Understanding the Craps odds and bets that you can place is vital to ensuring you don’t lose all your money or embarrass yourself in a live game.
You might hear people shouting all types of lingo and vernacular terms such as “Horn Bets” or “Lay 10” which often confuse or put off even the biggest casino degenerates.
Craps, of course, is a male-dominated game, so we hear the roll of 2-3 is also known as the “waitress roll,” because it’s a “pair and a tray.” Naturally, our list isn’t complete. Names like “boxcars” for 12 have sometimes been replaced with colorful counterparts.
- But if you're undaunted and really want to test your system, read on. The wrong way to test your system is to gather random roulette spins, baccarat rounds, or craps rolls and then apply your system to it. The reason this fails is that it's impossible for you to hand-check several thousand rounds.
- Drop The Hardways Bomb. We’re going to end this discussion of how to win at craps with a little.
In order to tell how many numbers youve hit during a roll at the casino craps table, the easiest way is to put chips aside as you roll. You use one-dollar chips (usually white) for one through four, then a red chip for a five, add white for six through nine, then two reds for 10 and so on. A pass line bet requires you to place chips on the “Pass Line” section of the table. If the shooter’s come out roll is a 7 or 11, you win even money (1:1). However, if the come out roll is 2,3 or 12 (craps) you lose. If any other number is rolled (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) it’s called the point.
Thankfully, the rules of Craps are actually quite simple even if it takes time to learn the jargon. Make sure to read all information on this page, before You play craps for money.
We can predict the odds of any particular number coming up on a roll and why the craps rules are made how you will see.
For example: the odds for you to roll a 4 on your next roll are 11 to 1.
You can figure this out by taking the number of ways a four can be made with two dice (with a one and a three, a pair of twos, or a three and a 1) compared to the number of combinations that two dice can make, which is 36.
So we have a 3 in 36 chance, or 1 in 12 chance that a 4 will come up on any given roll. To express these odds as ‘against’, you would say the odds against rolling a four are 11 to 1 (think of it as 11 non 4’s to one 4 for a total of 12 rolls). The calculation we’ve just done determines the ‘true odds’ of rolling a 4.
As many of you may know, the casino doesn’t like to pay back its players with ‘true odds’, it prefers to alter them.
Craps rules, like so many other casino game rules, pay back odds which guarantee the house a profit in the long run. Say for instance you were to place a bet on ‘any sevens’, meaning you’re betting that the next roll will be a seven.
The odds against hitting a seven on the next roll are 5 to 1 (you can calculate that out the same way we did for 4), which means that if you bet one dollar and win, you deserve to win 5 bucks, but the casinos only pay you 4.
Most bets in most games at the casino have been altered in this way. In fact, this is exactly the phenomenon that gives the casino a house edge in many situations.
We’ve covered all the major types of bets and odds you receive here.
Understanding Craps Odds
For instance, odds can be related either as 2-1 or 2 to 1, where a 1 credit bet returns 2 credits. In other words, 2 to 1 odds returns the original 1 credit bet and a 1 credit profit.
The Best Craps Bets
The best bets in craps are the pass line bet, taking the odds, the don’t pass bar, the come bet, and placing the 6 or the 8. Let’s look at each:
Pass Line
This is the most basic and popular of bets when playing Craps. It has one of the lowest house edges (1.41%) and it is very simple to place. Betting on the pass line bet or betting “with the dice” is the most common bet in craps and you will see many players or shooters choosing it.
A pass line bet requires you to place chips on the “Pass Line” section of the table. If the shooter’s come out roll is a 7 or 11, you win even money (1:1). However, if the come out roll is 2,3 or 12 (craps) you lose.
If any other number is rolled (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) it’s called the point. The shooter continues to throw the dice until he/she roles a 7 or the Point. If the point is rolled first, you win even money. If the 7 is rolled first you lose your bet.
Interestingly, in a game of Crapless Craps, the ability to lose a Pass Line bet to craps on a come out roll is removed – hence the name “crapless” craps. This improves your odds of winning by removing the house edge and increasing your expected value.
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Don’t Pass Line
You can also bet on the “Don’t Pass” line, which is basically when you are betting or laying the shooter on his first roll. This is simply the opposite of the pass line bet and is also known as betting against the dice.
To make this bet place your chips in the narrower section just beyond the pass line labelled don’t pass.
If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 (Craps) than you win straight away (1:1 even money). If a 7 or 11 is rolled before the Point is scored you lose. A 12 is considered a Push (draw) and normally you can relinquish this bet.
If any other number is rolled (4,5,6,7,8,9 or 10) this is established on the point number. After this happens you’ll win your money back if a 7 is rolled before the Point number, and lose if a 7 comes first.
Taking the Odds
After the point has been established, you can make an additional bet known as Taking the Odds or Pass Odds. You are betting on the Point number being rolled before a 7. The pay out odds are normally displayed on the Casino craps table.
The odds vary for different numbers based on the likelihood of them being rolled.
Normally, the payouts are as follows:
- 4 pays 2:1
- 5 pays 3:2
- 6 pays 8 pays 6:5
- 9 pays 3:2
- 10 pays 2:1
The odds bet is the best bet you can make in the game of craps, because the house has no built-in advantage. Free odds bets are paid back at true odds, so when you’re making these bets the casino has no house edge whatsoever, it’s an even game!
Come Bet
This is similar to a Pass Line bet, but it is made after the point has been established (dealer button is ON). The next roll then becomes the Come Out roll for your bet and establishes your Point. The payout depends on the Point:
- 7 or 11 pays 1:1 (also known as a Natural)
- 2, 3, or 12 you lose your money (also known as Craps)
- If neither of the above is rolled then (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) becomes the point for your bet. If a 7 comes before your point is rolled again you lose. If your point is won however your payout depends on the Point.
Come Bet Payouts:
| Number | Payout |
| 4 | 2:1 |
| 5 | 3:2 |
| 6 | 6:5 |
| 8 | 6:5 |
| 9 | 3:2 |
| 10 | 2:1 |
Taking the Odds
This is similar to the Come Bet and has the same odds above (Come Odds). You can place this bet only after the point has been established. If the 7 is rolled before the point, you lose.
Laying the Odds
Opposite of Taking the Odds. This is a Don’t Pass Line bet which can be made only after the point has been established. If a 7 is rolled before the point, you win.
Laying the Odds Payout:
| Number | Payout |
| 4 | 1:2 |
| 5 | 2:3 |
| 6 | 5:6 |
| 8 | 5:6 |
| 9 | 2:3 |
| 10 | 1:2 |
Don’t Come Bet
Oppose of Come Bet. This is similar to a Don’t Pass Line bet, but it is made after the Come Out roll. To make this bet all you need to do is to put your chips in the area labeled “Don’t Come” on the layout. You lose on a 7 or 11, and win on a 2 or 3. 12 is a “stand-off.”
Here you win if 7 rolls before your “come-point” is repeated, and lose if the “come-point” is made before a 7 is rolled.
Place Bets
You can bet on specific point numbers. If your number is rolled before a 7, you win. If a 7 comes before your point number, you lose. You’re paid out according to the table below.
Place Bets Payout:
| Number | Payout |
| 4 | 9:5 |
| 5 | 7:5 |
| 6 | 7:6 |
| 8 | 7:6 |
| 9 | 7:5 |
| 10 | 9:5 |
Placing the 6 or 8
When you make a place bet you bet that one of the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 will be hit before a 7 is hit. You can make a place bet any time by throwing your chips on the table while telling the dealer ‘I want to place the 6’ or whatever number you want to place your bet for.
So, if the number you bet on is rolled before a 7 you win and you are paid as follows: 4 or 10 placed – 9:5 odds, 5 or 9 placed – 7:5 odds, 6 or 8 placed – 7:6 odds.
As you can see the best for you is to place a bet on 6 or 8, because these bets have the best odds and also they have a good chance of hitting.
If you get the feeling like you want to place the 4 or 10, you should buy them instead, because although there is a Vig (a fee for winning bets) on these numbers, the edge comes out in your favor, however slightly.
However, the pass line bet is still the best one with the best odds and in the long run you should stick with it.
Although you can technically place a place bet at any time, it is impossible for it to come into effect until the shooters point is set, therefore it is more acceptable to ask for this bet after the come out roll is over.
Craps table
Bets with Poor Craps Odds
Big 6/Big 8 Bet
This is a Bet on a Big 6 or Big 8, put down after the point has been established. If a 6 or 8 is rolled before a 7, you win (1:1). This is a bet that you should not play because you can Place a bet on 6 or 8 and receive better odds.
Field Bets
Kind of what the name suggests, field bets are open to everyone who bets on the next number rolled. To place one you simple throw your chips into the table (as little chips as possible) and tell the stick man what you want. The payout for field bets:
- 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 all payout 1:1
- 2 pays 2:1
- 12 pays out either 2:1 or 3:1 (depending on the casino)
Proposition Bets
Placed before any throw. The house edge on all of these bets are over 11%. Therefore, you should not bet these very often or you should hedge your bets when you do so.
You can bet on any number as follows:
- Betting on the next throwbeing a 2, 3 or 12 (Craps)
- Any Seven: Betting on the next throw being a 7
- Eleven: Betting on the next throw being an 11
- Horn Bet: Betting on the next number being a 2, 3, 11, or 12. The payout is determined by the number rolled
Proposition bets are those placed in the middle of the table layout, and those bets never have a good house edge. You should make these bets only for fun and to make your game more exciting.
So, here they are:
- With the “any seven” bet you’re betting the shooter will hit a 7 on the next roll. It has a horrible house edge of 16.67%. Never make this bet.
- With the “snake eyes” bet you’re betting the shooter will throw a two on the next roll.
- With the “yo eleven” bet you’re betting the shooter will hit an 11 on the next roll.
- With the “any craps” bet you’re betting the shooter will throw a 2, 3, or 12 on the next roll. It holds a house edge of over 11%
- With the “any three” bet you’re betting the shooter will throw a 3 on the next roll.
- With the “midnight” bet you’re betting the shooter will throw a 12 on the next roll.
- With the “horn” bet you’re combining the snake eyes, 3, yo 11, and midnight bets.
Hardway Bets
A Hardway Bet is also made regarding the outcome of the next die throw. A Hardway roll occurs when doubles are thrown with an outcome of 4, 6, 8 or 10.
For example: rolling a pair of threes would produce a “hard 6”. An Easy roll is produced when the same outcome is achieved, but without rolling doubles.
For the previous example, rolling a 4 and a 2 would produce an “easy 6”. For a Hardway Bet to win, the shooter must roll a double with an outcome of 4, 6, 8 or 10. The wager loses if either a 7 or any Easy number is rolled.
The Lay Bet
The lay bet is almost similar with the don’t pass and don’t come bets, because with this bet your are playing against the dice. You can make this bet at any time in the game and it can be placed on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. A lay bet wins when 7 rolls before the number.
7 is more likely to come up than any other number so the casino requires you to wager more than you could win. This bet also requires a commission of 5% on average. If the bet is on 4 or 10 you get 1:2 odds, on 5 or 9 2:3 odds, on six or 8 5:6 odds.
The Buy Bet
When you choose this bet it means that you will buy numbers instead of placing them.
The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 can all be bought but there are only two numbers that really make buy bets worthwhile and those numbers are 4 and 10 because they pay off better than the other numbers. You win if the buy number comes up before a 7 is rolled.
The odds are higher for a buy bet. 2:1 on a 4 or 10 buy, 3:2 for a 5 or 9, or 6:5 for a 6 or 8. Player pays 5% “vigorish” to get true odds on all numbers.
Depending on how much you bet, buying a bet can make you more money in the end even after accounting for the ‘vig’. The odds are only in your favor on a buy bet for a 4 or 10, so stick with the place bet on any others.
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If you consider yourself to be a serious craps player, you probably know the details on your personal record for longest consecutive roll.
In a highly volatile game of chance like craps – which affords the average shooter just 8.5 rolls before they “seven out” to end the table’s fun – going on an extended streak of success as the shooter can be an unforgettable experience.
There you are playing baccarat, taking center stage while an entire looks on with bated breath as you prepare to roll. You’ve already hit a few point numbers to cash in Pass Line bets for your fellow players, so excitement is in the air. The dice keep tumbling and dodging the dreaded 7 with a point number set, landing on every alternative number a time or two to produce winners for the exotic bettors.
The clock keeps ticking and you keep rolling winners, and before you know it, you’ve just set a new highwater mark for your longest stretch as a shooter without sevening out. Eventually, the party ends when the dice show 4-3 on a 9 point, but no bother – you nearly managed to eclipse the one-hour plateau with a 53-minute roll.
In most Las Vegas casinos, a roll like that would cause an immediate buzz across the gaming floor, both among players and dealers alike. And for good reason, as the average craps roll tends to last for just about 20 minutes.
So what if I told you a tourist from Honolulu, Hawaii once held the dice in hand for three hours and six minutes without ever sevening out?
That incredible craps session lasting 118 straight seven-less rolls might sound like one of Sin City’s infamous myths, like pure oxygen pumped into the air supply to keep losing gamblers blissfully unaware. But if you pay a visit to the classic California casino in Downtown Las Vegas, you can still find a full-fledged shrine to the original “Golden Arm” himself – the late Stanley Fujitake.
Fujitake Sets a World Record for Longest Consecutive Craps Roll
Back on May 28, 1989, Fujitake and his wife Satsuko took advantage of a Hawaii-focused travel promotion offered by the California Hotel & Casino to make one of their regular visits to Las Vegas.
An avid craps enthusiast herself, Satsuko Fujitake taught her husband the game during their courtship. As she told Hawaii News Now in 2009, shortly after Fujitake’s record finally fell (more on this to come), Satsuko soon suspected her husband had been bitten hard by the craps bug:
“Mom, where is Dad going out all the time? I said, ‘Well, he must have trouble with his stomach, he’s going to the bathroom.’
I didn’t believe that, I knew what he was doing – he was on the table every time he went out.”
So it was that Satsuko woke up one morning to find her husband’s side of the bed hadn’t even been slept in. That’s because Fujitake has spent the night putting on one of the greatest gambling shows Las Vegas has ever witnessed.
The action started around midnight when Fujitake – a mild-mannered man of diminutive stature who looked every part the average Las Vegas tourist – placed a simple $5 bet on the Pass Line.
Over the next 3+ hours, Fujitake could do no wrong with the dice, rolling over and over again without sevening out. As the epic rolling session progressed, onlookers crowded the table and wagered everything they had to get in on Fujitake’s good fortune.
Guido Metzger – who worked as a dealer at the California back then before rising to become director of casino operations for parent company Boyd Gaming – recalled the frantic crush of bettors surrounding Fujitake in an interview with Boyd’s Buzz:
“They had trouble keeping up with the chip payouts that night.
My table was empty. But there were at least 30 to 40 people trying to place bets at his table.
They couldn’t get fills to the table fast enough and had to start issuing scrip [casino credit] because not enough people were going to the cage and cashing in their chips.”
With winners coming on every roll, the California’s coffers were soon being drained for six-figure sums. The outlays became so onerous that John Repetti, casino manager for the California at the time, was called in from home to supervise the situation.
As he told the Los Angeles Times in a 2017 retrospective on Fujitake’s record-setting roll. Repetti was literally roused from his slumber in order to personally monitor the increasingly expensive craps game:
“The first call came and he’d been shooting for an hour, and we were losing a couple hundred thousand dollars at the time. I said if he continued, to call me at every $100,000 loss interval.
Well, the calls kept coming every 15 minutes. Another $100,000. And another $100,000.
After the fourth call and fifth call, I decided I’d better get some clothes on and get downtown.”
A seasoned veteran of the casino gambling industry, Repetti knew instantly that he was witnessing a historic run of good luck, as he told News at the Cal a few months afterward:
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“Half an hour is average, over an hour is amazing, but more than three hours is totally astounding.”
In the end, Fujitake held the dice for 118 consecutive rolls without sevening out, a feat which earned him $30,000 in winnings.
But according to David Strow, who serves as vice president of corporate communications for Boyd Gaming, Fujitake was hardly the biggest winner to benefit from the legendary roll. As Strow remembered it in a 2017 interview with PokerNews, Fujitake’s fellow players placed larger bets along the way and wound up winning upwards of $1 million:
“That was one of the ironic things about his roll – the other players at the table ended up winning a lot more money than Stanley did!”
Wife Remembers the Late Legend and Love of Her Life
Stanley Fujitake passed away in 2000 at the age of 77, but he was survived by his wife Satsuko and their sons Dennis, Lester, and Kevin.
And while the children may have wondered where Dad was during those late nights at the California’s craps tables, Satsusko told Hawaii News Now that she is glad Stanley was able to enjoy the game he loved so dearly:
“It was a miracle, because it’s impossible to hold the dice.
It doesn’t happen all the time, maybe it’s only once in a lifetime deal.”
Satsuko was there that night, but after wandering the casino floor for a while, she couldn’t find the small of stature Stanley amidst the crowd. Later on, as she played video poker in another area of the casino, Satsuko found herself surrounded by well-wishers celebrating her husband’s new crown as the King of Craps:
“People came up to congratulate me and I thought, geez, I didn’t do anything, I didn’t even hit a royal, why are they congratulating me?
Then I realized, he was the one with the dice.”
Fujitake’s Record Gets Smashed in the Garden State
For 20 years following his world record roll, nobody could top Fujitake’s mark of three hours and six minutes without turning over the dice.
Craps Rolls
The record stood until 2009, when a craps rookie named Patricia Demauro visited the Borgata casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey on a whim. Bored with the penny slots, her pal invited her to take a crack at craps, leading to one of the more improbable feats in gambling history.
DeMauro rolled 154 times consecutively without sevening out, a session which lasted four hours and 18 minutes altogether – or a full hour longer than Fujitake’s previous record.
When asked about her late husband’s historic feat falling into second place, Satsuko Fujitake told Hawaii News Now that Stanley’s record run will always be number one in her heart:
“As my husband of 54 years, in my heart, he is still the champ to me and will be forever.”
The “Golden Arm” Club Carries on Fujitake’s Legacy in Fine Fashion
In 1992, the California Hotel & Casino commemorated Fujitake’s record roll by creating the “Golden Arm” award.
Ever since then, any craps player at the California who can roll for one hour or more without sevening out earns entrance to the Golden Arm club. Admission comes with a plaque memorializing the date and length of session, while members are given a snazzy blue shirt proclaiming them to be Golden Arms.
Craps Rolls List
The name comes straight from Fujitake himself, after the proud craps player told Repetti that “this arm is golden” upon receiving a check for $30,000. Fujitake went on to top the 60-minute mark without sevening out on three other occasions, proving that his proficiency with the dice was no fluke.
You can learn more about the Golden Arm club – and the California’s annual craps tournament held in Fujitake’s honor – in this profile by the L.A. Times.
Conclusion
Managing to beat the average of 8.5 rolls without sevening out is enough to get most craps players’ heart’s pumping, so just imagine what Fujitake was feeling as the hours passed by. Runs like that are the stuff of gambling lore, but for one unforgettable night back in 1989, a tourist in Sin City simply refused to lose. The next time you’re in Downtown Las Vegas, make sure to pay homage to Fujitake and his record-setting roll by visiting the California and its Golden Arm “wall of fame.”