A good Craps strategy depends on minimising the house edge and making sure you stay entertained.
The first part is pretty easy thanks to this game having some of the best odds, being an easy game to play whilst maintaining the low house edge. It’s most basic and popular bet, the Pass Line wager, has a house edge of just 1.41%.
But, if you’re playing internet-based Craps, sticking to Pass Line stakes is only going to entertain you for so long. You don’t have the crowds to entertain you when you’re rolling the dice on your desktop, smartphone, or tablet, so you’ll need to implement a few different strategies to keep your head in the game!
Dazzle With the Don’t Pass
Sticking to playing the Don’t Pass bet at the minimum amount and then backing that wager up with maximum odds stakes whenever a Point is established is one way to keep the edge working for you.
This bet generally has a 1.36% house edge but this will get lowered because wagering like this leaves no house edge at all! If you’re playing at a site that lets you lay the odds up to 100X your stake, the combined house edge of a Don’t Pass bet with maximum odds is a mere 0.014%.
This strategy can also be used with Don’t Come bets for players who want to place more wagers while they wait for their Don’t Pass stakes to resolve.
Anything but 7 or the Iron Cross
If you love frequent wins, and who doesn’t, this strategy is a good idea, but it will turn 7 into your bitter enemy. The Iron Cross sets things up so that you collect a return on anything but the number 7.
For example, let’s say you’ve placed a bet of 10 on Place 5, 10 on The Field, 12 on Place 6, and 12 on Place 8. This is a total wager of 44, and you’re guaranteed a win on any roll other than a 7. Place 6 and Place 8 stakes have a house edge of just 0.4%, much lower than the Iron Cross, but while the full bet may not have the lowest edge, it’s a very gratifying way to play if you can avoid 7s.
The Wild Bettor
You might lose your bankroll really quickly with this strategy, but you might also hit a really big win!
Betting on a 2 or 12 has the highest payout in Craps, 30:1 and Yo, or 11, is a very popular Proposition wager, with a payout of 15:1. You can place the same stake on 3, but this is less well-liked since it’s one of the Craps numbers, 2, 3, and 12. Hi-Lo bets that a 2 or a 12 will be rolled, and pays out at 15:1.
Both Yo and Hi-Lo wagers have an 11.11% house-edge, and bets on 2 and 12 push this up to 13.89%, so your risk on these wagers is definitely higher, but so is the possible win.