True Odds vs. Payout Odds: Why It Matters
Understanding the difference between true odds and payout odds is the foundation of smart craps play. True odds reflect the actual mathematical chance of a particular outcome happening given the possible dice combinations; payout odds are how the casino chooses to pay you if that outcome occurs. When payout odds match true odds, the bet has no built-in house edge for that portion of the stake (this is why "odds" bets behind the pass line are so valuable). Most base bets at a craps table (pass line, come, place bets, prop bets) are paid at odds that diverge from the true odds, producing the casino's profit margin.
Examples help. For a point of 4 or 10, the true odds of hitting the point before a 7 are 2:1 (because there are three combinations to make a 4 or 10 and six to make a 7, so 3/(3+6) = 1/3). For 5 or 9, true odds are 3:2; for 6 or 8 they’re 6:5. Casinos often pay odds bets at these true rates when you take "free odds" behind a pass line or come bet, meaning those odds bets carry no house edge. By contrast, the pass line's initial bet pays even money while its expected house edge is about 1.41% because of the way 2, 3, and 12 are handled on the come-out roll.
Why it matters to you: when you split your wager into a base bet (with house edge) and an odds bet (no house edge), increasing the proportion in the odds portion reduces your overall effective house edge. Casinos limit how much you can place on odds (single, double, 3-4-5x, or 10x odds are common), so learn the table limit and always take as much odds as your bankroll and the limit permit.
Pass Line and Don't Pass: Core Bets and Their Odds
The Pass Line and Don't Pass bets are the simplest, most commonly recommended starting points for beginners because they offer among the lowest house edges on the craps table. Pass Line: on the come-out roll, 7 or 11 wins; 2, 3, or 12 loses (12 is a push in most American tables); any other roll sets the point. Once a point is set, the shooter rolls until either the point hits (Pass Line wins) or a 7 appears (Pass Line loses). Don't Pass is the opposite: you win if 2 or 3 comes on the come-out (12 is usually a push), lose on 7 or 11, and then you’re betting that a 7 appears before the point again.
House edge numbers: Pass Line has an expected house edge of about 1.41% (1.414%). Don't Pass is slightly better for the player at roughly 1.36% (1.364%) because the treatment of 12 and subtle rule differences give a tiny edge. These figures assume no odds taken; once you add odds (which pay true odds and carry zero house edge), your overall effective house edge drops dramatically.
Odds bets: After the point is established, players can add an odds bet behind the Pass/Don't Pass. Payouts follow true odds: 2:1 on 4/10, 3:2 on 5/9, and 6:5 on 6/8. Example: you place $10 on the Pass Line and take 3x odds when the point is 6. Your base $10 pays 1:1 if the point hits; your odds portion ($30) pays at true odds 6:5, so if 6 hits you get $36 on the $30 odds. Because that $30 payoff matches the true probability, that portion of your wager has no house advantage.
Practical advice: always take odds when feasible. Odds are the only wager in the casino with zero house edge. If your bankroll is limited and the table allows only modest odds, prioritize taking them anyway because the reduction in overall house advantage is meaningful over many rolls.
Place, Buy, and Lay Bets: Variations, Payouts, and Commissions
Beyond Pass/Come and Don't Pass/Don't Come, place, buy, and lay bets give more flexibility but vary in cost-effectiveness. A Place bet is a wager that a specific number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) will be rolled before a 7. Place bet payouts are slightly less than true odds, with the house edge built into the payout schedule. Typical place payouts: 6/8 pay 7:6, 5/9 pay 7:5, and 4/10 pay 9:5. Because these are not true-odds payouts, place bets have a house edge: roughly 1.52% on 6/8 (the best place options), about 4.0% on 5/9, and about 6.67% on 4/10 — so 6 and 8 are the most favorable place numbers.
Buy bets let you pay a 5% commission (vigorish) to the house to be paid at true odds instead of the less-favorable place payout schedule. For large bets, buying the number is often better. Example: a $100 buy bet on 4 would pay true odds 2:1 (you’d be owed $200 on a win), but the casino will take 5% of your $100 ($5) up front, or sometimes on winning only, leaving you with a net $95 win on a $100 risk; this compares favorably to the place payout's effective return for big amounts. Because the commission is fixed (5%), it becomes more favorable the larger your bankroll or the longer you plan to let that bet ride.
Lay bets are the inverse of buy bets: you wager that a 7 will come before a particular number. Laying requires paying a 5% commission for true-odds payoff on the winning side. Lay bets can be useful to hedge or to take advantage of favorable table flow, but they carry the same commission considerations. Tip: if you want to "play numbers" but have limited bankroll, prioritize placing 6 and 8 (lowest house edge among place bets), or consider buying them when making large single-number plays.
Also note table minimums and payout rounding: casinos may require buying a minimum amount or round commissions differently (some collect 5% only on winning bets), so always ask the dealer before committing a large buy/lay play. Evaluate commission vs. payout in absolute dollar terms — a 5% commission on a $10 buy is small but reduces your edge advantage compared with buying at much larger stakes.
Proposition Bets and Managing Risk: When to Say No
Proposition bets (proposition or "prop" bets) are single-roll or short-term bets that often have very large payouts but steep house edges. Common props include Any 7, Any Craps, Horn bets, Hardways, and specific one-roll bets such as Yo (11) or Ace-Deuce (3). They are attractive because of quick large payouts: for example, Any 7 typically pays 4:1. But mathematically this is a losing bet: a 7 appears 6/36 times (~16.67%), so an expected loss is roughly 16.67% of your wager — one of the highest house edges on the table. Any Craps (2, 3, or 12) pays 7:1 but has a high house edge as well. Hardways pay well (hard 6 or 8 often pay 9:1) but the probability of hitting a hardway before a 7 or "easy" combination is low; house edges on hardways commonly exceed 9%.
Because prop bets are volatile and mathematically unfavorable, casual and professional players agree: limit or avoid them unless you are playing for entertainment and can afford the loss. Instead, to manage risk and extend play, use Pass/Come and take full odds or place 6 and 8 as discussed. Basic bankroll management guidelines include: set a session budget, size base bets as a small fraction of that budget (e.g., 1–2%), and use odds proportionally rather than overextending. If you have a fixed bankroll of $1,000 and a table minimum of $5, consider $5 base bets and put 2–3x odds when possible; this strategy lowers effective house edge while offering reasonable exposure.
Concrete scenario: with a $10 Pass Line and 3x odds on a point of 6, your combined expected house edge might shrink from 1.41% to under 0.5% overall because the odds portion carries zero edge. Contrast that with a $10 Any 7 bet, whose expected loss per roll is about $1.67 on average (16.67% of $10), much higher than any pass-line strategy. Final tips: know the true odds for 4/10, 5/9, and 6/8, always take as many free odds as your limit and bankroll allow, favor Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Come and avoid most single-roll props unless you accept the entertainment cost. Discipline — not chasing "hot shooters" or one-off prop payouts — is the most reliable way to preserve bankroll and extract value from craps.
