Craps odds describe the real probability of each roll, while house edge is the gap between those true odds and what the casino actually pays you. The Pass Line has a house edge of 1.41%. The free odds bet behind it has an edge of 0%, the only true-odds bet in the casino.
Understanding this gap is the whole game, financially speaking. Two bets can win the exact same amount and yet one quietly costs you five times more over a night. Here’s how the math works, why free odds is a genuine loophole, and where the good and bad bets fall.
True odds versus what you get paid
Start with the dice. Two six-sided dice make 36 possible combinations. A 7 comes up six ways, so its true odds are the most likely outcome. A 4 comes up three ways, a 12 just one way. That distribution never changes. It’s the fixed reality behind every craps bet.
The house edge appears in the gap between those true odds and the payout. Say a bet’s true odds are 2:1 but the table pays less than that. The difference, kept by the house on average, is the edge. On a place bet for the 4 or 10, that works out to 6.67%.
Here’s the mental model. True odds is what a fair coin-flip payout would be. House edge is the tax the casino skims off that fair number. Every bet on the table pays slightly (or heavily) below true odds. Except one.
Why free odds is special: a 0% edge
The odds bet is the exception, and it’s the reason craps has the best bets in any casino.
After a point is set, you can put money behind your Pass Line bet as an odds bet. This portion pays true odds exactly. If the point is 4 or 10, it pays true odds, which matches the real 2:1 probability of hitting a 4 or 10 before a 7. No skim. The house edge on the odds bet is 0%.
Zero. Over an infinite number of rolls, the casino makes nothing on this bet. It exists because the casino uses it as a hook to get you betting the Pass Line, which does carry an edge. The trick most players miss: bet the minimum on the Pass Line, then put as much as the table allows on odds. That drags your combined edge way down.
A quick example. Bet 10 on the Pass Line (1.41% edge) with no odds, and your average cost is set by that edge. Bet 10 on the line and 50 in odds, and the same edge now spreads across 60 dollars of action, so your effective edge on the total drops sharply. Same game, far cheaper.
The low-edge bets
These are the bets worth making. All of them stay under about 1.5%.
- Pass Line: 1.41%
- Don’t Pass: 1.36% (slightly lower, thanks to the barred 12)
- Come: 1.41%
- Don’t Come: 1.36%
- Odds bet: 0%
- Place 6 or 8: 1.52%
Build your whole game from this list and you’re playing craps about as efficiently as the math allows.
The middle tier
Not terrible, not great. Fine in small doses.
- Place 5 or 9: 4.00%
- Buy 4 or 10: 1.67% (a Place bet that pays true odds minus a commission)
- Lay bet: 1.67% to 2.27%
- Place 4 or 10: 6.67%
- Field: 5.56%
The Field surprises people. Seven winning numbers sounds generous, but the four losing numbers (5, 6, 7, 8) roll more often, so the edge lands at 5.56%.
The high-edge bets
The center of the table. Big payouts, big cost.
- Big 6 or Big 8: 9.09%
- Hardways: 9.09% to 11.11%
- Any Craps: 11.11%
- C and E: 11.11%
- Horn: 12.50%
- Yo (eleven): 11.11%
- Snake eyes: 13.89%
- Boxcars: 13.89%
- Hop bet: 11.11%
- Any Seven: 16.67%, the worst bet on the table
Any Seven is the clearest lesson in craps. It wins the most often of the props, and it still has the highest edge, because the payout is nowhere near the true odds. High hit rate, high cost. Those aren’t opposites.
Watching the edge play out
House edge is a long-run average, not a per-roll guarantee. On any given night you can beat a bad bet or lose on a good one. The edge only shows itself over hundreds of rolls, which is exactly what a free simulator is good for. Let the game run a few hundred rounds on the Pass Line, then a few hundred on Any Seven, and the difference between 1.41% and 16.67% stops being an abstract number. You’ll watch one bankroll drain and the other hang on.
Frequently asked questions
What bet in craps has no house edge?
The free odds bet, placed behind a Pass Line or Come bet after a point is set. It pays true odds, so its house edge is 0%, none at all. It’s the only bet in the casino with no built-in advantage for the house, which is why smart players bet the line small and load up on odds.
What is the house edge on a Pass Line bet?
The Pass Line has a house edge of 1.41%, one of the lowest of any casino bet. Backing it with a free odds bet lowers your effective edge across the total wager even further, because the odds portion pays true odds with no house advantage.
Why does the Field bet lose money if it covers seven numbers?
The Field covers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12, but the four numbers it misses (5, 6, 7, 8) come up more often on two dice. The 7 alone rolls six ways out of 36. So despite the wide coverage, the odds favor the house, giving the Field an edge of 5.56%.
What are the true odds of rolling a 7 in craps?
A 7 is the most common result with two dice, made six ways out of 36 combinations, roughly a 1-in-6 chance on any single roll. That’s why it wins the Pass Line on the come-out but ends the round once a point is set. Every craps bet is priced against this fact.
Does a lower house edge mean I’ll win more often?
Not on any single roll. House edge is a long-run average that shows up over hundreds of throws. A low-edge bet like the Pass Line (1.41%) simply loses your money slower than a high-edge bet like Any Seven (16.67%). Short term, anything can happen. Long term, the edge always wins.