Craps is one simple bet — the pass line — surrounded by the most intimidating table in the casino. Learn the pass line round and you know the game: 1.41% house edge, lowest variance per dollar of any dice format, and the gateway to the odds bet, the only zero-edge wager in the building. Everything else on the layout is optional and mostly worse.
The pass line round
1. Bet the pass line before the "come-out" roll. 2. Come-out roll: 7 or 11 wins immediately (1:1). 2, 3 or 12 ("craps") loses. Any other number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 — becomes "the point." 3. Point phase: the shooter rolls until either the point repeats (pass line wins 1:1) or a 7 lands first (loses).
That is the entire game. Online, the interface tracks the phase for you — the puck shows OFF (come-out) or ON (point set).
If you want the math: the come-out wins 22.2% of rolls and loses 11.1%; the rest set a point with repeat-before-7 probabilities from 33.3% (6/8) down to 45.5% against (4/10). Summed: 49.29% win rate at 1:1 → 1.41% edge.
The odds bet — take it
Once a point is set, you may add an "odds" bet behind your pass line wager. It pays at true odds — 2:1 on points of 4/10, 3:2 on 5/9, 6:5 on 6/8 — making it the only standard casino bet with zero house edge. Casinos cap it as a multiple of your pass bet (commonly 3x–5x, sometimes more) precisely because it costs them nothing.
Taking maximum odds dilutes the total edge on your combined wager:
| Odds taken | Combined edge (pass + odds) |
|---|---|
| None | 1.41% |
| 1x | 0.85% |
| 3-4-5x | 0.37% |
| 10x | 0.18% |
The odds bet guide derives this and covers don't-pass equivalents.
Don't pass, briefly
Betting against the shooter: wins where pass loses, with 12 pushing on the come-out (that push is the edge). House edge 1.36% — marginally better than pass, socially contrarian at live tables, identical in spirit. Come and don't-come bets repeat the same structure mid-round.
The rest of the table
The center of the layout — hardways, any seven, field, proposition bets — carries edges from 2.78% to 16.67%. The bets-to-skip guide tables them all; the summary is in the name. Place bets on 6/8 (1.52%) are the only non-line bets that approach respectability.
Online specifics
RNG craps plays solo at your pace, minimums from $1, with the full layout and phase tracking built in — the least intimidating way to learn. Live craps streams a real table with automated dice throwers or stickmen; slower, social, same math. Crypto-casino "dice" games are a different product entirely (a slider against a seeded number, covered in our crash/originals guides) — same word, unrelated game.
Bonus note: craps contribution to wagering requirements is typically reduced or zero, the standard low-edge treatment.