Online craps: the two bets that matter

A craps layout is covered in boxes, and most of them are traps. Ignore all but two and the game becomes simple, with odds better than almost anything else in the casino.

The come-out roll and the pass line

The pass line (house edge 1.41%) is the bet nearly everyone makes. On the first roll, the come-out:

• 7 or 11 wins straight away, paid 1 to 1;
• 2, 3 or 12, called craps, loses;
• any other number becomes the point.

Don't pass (1.36%) is the mirror image: you bet against the shooter. At a real table some players frown on it; online nobody cares, and it is very slightly cheaper.

The point and free odds

Once a point is set, the shooter rolls until the point comes up again, which wins for the pass line, or a 7 appears, the "seven out", which loses. At that stage you can back your bet with free odds, paid at the true chance of winning:

• point 4 or 10: 2 to 1;
• point 5 or 9: 3 to 2;
• point 6 or 8: 6 to 5.

No house edge applies to the odds bet, so every euro you put there lowers the average cost of your whole bet.

Bets to skip

• Any 7 pays 4 to 1 and costs you 16.67%.
• Hardways, a 4, 6, 8 or 10 rolled as a pair, cost 9% to 11%.
• Any craps and horn bets run between 11% and 16%.
• The field costs 5.6% if 12 pays double, 11.1% if it pays single.

A quick rule: anything other than pass, don't pass and their odds is probably expensive.

Playing online

RNG craps shows the table from above. You click a box to place chips and press Roll; payouts are settled for you. Evolution also runs a live version with real dice in a studio.