Craps Bets and Odds: Payouts and House-Edge Definitions

Craps wagers can settle on one roll or remain active across several rolls. Comparing their house edges requires the qualifying outcomes, payout and denominator. The figures below assume fair independent dice and conventional bank-craps rules.

A lower house edge means a lower expected loss per stated stake under the model. It is not a guarantee of profit or a protected balance. Layout position alone does not establish the return.

The Foundation: Pass Line and Don’t Pass Odds

Most players begin with the Pass Line or Don’t Pass bets. These are the “bread and butter” of any craps session.

• Pass Line: You are betting with the shooter. The house edge here is a low 1.41%. It pays even money (1:1).
• Don’t Pass: You are betting against the shooter. Under bar-12 rules, expected loss per initial stake, including pushed bets, is approximately 1.36%. This also pays 1:1.

Line wagers have different first-roll and point-phase rules. An additional odds component may be permitted after the relevant point is established.

True-Odds Payouts and the Underlying Bet

At true-odds payouts, the additional odds component has zero mathematical house edge under the fair-dice model. It can still lose. The required underlying Pass, Come or Don’t wager retains its own expected loss.

On a conventional 3x-4x-5x taking-odds schedule, the maximum additional stake is three times the line stake on 4 or 10, four times on 5 or 9, and five times on 6 or 8. A $10 line stake therefore permits $30, $40 or $50 respectively—not $50 on every point.

• Point is 4 or 10: Payout is 2:1.
• Point is 5 or 9: Payout is 3:2.
• Point is 6 or 8: Payout is 6:5.

Adding a zero-edge component lowers a percentage calculated over the larger combined stake. It does not remove the underlying expected dollar loss and increases the amount exposed on a particular result.

Place Bets: Choosing Your Numbers

If you don’t want to wait for a shooter to establish a point, you can make Place Bets on specific numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) at any time. However, the payouts are slightly lower than the true odds to ensure the house keeps an edge.

Number	Payout	House Edge
6 and 8	7:6	1.52%
5 and 9	7:5	4.00%
4 and 10	9:5	6.67%

The place-bet percentages above are measured per resolved bet. Intermediate rolls that neither win nor lose are not separate resolved bets. Buy wagers use different commission rules, so their return must be calculated separately.

Proposition and Hardway Settlements

The centre area can include one-roll propositions and multi-roll hardways. They should not all be described as one-roll bets.

• Any Seven: You bet the next roll is a 7. Payout is 4:1, but the house edge is a staggering 16.67%.
• Hardways (Hard 4, 6, 8, 10): The hard pair must appear before an easy version of the same total or 7. At conventional 7:1 payouts for hard 4/10 and 9:1 for hard 6/8, house edges are approximately 11.11% and 9.09% respectively.
• Any Craps (2, 3, or 12): Payout is 7:1, but the house edge is 11.1%.

Payout size is not the same as expected return. A high-payout outcome can be rare enough to leave a substantial expected loss.

Field Bets: The One-Roll Gamble

The Field is a large area where you bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.

• Most numbers in the field pay 1:1.
• Usually, the 2 pays 2:1 and the 12 pays 2:1 (or 3:1).

If the portal you are using pays 3:1 on the 12, the house edge is 2.78%. If it only pays 2:1 on both the 2 and 12, the edge jumps to 5.56%. Always check the table graphics before placing a Field bet.

Detailed Bet Explanations

See Pass and Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come, taking and laying odds, place versus buy, proposition bets, and Field payouts. The probability guide explains the 36 dice combinations. These are informational comparisons, not Canadian table listings.

Explore the full section: craps rules and odds.