Craps Strategies

Winning at the online craps table.

Read More About Craps Strategy.

KNOWING YOUR ODDS

Knowing your odds during the game of craps is the only way to give yourself a chance of winning. Although it may seem difficult to understand, when you're finished with this article you will have a clear understanding of how to know and interpret your odds. More importantly, you will know what numbers have a greater chance of hitting and you can place your bets accordingly. Many Craps players play based on the notion that if a number hasn't hit recently, the likelihood of it appearing now increases because "it's due". This is a false assumption that is guaranteed to force you into giving the casino your entire bankroll.

PASS/DON'T PASS

If you bet with the house, (don't pass line) then you put yourself at a slight disadvantage because you can automatically win if a 7 or 11 is hit. Because the 7 and 11 has the most available combinations to hit (1/6, 2/5, 3/4, and 6/5), the chances of hitting a 7 or 11 again is greater. Betting with the house in this situation isn't advantageous because you have 4 ways to make the line and 2 ways to not make it. The math here is simple; 4 is greater than 2 which means you have a better chance to get a 7 or 11 than any other number. Betting with the house in this situation won't help you win in a quick day of play, but as you know in the end the house always wins so betting with the house isn't a complete kiss of death. By that same token, if you're a player looking to earn an income playing Craps, it is in your best interest to bet with the house. The game is set up so that ultimately the casino wins, so betting with the casino makes it very likely that you will always end ahead.

Number Odds

You're probably interested in knowing what your odds are of a certain number hitting after the come out roll. If so, that's simple; hitting 4 or 10 has the same odds because there are just two possible ways to hit 2/2 or 1/3 and 5/5 or 4/6, but the pay odds differ. To improve odds on these numbers, you may want to place a bet for the hard way. Additionally, 5 and 9 have the same odds because there are just two ways to hit; 2/3, 4/1, 6/3, and 5/4, respectively. 6 and 8 have the same odds because they have three ways to hit; 1/5, 2/5, 3/3, 2/6, 3/5, and 4/4. Before you place a bet, always be aware of how likely a number is to hit based on how many combinations can make that number.

If you're interested in improving your odds, you should consider placing bets on additional numbers, specifically the 6 and 8 as they have the best possibility of hitting. Some skilled Craps players will play both sides and put larger bets on numbers more likely to hit and that have a better payout.