Craps has a long tradition and is one of the most popular forms of gambling, especially in the UK, US, and Australia. While in the early years, it was predominantly one player (shooter) who bet a certain amount against other players (faders). Online craps are now incredibly popular in live and online casinos because the shooter only plays against the bank.
What you need to know about craps
- Craps is an exciting game with unique rules.
- You can choose from a variety of craps strategies.
- The online casinos in our top list offer you the best craps games online.
Craps is one of the most popular and also the oldest games in American and European casinos. The simple dice game offers the player a variety of betting options, is entertaining, and is a kind of community game of several players against the bank in the live casino. There are now numerous online craps casinos that have taken the hearts of gamblers by storm. Every major casino offers different craps variants – against the computer or the bank with live dealers.
Craps – rules of the game of dice
The online craps table looks a bit complicated when you first look at it. Like roulette, there are many different bets, and the table is drawn from various betting fields.
The table in online casinos looks the same as in a regular casino, and the game’s course is identical.
In craps, all players are called “shooters” – place their bets on the outcome of two dice thrown. The course of the game is as follows:
- Select the bet you want to play and place your chips on the field. The shooter must place at least the minimum bet on the “Pass Line” or “Don’t Pass Line.” Other players at the table can also place bets.
- The players take turns throwing the two dice. The shooter’s first throw is called the “come out roll”:
- If the Come Out roll is a 7 or 11, the Pass-Line bet wins, and those who bet on Don’t Pass lose. The round ends.
- If the Come Out roll is 2,3 or 12 (also called “craps”), then the Don’t Pass line wins, and the Pass line loses. The round ends.
- If the shooter plays a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the Come Out Roll, the number rolled becomes the point, and the shooter continues to roll until he hits the point or rolls a 7.
- If the point is hit, those who bet on the pass line win; the Don’t Pass line loses. If a 7 is hit, the pass line loses, and the Don’t Pass bet wins.
- As soon as a shooter has lost (or hit the 7), players change, and a new shooter takes his place at the table on the Come Out roll. Then all players at the table play at least the minimum bet again.
Online craps is a game of chance. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose too. The house edge is built into the game to make the casino profitable. The player relies heavily on his luck and practices excitement and entertainment while playing.
With these facts in mind, one should also know that online craps are one of the better casino games from a player’s perspective. Those who play good bets – some with obscene house advantages that should be avoided – have a pretty good chance of making nice winnings at the craps table.
Too bad there is no such thing as a craps strategy that gives you an edge over the house. But what you can do: reduce the house edge to a minimum so that you can maximize your chances of winning! Of all the bets available in craps, some offer better odds than others.
Some are just bad and should be ignored. Opposite these are the probabilities that will bring you to a draw with the house in the medium term. This means that you can also make a little money in the short term. If you can track down these bets and stick with them, you can get more out of your money and maybe leave the casino a winner soon.
Good bets in craps
Fortunately, the best bets to place in craps are also the easiest to remember and the most popular in the game. They are safe and straightforward and guarantee a low house edge (not quite as low as in blackjack or video poker, but still useful). They are also recorded on the table, as shown below. This makes it even easier for the player to place the bet – in contrast to many an obscure bet, for which you have to know the details of the game.
Pass Bet
The pass bet is the most important and well-known bet in the game. With a house edge of only 1.41%, it is also one of the best bets of any casino game. The pass bet is placed on the Come Out roll and is placed in the space on the table marked as the pass line.
You win the bet if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, and you lose if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12. If the totals are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the point number is established, and the round continues. If the point is rolled before a 7, the pass bet wins. If a 7 is rolled before the point number appears, the pass bet loses.
Don’t Pass Bet
The Don’t Pass bet is exactly the opposite of the Pass bet. Instead of betting that the shooter will win, you are betting that the shooter will lose. This is referred to as “betting against the table” in a stationary casino because it is typically used to bet against the other players. If you place your chips in the section marked with 2 in the illustration, you are on the Don’t Pass bet.
It is won if the shooter hits a 2 or 3, and it is a tie if the shooter hits a 12. Then nobody wins. If he rolls a 7 or 11, the Don’t Pass bet loses. Any other number will generate the point number, and the shooter must roll a 7 before the point number to win the bet. If the point number comes before 7, the don’t pass bet loses.
We also have this strategy in video format on YouTube: The best way to play craps.
Come Bet
A Come Bet works similarly to the pass bet but is placed when the round is already running, and after the point number of the Pass Bet has already been established. You place the bet in the come section of the table. The next roll that follows after the bet has been placed becomes the individual come out roll in which you can lose or win. Or a point number for the bet is established.
If the shooter hits a 7 or 11 on the Come Out roll, then the bet wins. If he rolls a 2, 3, or 12, then you lose the bet. If any other number is rolled, it becomes the point number. This point number is completely independent of the point number from the pass bet. If the shooter rolls the point of the Come Bet before the 7, then the bet wins. The payout depends on the point number.
Don’t Come Bet
Like the Don’t Pass Bet works in the opposite way to the Pass Bet, the Don’t Come Bet is just the opposite of the Come Bet. It is placed during a running round after the pass line point number has been established. As soon as you have placed your Don’t Come Bet, you can win, lose, or establish a point in the next roll.
You win if the shooter hits a 2 or 3, and you lose if the shooter hits a 7 or 11. There is a tie with a 12. The point is generated with any other number – if a 7 is hit before this number, the bet wins.
Odds Bet – combine good bets with better bets
The house bets of the simple craps bets are pretty good for a casino game. But please don’t move away from the table yet, because it could be even better! There is one bet that is not listed on the table at all: the odds bet.
The Odds bet is a side bet that you can place in addition to your original bet at any time once the point has been generated. You can “take the odds” if you have already placed a pass or come bet, and the “place the odds” when you have placed a Don’t Pass or Don’t Come bet. The bets are not recorded on the table:
The bet is placed behind the Pass, Don’t Pass, Come or Don’t Come bet, and you bet your money on either the point or a 7 is rolled first, depending on what the original bet looks like. If you win, the actual bet wins too. You can remove, increase, or reduce the odds bet at any point in the game.
The odds payout 2: 1 on 4 and 10, 3: 2 on 5 and 9, and 6: 5 on 6 and 8. Usually, the odds bets are limited in size to two or three times the actual bet. For example, you placed a $10 pass bet and could place an additional $20 as a 2x odds bet. This reduces the house edge to 0.6%. However, online casinos have special promotions on offer that let you play much higher odds from time to time. These let the house edge dwindle even further towards 0, as you can see in this table:
An online craps strategy that reduces the house edge to the absolute minimum is simply playing pass or don’t pass bets and supplement them with as high an odds bet as possible. There are plenty of craps players out there, including those who like it safe and slow, and then the high rollers who need the thrill. If you find yourself in one of these categories and want to find the optimal bet for your play style, then read our extensive craps strategy article.
Bad Bets in Craps
Field Bet
Field bets are placed in the large sections in the middle of each side of the table. This is a one-roll bet that is won if the pips’ result is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. You win 1: 1 on a roll of 3, 4, 0, 10 or 11, and more for the 2 or 12. You lose if you hit a 5, 6, 7, or 8.
Big 6 / Big 8
The Big 6 and 8 bets play “even money,” i.e., 1: 1, but these are regular place bets with worse probabilities, so you should rather play the place bets.
Horn / Horn High
The horn bet is a multi-part bet that works as a four-in-one combination. You bet one unit on each number. On the other hand, the Horn High bet is played more often and contains five instead of four units. For example, if you were to bet $5, then one unit would be placed on the 2, 3, 11, and 12, and the fifth unit would be an additional unit to those numbers. The payout is 4: 1 for the 3 or 11, or 7.5: 1 for the 2 or 12, and with any other number you lose.
Aces / 2 or Boxcars / 12
Both bets payout 30: 1. Aces wins if a 2 is thrown, and Boxcars wins if a 12 is thrown. You lose on any other number thrown.
Any 7
You win if you roll a 7. And you lose with every other number. The payout is usually 5: 1.
Strategies and Money Management
Craps Betting Strategies
If you prefer to use a betting strategy in online craps, then there are a few options to choose from and which you can use when betting at the craps table.
Knowing the best and worst bets, and of course, how to play them, already makes a huge difference.
But just as important are the many betting strategies for craps, such as the 5-count craps strategy, which was developed specifically for this game. To learn more about the craps betting strategies, read through our extensive guide.
Read more: Craps strategy
Craps Money Management
You won’t have much time to think about which bets to place because this game is extremely fast! You will often stumble over your thoughts and feet and suddenly place bets that you did not want to place at all, or forget active bets at the table because you have completely different thoughts on your mind. It is, therefore, important to establish a few individual rules at the outset. Specifically, this means: you decide on a maximum amount that you want to use.
If you are a regular gamer, you know that there are different ways to consolidate your bankroll. Among the most common methods is the use of offers and bonuses and, of course, by first testing your skills and experience in the free craps game. Read our craps money management guide to get the money in your account.
Read more: Craps Money Management.
Select An Online Craps Casino to Play
The free online craps game is a great way to get your first experience. Here you can learn the rules and test your skills before playing for real money.
A craps session at a casino can be incredibly exciting and challenging if you are already prepared. And of course, you can get the perfect preparation in online casinos.
Training is necessary because craps comes into the game with its specialist jargon. So it is useful to take a look at the craps terms to understand what is going on at the table, and when you end up in the live casino, you can brag about your skills.
All of the online craps sites listed above offer real-world craps games. If you stick to the basic craps strategies – such as never betting on the Big 8 or the Any 7 bet – then you can reduce the house edge to almost 0% and have a lot of fun playing craps for a very modest deposit!
Arnold Carignan | October 18, 2020 | Last Updated on: May 24, 2023