Key facts
- Two dice make 36 combinations. Seven is the most likely total (6 ways, 16.67%); 2 and 12 are the least likely (1 way each, 2.78%).
- Pass line odds: the line bet (win line in Australian rules) has a 1.41% house edge and the don't side 1.36% per bet, in our calculation. The odds bet behind them pays true odds and has no edge.
- With 2x odds the combined edge on your line bet plus odds falls to 0.61%; with 5x odds, 0.33%. The casino sets the maximum multiple on the table sign.
- Australian rule books pay hard 6 and 8 at 9.5 to 1 (4.55% edge) and hard 4 and 10, any craps, 2, 3, 11 and 12 at prices worth a 5.56% edge.
- Any 7 at 4 to 1 is the worst bet on the table: a 16.67% house edge, or about $1.67 lost per $10 bet on average.
Craps odds start with 36 combinations
Every price in craps comes from one table. Two six-sided dice can land 36 ways, and the totals are not equally likely.
| Total | Ways | Chance per roll | True odds against |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 2.78% | 35 to 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 5.56% | 17 to 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 8.33% | 11 to 1 |
| 5 | 4 | 11.11% | 8 to 1 |
| 6 | 5 | 13.89% | 6.2 to 1 |
| 7 | 6 | 16.67% | 5 to 1 |
| 8 | 5 | 13.89% | 6.2 to 1 |
| 9 | 4 | 11.11% | 8 to 1 |
| 10 | 3 | 8.33% | 11 to 1 |
| 11 | 2 | 5.56% | 17 to 1 |
| 12 | 1 | 2.78% | 35 to 1 |
Most bets in craps are a race between a number and the 7. The number with W ways beats a 7 with probability W / (W + 6). A 6 or an 8 beats the 7 five times in eleven; a 4 or a 10 only three times in nine. The house edge on each bet is the gap between those true odds and what the table pays.
Pass line odds and the free odds bet
The line bets are where most of the money goes. We combined the come-out chances with the chance of making each point:
| Bet | Wins | Loses | Stands off | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win line (pass) | 49.29% | 50.71% | none | 1.41% |
| Don't win line (don't pass), 2 stands off | 47.93% | 49.29% | 2.78% | 1.36% per bet, 1.40% per decision |
The odds bet is the only bet in the casino with no house edge. Once a point is set, you can back your line bet with an odds bet that pays exactly the true odds: 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on 5 or 9 and 6 to 5 on 6 or 8. The Victorian rules pay these odds, the Queensland rule protects your right to take or lay them, and the don't side lays odds at the reverse prices. Because the odds bet loses nothing on average, the more of your money sits there, the lower your overall cost.
| Odds you take | Combined house edge on line bet plus odds |
|---|---|
| No odds | 1.41% |
| 1x | 0.85% |
| 2x | 0.61% |
| 3x | 0.47% |
| 3x, 4x, 5x (by point) | 0.37% |
| 5x | 0.33% |
| 10x | 0.18% |
These figures are per dollar bet in total. Your expected loss in dollars does not fall: it stays at 1.41% of the line bet, because the odds add money at zero cost. In the Victorian rules the maximum multiple is set by casino management and shown on the table limit sign; the Queensland rule says line bet maximums must not stop you taking or laying the odds.
Worked example. Thirty line decisions at $10 with 2x odds. A point is set two times in three, so you bet about $700 in total. Expected loss: 30 x $10 x 1.41% = $4.24. Without the odds you would bet $300 and expect to lose the same $4.24. The odds made your bets bigger, not your losses.
Craps house edge on every bet
Pay tables from the Queensland Casino Gaming Rule (schedule 4, effective 24 December 2025) and the Victorian craps rules, which agree on every bet they share; odds and don't place prices are from the Victorian rules. House edge is our calculation, per dollar bet.
| Bet | Pays | Wins on | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odds (take or lay) | True odds | Point before 7 or 7 before point | 0% |
| Don't win line / don't come | 1 to 1 | see above | 1.36% |
| Win line / come | 1 to 1 | see above | 1.41% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 5 in 11 | 1.52% |
| Don't place 6 or 8 | 4 to 5 | 6 in 11 | 1.82% |
| Lay 4 or 10 (5% of the win) | 1 to 2 | 6 in 9 | 2.50% |
| Don't place 5 or 9 | 5 to 8 | 6 in 10 | 2.50% |
| Don't place 4 or 10 | 5 to 11 | 6 in 9 | 3.03% |
| Lay 5 or 9 | 2 to 3 | 6 in 10 | 3.33% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4 in 10 | 4.00% |
| Lay 6 or 8 | 5 to 6 | 6 in 11 | 4.17% |
| Hard 6 or hard 8 | 9.5 to 1 | 1 in 11 | 4.55% |
| Buy any number (5% of the bet) | True odds | varies | 5.00% of the bet |
| Hard 4 or hard 10 | 7.5 to 1 | 1 in 9 | 5.56% |
| Field | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 | 16 of 36, per roll | 5.56% |
| Any craps | 7.5 to 1 | 4 of 36, per roll | 5.56% |
| 2 or 12 | 33 to 1 | 1 of 36, per roll | 5.56% |
| 3 or 11 | 16 to 1 | 2 of 36, per roll | 5.56% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 3 in 9 | 6.67% |
| Big 6 or big 8 | 1 to 1 | 5 in 11 | 9.09% |
| Any 7 | 4 to 1 | 6 of 36, per roll | 16.67% |
A few things jump out:
- Buy beats place on 4 and 10. Placing the 4 at 9 to 5 costs 6.67%; buying it at true odds for a 5% commission costs 5% of the bet (4.76% of what you hand over). On the 6 and 8 it is the other way round: place at 1.52% is far cheaper than buying.
- Australian centre bets are kinder than they look. Hardways at 7.5 and 9.5 to 1, and 33 to 1 on 2 or 12, all land on 4.55% to 5.56%. They are still three to four times the line bet.
- Big 6 is a trap. It wins on exactly the same rolls as place 6 and pays 1 to 1 instead of 7 to 6.
- One-roll bets settle fast. A 5.56% field bet made every roll costs far more per hour than a 1.41% line bet that takes about 3.38 rolls, on average, to decide.
Pundit tip: if you want more action without more cost, add odds or place the 6 and 8. Moving money to the centre of the table is the quickest way to raise your hourly loss.
How to read a hardway
A hard 6 wins only if 3 and 3 arrive before any other 6 (1 and 5, 2 and 4, 5 and 1, 4 and 2) and before any 7. That is 1 winning combination against 4 easy sixes and 6 sevens: 1 in 11. Paid at 9.5 to 1, the bet returns 10.5 times your stake one time in 11, or 95.45 cents in the dollar.
Comparing craps with other casino games
At 1.41%, the win line is in the same price band as the banker bet in baccarat and close to well-played blackjack. Add odds and craps is cheaper than both, per dollar bet. Our house edge guide shows the method, best odds casino games ranks the main bets across games, and the expected value calculator lets you test any pay table. New to the game? Start with how to play craps.
Craps is played in person at licensed Australian casinos under state-approved rules. Online craps is a casino game that cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001; ACMA blocks illegal offshore sites, and while playing is not an offence, there is no local regulator behind an offshore table.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the odds in craps?
It depends on the bet. The line bets win 49.29% (win line) and 47.93% (don't win line, with 2.78% stand-offs) of decisions in our calculation. A 7 comes up on 1 roll in 6, any single total from 4 to 10 far less often.
What is the house edge in craps?
From 0% on the odds bet to 16.67% on any 7. The main bets: win line 1.41%, don't win line 1.36%, place 6 or 8 1.52%, field 5.56%, hard 6 or 8 4.55%, in our calculation with Queensland and Victorian pay tables.
What are pass line odds?
The odds bet is an extra bet behind the pass (win) line once a point is set. It pays 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on 5 or 9 and 6 to 5 on 6 or 8, exactly the true odds, so it has no house edge.
Which craps bet has the best odds?
The odds bet, at 0%. Among bets that stand alone, don't win line (1.36%) and win line (1.41%) are the cheapest, then place 6 or 8 at 1.52%.
Is the field bet a good bet?
No. It wins on 16 of 36 combinations and pays double on 2 and 12, which leaves a 5.56% house edge in our calculation, about four times the cost of the line bets.
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