Are you interested in playing craps but find the odds confusing? We've got you! Our in-depth strategy guide simplifies craps payouts and odds to help you grasp the game's essence and play uninterrupted!
What Are Craps, and How Are They Played?
Craps is a dice game in which participants wager on the outcome of the roll of two dice. The players may wager against one another or against the house. Due to its minimal equipment requirements, "street craps" can be played in casual situations, too.
Like most gambling games we’ve got today, craps too were played in Ancient Rome, long before the advent of slot machines. Soldiers would carve pig bones into dice to serve as gambling tools. Today, online craps are played at legitimate casinos on an elevated table designed for the game. Even though there isn't a lot of complexity to the game, there are plenty of exciting wagers to place.
When playing in a casino, you can expect to see two or more people in charge of the game simultaneously. Each player has a chance to roll the dice. The person who rolls the dice is known as the shooter. Typically, the shooter can select two dice from a pool of five. Dice should be rolled so that they touch the edge of the table before landing for fair play.
If you are new to the game of craps, check out our craps beginners' guide suited for all craps newbies.
Which Are the Best Bets On Craps Odds?
In craps, the best odds are on "pass bets," "don't pass bets," and "laying odds bets." "Pass bets" have odds of 1 to 1, which means you can double your money. Also, the edge for the house on this bet is only 1.41 percent. 'Laying odds bets,' on the other hand, have no house edge but pay out at 2:1, 3:2, or 6:5, depending on which numbers you bet on.
What Are The Worst Bets To Make In Craps?
These fabled bets have wrecked massive bankrolls and laid waste to millionaires. These incredibly risky wagers are a large part of why craps have a reputation for being a bad-boy game.
- Big Six and Big Eight
The big six and big eight are in the corners of some layouts. They are the worst bets you can make. Each is a wager on a 6 or an 8 before a 7. Big six and big eight work the same way as a "place bet" in craps, except that the earnings are even money. Yes, $30 on the "big six" wins $30. For the same amount, "Place the Six" will give you $35.
The house edge on big six/eight is a nasty 9.1%. This bet is so horrendous that it isn't even legal in Atlantic City.
- Hardways
A double of a 4, 6, 8, or 10 is called a "hard number" because it is rolled the hard way. When you bet the hardway, you bet that a certain number will be rolled hard before a 7 and before it is rolled the easy way. Hard four and hard ten pay 7 to 1. Hard six and hard eight pay 9 to 1. The centre of the table is where these bets are placed. Anyone can make the bet or take it back anytime (before resolution).
The house edge is a painful 9.1% for hard six and hard eight. For hard four and hard ten, it's a distressing 11.1%.
The worst craps bets don't stop there –
The remaining worst bets are all one-roll bets; you win if the shooter rolls the specified number on the subsequent roll. Otherwise, chips are off the table. These wagers are managed by the stickperson, much like the hardways. Tell the dealers what you want by placing your chips on a line that is not used for betting. Also, we’d always recommend going through the ins and outs of a craps strategy before you start playing for real.
Craps Table Payout Cheat Sheet
The table below displays the different wagers, true odds, payouts, and house advantage.
The hardways and large six/eight are also included so you can compare all the craps' worst wagers in one place.
How to Calculate Craps Payouts
Remember to use the payout odds instead of the true odds when calculating payouts in craps. Some inexperienced players find it easier to quickly compute rewards by dividing payoff odds into units.
Remember that 9:5 are the payout odds for hitting a 4 at a craps table. This means that the dealer will pay you $9 for every $5 wager you win.
Suppose you are at a craps table with a $10 minimum bet and wish to wager on the number 4.
Playing the payout odds of 9:5, you realise that your $10 minimum wager corresponds to two $5 'units.' Multiply the total number of units you wish to wager by the amount the casino will pay out if your wager is successful.
Using the payout odds for a 4, multiplying 2 by 9 yields 18. This means that if the four lands on the dice, your $10 wager will pay out $18.
Calculating Payouts for Irregular Betting Amounts
To determine the potential payment for each craps play, you must convert the payout odds from a fraction to a decimal and then multiply this number by the amount you wish to wager.
In craps, for instance, a wager on point 4 has payout odds of 9:5. In decimal form, this becomes 1.8. If the dice landed on 4, multiply 10 by 1.8 to calculate a payout of $18 for a $10 wager.
Calculating Payouts from a Dealer's Perspective
In a game of craps, dealers must determine payouts for up to 20 players at once. All those craps payouts for dealers are difficult to keep track of so dealers have several strategies up their sleeves to keep track of bets and payments for players:
- Chips order is fixed. Dealers ensure that each player's bank rack position is represented by the arrangement of chips on the table. A dealer will place a player's chips in the appropriate location around the boxes of the specific bet based on where they are stored on the chip rack at the craps table.
- Payouts follow a specific order. To maintain discipline, the boxman and dealers pay out bets in strict sequence. The dealer pays out pass line bets, come bets, and place bets in that order.
- The player who is closest to the stickman is the one who pays out bets. The dealers will start with the player next to the stickman and then pay out winnings in a sequential order to keep track of payouts for "place bets." Some real money craps casinos will switch the start point between the stickman and the boxman for some wagers.
- Dealers memorize payout odds by heart. Many times during the day, a craps dealer must calculate the same "pass," "place," and "come" bets. While land-based casino dealers gradually memorise the different payout odds in a craps game, online casinos use software to calculate payouts. This results in a fast-paced game with quick bets and payouts.
Breaking Down the Mystery of Craps Payouts
New craps players may initially struggle to make sense of the odds due to the sheer number of bets available. For this reason, we've broken down the mystery of craps in our guide above to assist you in choosing the wagers that are most suited to your playing style. Hopefully, the guide helped and you'll feel more confident in your craps skill from no on!
