Craps Betting Strategies

ACE Strategy is part of the dice advice series. With this craps strategy you place bet across all the numbers and make c and e bet. (Any craps and eleven) with this craps betting strategy you will. Craps strategies come in a variety of forms, each with their own objective. Some strategies focus on managing your bank roll, others intend to secure long-term profits, while others revolve around strategic betting and cutting out certain bet types altogether. Craps strategies come in a variety of forms, each with their own objective. Some strategies focus on managing your bank roll, others intend to secure long-term profits, while others revolve around strategic betting and cutting out certain bet types altogether. May 08, 2020 For instance, one popular Craps betting strategy is The Iron Cross, whereby a player places a Field bet and Place bets on five, six and eight to cover every possible outcome apart from a seven. Initially this seems an attractive prospect, particularly as it has an 83.34% win probability for any given roll.

Many people believe that craps is quite a challenging game and even assume they cannot learn to play it. However, this concept is wrong, and craps rules are straightforward – the players place wagers on the results that come out after throwing two dice. What can confuse you and make the game somewhat challenging is the multiple craps bets available.

Most bets in craps are quite easy to understand, but the main difficulty comes from their significant number, which makes the game a bit complicated and inexperienced players often get confused and cannot distinguish the best craps bets.

Happily, it is not significant players to be closely familiar with all wagers to play craps – it is enough to understand the pass line and don’t pass line bets, the odds bets and the come and don’t come wagers. Below you will find detailed information about these essential bets, description of other types of craps bets, and valuable data about the best bets in craps. Thus, you will be able to come up with a craps betting strategy that works for you.

Pass Line and Don’t Pass Bets

These bets are not only the easiest to understand but also the two most common wagers. Typically, shooters have to place one of these two wagers before they make the come-out roll. Some casinos also require players to make the pass line or don’t pass bet before they place any other bets.

The main rules about these two chances are that players need to put them right before the come-out roll and that the two wagers pay 1:1 when they are winning, which means that the bets pay even cash.

In case the come-out roll comes in seven or eleven, then the pass line wager is successful. The bet is unsuccessful if the outcome is two, three or twelve. When any other number comes out as a result of the roll, it establishes the so-called “point, ” and the bet remains valid until the player turns the point or goes seven. In the first case, i.e. when the point comes out of the roll, the bet registers a win. However, if the player throws 7, then the bet loses.

The don’t pass win will bring a win to the punter when the come-out throw results in two or three. It will lose if the player throws seven or eleven. Throwing 12, the wager neither wins nor loses, and it becomes pushed. If any other value comes out of the roll, this value becomes the point. In case the shooter hits the point again, the bet releases a loss, but the wager is winning if the shooter rolls seven.

Come and Don’t Come Wagers

These two wagers are very much like the pass and don’t pass ones with the single difference that the players should place them after establishing the point instead of before that. The concept behind the come and don’t come craps bets may be a bit confusing, so we will discuss it in details to help you understand them thoroughly.

A come bet will win if the shooter rolls seven or eleven, and it will lose if the shooter throws two, three or twelve. In case the player throws any other number of the dice, it becomes the point for the come bet. Thus, if the dice roll five, then five is the point. The shooter throws again, and the wager is still valid. The bet wins if the shooter rolls five again and loses in case the result of the throw is 7.

The other way round, the don’t pass wager does not succeed if the shooter hits seven or eleven on their first roll after the placing of the stake. The bet succeeds if the dice run two or three. Any other number fixes the point and the stakes continue to be valid until the shooter rolls the point and your bet loses or they throw seven and your bet wins.

The come and don’t come wagers give even cash when they become winning, meaning that the ratio is 1:1.

Odds Craps Bets

Now that you are familiar with the four most essential bets in the dice game, we will describe the other types of wagers, so that you will be able to establish your craps betting strategy. Odds wagers resemble side bets, and players make them after the establishment of a point in each game. There are four types of odds wagers which are extensions of the four bets we described above: pass line odds, don’t pass odds, come odds and don’t come odds.

The pass line odds enhance your pass line bet after the establishment of a point. It loses if the shooter throws seven and wins if they roll the point before rolling seven. The key benefit of the pass line odds wager is that you win, you get your payment at true odds, which means that there is hardly any house edge. The payouts are different depending on the point. Thus, if the point is four or ten, the ratio is 2:1. If the point is five or nine, the payouts are 3:2, and in case the shooter throws six or eight, the payouts are 6:5. According to the rules of craps, you should announce that you are “taking the odds” when you decide to make a pass line odds wager. There is a limit as to the stake because there is no house edge in this case. Players can stake up to three times the total sum of their initial pass line bet, but some casinos allow larger amounts to stake.

The don’t pass odds wager boosts the don’t pass bet, and it wins if the dice run seven before throwing the point. The bet is unsuccessful if the shooter runs the point before rolling seven. The winning bet pays out at true odds, and there is no house edge here, too. Here are different payouts according to the point that the shooter rolls: in case the player throws four or ten, the payment is 1:2; if the point is five or nine, the payouts are 2:3; if the shooter rolls six or eight, the ratio is 5:6. The rules about craps bets define that you need to announce that you are “laying the odds” in case you are willing to put a don’t pass odds wager. There is a limit as to the amount of the stake due to the lack of a house edge.

Big 6 and Big 8

These two craps bets are easy to understand – the big six chance becomes winning if the shooter throws six before rolling seven; the big eight wager wins in case the shooter goes eight before throwing seven. Both bets pay out 1:1, meaning that the payouts are even if they win.

Place Win and Place Lose Bets

Gamblers can make place win wagers after the come-out throw and after the establishment of the point. The player can put a bet on the numbers four, five, six, eight, ten or nine. The wager wins if the number you have selected comes out before seven. Again, the payout ratios depend on the particular number. Thus, if you have selected six or eight, the ratio is 7:6; in case you have betted on five or nine, the payouts are 7:5; if your number is four or ten, the ratio is 9:5.

The place lose wagers are exactly the opposite of the place win ones. You can bet on the same set of numbers (four, five, six, eight, nine or ten) but here the wager wins if the shooter throws seven before rolling the number you have selected. Once again, the payouts distribution depends on the specific number: six or eight get 4:5 payouts; if you have picked five or nine, the ratio is 5:9; and in case the number is four or ten, the payouts are 5:11.

Field Wagers

The field wagers are placed on the following roll of the dice. The bet succeeds if the shooter hits two, three, four, nine, ten, eleven or twelve and pays double in case of two or twelve and even money for all other numbers. The wager loses if the shooter throws five, six, seven or eight.

System

Buy and Lay Wagers

Buy bets resemble place win wagers because the player bets that the shooter will roll a given number before throwing seven. The variation is that here the payouts are larger, but players have to pay a commission amounting to 5%. The policy regarding the fee varies, and some casinos require the player to pay it upon placing the wager while other betting providers get it from you only in case your bet wins. The amount of the payout depends on the number the player has selected. Thus, in case you bet on six or eight, the payment is 6:5; if you choose five or nine, the ratio is 3:2, and picking four or ten will give you a payout at 2:1.

In essence, the lay wager is just opposite to the buy bet, meaning that players place a bet that the shooter will throw seven before rolling a given number. Again, there is a commission of five per cent. The payouts are higher compared to the place lose wager, and the ratios are the following: 5:6 for six and eight; 2:3 for five and nine; 1:2 for four and ten.

Hardways

Adopting a successful craps betting strategy requires knowing all possible odds and all rules. If the shooter throws a number as a double to two values, then we say that they have thrown the number the hard way. Thus, a hard six is a double three. The hard way wagers get their name from this rule. These bets allow players to place a wager on rolling a hard four, a hard six, a hard six or a hard ten before seven to win. Again, the payouts depend on the particular number you have selected – the ratio for four and ten is 7:1, while the payout for six and eight is 9:1.

Proposition Wagers

There are several different types of proposition bets. These craps bets offer bigger payouts than the other wagers, but the house edge is higher, too. Experts recommend avoiding them due to the increased risk involved, but you can still practice these bets if you are eager to take the chance. Here are the various proposition bets that are all settled on the following roll:

  • Any craps (7:1) – the bet wins if the shooter throws two, three or twelve;
  • Any 7 (4:1) – the wager is successful if the dice roll seven;
  • Any 11 (15:1) – the bet wins if the shooter rolls eleven;
  • Ace Deuce (15:1) – the bet is successful in case the dice throws three;
  • Boxcar (30:1) – the wager wins if the dice rolls twelve;
  • Aces (30:1) – the bet wins if the shooter throws two.

Best Craps Bets

The primary aim of betting providers is to take the money of clients, and your main purpose is to prevent this by placing good wagers. To help you achieve success, we will list some of the best bets in craps. Thus, understanding the best craps bets, you will be able to develop a winning craps betting strategy and avoid losing cash.

Placing pass line wager is not the wisest thing you can do, but the situation is much different if you put odds behind the pass, come, don’t pass and don’t come wagers. Why is that? The main reason is that the odds reduce the house edge and thus boosts your winnings or limit your losses if the bet is unsuccessful.

Our list of the best bets in craps continues with the place wagers on six or eight. If you place a bet to win, the house edge amounts 1.52 percent and placing the wager to win has a house edge of 1.82 percent. The house edge is quite reasonable in these two cases.

Another addition to the best craps bets selection is the lay wager against four or ten. In this instance, the house edge equals 2.44 percent, which is a bit higher than other bets but it is still entirely manageable and can bring success.

Fields wagers typically payout 2:1, but they can rank among the best bets in craps when casinos provide triple payment. When betting providers have such an offer, the house edge is as low as 2.78 percent, and the wager becomes quite intriguing. It is advisable to place fields wager only in case the casino provides a triple payment.

Now that you are familiar with the various types of craps bets alongside with the best bets in craps, you can develop your craps betting strategy and place successful bets.

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Best Strategy For Playing Craps

Craps: Strategies

This page considers several Craps strategies which will keep the House Advantage down to less than 1%. If you haven't read the introductory page to Craps yet, please go there now by Clicking Here or else what you read below probably will not make much sense.

Note that these systems will only get you close to a statistical zero House Advantage. It will not guarantee you success, or even that you can stay at the table for a long period of time. As we have discussed elsewhere, statistics only give the House an advantage because it rolls the dice tens-of-thousands of times per day and can statistically expect certain results. As a bettor who may only roll the dice a hundred times or so, you will be subject to much wilder short-term swings of luck, good AND bad.

So, no system or 'statistical dead heat' will guarantee you anything. If you are unlucky, you will still get clobbered no matter what system you will use.

What we can do is get you close enough to 'even odds' that the House Advantage will not wear you down. In other words, you will win or lose depending on whether you are lucky or not, and not a foreordained result such as long-term betting with a poor-odds game like Roulette.

In other words, we can't tell you that you will win, or even that you will not lose. What we can tell you is that the following systems mathematically make the most sense, and are utilized by the most sensible and experienced craps players.

The Basic Strategy

The Basic Strategy for craps is thus very simple: You make a bet on Pass, Come, Don't Pass or Don't Come, and you place as much in odds on that bet as you can afford commensurate with your money management strategy. Simple as that.

Example: Let's say you are playing at a table with 3x Odds. Your strategy is to make a $10 Pass bet, and then once the point is established you make a $30 Odds bet on the point. On the first roll (a/k/a the 'Come Out Roll'), your Pass bet will win on a 7 or 11 but lose on a 2, 3 or 12. Once the number is made, if your number is rolled again you will win only 1:1 although the true odds are 2:1, 3:2 or 6:5 depending on what the number is. This creates a House Advantage of 1.41% on your Pass Bet, which you then 'dilute' to 0.35% by placing the 3x Odds.

The Parity Line Bet System (a/k/a 'The Doey-Don't')

The Parity Line Bet System is popularly called the 'Doey-Don't' after the label given to it in Frank Scoblete's classic book: Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos and Play Craps and Win, p. 39 (Bonus Books, 1991). To understand the Parity Line Bet System, you must first have a solid understanding of the Line Bets and of placing Free Odds. If you don't understand those bets thoroughly, what we're about to discuss will probably just give you a big headache.

You will recall that the Odds bets are great bets, and would be perfect bets except that you also have to make a Pass, Come, Don't Pass, or Don't Come bet before you can take advantage of the Odds. The Parity Line Bet System is a simple twist on the basic strategy which seeks to minimize the Pass, Come, Don't Pass, or Don't Come bet, by the simple expedient of betting equal, offsetting amounts on both the Pass and Don't Pass lines, or the Come and Don't Come bets. The idea here is that you essentially 'wash out' the Pass or Don't Pass bet, by making it's counterpart. Then, by placing as much Odds as is possible, you essentially water down the House's Advantage even further.

Example: Same table with 3x Odds. Instead of making a single $10 Pass, you make a $10 Pass bet AND a $10 Don't Pass bet. If a 7 or 11 is rolled, your Pass bet wins but your Don't Pass bet loses, so that is a wash. if you roll 3 or a 12 (or a 2 in some casinos) then your Don't Pass bet wins and your Pass bet losses, so that washes out. If you roll a 2 (or a 12 in some casinos), then ONLY your Pass bet loses (your Don't Pass bet doesn't win). If 'numbers' (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) are rolled, you then place $30 Odds on either Pass or Don't Pass (whichever you choose). With the Parity Line Bet System, you odds of losing your Pass Bet are 1 in 36, which gives the House a 2.8% advantage. Note that this is HIGHER than the House Advantage for either the Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Don't Come Bets. The important difference is that those bets become bad bets on a little more than half the rolls, whereas with the Parity Line Bet System, it is only a bad bet the 1 in 36 times that a 12 shows up on the dice.

Keep in Mind: Even with the Parity Line Bet System, the dice are either bouncing your way or they are not. If the dice are bouncing your way, you would be better off betting the Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Don't Come bets to maximize your income. If the dice aren't bouncing your way, you won't lose as much, but you will still be losing. The Parity Line Bet System very slightly helps your chances over the basic game, but it doesn't automatically make you a winner, or even switch the advantage to your favor.

Analysis: One way to think of this is as a 'tax' which you pay every 36 rolls to allow you to play the casino with no advantage. But another way to look it this as a 36 roll 'Risk Cycle', i.e., every 36 rolls the Casino will be up on you one bet. Then, compare it to the Risk Cycles for the Pass/Don't Pass and Come/Don't Come Bets -- those Risk Cycles are nearly twice as long at approximately 70 rolls before the House can expect an advantage! So, you are really half as well off with the Parity Line Bet System as you are with the Basic Strategy (so there is no point in pursuing this strategy).

The Parity Hedge System

Advanced Craps Betting Strategies

This is the legendary craps 'system' which was utilized by a Japanese businessman in the mid-1970s to clean several Las Vegas casinos out of more than a hundred million dollars -- which infuriated the casino bosses so much that only a couple of days later he was found dead in the desert! After that, the few people who knew and understood the system quit using it and moved on to other games, or at best used it sparingly.

The Parity Hedge System is so complicated that it is beyond the description of this website. Suffice it to say that it is a sophisticated variant of the Parity Line Bet System (with a unique twist!), and has probably ever been known only by a handful of the very best craps players. It is so little known and complicated that we seriously doubt that any of today's so-called craps 'experts' or even any of today's pit bosses, could spot the strategy if it were being used.

Progressive Craps Betting Strategies

Since we first published our pages on craps, we have been literally inundated with requests for an article explaining the Parity Hedge System. So, we will probably try to do an article on this by early 2001 -- watch our (free) newsletter for more details! Keep in mind that the Parity Hedge System gives about the same edge to the craps player as does counting cards at Blackjack, meaning that even it will not overcome bad luck. But with a good player -- and competent dealers -- the system does create a slight mathematical edge over the House. (And, no, we will not 'sell' or auction this system to anybody though we've had many e-mail requests to do this -- when we write about it, we will do so for free and post it on this site so that everybody can scrutinize it).

Offsetting Bet Systems

Over the years, lots of people have attempted to come up with 'offsetting' bet systems, where they bet a few chips here, and then a few more chips to protect those chips against bad rolls, and so forth and so on. Indeed, it is an attraction of craps to attempt to work out the 'perfect' system whereby you never lose and the House never wins (sort of like those people who cover all the squares in Roulette).

Advanced Craps Betting Strategies

Well, give it up folks. Mathematically, you cannot make a good bet out of two or more bad ones. Several doctoral thesis have conclusively proven this fact. Yet, much of the allure of craps to neophytes is the idea that they can place several bets and somehow shift the odds into their favor -- and this is encouraged by the Center Field Sucker Bets (the 'Crazy Crapper Bets'), which give you the opportunity to 'hedge' against the seven on particular rolls -- though at a steep cost.

[Ironically, the 'Parity Hedge System' is an offsetting bet system, though it takes into account a unique twist which recognizes that on certain bets the odds change (something never covered in any of the doctoral thesis).]

Additional Pages on Craps

  • Introduction to Craps -- What Craps is, how it is played, the mathematical odds, and more

  • Craps Crap -- Some helpful hints, and myths and superstitions about craps de-bunked.

  • The Parity Hedge System -- Short history of the Craps system that took the gambling world by storm in the early 1970s -- until the system's most prolific gambler was found dead in the desert!

Books on Craps

For additional reading on Craps, vist our Gamblers' Reading Room Did you find this page useful or entertaining? Our coverage of gambling is new and we are very interested in your feedback. Please send us your thoughts by e-mail to quatloos@quatloos.com