The key to winning at craps is to know the odds of different bets, and put your money on the bets with the best winning odds.  Here are the best and worst bets in craps.

Best bets in craps

• Place the 6 or 8.  These two Place bets have decent odds, and a lower house edge than most other bets.  If you Place a 6 or 8 to win, the house has a 1.52% edge.  If you Place a 6 or 8 to lose, the house has 1.82%, which is still reasonable.
• Lay against 4 or 10. The house has a slightly bigger edge on this one, at 2.44%  It is still one of the best bets on the table.
• Place a 5 or 9 to lose. Another decent bet, the house edge comes in at 2.5% for this one.
• Field bets with 3 to 1. Usually field bets have a 2 to 1 payout, and that’s not a good bet.  However, some casinos offer 3 to 1 payouts. In this case, the house edge is 2.78%, and this is not a bad bet to make.

Worst craps bets

• Big 6 and Big 8. These are even money bets, but your odds are less than even, giving the house a 9.09% edge. You are better off making a Place bet on the 6 or 8 instead.
• Field bets with 2 to 1. If the casino only offers 2 to 1 payouts on field bets, that means the casino has a 5.6% edge.  That makes this one of the worst bets you can make.
• Come and Don’t Come bets. There are a few reasons to stay away from these. You have to get the same number thrown twice in order to win. You lose when a 7 appears on the first roll, and the bet only pays even money.
• Hard ways and Proposition bets. The odds for these are not good, and the casino has a big edge on them.  These bets are typically made by people who are new to craps.

The Field Bet is one of the most popular wagers at a craps table. It’s easy to do, simple to understand, and it can give you a quick win. Here is what you need to know.

Making a field bet

You just put your chips in the part of the table labeled Field. The person with the dice makes their throw. If you win, the dealer will put your winning chips next to your original chips. You can either let it ride for another roll, or pick up your winnings.

How you win the bet

When you look at the Field area of the table, you will see a set of numbers written there:  1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Those are your seven winning numbers.  When the shooter next throws, if the total of the dice is one of those numbers, then you win.

How you lose the bet

If the shooter’s next throw is one of the numbers which is not listed in the Field part of the table (5, 6, 7 or 8), then you lose the bet.

The payouts for the bet

For most throws, if you win a field bet, you get even money. If you made a $10 bet, then you win $10.  The exceptions are if the shooter throws a 2 or a 12. In this case, you usually win double your bet, so you’d win $20. In some casinos, they triple your bet for a 2 or a 12.

How the odds work

At first glance, it seems like you would have great odds on this bet. There are 7 different numbers that will give you a win, while there are only 4 different numbers that will make you lose. However, if you look at the different dice combinations that add up to those numbers, the situation is different. There are really 16 combinations of dice that will give you a win, and 20 combinations that will mean a loss.

The most basic type of bet in craps is called a Pass Line bet. The Pass Line is the curving part of the betting area, which is near where players stand. When you make a Pass Line bet, you are betting with the dice, while a Don’t Pass bet means you are betting against the dice. Here’s how it works.

Making a Pass Line bet

When a person starts shooting, their first roll is called a come-out roll. If you make a Pass Line bet, you are betting that their first roll will be 7 or 11. If that is the roll, then you double your money. If they shoot Craps (meaning they throw a 2, 3 or 12), then you lose. If they roll any other number, then that sets the Point. Now you need them to roll that same number again before they roll a seven. If they do, then you double your money. If they roll a 7 before the point, then you lose.

Making a Don’t Pass bet

This is just the opposite of a Pass Line bet. With one exception, whenever a Pass Line bet wins, a Don’t Pass bet loses, and vice versa. For the come out roll, if they throw a 7 or 11 you lose. If they throw a 2 or a 3, then you double your money. When the shooter throws a 12 on the come out roll, this is the exception. Even though Pass Line bets lose, Don’t Pass bets get a push instead of a win. On subsequent rolls, if they roll the point number before a 7, you lose, but if they roll a 7 first, you win.

Now the question is: which of the two craps bets is the best? The answer – both. You just have to know the game and really understand the rules. As a player, you are at liberty to choose. Do you feel lucky right now?