Craps — Pass, Don't Pass & Free Odds

Craps looks chaotic but splits cleanly. The line bets (pass 1.41%, don't pass 1.36%) are among the best on the floor, and the 'free odds' bet behind them carries a 0% house edge — the only true-odds bet in the casino. Everything in the middle of the table (proposition bets) is terrible, up to about 16.7%. Knowing which is which is the whole game.

Pass line: 1.41% house edge. Don't Pass: 1.36% — slightly better, betting against the shooter. Come and Don't Come mirror them on later rolls. These are low-edge, even-money bets and the sensible core of the game.

Once a point is set you can back your line bet with 'odds', paid at the true mathematical odds with no house edge at all. Taking maximum odds lowers your combined edge on total money wagered — the single best-value move in craps, and one of the few genuinely 0% bets anywhere in the casino.

Proposition and one-roll bets — Any Seven ~16.7%, hardways ~9–11%, the Field, hop bets — carry huge edges. They pay flashy multiples precisely because they almost never hit. The dealers call them loudly; the maths says ignore them.

Play the line, back it with odds, skip the centre. That combination gives craps one of the lowest effective edges in the building — but the same table also hosts some of the worst bets in it, so the layout you choose, not the game, decides your edge.