The short version
Craps is a game of chance. Every bet except the odds bet carries a house edge, no strategy, pattern or timing changes the odds in the player’s favor over time, and most players lose money over time. Nobody should gamble money they cannot afford to lose, and anyone struggling with gambling can contact a local support service.
The odds bet is often described as “free”. It does pay at true odds, which means it has no house edge by itself. But it can be placed only after a base bet that does carry an edge, so the overall game still costs money on average.
The base bet first
The Pass Line bet is the standard base bet. It is placed before the come-out roll, the first roll of a new round.
- If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the bet wins at 1 to 1.
- If it is 2, 3 or 12, the bet loses.
- Any other result (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) becomes the point. The shooter keeps rolling, and the bet wins if the point repeats before a 7 and loses if a 7 comes first.
Counting the 36 equally likely dice combinations shows why the edge exists. The Pass Line bet wins in about 49.3% of rounds and loses in about 50.7%. That works out to a house edge of roughly 1.41%. The Don’t Pass bet, which takes the opposite side, has a similar edge of about 1.36% in the common rule set where a 12 on the come-out roll is a push rather than a win.
What the odds bet adds
Once a point is established, many tables allow a second wager on top of the base bet. This is the odds bet, often called free odds, because the casino does not build an edge into its payout.
The payouts are set by the dice combinations. With two dice, there are 6 ways to roll a 7. The ways to roll each point are:
| Point | Ways to roll it | Ways to roll a 7 | Odds against the point | Odds bet pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | 3 to 2 | 3 to 2 |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 to 5 | 6 to 5 |
Since the point must come before a 7 to win, only those combinations matter. A point of 4 beats a 7 in 3 of 9 relevant outcomes, which is 1 in 3. A payout of 2 to 1 exactly offsets that, so the expected value of the odds bet is zero. The same holds for the other points.
A hypothetical example: with a point of 4 and a 10-unit odds bet, a win pays 20 units and a loss costs 10. The chance of winning is 1 in 3, so the average is (1/3 × 20) − (2/3 × 10) = 6.67 − 6.67 = 0.
Why the cost does not vanish
The odds bet can be added only to a Pass or Don’t Pass bet (or to a come bet, which works similarly). The casino does not offer it on its own. So every round that includes an odds bet also includes a base bet with its 1.41% edge.
Adding an odds bet does not change the average dollar loss on the base bet. It adds money at risk with an average result of zero. So the expected loss in dollars is the same as without the odds, but it is spread over more money wagered.
A hypothetical example with a 10-unit Pass Line bet:
- Average loss on the base bet: 10 × 0.0141 ≈ 0.14 units per resolved bet.
- Add a 20-unit odds bet on top. Average result of the odds bet: 0.
- Total average loss: still about 0.14 units.
- Total money at risk when the bet resolves: 30 units rather than 10.
Expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered, the combined cost is lower than 1.41%, because the same 0.14 units is divided by a larger total. That is why published tables list a lower combined edge as the allowed odds multiple rises, for example “3x odds” or “5x odds”. The exact percentage depends on how often a point is set and on the odds multiple, so the figures quoted for a table should be read with that in mind. The percentage falls only because the amount wagered is larger. The expected loss per round stays about the same, and the amount that can be lost in one round rises sharply.
Why this matters for decisions
Understanding this changes how to think about the odds bet in a few ways.
It is not a way to win. A bet with zero edge has zero expected gain. Over many rounds the odds bet will neither help nor hurt on average, but individual results swing more, which means higher statistical variance. A larger odds bet raises both the possible win and the possible loss.
It does not offset the base bet. The only way to avoid the base bet’s cost is not to place it. The odds bet cannot be separated from it.
Percentages can mislead. A casino listing “0.3% edge with 10x odds” is accurate about the percentage of total money wagered, but anyone reading it should notice that the amount at risk per round is many times higher. This is a good example of framing effects in how odds are presented.
Pace still matters. A table with 30 to 50 rounds per hour (a rough range, since it varies) multiplies the base bet’s expected cost. The hourly expected loss depends on the base bet size, the number of resolved bets, and the edge, not on the odds multiple.
Limits and rules to check
- The maximum odds multiple varies (for example 2x, 3x-4x-5x or 10x).
- Minimum and maximum bets apply to the base bet and the odds bet separately.
- Odds bets can usually be removed or changed at any time, which is a rule worth confirming at a specific table.
- The 6 to 5 payout on a 6 or 8 requires odds bets in multiples of 5 units, so odd amounts may be rounded or paid differently.
- Don’t Pass odds lay the odds, meaning the bettor risks more to win less, in line with the reversed probabilities.
The sensible approach is to treat the odds bet as a way to change how much is at stake, not how much it costs on average, and to set limits before playing.