How to Bet on Craps

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 19, 2021

Craps is a fast paced game that doesn’t allow you a lot of times to sit and ask questions. If you’re just learning to play it would probably be good to team up with an advanced player at first. They can help you out if you are unsure what you should do and they’ll be able to explain each bet to you as it happens. However, it’s a lot of fun and you can help to prepare yourself by learning how to bet.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Learning about Chips and Bets

1
Learn the chip denominations. Chips are used in gambling in the place of real money. When you go into a casino you'll be able to buy chips at the table using cash. If you want to get more chips than money you have in cash you'll have to visit the register. Ask an employee at the casino where to buy more chips and they will be happy to direct you.
- The chips will be labeled by how much they are. Try to learn which chip is which before you start playing so you don't find yourself fumbling with your bets.
2
Understand the Pass Line Bet and its variations. The Pass Line Bet is the most common bet in craps. It’s a very easy bet and you can easily get through a whole night of gambling only knowing this one bet. All you have to do is put your chips on the pass line on the table. You'll be able to tell were that is because it will say 'Pass Line' in big letters.
- You can make the Pass Line bet on a come out roll, which is designated by a black marker on the table that says ‘off’. If you see a black marker on the table with the word 'off' on it then you'll know you are allowed to make your bet.
- You win even money if the come out roll (when the black marker is on the table) is a 7 or an 11 and you lose if it is a 2, 3 or 12.^{[1]
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- If any other number is rolled that number becomes the ‘point’ and person rolling the dice continues rolling until they hit a 7 or that number that the rolled the first time again. The point is the term for the number you want to roll again. If a 7 comes first, you lose. If the other number comes first, you win.
- Even money means that if you put one dollar down you win one dollar.
- Do not make a Pass Line bet after the come out roll. Your odds of winning go down.
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3
Learn the Field bet. Field bets are simple. You can place your chips on any of the word ‘field’ in the center of the table. You win if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is rolled. You lose on all the other numbers. ^{[2]
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- These bets can be made at any time before the subsequent roll.
- On many tables 2 and 12 pay you double your money. On some tables 12 pays you triple the money you bet. ^{[3]
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4
Try Place Bets. By making a Place bet you’re establishing your own ‘point’ in the middle of a roll. Basically this means that you’re choosing a number that you want to appear before a 7. The numbers you can choose are 4, 5, 6, 8 , 9, and 10. If one of these numbers is rolled before the person rolling rolls a 7, then you win.^{[4]
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- The best odds are on the 6 and the 8.^{[5]
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5
Learn Proposition bets. You’ll know if you lost a Proposition bet after the very next throw, so if you’re in no mood to wait around this might be the bet for you. These bets are located in the center of the craps table. You choose one of these bets and hope they occur on the next roll. For example, if you choose Snake Eyes you're betting that two one's will be rolled on the very next roll.
- There are a number of proposition bets that change depending on what casino you’re playing in and in what country. Some common bets include Snake Eyes (you win if the shooter rolls a 2), Any seven (you win if a 7 is rolled), and hi-lo (you win if the shooter rolls a 2 or a 12).^{[6]
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- Proposition bets have very low odds and are not considered a good bet for the player.
6
Learn Hardaways. Although many don’t think highly of these bets, it’s certainly another option. You can win if 4, 6, 8, or 10 are rolled in pairs, but you lose when the number rolls not in pairs or the shooter rolls a 7. ^{[7]
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- Rolling in pairs means that the same number has to appear on each of the die. So to get a 6 you would have to roll two threes.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Understanding Good Bets Versus Bad Bets

1
Understand the house edge. The house edge is the casino’s average profit on any bet. For the basic Pass Line bet the house edge is 1.41. The idea is that you’ll lose on average 1.41 % of whatever you’ve wagered when you play this bet. This is actually one of the best odds in craps. ^{[8]
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- However, in a free odds bet there is no house edge. The odds aren’t stacked against you. ^{[9]
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2
Try a free odds bet during the Pass Line Bet. Once the ‘point’ has been established you can do what is called ‘ taking the odds’. Remember that the point is the number that you want rolled before a 7.
- This means placing additional chips behind the pass line, sort of like doubling down in blackjack. Free odds is the only bet in a casino where the odds aren’t against you.^{[10]
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- There is no house edge because if you win the bets are paid at true odds. ^{[11]
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  Research source} This mean that if there is a 3-1 chance of winning your bet you’ll get paid 3 dollars for every 1 dollar you bet. Most bets don’t pay true odds.
3
Avoid Hardaway and Proposition bets. The house edge on Hardaways is between 9 and 11 percent and the house edge on Proposition bets can go as high as 17 percent. ^{[12]
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Research source} Although they might be fun to try now and then when you’re feeling lucky, you need to understand the odds are stacked against you.
- These bets are known as ‘sucker bets’.
4
Place on the 6 or 8 to win. If you want to switch it up between pass line bets and free odds bets, try placing your chips on the 6 or the 8 to win.^{[13]
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Research source} You place your chips on one of these numbers on the table before the roll.
- If you place to win the house edge is only 1.52 %, which is only .10 % worse odds than the Pass Line bet.
5
Avoid field bets. There are sixteen ways to win a field bet and twenty ways to lose. Those are bad odds right there.
- Although you may be drawn to these field bets because of the double money being paid out on 2 and 12, it is still a bad idea. The payout might seem enticing but the odds are far worse than 50/50 that you’ll end up winning.^{[14]
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- This isn’t a terrible bet. The house is only 2.77 %. However there are certainly better bets that you could make.^{[15]
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Finished.