinos insist on either of these being placed if a player wants to make any other wager.

• Pass Line Bet – this bet is placed before a come out roll and pays out even more money when it wins. And for it to win, the come out roll has to be 7 or 11. if the come out roll is 2, 3 or 12 it loses. Any other number rolled will establish the Point and the Pass Line bet will remain on the table. If the point number is rolled again the bet wins. But if a 7 is rolled before the point number the bet will lose.
• Don’t Pass Bet – Essentially, this is the opposite bet to a pass line bet that is also placed before a come out roll and pays even money too. If a 7 or 11 is rolled in the come out roll the bet loses. But if a 2 or 3 is rolled it wins. If the come out roll is a 12 this is referred to as a push and is neither a win or a loss. The same as a Pass Line bet, it stays o the table when a point is established and wins is a 7 is rolled before the point number and loses if the point number is rolled before a 7.
• Taking the Odds – After a Pass Line bet has been placed and the point has been established it’s possible to follow up with a follow up wager known as taking the odds. If the point number is rolled before the 7 it wins and loses if the opposite occurs. Higher than even payouts are offered on this bet because it is statistically more likely for a 7 to be rolled. For example, a point number of 6 or 8 has a pay-out of 6:5. For 5 or 9 the payout is 3:2. And for 4 or 10 the payout is 2:1. Technically, taking the odds has a house edge of zero but to counteract this advantage for players you’ll find casinos placing a limit on how much you can wager, relative to the size of your pass bet.
• Laying the odds – This is a follow up wager to a don’t pass bet that is placed after the point is established. Essentially, it is the opposite of taking the odds. Therefore, if the point number is rolled before a 7 the bet loses and wins if a 7 is rolled before the point number. The payouts are the same as taking the odds but reversed.
• Come Bet – This is described as a pass line bet that’s placed after the come out roll. When placing a come bet, the first roll after it determines the number to be used as the point for the wager. If it is rolled before a 7 the come bet wins and if it’s rolled after a 7 it loses. Another option is to take the odds on a come bet.
• Don’t Come Bet – This is essentially a don’t pass bet that is placed after the come out roll. Following such a wager, the first roll establishes the point for the wager. The wager wins if a 7 is rolled before the point and loses if the point is rolled first. Laying the odds is possible on a don’t come bet too.

Single Roll Bets

The outcome of this type of wager is determined by a single roll of the dice. Basically, you are betting on the result of a single roll. For this type of wager, the house high is quite high, but the odds are higher than wagers we’ve already mentioned. This makes them very attractive for a number of players. Another name for this type of bet is a proposition bet. Let’s look at a few examples:

• Field – Covers the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12 and you win if any of them are rolled. Even money is paid out although you’ll find a number of casinos paying out at 2:1 if a 2 or 12 is rolled
• On the Hop – A bet on any specific combination of dice for the next roll. For example, 2 and 2 or 5 and 1. This type of bet tends to pay out at 15:1 unless you’ve bet on a double in which case the payout will be 30:1
• Any Craps – A bet on 2, 3 or 12 being rolled with a pay out of 7:1
• Snake Eyes/ Aces – A wager on a double one being rolled with a pay out of 30:1
• Seven – Requires a seven to be rolled to win and the pay out is 4:1
• Yo – This requires the shooter to roll 11 and pays out 15:1

Multi Roll Bets

This type of wager won’t be settled on the first roll and may take several rolls before it’s resolved, one example of such a bet is a hard way bet. This is a bet that the shooter will throw a specific number (4, 6, 6 or 10) the hardest way possible, as in a double before throwing the corresponding number the easy way (not as a double) or a seven. Other examples of multi roll bets are:

• Easy Way – The opposite of a hard way wager and you are betting that the shooter will roll a 4, 6, 8 or 10, the easy way before throwing a 7
• Big 6 – A wager that the shooter will throw a 6 before he throws a 7
• Big 8 – A wager that the shooter will throw an 8 before a 7 is thrown

Let’s finish by sharing some craps betting tips to help you enjoy the game more and hopefully become more successful at playing casino craps online.

How To Win At Craps – 6 Tips For Craps Betting

1. The best bet on a come out roll is the pass line bet – The pass line bet gives you the best position on the come out roll and is the first bet placed in craps. At this point the house advantage is only 1.41%. This bet pays out if the shooter rolls 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12 you lose. Any other number rolled establishes the Point. And if the shooter rolls the point number again before a7 you’ll get a payout.
2. Always take the odds bet – When the shooter has established the Point it’s possible to place an extra free odds bet. This particular bet is one of the best you can make in online craps as the house has zero edge. If you’re playing online always place the free odds bet. And if you’re allowed to, place a bet twice as big as the original pass line bet. Not all casinos allow this option but if yours does it will be best to place higher free odds bets and lower pass line bets.
3. Place come bets – When a point has been established you can place come bets which means the next roll for you becomes a come out roll. You win if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 and lose if they roll 2, 3 or 12.
4. Place two come bets together with a pass line bet – This is another strategy worth considering because it will give you three numbers operating to your advantage. A number of pros consider this quantity of bets as ideal. Keep three bets in play all the time by placing another bet when you’ve made a win.
5. Stay away from proposition bets – The reason being that this type of bet will have a significantly large house edge.
6. Avoid Hard 10, Hard 4, Big 6 or Big 8 – All of these bets are seen as poor because the house edge is around 11%.

One last piece of advice for anyone considering playing craps is to learn all about the game first. Admittedly, you’re already off to a great start because you found your way here. We’ve provided you with all the necessary information relating to the game and how to play it, introduced the different types of bets as well as the variety of games. We’ve provided you with some of the craps lingo in our glossary and even given you the history of the game. All that’s now required is for you to read those pages and then you’re all set to play crap for free or real money.

It’s important to know which are good and which are the bad bets to play when shooting dice for real money. Making the wrong choice could cost hundreds of dollars and will most definitely put an end to the fun. Over time and after lots of practice and following the moves of other players you’ll get to recognize the difference and become the good craps player you’ve dreamed of.