We all love craps and we would all love to win at craps every time we play.

1. Rules On Winning At The Craps Table - LiveAbout
2. Winning At Bubble Craps
3. Winning At Craps Every Time
4. Winning At Craps Bets

While there is no sure-fire five-minute strategy that will teach you how to play craps and win every time, there are a bunch of strategy tips and smart bets that can improve your chances of winning.

In this article, I am going to run you through all the most common strategy tips to play craps. I will show you how to pick the right bets when you play and how to understand when the house edge is too high for you to stay in the game.

Throughout the article, you will find references to concepts like casino bankroll management, common casino mistakes, and the way odds in craps are calculated.

If any of these sounds foreign to you, remember to check out the articles I just linked before you sit at the craps table.

I'll show you the five best craps strategies that give you the advantage and win big! During my years of playing craps in the casinos, I've had the opportunity to watch and learn from a few successful dice players - the guys who almost always know when, where and how to bet - never relying on a hunch, whim or 'luck'.

1. If, however, you’d like a little inside info on which bets to place and when, bear these simple winning strategies in mind to understand how to win at craps: 1 – It’s all about the house edge. Remember, the odds are always for the house. Making bets with a low house edge is the best way to win in the long run.
2. Any Craps – This is also called the “3 way.” It’s a bet that the dice will land on 2, 3, or 12. The odds of winning are 8 to 1, and the payoff is 7 to 1. The house edge is 11.11%. Any craps is a one-roll bet. Hard 4 – This is a bet that the dice will come up 2, 2 before coming up with a total of 7 or another total of 4 not comprised.

Beating the C*ap Out of Craps

Despite what many beginners believe, craps is not the easiest game on the casino floor.

While it is true that your winnings are always one dice roll away, the game of craps comes with such a sophisticated set of bets that you won’t win unless you know how to play.

It's not so much down do using the right strategy to win at keno — it's about knowing how the game works.

Is There a Craps Strategy to Beat The Casino?

Rules are boring, I know. Unfortunately, there’s no way you can become a good craps player if you don’t know how the game works.

To help you get started, I set up a rules page for you to learn how to play craps.

Together with the game's rules, that article gives you some useful strategy tips on bankroll management and practical advice on how to limit your losses.

The key to getting more chances to win at craps is to learn what bets you can go for and what bets you need to avoid every time you play.

The only way you can do so is if you know the house edge connected to each one of the bets in the game.

How to Bet in Craps

If you want to be sure to get the best chances to win at craps, you need to pick the Pass/Don’t Pass or the Come/Don’t Come bets.

Picking any of the four bets indicated above reduces the house advantage to 1.40%. This is the best you can get in craps, especially if you combine it with laying or taking odds in order to reduce the percentage advantage even more.

Since choosing only the Pass / Don’t Pass and Come / Don’t Come bets would be awfully boring, I am going to give you some more craps strategy tips related to bets you can put your money on.

The other bets that give you the best odds of winning at craps are:

• the Place 6
• the Place 8
• the Field 2
• the Field 12

These four, combined with the ones I mentioned earlier, are the only bets worthy of your money. Anyone familiar with the basics of the craps optimal strategy know that all the other bets come with worse conditions and a higher house edge.

Keep in mind that when I say “higher house edge”, I mean that you stand little to no chance of winning when you pick one of the other bets.

Bets like the Hard-Way 4 and the Hard-Way 10 have an house edge of 11%. Why would you ever pick these ones instead of the much more favourable Pass / Don’t Pass line and Come / Don’t Come bets?

The next time you open a crap table at your favorite live casino online, have a look at what people bet on before you start playing.

Check out how many players don’t stick to these craps strategy tips I just gave you and count how many of those who try the top-paying bets end up in the red.

Rules On Winning At The Craps Table - LiveAbout

Pass and Come Bets

As you should know by now, the Pass / Don’t Pass and Come / Don’t Come bets are by far the best ones in the game.

The only way you will be respected by experienced players and dealers is if you show them you know this principle and you stick to these safe bets when you play craps.

The low house edge makes the Pass bet the most popular one in the game. With an house advantage of 1.41%, you always win unless the shooter hits a 2, 3, 2, or 7 after the point was hit.

The Come bet is equally popular and lets you win every time you or the shooter hit a 7 or 11 after the come bet is made. You lose the Come bet only when you or the shooter hit a 2,3,12.

Don’t Pass and Don’t Come Bets

If you don’t like to sit with the majority of players, you can also play “against” the others and become what is usually referred to as a Wrong Way Bettor.

Don’t let the name mislead you. Wrong bettors win whenever the other lose (and lose when the other players win) - which, in a gambling game like craps, is going to happen often.

Similarly, the Don’t Come bet is the one that you should go for after a point has been established in case you want to bet against the other players.

Whenever you opt for this bet, you win if the 3 or 2 is hit after the point has been made, and you tie if a 12 is rolled.

The Don’t Come bet pays even money and, like all the best bets in craps, has a house advantage of 1.41%.

Payout and House Edge of All the Bets in Craps

While the best explained above are the ones the optimal strategy to win at craps suggests, the game features a lot of other bets with different house edges.

To help you understand the bets you should avoid and the ones you should go for, here’s a table with all the information you need to pick the right one.

Craps Bets

Craps Proposition Bets

Essential Strategy Tips for your Craps Games

When considering how much to bet to beat a casino at craps, you should also consider how much money is in your expendable bankroll.

If your bankroll is limited (and I am pretty sure it is), you should limits the amount you press on the lay or place odds unless you want to be pushed out of the game after a single bad roll.

If you come to the table with a big bankroll, you should take advantage of the best bet in the game and not be afraid of pressing the maximum amount allowed by the table’s rule.

If you are looking to have more action at the table, you should at all costs stay away from most prop bets and stick to the Place and Lay bets.

Like in all gambling games, the key to beating a casino at craps is to walk away while you are ahead.

You need to know when to stop and take a break, Cash your winnings and leave the table. If you keep on playing, you put your winnings at risk - and you don’t want that.

Free Video Craps Strategy Lessons

Here’s a list of quick videos you should watch if you are serious about craps strategy and you want to take your game to the next level.

The 4-Minute Guide to Craps Strategy

Besides being an hilarious video (and I tend to agree with Roman Praha on the redhead being high), this is video is pure gold.

It drives you through everything you need to know before you start and it explains the essentials of the game in less than four minutes.

Plus, if you liked Leisure Suit Larry you will love this one.

The Mathematics of Craps

In this video, former craps dealer at the Hilton Las Vegas, Jim Luciano drives you through the numbers of craps to explain how to calculate odds, payouts, and winning chances.

This video complements the section of this article dedicated to the bets and the odds.

The 10-Minute Full Craps Strategy Course

This video features everything you need to become a pro. Watch it once you are familiar with the numbers in the game and the use these craps strategy tips from the Players Network!

The Five-Count Strategy System

In the video below Gaming author, Frank Scoblete, describes the so-called Five-Count System, an alternative craps strategy you can read on hit book Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos

The five-count system begins when a shooter rolls a point number of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Once any of these numbers is rolled, the next roll is the two-count. Assuming there is a third roll, here is where you would start betting with a come bet.

If the roll continues, it is considered to be the four-count where you would place another come bet. Once it reaches a five-count, here is where you would start to place odds on your come bets and also make your third come bet.

Top Online Casinos to Play Craps

Don’t let bad sites spoil your games of craps. Check out the best casinos to play online craps and use the bonuses to play your first games.

Disclaimer: Gambling is a game of chance and there's no sure-fire formula that guarantee winnings. You can improve your winning chances by using the right in-game strategies but there is no way to predict when a machine or a Casino game is going to pay. Also, this page contains affiliate links. If you click through and play, we might earn a commission. That’s what allow us to keep CasinoSmash free and bring you the best online Casino bonuses!

Want to know how to improve your craps game? Craps is all about the betting, not the dice roll. Knowing when and how to bet will make you invincible when you play craps—whether you play craps online or in casinos. These 5 simple tips on how to win at craps will improve your odds of winning while playing craps.

There are 11 numbers possible with a pair of dice; some easier to roll than others.

Those unfamiliar with the game of craps are usually put off by the large betting fields and seemingly endless rules and betting combinations. But the secret to winning at craps is to have some sort of understanding of the house edge, so you know when, where, and why to bet on each roll of the dice. All casino games are based on probability, so a little understanding of the math behind the game goes a long way. Some bets are better than others—and often at different times during the game.

Follow the basic strategy outlined below; it’s easy to remember and to implement. Get ready to boost your bankroll and your craps skills with these 5 easy-to-master tips.

1. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come With Odds

The rule of thumb is as follows: Put the smallest amount on the Don’t Pass or the Don’t Come lines and wager the largest amount behind them. The house edge is on the Don’t Pass/Don’t Come bets, which only pay out 1:1 if you win. But the player has the advantage on the Free Odds bets (those behind the don’t pass/don’t come line), which pay out at the actual mathematical odds. This means if you play it right, the house has no advantage at all.

Free Odds bets are the only bets in the casino where the house has no advantage. It’s important to bet in the right increments, because most casinos won’t pay out in fractional dollars. For example: Free Odds payouts on 6 and 8 are at a 6:5 ratio (i.e. bet $5 get paid $6), so bet in increments of $5. Free Odds payouts on 5 and 9 are at a 3:2 ratio, so bet in increments of $2. Free Odds payouts on 4 and 10 are 2:1, so bet in whatever increments you like.

2. Place the 6 or 8 Bet to Win

Instead of waiting for the shooter to establish a point, pick your own numbers: 6 or 8. When you’re playing in multiples of $6.00 (or the currency of your choice), place the 6 or 8 place-to-win bet. The 1.52% house edge makes this bet a popular choice. The winning bets are paid at 7:6 odds, which means that you’ll be paid out $7 when you bet $6 and the number hits.

The 6 and 8 are the most frequently rolled numbers other than 7. Stay away from other place bets because the house edge is higher: 4% on 5 or 9 and 6.67% on 4 or 10.

3. Place the 6 or 8 Bet to Lose

This tip is the opposite of the previous tip. You’re betting on the shooter to lose, which might make you ‘unpopular’ at a table cheering on the shooter. But you’re not gambling for them; you’re playing the odds. Place a $5 bet on the table and announce “6 (or 8) to lose.” If the 7 shows (which is a very high frequency number) then you win $4.00 as the house edge is only 1.82%. Remember, there are 11 numbers that can be rolled with a pair of dice and some numbers are much easier to roll (come up more frequently) than others. Check out the list below of numbers and the ways to roll them:

2 – one way – 1-1

3 – two ways – 1-2, 2-1

4 – three ways – 1-3, 2-2, 3-1

5 – four ways – 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1

6 – five ways – 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1

7 – six ways – 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1

8 – five ways – 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2

9 – four ways – 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3

10 – three ways – 4-6, 5-5, 6-4

11 – two ways – 5-6, 6-5

2 – one way – 6-6

4. Lay against the 4 or 10

This tip is similar to the place the 6 or 8 to lose but the payouts are much higher as, while there are six ways to roll a 7, there are only three ways to roll a 4 or a 10 as opposed to five ways to roll a 6 or 8. In this case you take the more “optimistic” approach and place $20 on the table and say “Lay against the 4 (or 10).” If you win, you get back $40!

You must pay the house a 5% commission to make lay bets, but they pay out at true odds. Also, you’re betting against the shooter, so try not to gloat if you win large amounts betting against them. And if you’re playing craps online, you’re not offending anyone.

5. Place the 5 or 9 to Lose

In this bet, you put down $8.00 (remember you have to bet in increments of $2 as the odds are 3:2, meaning for every $2 you bet you get $3 if you win) and bet that the numbers above will lose. Why? The house edge on this type of bet is low – only 2.5% so when the 7 shows (again, that happens often), you’ll win $5.00.

Winning At Bubble Craps

In addition to these tips, always remember that craps is a negative expectation game, so the longer you play, the higher the chances you have of losing. But this is how casinos stay in business, and how the house edges make or break bettors who don’t make smart bets—or know when to walk away.

Winning At Craps Every Time

These are 5 of the most effective bets to make on craps to win. By reducing the house odds you are increasing your own chances of winning big when the table is hot. Try this for yourself at Slots of Vegas Craps Table today and walk away a winner!

Winning At Craps Bets

See also: “Fall in love with the game of craps”