Best Craps Bets Ranked From Lowest to Highest House Edge
Every major craps bet ranked by house edge, from free odds at 0% all the way up to any seven at 16.67%, in one complete reference table.
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Best Craps Bets Ranked From Lowest to Highest House Edge
The short answer
The free odds bet is the best bet on the craps table, with a 0% house edge. From there, don't pass and don't come sit at 1.36%, pass line and come bets sit at 1.41%, and the edge climbs steadily until you hit any seven at 16.67%, the worst bet in the game. If you only remember one thing, remember this: stick to pass/come, don't pass/don't come, and odds bets, and skip almost everything in the middle of the table.
Watching a table for even ten minutes makes this obvious: the pass line and odds bets get action every roll, while the proposition bets in the center mostly sit untouched except for a hopeful bet after a hot streak.
This guide assumes you already know how to play craps and understand the basic bets. Here, we're ranking every major wager by its house edge, from best to worst, in one table you can actually use at the table.
What does "house edge" actually mean?
House edge is the average percentage of your bet the casino keeps over the long run. A 1.41% edge (Wizard of Odds) means that, on average, you lose about $1.41 for every $100 you bet over time. It's not what happens on any single roll. It's what happens after thousands of rolls, when luck evens out and math takes over.
Lower house edge doesn't guarantee you'll win. It just means the game is less tilted against you, so your money lasts longer and you keep more of it on average.
The single most protective habit in craps: put your money on free odds (0% edge), pass/come (1.41%), and don't pass/don't come (1.36%, per VegasInsider). Everything else on the layout costs you more, some of it a lot more.
Which craps bet has the lowest house edge, and which has the highest?
Here's every major craps bet, ranked from lowest house edge (best for you) to highest (worst for you).
(Figures verified against multiple published craps house-edge references — see the Sources section below.)
Rank | Bet | House Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Free odds bet | 0% | No house edge at all, but only available as a backup to a pass/don't pass or come/don't come bet |
2 | Don't pass / don't come | 1.36% | Betting against the shooter; slightly better math than pass/come |
3 | Pass line / come | 1.41% | The standard bet almost everyone starts with |
4 | Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | Betting a number directly rather than through pass/come |
5 | Buy 4 or 10 | ~1.67% | Only if the casino charges 5% vig on wins only, not on every bet |
6 | Field bet | 2.7% – 5.5% | Edge varies widely by casino based on payout rules for 2 and 12 |
7 | Place 5 or 9 | 4.0% | Higher edge than place 6/8 because the payout ratio is less favorable |
8 | Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | Same numbers as buy bets, but without commission math working in your favor |
9 | Big 6 or Big 8 | 9.09% | Pays even money for the same bet place 6/8 pays better odds on |
10 | Hard 6 or hard 8 | 9.09% | Needs the exact pair (3-3 or 4-4) before any easy 6/8 or a 7 |
11 | Any craps | 11.1% | One-roll bet on 2, 3, or 12 |
12 | Hard 4 or hard 10 | 11.1% | Needs the exact pair (2-2 or 5-5) before an easy 4/10 or a 7 |
13 | Any seven | 16.67% | The single worst bet on the table |
Why does the free odds bet have zero house edge?
The free odds bet is unique because it's the only wager in the casino, in any game, with a mathematically fair payout (Wizard of Odds). It pays true odds based on the actual probability of each number rolling before a 7. That's why it's called "free": the casino makes no structural profit on it.
You can't make an odds bet on its own, though. It only exists as an add-on to a pass/don't pass or come/don't come bet already on the table. That's the tradeoff: the best bet in the casino only unlocks once you've made a slightly worse one first.
Why does don't pass beat pass line, barely?
Don't pass and don't come come in at 1.36%, a hair better than pass line and come at 1.41% (VegasInsider). The difference comes down to how the number 12 is handled on the come-out roll. Betting don't pass means betting against the shooter, which some players find socially awkward at a hot table, but the math gives you a tiny edge over pass line.
Are place bets on 6 and 8 better than on 4 and 10?
Place bets let you bet directly on any point number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) without needing a pass line bet first. The house edge depends entirely on which number you pick.
Place 6 or 8 comes in at 1.52%, close to pass line territory. Place 5 or 9 jumps to 4.0%. Place 4 or 10 jumps again to 6.67%, more than four times worse than place 6/8. Same bet type, wildly different math, just because of which number you chose.
What's the catch with buy bets on 4 and 10?
A buy bet pays true odds on 4 or 10, just like a free odds bet, but the casino charges a commission for the privilege. If that commission is 5% charged only when you win, the effective house edge works out to roughly 1.67% (Wizard of Odds), a big improvement over placing the same numbers.
But some casinos charge the 5% commission upfront on every buy bet, win or lose. That changes the math substantially and pushes the edge higher. Always ask the dealer how the vig is charged before making a buy bet.
Why does the field bet's edge vary so much by casino?
The field bet covers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 in a single roll, and it resolves in one throw either way. Its house edge ranges from 2.7% to 5.5% (Wizard of Odds) depending on how the casino pays the 2 and 12.
Some tables pay double on both 2 and 12. Others pay triple on just the 12, or triple on both. Check the payout table posted at the rail before you bet the field, since the difference between casinos here is bigger than almost any other bet on the table.
Why should you skip Big 6 and Big 8 entirely?
Big 6 and Big 8 pay even money on the same numbers place 6 and 8 cover, but at a much worse house edge: 9.09% versus 1.52% (VegasInsider). There is no version of this bet that makes sense if place 6/8 is available, which it always is. This is one of the clearest "just don't" bets in the casino.
Which proposition bets carry the highest house edge?
The one-roll proposition bets in the center of the table carry the highest house edges in the game.
Any craps (a one-roll bet on 2, 3, or 12) sits at 11.1% (Casino.com). Hard 6 and hard 8 come in at 9.09%, needing the exact double (3-3 or 4-4) before an easy 6/8 combination or a 7. Hard 4 and hard 10 are worse at 11.1%, since 2-2 and 5-5 are harder to roll than 3-3 or 4-4.
Any seven, a single-roll bet that the next roll is a 7, tops the list at 16.67% (Casino.com). It's an appealing bet because 7 comes up more than any other number, but the payout doesn't come close to compensating for how often it actually loses.
How should you put this ranking to use?
If you're optimizing purely for house edge, your betting priority list looks like this: pass line or don't pass, backed with maximum odds, and place bets on 6 and 8 if you want extra numbers working. Everything past that point trades a small amount of extra excitement for a meaningfully worse mathematical position.
None of this guarantees a winning session. House edge describes the long run, and any individual session can go either way regardless of which bets you choose. What it does tell you is which bets keep more of your bankroll in play over time.
Craps rewards patience more than cleverness. The best bet on the table has been sitting there the whole time, quietly paying true odds, waiting for you to back it.
Play within a budget you've set in advance, and treat craps as entertainment you're paying for, not a way to make money. If gambling stops being fun, it's time to step away — resources like the National Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-522-4700) are there if you need them.
For the underlying math on how odds and payouts relate, see how betting odds work.
Ready to see it in action? Play craps or browse the full craps category on Wild.io.
A quick note on playing smart: craps math is fun to study, but the house edge never goes away no matter how well you know it. Set a budget before you sit down, treat losses as the cost of entertainment, and use Wild.io's responsible gambling tools if you ever want to set limits or take a break.
Calculate your exact payout
Want to see the dollar amount for a specific bet and wager? The craps payout calculator shows the payout, profit, true odds, and house edge for all 24 bet types.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds: Craps House Edge Appendix (retrieved July 2026)
- Wizard of Odds: Craps Basics (retrieved July 2026)
- VegasInsider: Craps Odds, True Odds, Payouts & Best Bets (retrieved July 2026)
- Casino.com: Craps Odds, Payouts & House Edge (retrieved July 2026)
- Wikipedia: Craps (retrieved July 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the single best bet in craps?
The free odds bet, with a 0% house edge (VegasInsider). It's only available as a backup to a pass/don't pass or come/don't come bet, so you can't make it on its own, but it's the closest thing to a free wager in any casino.
What is the worst bet in craps?
Any seven, at 16.67% house edge. It's a tempting one-roll bet because 7 is the most common single number, but the payout doesn't come close to compensating for the true odds against it.
Should I ever make a proposition bet?
There's no mathematical reason to, since every proposition bet carries a house edge of 9.09% or higher. Some players make them anyway for the entertainment value of a big flashy payout, and that's a legitimate reason to play as long as you understand the cost.
Are buy bets better than place bets on 4 and 10?
Usually, yes, if the casino only charges the 5% commission on wins. That brings the effective house edge to roughly 1.67%, well below the 6.67% edge on the equivalent place bet. Always confirm with the dealer how the commission is charged before assuming this is true at a given table.
Why do Big 6 and Big 8 still exist if they're a bad bet?
Some casinos keep Big 6 and Big 8 on the layout because newer players don't always know that place 6 and place 8 cover the identical numbers at a much lower house edge (1.52% versus 9.09%). It's a legacy bet that survives mostly on unfamiliarity.
Does ranking by house edge tell me which bet will win most often?
No. House edge measures long-run cost per dollar wagered, not win frequency. A bet can have a low house edge and still lose more often than it wins, or vice versa; the two measures are related but not identical.
About the author
Trust & Responsible Play Writer
Marcus focuses on judging casinos before you deposit — licensing checks, red flags, scam patterns — and the bankroll habits and limit tools that keep play under control.
