Craps Bets

One of the first things that a new player should learn is how to make the different bets in Craps. With a proper understanding of how each bet works and the house edges associated we can make smarter decisions so we win more money. We have gone through and made a simple article about each bet that can be made. We have included our thoughts, the house edge, payout and if it is a popular bet.

Types of Craps Bets

Pass Line Bet – Most popular
Free Odds Bet – Strongly recommended
Don’t Pass Line Bet
Come Bet
Proposition Bets

Once you read through these articles and have a thorough understanding you will begin to see how everything works in Craps. We recommend that you start with the Pass Line Bet because that is the most popular bet and once you understand that the rest of the bets will become easy to learn.

Even if you are an intermdiate or advanced player you can still learn a lot from these articles. Whether you need to freshen up on some of the stats or haven’t made a certain type of bet in a while, you can get all the information you need.

Pass Line Bet

The Pass Line Bet is by far the most popular bet that players make in Craps. This is the bet that you see in the movies and the one that is widely associated with the game of Craps. One of the main reasons why it is so popular is because a player is required to make it if they want to be the shooter. Another reason is because players prefer to bet with the shooter, so when the shooter wins, they win. That is often why you see the Craps tables going wild, because everyone who makes this bet wins when the shooter does.

Free Odds Bet

We cannot stress to you enough how important this bet is. When you make a Pass Line bet and a point has been established, you can increase the size of your initial bet without giving the casino an additional house edge. The size of the Free Odds Bet varies from casino to casino but you will always be able to at least match the initial bet.

For example, you make a $10 bet on the Pass Line and the point of 5 is established. You can now make another bet (which will be on the 5). Some casinos may let you bet up to $50-$100 but online is generally smaller than that. The odds you receive on this second bet are true, meaning they are fair without any added house edge. Read are Free Odds article for more detailed information on the odds you receive on each number.

Don’t Pass Line Bet

The Don’t Pass Line Bet offers you the best house edge out of all the bets in Craps. With a house egde of just 1.40% you would assume that this would be the most popular bet. This isn’t the case however, the reason is because for you to win this bet the shooter must lose. As you can imagine, a lot of players try to steer clear of this bet at a live casino. It doesn’t exactly make for a great atmosphere when you are hoping that the shooter loses. If you play Craps online though, this is a solid bet to make simply because of the low house edge it provides.

Come Bet

The Come Bet is the same as the Pass Line Bet except for one simple difference. The come out roll has already happened and you don’t want to wait for a new round to start. When you make the Come Bet the next roll will be the come out roll for you. In some ways you will be playing a different game to the rest of the table because despite what happens with their bets, they don’t effect yours. You have your own come out roll and your own point, and the round finishes just like it would in a normal game.

This bet is a lot more popular at live casinos because when you play online you are generally playing by yourself. You can make this bet to speed the game up, so you can ride more bets at once, but it is more ppular in the live casino environment.

Don’t Come Bet

This is a mix of two other types of bets. If you learn the Don’t Pass Line as well as the Come Bet you won’t have any trouble understanding this. For those that like to make these two bets the Don’t Come Bet could be of interest to you. Read our full article to gain a better understanding of the specifics.

Proposition Bets

Proposition Bets are where the money is in Craps. They are also the sucker bets, which brings us to a dilemma doesn’t it? They have extremely high house edges (can be over 16%) but do offer some tempting odds. If you play these bets be prepared for large swings in your bankroll because this happens regularly. If you are out for a bit of fun then these can be an exciiting option, but we advise you to make Proposition Bets as little as possible. Some of the bets that come into this category are the Hardaways Bets and the Horn Bets.