The Best Aggressive Bet in Craps. When the shooter makes a point, you have the option of placing a bet called the 'free odds' bet. This is a bet that the shooter will make the point again before rolling a 7. This bet is unique – not just among craps bets, but among casino game bets – because it has no house edge. It pays off at true odds. Most of the bets have a house edge, for example betting on 'any 7' has a 17% house edge. This means you should expect to lose money in craps, as the game has negative expected value in total. Now, of course you can prevent the amount of money you lose, and even make profit on occasions, by learning craps strategy. Craps strategy is much like any other game of chance: once you know the best bets, the odds, and the house edge, you can customize a craps strategy to better your chances of winning big. Casino games always have a built-in betting system that can change the earning potential. Since craps is a game of chance, you need to understand why you have a greater or lesser chance of rolling different numbers. Because you're rolling two dice, your chances of rolling a specific number in craps are determined by the number of die combinations that can add up to that number.
I'm writing a series of blog posts about casino games and the good and bad strategies for playing those games.
Craps is one of my favorite casino games, so I've been looking forward to writing this one.
And the beautiful thing about craps is that it's a game of pure chance. The best strategy is just to choose the bets with the lowest edge for the house and have fun.
But I'll have some things to say about some of the strategies and systems that other writers promote, too.
Craps Rolling Strategy Games
They're mostly bad craps strategies.
Here's the Only Craps Strategy You Need
When you're dealing with an entirely random game – like craps – the only strategy that matters is choosing the bets with the lowest house edge and having fun.
I'll have something to say about shooters and whether they have control over the outcomes later in this post, but for now, let's just agree that games like craps are purely chance.
In other games that are entirely random, like slot machines, you don't even really need to decide which bet to place. It's chosen for you before you sit down.
When playing craps for real money, you have a handful of good bets you can make, but most of the bets on the table are bad. Just skip the bad bets, and you're all set.
The Bests Bets at the Craps Table
The best bets at the craps table are the pass line bet and the don't pass bet.
The come and don't come bets are also great wagers.
I always advise casino gamblers to try to limit their gambling to games where the house edge is lower than 2% — preferably 1.5% or lower.
The house edge for the pass and come bets is the same, 1.41%, which means they qualify.
The house edge for the don't pass and don't come bets is even lower, 1.36%, but the 0.05% isn't worth worrying about. Most people prefer to root for the shooter to succeed.
The other bet to think about at the craps table is the odds bet. This is a bet you can only place after making one of the 4 bets I already mentioned and when the shooter has set a point.
This is one of the only bets in the casino that has no house edge. It's a break-even bet, but it can be expensive.
It can also drive the effective house edge on the money you have in action down to almost nothing.
Here's how that works.
How the Odds Bet Changes the House Edge for the Better
If you're betting on the pass line and the shooter sets a point, you can expect to lose $1.41 for every $100 you bet. That's on average and in the long run.
If you're playing at a casino that only allows you to place an odds bet at 1X the size of your pass line bet, you can put another $100 into action.
Your expected loss remains $1.41, though, which effectively cuts the house edge in half, from 1.41% to 0.71%.
If you're able to bet 2X your original bet on the odds bet, you can lower that even further to 0.36%. (You have $300 in action, but your expected loss is still only $1.41.)
The more you're able to bet on the odds bet, the lower the house edge for all the money you have in action becomes.
It's clear why betting on the pass line and taking the most odds that you can is an effective strategy. With the odds bet, you can get the house edge in craps lower than 0.5% at least some of the time at the table, making it an even better game than blackjack.
And what's more, you don't have to memorize basic strategy to get the low house edge at craps.
You just need a big enough casino bankroll to make the right bets, and you need enough sense to avoid the bad bets at the table – of which there are many.
Any Strategy that Involves Placing ANY Other Bets at the Craps Table Is a BAD Craps Strategy
There's a reason gambling experts measure bets according to their house edge. That's because it's the single best indicator of how good or bad a bet is.
The house edge is a statistical estimate of how much money you'll lose as a percentage of your original bet over the long run.
If the house edge is 1.41%, the casino expects to win an average of $1.41 every time you bet $100.
If the house edge is 16.66%, the casino expects to win an average of $16.66 every time you bet $100.
Which bet looks like the better bet for the casino?
And which one looks like the better bet for the gambler?
It shouldn't be hard to make the distinction.
Even the best of the bad bets on the craps table are inferior to the 1.41% or 1.36% you can get from the pass, don't pass, come, and don't come bets.
And trust me on this:
You can have PLENTY of fun sticking with the basic bets at the craps table.
Betting Systems Where You Raise and Lower the Size of Your Bets Are Bad Strategies
The classic example of this kind of betting system is the Martingale System, where you double the size of your bets after each loss. When you do this repeatedly, you eventually win back the money you've lost along with a profit of one unit.
The problem with a system like the Martingale is that you'll eventually run into a big enough losing streak that it will wipe out all those small profits and then some.
Most people underestimate how quickly a bet's size gets when doubling after every loss.
They also overestimate how likely they are to avoid long losing streaks.
If you double a $5 bet once, that's $10.
But if you run into a losing streak of 8 bets in a row, you're looking at having to bet $640 to make up for your losses.
Also, every roll of the dice is an independent event. The odds don't change based on how many times you've won or lost in a row.
You might think the probability of losing that 8th bet is lower than the likelihood of losing the first one, but the truth is that the dice have no memory. They have the same 6 sides, no matter how many times you've lost in a row.
Each bet in craps is an independent event, and any betting system will assume that the odds are changing based on how many times in a row you've won or lost.
Money Management Strategies Don't Hurt Anything, but They Won't Improve Your Odds of Winning, Either
Money management strategies involve having strict gambling discipline about how much of your bankroll you're willing to risk before quitting the game. They also require you to stop when you've won an arbitrary amount of money.
Money management techniques are often used in conjunction with betting systems.
Here's an example of a money management strategy in craps:
You decide your bankroll for the session is $250, and you're playing for $5 per roll of the dice.
Your stop-loss limit is $100, so, if your bankroll drops to $150, you must quit the craps session and go do something else.
Your win goal is $250, so once your bankroll gets up to $500, you must quit the game and go do something else.
This kind of strategy might increase your chances of walking away from the game a winner.
But that's only because a lot of gamblers will just keep playing until they've lost their entire stake. They just don't generally have a lot of sense about that sort of thing.
The Jury's Out on Dice Setting or Dice Control
I've seen multiple reputable gambling writers express interest and some belief that some craps shooters can influence the probability of specific outcomes. I'm skeptical – in the extreme – but I'll give it an appropriate amount of credence.
The idea is that you hold the dice a specific way – 'setting' the dice – then throw with a minimum amount of force – just enough to hit the back wall and eliminate most of the rolling action.
A controlled shooting expert doesn't have to be perfect. Instead, they're trying to be like someone who's playing darts. They improve the probability enough to change the negative expectation on a bet to a positive expectation.
You can buy books and videos explaining how to get an edge at craps this way, but I can't imagine the amount of practice and record-keeping required to have any confidence in your ability to change the odds.
Imagine if you spent 1000 hours trying to learn how to control the dice and coming up short. Maybe you just don't have the knack for it.
That doesn't sound like a good deal to me.
I'd rather learn to count cards in blackjack.
Conclusion
Those are the best and the worst of the strategies I know of for playing craps in the casino. I know plenty of people who would disagree with every recommendation I've made, but the math behind the game doesn't lie.
The best strategy is to stick with the bets with the lowest house edge and have as much fun as you can.
When you're dealing with an entirely random game – like craps – the only strategy that matters is choosing the bets with the lowest house edge and having fun.
I'll have something to say about shooters and whether they have control over the outcomes later in this post, but for now, let's just agree that games like craps are purely chance.
In other games that are entirely random, like slot machines, you don't even really need to decide which bet to place. It's chosen for you before you sit down.
When playing craps for real money, you have a handful of good bets you can make, but most of the bets on the table are bad. Just skip the bad bets, and you're all set.
The Bests Bets at the Craps Table
The best bets at the craps table are the pass line bet and the don't pass bet.
The come and don't come bets are also great wagers.
I always advise casino gamblers to try to limit their gambling to games where the house edge is lower than 2% — preferably 1.5% or lower.
The house edge for the pass and come bets is the same, 1.41%, which means they qualify.
The house edge for the don't pass and don't come bets is even lower, 1.36%, but the 0.05% isn't worth worrying about. Most people prefer to root for the shooter to succeed.
The other bet to think about at the craps table is the odds bet. This is a bet you can only place after making one of the 4 bets I already mentioned and when the shooter has set a point.
This is one of the only bets in the casino that has no house edge. It's a break-even bet, but it can be expensive.
It can also drive the effective house edge on the money you have in action down to almost nothing.
Here's how that works.
How the Odds Bet Changes the House Edge for the Better
If you're betting on the pass line and the shooter sets a point, you can expect to lose $1.41 for every $100 you bet. That's on average and in the long run.
If you're playing at a casino that only allows you to place an odds bet at 1X the size of your pass line bet, you can put another $100 into action.
Your expected loss remains $1.41, though, which effectively cuts the house edge in half, from 1.41% to 0.71%.
If you're able to bet 2X your original bet on the odds bet, you can lower that even further to 0.36%. (You have $300 in action, but your expected loss is still only $1.41.)
The more you're able to bet on the odds bet, the lower the house edge for all the money you have in action becomes.
It's clear why betting on the pass line and taking the most odds that you can is an effective strategy. With the odds bet, you can get the house edge in craps lower than 0.5% at least some of the time at the table, making it an even better game than blackjack.
And what's more, you don't have to memorize basic strategy to get the low house edge at craps.
You just need a big enough casino bankroll to make the right bets, and you need enough sense to avoid the bad bets at the table – of which there are many.
Any Strategy that Involves Placing ANY Other Bets at the Craps Table Is a BAD Craps Strategy
There's a reason gambling experts measure bets according to their house edge. That's because it's the single best indicator of how good or bad a bet is.
The house edge is a statistical estimate of how much money you'll lose as a percentage of your original bet over the long run.
If the house edge is 1.41%, the casino expects to win an average of $1.41 every time you bet $100.
If the house edge is 16.66%, the casino expects to win an average of $16.66 every time you bet $100.
Which bet looks like the better bet for the casino?
And which one looks like the better bet for the gambler?
It shouldn't be hard to make the distinction.
Even the best of the bad bets on the craps table are inferior to the 1.41% or 1.36% you can get from the pass, don't pass, come, and don't come bets.
And trust me on this:
You can have PLENTY of fun sticking with the basic bets at the craps table.
Betting Systems Where You Raise and Lower the Size of Your Bets Are Bad Strategies
The classic example of this kind of betting system is the Martingale System, where you double the size of your bets after each loss. When you do this repeatedly, you eventually win back the money you've lost along with a profit of one unit.
The problem with a system like the Martingale is that you'll eventually run into a big enough losing streak that it will wipe out all those small profits and then some.
Most people underestimate how quickly a bet's size gets when doubling after every loss.
They also overestimate how likely they are to avoid long losing streaks.
If you double a $5 bet once, that's $10.
But if you run into a losing streak of 8 bets in a row, you're looking at having to bet $640 to make up for your losses.
Also, every roll of the dice is an independent event. The odds don't change based on how many times you've won or lost in a row.
You might think the probability of losing that 8th bet is lower than the likelihood of losing the first one, but the truth is that the dice have no memory. They have the same 6 sides, no matter how many times you've lost in a row.
Each bet in craps is an independent event, and any betting system will assume that the odds are changing based on how many times in a row you've won or lost.
Money Management Strategies Don't Hurt Anything, but They Won't Improve Your Odds of Winning, Either
Money management strategies involve having strict gambling discipline about how much of your bankroll you're willing to risk before quitting the game. They also require you to stop when you've won an arbitrary amount of money.
Money management techniques are often used in conjunction with betting systems.
Here's an example of a money management strategy in craps:
You decide your bankroll for the session is $250, and you're playing for $5 per roll of the dice.
Your stop-loss limit is $100, so, if your bankroll drops to $150, you must quit the craps session and go do something else.
Your win goal is $250, so once your bankroll gets up to $500, you must quit the game and go do something else.
This kind of strategy might increase your chances of walking away from the game a winner.
But that's only because a lot of gamblers will just keep playing until they've lost their entire stake. They just don't generally have a lot of sense about that sort of thing.
The Jury's Out on Dice Setting or Dice Control
I've seen multiple reputable gambling writers express interest and some belief that some craps shooters can influence the probability of specific outcomes. I'm skeptical – in the extreme – but I'll give it an appropriate amount of credence.
The idea is that you hold the dice a specific way – 'setting' the dice – then throw with a minimum amount of force – just enough to hit the back wall and eliminate most of the rolling action.
A controlled shooting expert doesn't have to be perfect. Instead, they're trying to be like someone who's playing darts. They improve the probability enough to change the negative expectation on a bet to a positive expectation.
You can buy books and videos explaining how to get an edge at craps this way, but I can't imagine the amount of practice and record-keeping required to have any confidence in your ability to change the odds.
Imagine if you spent 1000 hours trying to learn how to control the dice and coming up short. Maybe you just don't have the knack for it.
That doesn't sound like a good deal to me.
I'd rather learn to count cards in blackjack.
Conclusion
Those are the best and the worst of the strategies I know of for playing craps in the casino. I know plenty of people who would disagree with every recommendation I've made, but the math behind the game doesn't lie.
The best strategy is to stick with the bets with the lowest house edge and have as much fun as you can.
Craps – detecting winning streaks strategy
Craps is a very popular casino game and as such, there are many players who are looking for various effective strategies. There are strategies as to the way to bet, the types of bets to use, different betting systems and etc. There are many players who claim or seem to be able to manipulate the roll of the craps dice and this way roll what they want to in order to win (you may also read our dice control article).
By taking a look at the statistics, we will notice that winning streaks really happen in craps and therefore any player would really want to take as much advantage of that as possible. If you notice a shooter that is on a winning streak, no matter if it is superstition or he is manipulating the dice roll, you should stick with him because he is likely to win again. When a player is in a winning streak, this means that he is lucky and the statistics show that the chance for him to win again is good.
Our craps strategy to detect the winning streaks is all about finding the streaks in the game and take advantage of them. You may well take advantage of someone's losing streak too. Just bet against the craps bet of the unlucky shooter.
Craps tips
Craps is a very popular game among the casino players around the world. Apart from the strategies that you may find on MyCasinoStrategy, you may also read our craps tips, which will make your game more successful. Following our guidelines will be useful to you and your gameplay. The tips which we have gathered for you will help you play this interesting game better and win more.
- Always tip the craps dealer!
An important advice for a game of craps is to give tips to the dealer when you are on a winning streak. This will create a pleasant gaming environment and more people will want you to win and will be happy when you win. The environment is very important to somebody who is playing a game with dice. It will give you confidence to take advantage of the game and the winning streaks that are happening.
- Always know when to stop playing!
A problem of many players is that they do not know when to stop playing and quit. This may cost you a lot because if you are not in a mood to play, you are upset or angry, your bad session will most probably continue and it may even get worse. Very important advice is never to chase your losses and if you are in a bad session you'd better stop playing craps. Only play when you feel comfortable because that's when you will have your best game.
- Place bets according to your resources!
During a game of craps, it is very important for every player to know what his resources are and how to use them effectively. A player must never place large bets if he or she doesn't possess enough money to continue the game after that in case of a loss. For example, if you have allocated $1000 for playing craps, you need to place individual bets of not more than $20-$30. This will give you the opportunity to stay in the game for a longer period in case of an unlucky streak. If you've got a balance of $100, for example, you should place bets of $2-$3 (for the same reason).
Craps strategies
Craps is a game which has started gaining popularity during the Middle Ages. Throughout this whole time period, the game has been evolving until it becomes the game of craps that we see and play nowadays. It is being played all over the world and is one of the most popular casino games ever. You may easily notice that people playing craps are present in almost every movie in which casinos are involved – Diamonds Are Forever, for example, the famous movie about James Bond.
Due to the popularity of the game, people have always tried to develop different craps strategies, which they'd like to use in order to make the casino edge lower and thus win when playing the game. On MyCasinoStrategy, you may find several strategies, which you may use to make your chances to win better than ever. One of our craps strategies is suitable for beginner players – basic craps strategy. Also we've got a strategy which is suitable for experienced players – advanced craps strategy. It is all up to you to choose which one you want to go with.
Basic craps strategy
The simplest and the easiest basic craps strategy for a beginner player is to learn the rules of the game and the types of bets, and make good use of them. There are many types of bets that a player can place during the game, however, the different types of bets have different casino odds. The casino edge may vary depending on the type of bet that you have chosen to place and our basic craps strategy is all about placing the bets with the lowest casino odds. Here are the different types of bets with the corresponding edge of the casino over the players:
Craps Rolling Strategy Definition
- Pass Line/Don't Pass Line/Come/Don't Come bets – 1.40%
- Field Bets – 5.60%
- Big 6/Big 8 – 9.10%
- Horn – 12.50%
- Craps 2/Craps 12 – 13.90%
- Any 7 – 16.70%
As you can see, the casino edge is lowest when you place Pass Line, Don't Pass Line, Come or Don't Come bets – 1.40%. Therefore, as a beginner player the best strategy for you when playing craps is to place the types of bets with the lowest casino advantage possible.
Advanced craps strategy
Once you have learned how to make a good use of the types of bets where the casino has the lowest advantage possible and you have mastered our basic strategy, you may move forward and learn the advanced craps strategy that we have presented right before you.
Our advanced strategy requires you to place $3 3-way bet together with a Pass Line bet. The Pass Line bet will protect you from 7s. The $3 on 3-way bet, would be for the numbers 12, 3 and 2 ($1 each). The payout for 12 and 2 is 30:1 while for 3 it is 15:1. If 12 or 2 comes out, you will get $30. If 3 comes out, you will get $15.
Craps Rolling Strategy Meaning
You will bet $40 on Pass Line and 3-way craps bet for $3 ($1 on 12, $1 on 2 and $1 on 3). Along with them you will bet $5 on 4, 5, 9 and 10, and $6 on 6 and 8.
The information on this website may not be accurate and our gambling materials do NOT promise or guarantee winnings in any way. Use the information on this website at your own risk. Gambling with real money poses a great risk and everyone must do it wisely, under his own responsibility and will.
