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Craps Odds

The game of craps is based on the odds of various totals of two dice being rolled at the same time. Anyone who plays craps should have a basic understanding of craps odds and the probabilities of different numbers being rolled.

In the movies you see gamblers blowing on dice, rolling the dice in both hands, and then throwing them down the table while they shout something like “Baby needs a new pair of shoes!” If you go to a casino, don’t try this. The casino has strict rules about how players may handle the dice. Most casinos allow players to handle the dice with only one hand and the dice must be kept above the table. If any of these rules are breached, the craps odds change and the casino doesn’t like this.

The dice used in casinos are made with precision instruments to very strict standards. They are regularly inspected for damage like nicks or chips before they are put into play. Rubbing dice together or handling them rough in any other way can damage the dice and if they get thrown off the table, they are inspected before they go back into play. Most dice are only used for a maximum of 8 hours of play.

Dice are cubes usually measuring about ¾ of an inch square. One is called a die. On each die there are “pips” or spots number 1 to 6 on each side. Opposite sides always add up to seven. Each die has six sides which makes a possible 36 combinations with totals of 2 to 12.

As you can see from the chart, there is only one way to make 2 and 12 and two ways to make 3. Knowing how many combinations can make up each number you can figure out the odds of rolling any number before a seven is rolled. The number seven can be rolled in six different ways; you need to divide six by the number of ways a number can be rolled.

The Odds Bet

One of the best bets in the casino is the craps odds bet. Also known as the “free odds” bet, this bet gives the house no advantage, however you can’t make this bet unless you have already made a bet that has a house advantage. Using a Pass Line bet as an example - when you make a Pass Line bet the house advantage is about 1.42% If you back the bet with free odds, the house advantage drops. The more of your bet that is on free odds, the lower the house edge gets. Most casinos limit how much you can place on free odds.

Usually a craps table will state how much of your bet may be placed as an odds bet. This is usually a multiple like 5x. If you see 5x, you can bet 5 times as much for your odds bet as you bet on your Pass Line bet. If you bet $10 on the Pass Line, you can bet up to $50 on free odds.

The dice chart above shows how often totals appear from a combination of the two dice. As you can see the number 7 is the most common number that is rolled. There are more combinations that result in 7 than any other number. This means that on any roll, a seven is the most likely number to appear. If you want to find the odds of rolling a 3 you compare the possible ways to roll a 3 to the number of ways to roll anything else. That would be 33 to 3 or 11 to 1.

This is useful when trying to determine the odds of one number being rolled before another number. The odds of rolling a 4 (3 possible ways) before rolling a 7 (6 possible ways) can be determined by comparing the ways to roll a four with the ways to roll a 7. The odds of rolling a 4 before a 7 are 6 to 3 or 2 to 1.

Using this information we see that the best number to bet on appearing before a seven is 6 or 8. Be sure to have a clear understanding of craps odds before you venture out to a casino or log in to an online casino.