Craps House Edge Explained: Why Some Bets Cost 12x More
Every craps bet has a different house edge, from 1.36% on don't pass to 16.67% on any seven. Here's the full breakdown of why, with real numbers for every bet on the table.
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Craps House Edge Explained: Why Some Bets Cost 12x More
The short answer
Craps house edges range from 1.36% on don't pass to a brutal 16.67% on any seven, and the gap comes down entirely to how each bet pays versus the true odds of it happening. Stick to pass line, don't pass, come, don't come, and place bets on 6 or 8, and you're playing near the best odds in the casino. Wander into proposition bets in the middle of the table, and you're paying a much steeper price for the same excitement.
If you haven't seen these bet names before, our craps terms glossary defines each one, and how to play craps walks through the basics. This article is about the math behind them.
What does "house edge" actually measure?
House edge is the average percentage of every dollar wagered that you lose to the casino over the long run. A 1.41% house edge (Wizard of Odds) means you lose about $1.41 for every $100 bet, on average, over thousands of rolls. It's not a per-bet guarantee — any single bet can still win. It's a statistical average that only shows up clearly over volume.
Every casino bet has a house edge because the payout odds are slightly worse than the true odds of winning. Craps is unusual because the gap between "slightly worse" and "wildly worse" is enormous depending on which bet you choose.
If you remember one number from this entire page, make it this: any seven pays out at a 16.67% house edge (Wizard of Odds), more than eleven times worse than a pass line bet. Skip it, no matter how tempting the fast one-roll payout looks.
Which craps bets have the lowest house edge?
Here's every major craps bet, sorted from best to worst.
(Figures verified against VegasInsider's craps odds table.)
Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
Don't pass / don't come | 1.36% |
Pass line / come bet | 1.41% |
Place bet on 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
Field bet | 2.7%–5.5%* |
Place bet on 5 or 9 | 4.00% |
Place bet on 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
Big 6 / Big 8 | 9.09% |
Hard 6 or hard 8 | 9.09% |
Hard 4 or hard 10 | 11.1% |
Any seven | 16.67% |
*The field bet's edge depends entirely on how the casino pays 2 and 12. If both pay double (2:1), the edge is about 5.5%. If one of them (usually 12) pays triple (3:1), the edge drops to about 2.7%. Always check the felt before you bet the field — the payout is printed right on the layout.
Why does don't pass beat pass line by a hair?
Don't pass has a slightly lower house edge than pass line — 1.36% versus 1.41% (PokerNews) — because of how the number 12 is handled on the come-out roll. On a don't pass bet, rolling 12 on come-out is a push (you get your bet back) rather than a loss. That tiny rule shaves a fraction of a percent off the edge, without changing much else about how the bet plays.
It's a small enough difference that most people pick pass line or don't pass based on preference, not math. Betting with the shooter (pass) feels social. Betting against them (don't pass) doesn't, and some tables give you looks for it. The edge difference is real but tiny.
Why do place bets scale so differently?
Place bets look similar on the surface — you're betting a number rolls before a 7 — but the house edge jumps sharply depending on which number you pick.
(Figures verified against PokerNews's craps bet guide.)
Number | Ways to roll it (out of 36) | Place bet house edge |
|---|---|---|
6 or 8 | 5 | 1.52% |
5 or 9 | 4 | 4.00% |
4 or 10 | 3 | 6.67% |
The pattern here isn't random. Numbers with more ways to roll (6 and 8 each have 5 combinations out of 36 possible dice rolls) are closer to a 7's own 6 combinations, so the payout odds the casino offers can stay closer to fair. Numbers 4 and 10 only have 3 combinations each, so the casino's standard payout leaves a much bigger gap between what you're paid and what's mathematically fair.
This is also why place bets on 6 and 8 show up on nearly every "best bets in the casino" list. For a full ranking of where these bets land against everything else on the table, see our best craps bets ranked guide.
Why are proposition bets so expensive?
Proposition bets — any seven, any craps, the hard ways, horn bets — sit in the middle of the table and get pushed by the stickman, not the base dealers. They're one-roll bets with big flashy payouts, and that's exactly the trade-off.
Any seven pays 4:1, but a 7 only comes up in 6 out of 36 possible rolls (about 16.7% of the time). Fair payout for that probability would be roughly 5:1. Getting paid 4:1 instead of 5:1 is where that 16.67% house edge (Wizard of Odds) comes from.
Hard ways work the same way. A hard 6 (rolled as 3-3) only has 1 way to appear out of 36 rolls, versus 4 easy ways to make a 6 the "soft" way. The casino pays 9:1 on a hard 6, when fair odds based purely on the hard-way probability would be closer to 10:1, producing the 9.09% house edge shown in the table above.
How does the odds bet change the math?
Nothing on this table beats a bet with 0% house edge, and craps actually has one: the free odds bet you can add behind a pass or don't pass wager. It doesn't reduce your original bet's edge, but it adds action at true odds with zero extra vig.
We cover this in full detail, including a complete payout table for every point number, in our craps odds table reference.
How should you put these numbers to use?
If you're optimizing for the lowest possible cost per dollar wagered, the strategy is straightforward: pass line or don't pass, backed by odds, plus place bets on 6 and 8 if you want more numbers working. Everything below 2% house edge on this table is playing craps close to as well as the math allows.
The bets at the bottom of the table aren't "wrong" to make — some people love the tension of a hard-way bet and that's a valid reason to play. Just know what you're paying for that tension, and set a budget you're comfortable losing before you sit down.
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.
If you want to see house-edge math in action on a different game, try keno or read the general primer on what RTP means.
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.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds: Craps Appendix — House Edge by Bet — detailed house edge calculations for every craps bet (retrieved July 2026)
- PokerNews: Craps Betting Explained — A Beginner's Guide — house edge figures for pass line, don't pass, place bets, and any seven (retrieved July 2026)
- VegasInsider: Craps Odds Explained — True Odds, Payouts & House Edge — true odds vs. payout odds and house edge by bet (retrieved July 2026)
- Wikipedia: Craps — Bets, Combinations, and Odds — dice combination reference (retrieved July 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest house edge bet in craps?
The free odds bet, at 0%, but you can only place it behind a pass or don't pass wager after a point is set. Among bets you can make on their own, don't pass is lowest at 1.36%, with pass line right behind at 1.41%. Backing either one with full odds is the cheapest way to keep money in action.
Why is the any seven bet so bad?
Any seven pays 4:1, but a 7 rolls 6 times out of every 36 dice combinations, so a fair payout would be 5:1. That one-notch gap between what you're paid and the true odds is where the 16.67% house edge comes from. It's the worst standard bet on the felt, more than eleven times costlier than the pass line.
Does a lower house edge mean I'll win more often?
Not exactly. House edge measures long-run cost per dollar wagered, not how often a bet wins. Don't pass actually wins slightly less than half the time, yet carries the lowest edge in the game. A lower edge means the casino keeps less of your money over thousands of rolls, not that any single bet is more likely to hit.
Is the place bet on 6 or 8 really that much better than on 4 or 10?
Yes, and it isn't close. Place 6 or 8 runs a 1.52% edge, while place 4 or 10 sits at 6.67%, more than four times higher. The gap comes down to how many ways each number rolls. A 6 or 8 has five combinations, near the seven's six, so the payout stays close to fair. A 4 or 10 has only three.
Can I lower the house edge on a bet I've already made?
No. The edge is baked into each bet's payout ratio and doesn't change once the bet is down. What you can do is add a free odds bet behind a pass or don't pass wager. It pays true odds at 0% edge, which lowers your combined edge across both bets without touching the original.
Which craps bets should a beginner stick to?
Pass line or don't pass, backed by odds, plus place bets on 6 and 8. Every one of those sits under 2% house edge, so you keep your cost per dollar wagered near the lowest the game allows while still having numbers to root for on most rolls.
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.
