The Best Bets at Craps

31 August 2021

By Frank Scoblete

Last week I delved into two ideas to protect your money when you play the game of craps. This week I will tackle probably the biggest controversy in craps, which bets to make and which to avoid. This is a controversy because so many players have to many different ideas of how to properly play the game.

Obviously, I won’t be able to cover every bet in the game but it won’t be hard to get the picture I will be painting. Craps Is the most exciting game in the casino but to me it is far more exciting when you give yourself a great chance to win or, at the very least, a great chance not to be hammered by the casinos’ house edges.

Because craps is so exciting, many players don’t realize how much their money is at risk by their betting styles. They just get caught up in the overall flow of the game.

Okay, let me lay it on the line: The best bets to make at the game are the pass line with odds, the come bet with odds, the don’t pass with odds and the don’t come with odds. Since most players are rightside players, I will concentrate on these aspects of the game with just some superficial remarks about the darkside (meaning the don’t type of game) but generally what applies to the rightside will also apply to the darkside.

I am assuming that readers of this article understand these bets, when the are made, and how they are paid off.

With an edge of 1.41 percent on the pass line and come bets (with the added odds having a zero percent edge), the house wins just $1.41 per $100 wagered on these two bets. The bets are only active per decision when they are first placed on the layout (they win on the 7 or 11 and lose on the 2,3 or 12 which means the bet favors the player by two to one). Once they are up on a number they will hit based on how often they will appear in 36 rolls versus the 7 which appears on average six times in 36 rolls. All other rolls do not affect the game of the pass line or come number versus the 7.

So, you are on the 6 which has five ways of hitting versus the 7 which has six ways of hitting; your game now has eleven decisions which affect your bet. It has 25 decisions which have nothing to do with your bet. The house edge does not work on the no-decisions.

Now if you were to play just one bet against the casino your losses would be relatively low and your bankroll over time would have some lasting power.

Although I advocate the one-bet solution in the game of craps, I can actually hear the moans crossing the continent from veteran craps players who do not want my simple method of playing. So, for you then add another bet (but it must be a pass line or come bet) to the mix. (Or two more bets if you follow the traditional advice of having three bets. But keep in mind three bets will increase your losses three times more over time.)

The odds bet is excellent and put whatever you can afford in odds on your bets. It is best to make your pass line or come bets low and put as mush in odds as you can afford. You are better with a $5 pass or come bet with $10 in odds than you are with a $15 pass or come bet with no odds. The house edge is only working on the $5 but it is otherwise working on the whole $15.

All other bets should be ignored.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.