Category Archives: Craps Betting

What kinds of craps bets work best with betting systems?

This is a very important topic that I think will benefit people who use betting systems. As you may already know, betting systems can be used in just about any casino game including craps. They are usually just patterns of styles of betting that players can do in order to manage bankrolls and risks. Some well known betting systems are the Martingale, Parlay, Paroli, Labouchere, Fibonacci and etc. All of these require an important element in order for them to work properly.

The main requirement is that players need to be wagering money on a bet that pays out even odds. That means the house edge must be as small as possible and the odds of winning being nearly 50:50. Some bets are better than others for these kinds of strategies because the house edge differs slightly.

For example, if you wagered on snake eyes, the house edge is 13.89% and pays out 30:1 odds. The big red seven bet has a house edge of 16.67% and pays out 4:1 odds. So which bet would work best with a betting system? First of all, the any seven bet would work much better because the odds are closer to 1:1 than the snake eye bet, even though the house edge is worse. Still, both of these bets are terrible for betting systems.

The key is to get something that pays out 1:1 odds or something that you can win with odds nearly equal to those of flipping a coin and betting whether it will land on heads or tails. Below is a list of the best craps bets to use with craps betting systems:

Pass Line – 1.44%

Don’t Pass Line – 1.36%

Come – 1.44%

Don’t Come – 1.36%

Each of these bets pays 1:1 even odds and can be increased even better when including the free odds. Always remember that the house edge doesn’t mean much. Even if the any sevens bet paid 5:1 odds with 0% house edge (one of the best in the house), it would apply terribly with a betting system. For instance, if you used the Martingale craps system here, you would have to lose 5 times on average before finally winning, which means you would have to double your bets five times. It is already risky enough using Martingale when you lose 1 out of 2 times! Imagine doing that with the snake eyes bet when you lose 35 times for every win.

Although, when you find all of the 1:1 payout bets, the one with the lowest house edge is the better one because you win more often in the long run. For instance, the don’t pass and don’t come bets are the ideal ones (I always play the don’t pass bet). The free odds increases your advantage against the house, but you probably don’t want to uses these in one of the basic systems yet because it gets complicated when some bets you are allowed to place them and in others you are not. Plus the amount of money you are betting is directly related to how much you need to bet on the odds bet and that can throw your whole system off. I will try to include a few advanced systems specifically for craps in the future though.

How to use the fire bet in craps

The fire bet isn’t actually a standard bet. In fact, not all casinos allow this bet on their tables. For the casinos that do, this is actually a type of side bet that is usually found on table games. Also, you will typically find tables that support this bet at the bigger casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, but even some of the smaller ones will allow it.

Basically, this is a huge multi-roll bet. You want the shooter to throw point numbers on the come out roll and then hit those same point numbers again to end the round. There are only six available point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. In order to win the jackpot or the entire fire bet, a shooter must throw all six individual point numbers on the come out roll and then “make” those points. Most importantly, the shooter must not roll a 7 or else the round ends and the whole cycle has to start over again.

Another thing to remember is if you establish “9” as the point and throw again before a seven, that would count as completing 1 of 6 points. After the “9” has been done, the dealer will place a fire marker on that number. If the shooter throws another 9 and clears the point a number of additional times, it still only counts as marking 1 of the 6 numbers. You still have to clear 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 as well, all without rolling a 7

The fire bet does not pay out for the first three points that are completed, but the payout odds are as follows:

4 points pays out 24:1

5 points pays out 249:1

6 points pays out 999:1

As you can see, players can win $1000 for every $1 bet. For example, if someone placed a $100 fire bet, they could win $100,000! Of course only the big casinos like those in Vegas would allow the betting limit for this side bet to be this high.

What are the free odds craps bets and how to use them?

The free odds bet is actually the greatest bet in the entire casino and in the game of craps. The reason this is such a wonderful bet is the fact that they pay out true odds, which means the actual odds of winning are the same as the payout odds. This also means the house has no edge, advantage or profit margin. Basically the house has a 0% edge!

The odds bet is usually made as a complement to the pass line or don’t pass line bets. They also apply to the come and don’t come bets as well. When you place any of these line bets, you wait until the shooter rolls the dice. If you don’t crap out or seven out (depending on what you are betting on), then a point number will be established. It is only after the point is made that the odds bets become available.

Players may only place odds bets in multiples of their original line bet wagers. For instance, players can bet in 1x, 2x or 3x their bet increments. Large casinos like those in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Monte Carlo and etc., will allow 10x, 50x and even 100x odds bets. This can also be found at some online VIP casinos as well depending on if the casino will allow players to customize their craps tables like it has been known at the CasinoMax. Take a look at our Las Vegas multiple odds percentage chart to see how much your odds improve as you increase your odds bets.

The general rule of thumb is the higher the multiplier of odds bets you place, the lower the house edge gets. Remember, the odds bet itself is pays true odds, but you are using this in addition to your line bet, which already includes a small house edge. Placing an odds bet will just reduce the mathematical house edge to fall in your favor as you put more money on odds. Also, the pass and come odds are the same thing as well as the don’t pass and don’t come odds. True odds is true odds! Remember, the don’t pass line has just slightly better odds than the regular pass line bet.

I put a lot of links in this post because there is a lot of information about this bet since it is more of an advanced strategy. I would suggest reading a lot about the rules in order to get a good grasp of this part of the game. Once you understand this aspect of free odds, you will get a huge appreciation for the game as I have and just how rare it is to get such great odds and luck.

No house edge for “big red” and any seven bets

Big red and any sevens is basically the same bet. When a player wagers on this bet, they are betting that the shooter will roll a seven on the very next roll, making this a single roll wager. If you win on the come out roll with a 7, players usually will win $4 for ever $1 bet or 4:1 payout odds. This leaves a huge house edge of 16.67% which makes this bet the worst one in the house and one of the worst ones in any game at the casino!

Wagers with really high house edges like this are usually common with the proposition betting options. The proposition bets are available in that area at the center of the table between the two identical major layouts where the line bets and points are. Basically the propositions are usually indicated with pictures of dice on the table layout and where you are allowed to bet on snake eyes, boxcars, etc.

So the title of this article says “no house edge” right? Well, as a matter of fact, some casinos have different rules that allow for changes in the payout odds. In fact, CasinoMax allows for 5:1 payouts or winning $5 for every $1 bet. Interestingly enough, the odds of rolling a seven have these same odds as well. When the actual odds of rolling something are the same as the payout odds, that means the difference between them is zero. This difference is also the house edge, which would be 0% as well.

This is known as being paid true odds and there is almost no bet in any casino game that will pay out true odds because the casino never profits from it since everyone has fair equal odds of winning. In the long run, everyone breaks even but players have a much better advantage in the short run than they would have with a house edge! Normally the big red 7 bet pays out 4:1 odds but that is why you should always be diligent of the rules because you could catch a hidden gem that not many people would know about. If the casinos alter the rule for this bet, they probably have for a few other bets as well. So if you see something like “any seven pays 5 for 1”, then this is an awesome deal!

Using the Martingale Craps Betting System

If you didn’t already know, the Martingale strategy is one of the most popular and well known betting systems in existence. These systems are usually great for risk and bankroll management and guide players into betting by a series of patterns. Not only can this system be used in craps, but it can be used in just about any other casino game. First of all, this is a negative progression strategy, which means that you actually increase the size of your bets whenever you lose. This is also one of the riskiest, yet profitable betting system to use and I will explain it below.

The first important requirement for using the Martingale is to wager on bets that have nearly even odds and even payouts. An example of this would be the pass line or don’t pass bet, which pays out 1:1 (even) odds and also has a very low house edge. The lower the house edge, the better this system will work. Depending on the rules of the craps table, some bets have no house edge at all. For example, the any craps bet and the any seven (big red) pays out true odds (no house edge!) when playing at the CasinoMax‘s crap table. Generally though, the free odds bet in addition to one of the pass bets are perfect for using the Martingale system.

Now the first thing you do is wager 1 chip, which can be $1, $5, $100 or whatever you plan on betting. If you win, then the proceeding bets will always be 1 chip. Basically you never increase the size of your bets when you win. If you lose the bet, then you double the number of chips on the next bet and you keep on doubling up each time you lose consecutively. If you go on a losing streak, your bets would go from 1 chip to 2, then 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and so on. If you are using $100 chips, your bet would be $6400 after 6 losses in a row! If you finally win on that bet, then you return to your original 1 chip bet.

The benefit and advantage of the Martingale system when playing craps is you will always end up with a profit of 1 chip whenever you win, even after a long string of losses. The disadvantage is having to worry about table limits. For instance, if you were betting $100 chips and the table limit was $5000, you would be unable to wager $6400 in order to keep on pace with the strategy. Ideally, you would want to start with a very large bankroll and also begin with the minimum bet or minimum table limit, that way you have lots of room to move. If you started off with $1 chips, you would have to lose 12 times in a row before hitting the table limit, as long as you have a large enough bankroll to play with.

Losing 12 times in a row is somewhat rare, but it does happen. The larger your bankroll is and the larger the table limit is, the better chances you have of winning. This is a great strategy to use if you are a high roller and play on tables with high stakes craps. Still, the Martingale system is notorious for being risky so it is a good idea to know what you are doing in this game first.

Big Six and Big Eight craps bets explained

Yesterday I talked about a bet that I started using at the table called the big six or big eight bet. This is actually one of the more common bets but the odds are not that spectacular. It is also a bet that is different than many people would assume and has some rules to it that I will explain next. I actually won with it and it wasn’t that bad of a bet.

Basically, you wager some chips on a spot on the table that has a Big 6 and 8 spot at the corner of the pass line. You are betting that the dice will land on a six or eight before a seven. Note that you are either betting on 6 or 8, but not both of them. You can also cancel your bet at any time if you start feeling too nervous about it. Remember not to confuse this bet with a Place 6 or Place 8 bet, in where you must roll a 6 or 8 on the very next roll or lose the bet.

So here are the odds and probabilities: If you win the bet, you are paid even money or 1:1 odds. The odds of the dice actually landing on these numbers is 5 in 36 on any given roll (whereas rolling a 7 has odds of 6 in 36). The actual odds are also 6:5 and the house edge is actually a whopping 9.09%. A house edge this high is actually terrible since the casino is majorly profiting on this bet. The fact that I actually won well with this bet the other day was only due to pure luck during the short term, otherwise I would be taking some huge losses in the long term as the casino takes a huge chunk of money over time.

Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this bet if you are a mathematical person looking for the best and most profitable odds in the game. Still, there are bets in craps that have an even worse and larger house edge than even this bet! I will try talk about each of these bets as time goes on. It is nice to know that the big 6 and big 8 bets have such bad odds because this is actually a popular wager to make and it is common among players for some strange reason. I am willing to bet that this one is popular because it is displayed in huge red letters on the table and many people just don’t know the game well enough to understand what this bet really is.

The pass and don’t pass line bets explained

The pass line and don’t pass line bets are the two most common and popular bets in craps. They are also some of the most important as well since there are other supplemental bets that go along with these two that will give you the best odds out of any casino game in the house! In fact, using these pass and don’t pass bets can actually help you reduce the house edge to nothing, nil, zero and maximize your odds as good as it gets.

First I will explain the pass line bet. This is a bet that wagers that the dice will land on a natural 7 or 11 and win. The player losses if the dice lands on one of the craps numbers: 2, 3 or 12. Notice that the odds of getting a 7 are greater than the combined probability of getting 2, 3 and 12. The round ends if the dice lands on any of these numbers and a new one starts. If you win on the come out throw, the house pays even odds or 1:1 on your dollar.

Now if the shooter throws anything else but these numbers, such as 4, 5, 6, 8, 9

Some basic betting rules in craps

Players can bet on just about anything in this game. All you are doing is throwing a pair of six-sided dice, so there are only 12 numbers you can bet on. The thing about craps though is there are special bets where you can bet on a range of numbers, or even just a single straight up number like 7 for example. There are a few major concepts that players should learn about the game before getting into specific bets though.

First of all, one of the most common bets in craps is the pass line bet. Here you are betting for the shooter or whoever is throwing the dice. If the dice land on a 2, 3, or 12, then the player will automatically lose the bet. If the dice lands on a 7 or 11, the player will automatically win and the round instantly ends. The payout odds are 1 to 1 on this kind of bet. Players can also make a don’t pass bet, which is basically the opposite of the pass line bet. As a matter of fact, this bet has better odds for the players and cuts the house edge down a notch. These bets are explained on other pages on this site and will be explained more throughout this blog. When the dice lands on a 2, 3, or 12, this is known as a craps.

So what if the dice doesn’t roll out to be 2, 3, 12 and 7, 11? Then any other number will become known as the point. Basically a marker will be placed on the table by the number that was rolled. For instance, these numbers could only be 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The only way that the round can end is when the dice lands on the point number once again or the 7. Theoretically, the round could last indefinitely if the dice never lands on these two numbers. Something to note is that the number 7 has the most favorable odds of being rolled, so the odds are in favor of the 7 being rolled before the point number. Take a look at our probability charts to understand which numbers on the dice will be rolled and how frequently.

Before the round ends, the dice can be thrown numerous times and players can continue making all sorts of different bets at any time. Eventually if the point is rolled, the dealer will take the marker back again and players will be allowed to make new pass line bets again. The same thing happens if a seven is rolled. These are really the basic rules of the game, but there are tons of other side bets and even some that will improve your odds greatly and cut the house edge to zero!

A little bit about craps – What is craps?

If you didn’t already know, craps is a type of gambling game found in many casinos, both online and off line. In fact, craps is one of the most popular casino games in the world. One reason why this game is so popular is because the house edge is extremely small. This means that your odds of winning are much greater and the casino won’t take as much money from you over time.

Craps is also a social game like roulette. The game consists of a large table with high padded rims and a pair of dice that are to be thrown. There are a few important people involved in managing the game as well. First, there are two dealers known as base dealers. These dealers are responsible for moving the chips around and paying off bets. Normally a craps table will have two large betting areas to allow for more people to play. As you may guess, this is actually a very large table.

That is not all, there is also a stickman who stands between the base dealers and they are responsible for the bets that are placed in the center area of the table. They also announce the results and collect the dice with a long stick. Across from the stickman is the boxman, who is responsible for protecting and guarding the chips on the table. All in all, there are 4 people or “dealers” running a craps table.

I have included a picture of a craps table below, which should illustrate the basic setup and where the dealers would be located:

a basic craps table

Note that not all casinos have the same rules so there may not be all of these dealers present at a table, especially if it’s not busy. Another neat thing about craps is players can actually throw the dice themselves. The person who throws the dice is known as the shooter.

This game might appear complicated, but it really isn’t. Of course the table has interesting and arcane looking symbols and bets available, but once you realize what they all mean, you will be able to easily see which bets are best and which are not. In fact, there are some bets that are just pure highway robbery with massive house edges. There are also “secret” bets not even displayed on the table and these have some of the best odds in any game in the casino! Read some of our blog posts or explore the links on the sidebar to learn the more intermediate and advanced details of the game. Once you understand this game, you’ll have some massive advantages. In fact, there is a certain bet with zero house edge and it pays out fair even odds!