For anyone who is looking at playing a game at a local casino, one of the best games to play in terms of lower house edges is craps. Now, there are nearly two dozen different ways to play, and it does take a bit of time and experience to learn about how to play craps and what to look for. With that being said though, someone with knowledge, experience and a bit of luck can often hold their own while playing the game. For beginners, it is a good idea to look into craps and what the house edge for every kind of bet.
Under Five Percent
Now, it is important to understand that the house has an edge on every single bet made in craps. There is no way of changing that. However, based on how someone bets, it is possible to cut down these odds. Of course, many of the longer odd betts where the house edge is greater does come with a higher payout, but betting on these different payouts really is up to each individual and how they wish to play. Sometimes it isn’t always about winning more than half of the time. For many players, it is about winning enough times to make it financially desirable.
With that being said, the house edge is based on a percentage. So, if the house edge is 5.2, it means the house has a 5.2% greater chance of winning than the player. Another way of looking at it is the house wins 55.2% of the time while the player wins 44.8% of the time.
The vast majority of bets placed in craps fall under five percent. That is one of the major reasons why craps is so popular with gamblers, if they are aware of the odds and what to look for. The lowest house advantage is betting on the Don’t Pass/Come 2x option. The house only has a .83 percent edge here. On the other hand, betting on the Pass Line/Come Bet 2X comes with a slighter greater house edge of .85. For new players in craps, it is often seen as bad luck or bad form to bed on the Don’t Pass option. This basically means the individual is betting against the person throwing the dice. Some see it as bad luck as well. Due to the negligible difference in house edge, many people simply go for the Pass Line bet so they can avoid receiving the negative karma from the table. However, for those individuals who don’t buy into that, the slight percentage edge can help a player win one additional time every 50 tosses or so.
As for the regular Pass Line/Come and the Don’t Pass/Come line (without the 2x), the odds go up for the house edge. The Pass Line/Come bet has a house edge of 1.41 and the Don’t Pass/Come has a house edge of 1.40, so nearly identical here. The bet on 6 and 8 is the next lowest bet as the house edge is 1.52. Other bets that have a house edge of less than 5% include betting on 5 and 9, which is 4%, betting on 6 or 8, 5 or 9 or 4 and 10, all of which have a 4.76 house edge and a lay on 6 or 8 which is 4%, Lay 5 or 9 which has a 3.23, or Lay on 4 or 10, which has a 2.44 house edge.
House Edge of Less than 10
The most of the remaining bets actually have a higher house edge of 10%. In fact, there are only a few that fall between the 5 and 10 point house edge. Petting on a place 4 and 10 gives a 6.67 house edge, a Field Bet has a 5.56 house edge and the Hardway 6 or 8 has a house edge of 9.09. All other bets have a house edge greater than 10%. When there is a house edge of that high, it does bring about a larger payout, but players need to be aware of when to make this kind of a bet.
House Edge of More than 10
Betting on any Craps has a house edge of 11.11 points. The Hardway 4 or 10 and Yo or 3 has a house edge of 11.10, so both are essentially the same. The final two bets have a much higher house edge. Betting on 2 or 12 has a house edge of 13.9 and Any 7 has a house edge of 16.7. When making these kinds of bets, there is a considerable amount of luck involved. It is really just making the bet at the right time, but in the game of craps, there isn’t much skill involved. It is all experience, knowing when to place a particular bet and when to stick with the low hanging fruit bets. Either way, by understanding the house edges on all of the different bets, it is possible to know what the best course of action is for betting and what is going to provide the highest potential winning odds.
Craps has one of the lowest house edges in any of the casino games. This is why it is so popular and why it has been around for so long. It is just up to the player to know when to place individual bets and when to walk.
