What is the house edge in Craps?
When a gambler takes a look at a craps table for the first time it can be a bit overwhelming. If viewing the game in person there is usually a lot of boisterous players along with a fast-paced game that seems complicated. Players are making bets all over the table and using terms that are unfamiliar to most people. However, craps is not as difficult as it first appears and if played correctly it can give the player some of the best odds in the casino.
The foundation of craps is the pass/ don’t pass line bet. You can either bet that the “shooter” (person rolling the dice) will win or lose. If you want to bet with the shooter you place your bet on the pass line, and if you want to bet that the shooter will lose you bet the don’t pass line. These two fundamental bets also have the best odds for the player or the lowest house edge.
The pass line bet has a house edge of 1.41% and the don’t pass line has an edge of 1.36%. Even if players don’t understand the entire game of craps, they can simply place a wager on one of these bets and they will be making the bets with the lowest house advantage in craps. All the other bets in craps have a higher house edge, and the edge can get as high as 16%.
There is a secondary wager known as “taking the odds” that can be made after the shooter’s come out roll. This can lower the house edge even further, and is one of only two bets in the casino that have “even odds.” Even odds means that there is no built-in house advantage.
Once a player becomes comfortable making the pass line bet, then he/she should begin to “take the full odds” and the house edge will only be about 1% or less. This makes the don’t pass line bet with taking full odds (the higher the better) the best bet in craps and much of the casino.
