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The Craps Odds Bet

Not many punter who visit the casino realize that there is a bet that has zero house edge. Sounds too good to be true. Here's the thing, the casino will never advertise that this bet exist. But they're happy to take the bet from you. It's called the Craps odds bet. This is probably the most important reason, that if you're wanting to make some money as well as have some fun, then it's better to go with some basic casino knowledge.

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Introduction: Craps Odds Bet

For the sake of brevity, this article assumes that you know the basics of playing craps. The best bet on the craps table has no house edge. No surprise that you didn’t know that. It’s called the “odds bet”. Now, if you know how to play craps, ten you’ll already know that the wagers are placed on Pass or Don’t Pass. Once the new point of 4, 5, 6, 8 , 9 is made, then you can just keep shooting. The craps odds bet, yes the one with no house edge, isn’t mandatory, it’s optional. By the way, to learn more about Craps check out our guides to win the jackpot.

Lowers The Odds

So we now that the Pass Line bet always pays out even money. But the beauty of the craps odds bet is that you are paid out the true odds on the point of rolling. To make the bet, you simply pace your chips behind the original Pass Line bet on the craps table layout. This bet can at least be equal to your Pass Line bet. So if your original wager is for $10, then you can put another $10 behind that wager to take odds. Now the amount you bet is also dependent on the point number.

So, if the point number is 4, 5, 9 or 10, then match your wager. But if the point is 6 or 8, then wager $6 for every $5 you have on the Pass Line. This way, when the shooter makes their point, you get a larger payout.

Pass Line Odds Payoffs

Here’s a helpful little table. If the point is:

4 or 10, you are paid 2 to 1 on your Odds wager.
5 or 9, you are paid 3 to 2 on your Odds wager.
6 or 8. you are paid 6 to 5 on your Odds wager.

It’s common for casinos to allow you to take double odds on your Pass line wager. This means that if you were to put $5 on the Pass Line, then you could make an odds bet of $10. So….your Pass Line bet has a house edge of 1.41%. But the craps odds bet has a big fat zero house edge. So by taking the latter, you lower the former. This means that a Pass Line bet with single odds will have a house edge of 0.85%. With double odds, this house edge drops to 0.61%.

Thanks to the culture of the high roller, casinos are offering ever larger craps odds bets. Many casinos will compete with each other to offer the highest odds, with up to 100x odds possible. Though these look good on paper, obviously these are marketing strategies that are not designed for us mere mortals, but only for those with a massive bankroll. For the others, we can suggest the online jackpot sites.

3-4-5 Times Odds

In order to simplify the odds betting system, many casinos have actually incorporated a simplified craps odds betting system. This allows for only 3, 4 or 5 times a Pass Line bet. So, with this system of play, punters can take 3, 4, or 5 times odds, depending on the point number. You can also choose the odds on Come bets as well.

So…if the point is::

4 or 10 you can take 3 times odds.
5 or 9, you can take 4 times odds.
6 or 8, you can take 5 times odds.

Craps Odds Bet

Odds for $5 Pass Line Bet
Point Times Odds-Pays Your odds bet for Your Payoff:
4 or 10 3 times pays 2 to 1 $15 $30
5 or 9 4 times pay 3 to 2 $20 $30
6 or 8 5 times pays 6 to 5 $25 $30