Craps: The Loudest Table, the Quietest Good Bets
Craps looks like chaos, forty betting zones and a crowd shouting at dice. Ignore 90% of the layout. The game underneath is two good bets and one of the casino's only zero-edge wagers.
The Game in One Paragraph
A shooter rolls two dice. First roll (come-out): 7 or 11 wins the Pass line, 2, 3 or 12 loses it, anything else sets the "point". The shooter then rolls until they repeat the point (Pass wins) or roll a 7 (Pass loses). That loop is the entire core game. Everything else on the felt is a side bet on top of it.
The Bets Worth Making
- Pass line: 1.41% house edge. The standard bet, the table's heartbeat.
- Don't Pass: 1.36%, marginally better, betting against the shooter. Online, nobody glares at you for it.
- Free odds: once a point is set, you can back your bet with "odds" paid at true probability, 0% house edge. The only genuinely fair bet in the building. Take the maximum the table allows: 3x-4x-5x odds drag your combined edge down to ~0.37%.
- Come / Don't Come: the same good math, repeatable mid-round.
The Bets That Pay for the Lights
The middle of the table is where bankrolls go to die: Any 7 carries a 16.67% edge, Any Craps 11.1%, hardways 9–11%, Field around 5.6%. Loud, fun, terrible. Same pattern as blackjack side bets: the flashy options subsidise the fair ones. Stick to the perimeter.
Craps Online
RNG craps gives you the full layout at your own pace, ideal for learning with small stakes. Live dealer craps (Evolution runs a table with a mechanical dice thrower) restores the theatre at ~30 rolls per hour. Slower pace, same math, better evening. Pass line plus maximum odds, a hard session budget, and you're playing one of the best-priced games in the casino - details on table selection in our casino reviews and the live casino guide. 18+, limits first.
A First Session, Scripted
Open an RNG craps table at minimum stakes. Bet pass line only for ten rounds - just watch the come-out / point / resolution loop until it's boring. Then add maximum odds behind your pass bet and feel how the variance changes: bigger swings, better math. Round three, add one Come bet per roll. That three-step ladder is the entire competent craps repertoire; the other 35 betting zones are decoration you now know to ignore. Total tuition: maybe €20 at low stakes. Cheaper than one evening of Field bets.
Craps FAQ
Why is the odds bet "zero edge", what's the casino's angle?
Odds can only be placed behind a pass/come bet that already paid its 1.41% toll. The fair bet is the dessert; the house already charged for the meal. That's also why tables cap odds at 3x-4x-5x, unlimited fair money isn't a business.
Is Don't Pass rude online?
Nobody cares online, there's no shooter's ego to bruise at an RNG table, and live craps chat is more relaxed than Vegas folklore. Take the extra 0.05% without guilt.
Does dice setting / controlled throwing work?
Online it's not even a question, RNG and mechanical throwers remove the human roll entirely. In person, no controlled-shooting claim has ever survived measurement. Budget on 1.36–1.41%, enjoy the noise.