Craps Strategy

Updated: September 27, 2026

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the action and betting options when you first approach a Craps table. With dice flying around, players making noise and having fun, and all the fancy looking bets available on the felt layout, it is easy to think that your best bet is to just find an easier game to play.

The good news is that not only does Craps offer some of the lowest house edge bets in the casino, it is also easy to get started. Just because there are a lot of betting options does not mean you should consider using them all.

As you can see, there are only a few Craps bets worth considering. Learn what these bets are and how to place them. You can join in the fun at any Craps table, while giving the casino the lowest possible chance of winning your money.

The best strategy is to place bets only on those bets that offer the lowest house edge. Of the many craps bets available, only a few offer low enough house edges to consider using.

Craps Wagers

These are the various Craps bets available, along with the house edge for each. The percentages are approximate, but most of them are so large that you probably won't want to use them anyway. I will briefly mention what each of the bets means. That's already covered on the Craps page. I list the bets from best to worst. New strategies can often be surprising.

These odds bets are the best the casino has to offer. They pay at true odds. The house edge is minimal. Of course, you must place a bet with a house edge before you can make odds bets. Always take the highest allowed odds bets to reduce the house edge as much as possible.

Here's what you should do if the maximum odds aren't posted:

Ask the casino personnel at the table what they are.

There are odds bets available that allow up to 100 times your initial bet. However, this is atypical. Most casinos have lower limits. The most common is 10 times. The higher the odds limit, the less you can tilt the house edge by taking the maximum odds. Sometimes there are surprises in the games.

Don't Pass and Don't Come bets have a house edge of just under 1.4%. Other than odds bets, these are the smallest casino edge craps bets available. Few strategies are as effective.

Pass and Come bets come in just behind Don't Pass and Never Come bets. Their house advantage is just over 1.4%.

The place 6 and place 8 wagers have a house edge of just over 1.5%.

A field bet with the 12 paying three to one has a house edge of just under 3%.

The place five or place nine wager has a house edge of 4%.

A field bet with the 12 paying 2 to 1 has a house edge of over 5.5%.

Placing a bet on the place four or place 10 has a house edge of over 6%.

Betting on the big 6 or big 8 has a house edge of just over 9%.

The hard six or hard eight bet has a house edge of just over 9%.

Any craps has a house edge of just over 11%.

Betting a hard four or a hard 10 has a house edge of over 11%.

The three, 11, and all of the easy hop wagers have a house edge of just over 11%.

The two, 12, and all of the hard hop wagers have a house edge of just under 14%.

Any seven offers the worst house edge on the craps table at over 16%.

Your Best Craps Bets

Only four of those bets are worth making:

1. The odds bet
2. Pass and/or don't pass
3. Come or don't come
4. Place 6 or Place 8

The house edge for all of these bets is 1.5% or less.

Skip the other craps bets.

What's the bottom line best strategy?

Taking the don-€˜t pass with full odds and never placing a wager on any other bets.

Many Craps players are superstitious and/or frown upon anyone placing non-pass bets. Most Craps players play the pass line at full odds.

This will cost you 0.05% in the long run. That is 5/100th of a percent. Betting $1,000 in one session on the pass line instead of the don-t pass line will cost you an expected 50 cents in the long run.

Should You Throw or Shoot the Dice?

You do not have to be the shooter unless there is no one else at the table. You can pass them to the next shooter if you do not want to roll.

But a big part of the fun for many Craps players is throwing the dice. Even if you are not comfortable being the shooter, do it until you are. No one is a great shooter the first time they play Craps. The more you play, the better you will get at throwing the dice.

Does Throwing the Dice Change Your Odds?

The odds are the same regardless of whether or not you're throwing the dice.

Players who believe otherwise are superstitious.

Hot streaks and cold streaks happen.

But they don't happen based on whether or not you're throwing the dice.

Casinos operate under the assumption that the dice at the Craps table are rolled randomly and will come up the expected number of times over time. All odds and payouts are based on the mathematics of random dice rolls. Unless you can make the dice rolls that you throw not random, then the odds do not change when you are the shooter.

When you play online Craps, the dice rolls are completely random. They are controlled by the same random number generator that powers all casino games. For many Craps players, playing online Craps does not have the same level of excitement as playing live. But it is a great way to learn more about the game and how to play.

What Is Dice Control and Is It Real?

Proponents of dice control believe that you can influence the outcome of each roll. You do this by setting the dice in a certain way and training your body through practice and muscle memory to roll the dice the exact same way every time.

If you can make the dice rolls nonrandom you can quickly gain an edge at the craps table.

Many people claim to be able to control the dice. No one has provided definitive proof in real life. In a controlled environment, it may be possible.

Do your own research to decide if dice control is real or not. I think it is possible. But it would require such a large amount of practice that it is probably not practical for the average Craps player.

Also the results will be erratic and the ability to gain a large edge will be limited.

The biggest problem is that the shooter is supposed to bounce the dice off the back wall of the craps table. The back wall has a protruding pyramid angle pattern built into it. This causes the dice to come off the wall in an unpredictable manner.

Are Hot and Cold Streaks Real?

Lots of people believe in dice control.

A hundred times more craps players believe in hot and cold streaks. They believe that a shooter can get hot and avoid crapping out for dozens of rolls.

Are they real?

If you believe in dice control, then you believe that a dice controller can go on a hot streak.

At least you should believe this.

Don't believe in dice control?

You've still probably witnessed craps shooters go long periods without crapping out.

I'm sure you've seen shooters crap out on their first roll, too.

Here's the question:

Do these things prove the idea of hot or cold streaks?

Or are they simply the normal variance and streaks associated with any random act?

It would be easy to say that there is no such thing as a hot or cold streak at the craps table.

But I have seen some rolls go much longer than I ever thought was statistically possible if everything was random.

I don't believe in hot and cold streaks for random events.

But I'll admit seeing things that make me look for some other explanation.

This is one of the reasons why I believe it is possible for some players to control the dice.

Conclusion

The best craps strategy is to take full odds after a don't pass bet. This is closely followed by taking full odds after a pass line bet.

Anything more than these two bets gives the casino a larger house edge than necessary. You can place six or eight if you want to add an additional bet to your arsenal, but never place any bets beyond these while playing Craps.

Figure out how to control the dice and you can change the odds. This may not be possible. But it might be worth your time to try.

If you learn how to control the dice at all, keep that information to yourself. Just concentrate on beating the casinos.