Learn about the casino game of Craps with payout odds, dice combinations, and which bets offer the smallest house edge. Free Craps games only of Microgaming Software.

• Craps House Edge Field
• Craps House Edge With Odds

Craps is one of the most popular dice games in the world, with a rich history that can be traced back to the Roman Empire. The dynamic pace of play and the wide range of betting options are what have caused craps to become an absolute staple in both online casinos and landbased gambling establishments.

Since craps relies heavily on chance and there is no way to affect the outcome of the dice toss, many inexperienced players wrongly assume craps is an easy game to play. This is not necessarily true as the sheer number of betting options will suffice to overwhelm any craps novice. While there is no way for players to predict the outcome of the dice with certainty, they can still turn up a good profit as long as they take the time to learn the bet types and the possible dice combinations. Understanding the house edge, the true odds, and the payouts certainly can work to the advantage of craps players.

Understanding the House Edge

Gambling establishments do not generate profits because the personnel manages to outplay the customers. The casinos’ profits result from the built-in advantage they have over their players. This built-in advantage is referred to as the “house edge” and is the key thing inexperienced players need to understand prior to joining the craps table.

All casino games are tilted in favor of the house as it utilizes the law of averages to gain its edge over the players. The house edge is typically expressed as a percentage and represents the average profit the casino collects from each wager the players make. Please note the house generates a profit on every single bet, regardless of whether it is a winning or a losing one.

As was mentioned earlier, there is a great number of bets you can place in craps. But what is more important, the house edge tends to fluctuate between the different bet types. On some craps bets, the house edge drops to zero while on others, the house’s advantage skyrockets to a two-digit figure. That is why, smart players choose bets with lower house edge which helps them to exploit the game and end their betting session on profit.

Let us demonstrate how the house edge works with an example. Bets on the Pass Line have a low edge of 1.41%. This means that for each $100 players wager on the Pass Line, the casino will collect an average of $1.41. Whether players win or lose is irrelevant – either way, they will lose $1.41 on average per every $100 they wager on the Pass Line. There are players who prefer to place Proposition bets because the latter have more substantial payouts. However, this is not always a good idea since the house edge for Proposition bets ranges between 5.56% and 16.67%.

Pass/Don’t Pass Line bets and Come/Don’t Come bets are considered a smarter option, especially for inexperienced players. The tilt in favor of the casino is smaller with such bets and the probability of the shooter rolling a winning dice combination for these bets is much greater. Because of this, such bets have lower payout ratio and pay even money.

Players, who wager on the Pass Line are allowed to lay or take odds on their bets. Once the shooter rolls his point, players can collect money on their Pass Line bets but will also be paid at true odds. This causes the house edge to drop to 0% and is the only instance in which the casino does not have an advantage over craps players. How winning bets are paid also influences the house edge. When paying out winning multiple-roll bets, the casino typically rounds the sum down to the nearest number.

Dice Combinations in Craps

In order to calculate the house edge on craps bets, players are required to acquaint themselves with the dice combinations and the probability of each number being rolled. As we know, craps is played with two dice and each die is a cube with six equal-sized sides. There are 11 possible outcomes of a two-die toss, namely 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

The number of possible combinations is calculated by multiplying the number of the sides of the two dice. Thus, we get 6 x 6 = 36, from which it follows there are 36 combinations that all will total one of the eleven outcomes we have listed above. You can check the dice combinations and the totals they add up to below.

It certainly is not difficult to notice there are more combinations for some of the outcomes. There are more ways for the shooter to roll out 7 than any other number as becomes evident by the diamond shape of the middle column. Since there are 6 combinations of the dice that total 7, the chances of this particular number being rolled are the greatest. This is yet another thing players need to consider carefully when deciding which types of bets to place at the craps table.

How to Calculate the House Edge in Craps

As craps is a negative expectation game, it is mathematically impossible for players to gain advantage over the house. The only exception is when players are taking or laying odds on their bets. However, understanding the probability of specific numbers being rolled and the house edge on different bet types is essential as it would enable players to make better-informed decisions when placing their bets.

The two dice used in the game of craps allow for a total of 11 outcomes with totals from 2 to 12. There are 36 different ways in which the shooter can roll these 11 outcomes. From this, it follows that the total of 3 can be rolled in two different ways meaning that the probability of this number being thrown is 2 to 36. Similarly, there are six different combinations that add up to seven, so the chances of throwing this number are 6 in 36. The probability of rolling any of the other numbers can be calculated in the same fashion.

Once players understand how to calculate probability, they can proceed to calculate the house edge. It would be best to provide an example to make things as clear as possible. The Craps 2 bet wins whenever a total of 2 comes up on the next roll of the dice. In other words, there are 35 ways to lose and a single way to win with this type of bet. If it wins, the payout will be 30 to 1. Since there are only two outcomes for this type of bets, win or lose, its expected value can be calculated in the following way: (1/36)x30 – (35/36) = -5/36 = -13.89%.

Craps House Edge Field

Other wagers, like the Any Craps bet, allow for more winning combinations. The Any Craps bet pays out 7 to 1 whenever numbers 2, 3 or 12 are rolled. There is one combination for number 2, two combinations that add up to number 3, and one combination that adds up to 12. Thus, there are 4 ways to win out of 36 possible combinations, so the probability of collecting a payout with this bet can be expressed like this: 4/36 = 1/9. This means that out of every nine Any Craps bets, one will win and the other eight will lose. The expected return for this bet can be expressed as follows: (4/36)x7 – (32/36) = -4/36 = -1/9 = -11.11%.

As you can see, the house edge in craps tends to fluctuate greatly depending on the type of bet you place. With some bet types where the outcome is determined by multiple rolls of the dice, calculating the built-in house advantage is a mean feat. Players, who experience difficulties performing such complex calculations, can try to learn the house edge of craps bets by heart.

Understanding the True Odds

You may have noticed there is a discrepancy between the probability of winning with specific bets and the way the winnings are paid out. This discrepancy is exactly what gives the house its edge. The house succeeds in maintaining an advantage over players by paying less for winning bets than the true odds would dictate. For instance, bets on the Pass Line pay even money and have the lowest house edge of 1.41% only, which means players will lose $1.40 on average per every $100 they wager at the craps table. Basically, the only exception to this rule is when free odds are taken or laid on the bet – in this case, the house holds no advantage over players because winnings are paid at true odds.

You may wonder why players persist in betting on craps when the game is obviously tilted against them. The truth of the matter is smart players exploit a phenomenon, called distribution variance, which is precisely what causes the hot and cold streaks when the dice are rolled repeatedly, because perfect, even distribution is something that occurs rarely, if ever, in nature.

Also, it is important to remember that it takes prolonged periods of time for the odds to balance out so that the house can make a profit. Thousands of hundreds of dice rolls are required for the odds to follow their natural path and maintain equilibrium. However, many players remain at the craps table for short periods of time only. It is precisely during these fleeting moments of time that variance creeps in and allows craps players to turn up a profit. At least, if they bet smartly, manage their bankroll properly, and understand the probabilities of winning with different types of bets.

The Payouts of Craps Bets

What causes confusion among inexperienced players is the overwhelming number of bets they can place at the craps table. Needless to say, as the probability of rolling out specific numbers varies, the payouts for different craps bets also differ. Since the chances of winning with bets on the Pass/Don’t Pass Line and Come/Don’t Come bets are the greatest, these wagers pay even money. The chances of winning with Proposition bets are smaller, so their payouts are more significant. You will be able to find the payouts and the house edge for all bets in craps in the table below.

Craps Vig from the word “vigorish,” is defined as the percentage edge the house takes for every dollar gambled. The vig is often misleading when it comes to how much a casino actually makes and how much a player actually loses in a random craps game and it is seriously misleading when it comes to an advantage player at craps who changes the odds by his controlled throwing.
For example, if Place betting is your style and if you Place the 6 and 8 in multiples of $6, the vig is considered 1.52 percent. You should get paid $7.20 for a winning $6 bet on the 6 or 8, but you only get paid $7 when you win. You'll have five winners ($5 X $7 = $35) and six losers when the 7 rears its ugly head (6 X $6 = $36).
In those 11 decisions, you'll be down a dollar because the casino kept that dollar as its share. You've wagered $66 dollars on those 11 decisions, lost one dollar (1 divided by 66 is 0.01515). There's the craps vig for the normal, random placing of the 6 and 8.
So you bring $100 to the casino and you figure you're going to bet $6 on the 6 and 8, which is $12 total, thinking that you only stand to lose about 1.52 percent of your money, a dollar fifty to make it rounded. So you think you're going to go home with about $98.50 in the long run using that same $100. But you won't.
In the long run the 1.52 percent house edge will wipe your $100 away and safely tuck it into the casino coffers. Why? Because in the long run, or even over one or a few sessions, you will bet far, far more than that $100.
Your money will be going back and forth, back and forth, and with each back and forth, the house edge is subtly chop, chop, chopping away at your cash.
The placement of the 6 and 8 will see it acted upon approximately 44 times per hour, if we assume 100 rolls of the dice in that hour. So assuming in 100 rolls the numbers we’re concerned with, the 6, 8 or 7, will appear (on average) about 44 times.
The 6 and 8 will appear approximately 28 times (winning you $196, while the 7 will pop up 17 times (losing you $204). I'm rounding up the fractions here so that's why we have 44 percent but 45 appearances. Darn math!
In 100 rolls, you can expect to be down $8. One hundred rolls of the dice is about one hour’s worth of play, sometimes less in a fast game. Now that $100 has been whittled away to $92. In the second hour, you'll lose another $8 and be down to $84 and on down it goes over time.
Of course in the real world of casino craps, the losing of your $100 will not be smooth. You might win a whole bunch of rolls right from the get-go and be substantially ahead. Conversely, you might lose a whole bunch of rolls and be so down, emotionally and economically, that the only thing you want to do is slink out of the casino and return to your room to suck your thumb.
And what about the casino itself? Chances are with all those craps tables seeing sustained action, the casino achieves the long run in short order and that means whatever swings, up or down, any given table is experiencing at any given moment will all smooth out according to the math as the other tables contribute to the casino's bottom line.
Anyway, in a strictly random contest, the wise player just goes with the best mathematical bets if he wants to see his bankroll last as long as possible. These would be Pass with odds, Come with odds, the placing of the 6 or 8, and the buying of the other numbers if the craps vig is taken out only on a win.
In a random craps game, a player has no chance to be a long-term winner if he actually plays a lot, the math will grind him to dust and that is the reality of the situation.
Here math and reality are joined like Siamese twins that can't be separated. So my advice when paying against any random shooter or in any random game is to follow the math. The casinos do and they do quite nicely, economically speaking, thank you.
Now to the meat of the matter for controlled craps shooters.
What relationship does the random craps vig have with the real craps vig when someone is changing the odds of the game by reducing the appearance of the 7? Do all the numbers fill in equally if someone's SRR [seven to rolls ratio] is 1:8?
Or do some numbers fill in more than others based on the set and the skill of that particular setter? Keep in mind that in a strictly random game of craps the SRR is 1:6. It's the latter, unquestionably, as the numbers do not fill in equally.
A skilled controlled shooter, staying reasonably on axis (meaning his dice stay pretty much as he originally set them without flopping to this or that side), will be avoiding not just the 7 but other numbers as well. It would take much too much time to go into which and why those numbers would be for every set, but suffice it to say that there's a whole new set of mathematical principles when it comes to controlled shooting.
To conclude this craps vig lesson, wise and skillful dice controllers will develop an understanding of which numbers they tend to hit more than other numbers as they are reducing the 7.
These 'signature numbers' will be like having the casinos name on one of those big, fat oversized checks, only this will be a cashable check, not a cardboard one.
It will say: Pay to the Order of This Controlled Shooter.
Such 'signatures' will be money in the bank despite the craps vig of the game.

Craps Vig is followed by Craps Players and the roll of the dice
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Craps House Edge With Odds

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