Craps Strategy Guide
You simply cannot devise a system to win at Craps, so let’s make that clear before discussing any other kind of strategy. While the house edge on many of the bets in Craps can be exceptionally low, with bets that offer a near even chance of winning on any probability, there are no betting systems that can beat the casino. Trying to increase your bets at a consistent rate will not work, due to table limits and your own limited funding. Keeping track of results is also useless, as every new roll is a new probability that is independent of every other roll.
This does not mean that there aren’t ways of minimising the potential for losses in Craps. Betting on Don’t Pass and making Don’t Pass Odds bets can be an easy way of keeping expected average losses to a minimum. This isn’t the most compelling way to play, however, and you will likely use the Pass Line bet at a live venue, with the slightly higher house edge. Simply waiting for the Pass Line bet to resolve will probably grow tedious quickly, so you will want to look into placing other bets.
This is where real Craps strategy comes in – choosing the right bets for entertainment while avoiding the bets that tend to end in massive losses over time. There is a wide and wonderful range of sucker bets available to make in Craps, so you should introduce yourself to them now, in order to avoid making them at the table.
Practically all of the proposition bets can be considered sucker bets when looking at their house edges compared to Pass Line based bets.
First of all, practically all of the proposition bets can be considered sucker bets when looking at their house edges compared to Pass Line based bets. About the only proposition bet that could be recommended is the Field, but only as long as a 12 pays 3 to 1. Otherwise, practically all of the proposition bets have a house edge of more than 10%. If you absolutely feel you must make a proposition bet, at least be sure to avoid Big Red. It has a 16.67% house edge and is the worst bet to make in Craps.
All the Hard Way bets are inadvisable, and Big 6 and Big 8 bets should never be made.
Some of the bets resolved over multiple rolls that do not involve the Pass Line can be reasonably good value, but most are still quite poor. All the Hard Way bets are inadvisable, and Big 6 and Big 8 bets should never be made. Place, Buy or Lay bets on some numbers can be reasonable, with the Place 6 and Place 8 bets offering a slim house edge of 1.52%. The better payouts of Place 6, Place 8, Buy 6, and Buy 8 bets are why you should always avoid Big 6 and Big 8.
Finally, let’s look at the best bets to make in Craps in terms of minimal house advantage – the Pass Line based bets. Obviously the most important is the Pass Line bet itself. It has a very low house edge of 1.41% and placing a Pass Odds bet to back it up will usually result in very low losses over time. Most players will begin by making one of these bets, or a Don’t Pass bet, but how do you spend your time while waiting for the Pass Line bet to resolve?
By placing a good combination of Pass Line based bets, you can minimise the costs of playing Craps while still having fun.
Come and Don’t Come bets, as well as the better value Place bets, are great additional bets to make while waiting for the shooter to hit their point or seven out. Come and Don’t Come bets have the same odds and house edge as their Pass Line and Don’t Pass counterparts, but they can be started on any non-come out roll. Sure, at live venues this can see you out of sync with the rest of the table’s cheers, but there’s no need to worry about that at an online casino. By placing a good combination of Pass Line based bets, you can minimise the costs of playing Craps while still having fun.
Part of the strategy of Craps is deciding where to play. If you are only interested in the social aspect, then you should find live venues and stick to Pass Line bets. If you enjoy the excitement that the game offers, however, online casinos may be more appropriate for your play style. Just remember, you will have to be mindful of the superstitions of other players at a live casino, while you need not have such concerns at an online casino.
