Craps Table & House Edge Explorer
Play craps and see every bet’s house edge computed from the 36 dice outcomes — including why free odds dilute the edge rather than lowering it.
Taking odds does not lower the house edge. It dilutes it.
Every craps guide says the same thing: back your pass line bet with free odds and the house edge drops from 1.41% to 0.85%, or 0.61%, or 0.18%. It is true, and it is the most misread sentence in gambling.
The pass line edge does not move. It is 7/495 = 1.4141%, exactly, whatever you do behind it. The odds bet is a separate wager paid at true odds, so its edge is exactly zero — not nearly zero, zero, on all six points. What falls is the average edge per dollar staked, because you have put zero-edge money into the denominator. Look at the last column, which is the one that matters:
| Odds taken | Average staked | Quoted house edge | Expected loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| none | 1.0000 units | 1.4141% | 0.014141 units |
| 1× | 1.6667 units | 0.8485% | 0.014141 units |
| 2× | 2.3333 units | 0.6061% | 0.014141 units |
| 3× | 3.0000 units | 0.4714% | 0.014141 units |
| 5× | 4.3333 units | 0.3263% | 0.014141 units |
| 10× | 7.6667 units | 0.1845% | 0.014141 units |
Identical, every row. Taking odds does not save you a penny — it puts more money on the table at fair terms. That is still the best deal in the building, because nowhere else can you bet at zero edge, but it is a way to bet more for the same expected loss, not a way to lose less. Anyone who calls the 10× table “safer” has read the percentage and not the money.
Every bet on this layout, cheapest first
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free odds (behind the line) | true odds | 0% | The only bet in the casino with no house edge at all. Exactly zero, on all six points. |
| Don't pass (bar 12) | 1:1 | 1.36% | Marginally the best line bet, and almost nobody makes it, because you are betting against the table. |
| Pass line | 1:1 | 1.41% | The bet everyone makes. 7/495 exactly, and it does not change when you take odds behind it. |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% | True odds are 1.2:1 but the table pays 7:6. |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% | True odds are 1.5:1 but the table pays 7:5. |
| Field (2 and 12 pay double) | 1:1, double on 2 and 12 | 5.56% | Seven of the eleven totals win, which is why it looks generous. The four that lose are the four most common. |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% | True odds are 2.0:1 but the table pays 9:5. |
| Any craps (2, 3 or 12) | 7:1 | 11.11% | A one-roll bet on the three rarest totals put together. |
| Any seven | 4:1 | 16.67% | True odds are 5:1 and it pays 4:1. The worst bet on the layout by a distance. |
The spread is the story. Every number here is computed from the 36 dice outcomes rather than quoted, and the tests re-derive them twice — once with exact integer arithmetic and once by running several million rolls through the game above, so the table and the game cannot drift apart.
True odds, and what the table pays instead
| Point | Chance of making it | Free odds pay | Place bet pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 33.33% | 2:1 | 9:5 |
| 5 | 40.00% | 3:2 | 7:5 |
| 6 | 45.45% | 6:5 | 7:6 |
| 8 | 45.45% | 6:5 | 7:6 |
| 9 | 40.00% | 3:2 | 7:5 |
| 10 | 33.33% | 2:1 | 9:5 |
The middle column is the fair price. The right-hand column is what the same number costs when you bet it the convenient way instead of behind the line. That gap — 2:1 against 9:5 on the 4 — is the entire house edge on a place bet, and it is why the odds bet is worth the extra step of establishing a point first.
One more number for the table talk: the average shooter rolls 8.5255 times before sevening out. Exactly 1671/196.
How to use
- Pick a chip size and click the bets you want working.
- Roll: the come-out sets a point, and then the point or a seven resolves it.
- Take free odds once a point is up — it is the only zero-edge bet here.
- Compare the quoted edge against the expected loss column, which never moves.
Frequently asked questions
What is the house edge on the pass line?
Exactly 7/495, which is 1.4141%. The pass line wins 244 times in 495, and that figure never changes no matter how much you back it with odds. It is computed here from the 36 dice outcomes rather than quoted.
Do free odds lower the house edge?
Not on the pass line — that stays at 1.4141% forever. The odds bet is a separate wager paid at true odds, with an edge of exactly zero, so adding it lowers the average edge per dollar staked without changing your expected loss by a penny. You are betting more at fair terms, not losing less.
Which craps bet has no house edge?
The free odds bet behind the line, and only that one. It pays 2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9 and 6:5 on the 6 and 8 — which are the exact true odds, giving an expected value of zero on all six points.
Is don’t pass better than pass?
Slightly. Don’t pass costs 1.3636% against the pass line’s 1.4141%, because the 12 is barred rather than a win. The difference is real but small, and almost nobody bets it because you are rooting against the whole table.
What is the worst bet in craps?
Any seven, at 16.67%. True odds are 5:1 and it pays 4:1. The field looks generous because seven of the eleven totals win, but those seven cover only 16 of the 36 ways, so it costs 5.56%.
How many times does the average shooter roll?
Exactly 1671/196, or 8.5255 rolls, before sevening out. That comes from the chance a come-out cycle ends in a seven-out — 196/495 — combined with the average length of a cycle.
Why do place bets cost more than odds?
Because they pay less than true odds on the same number. A place 4 pays 9:5 where the fair price is 2:1, which is the entire 6.67% edge. Place 6 and 8 pay 7:6 against a fair 6:5, so they only cost 1.52%.
Is this real money?
No. It is a play bankroll that resets whenever you like, and nothing is stored or uploaded. The point of the table is to watch the edges behave, not to gamble.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.