Lots of people avoid craps because they think it’s too complicated. I’ve written a lot of blog posts trying to simplify the game through a variety of different lenses, and I’m going to do that again here through the lense of betting with or against the dice.
When you think about it, if you understand the difference between betting against the dice and betting with the dice, you’re 90% of the way along in your journey to understand craps.
Getting Started Betting With (or Against) the Dice
The first roll in a craps game is the come-out roll. When you’re betting on a craps game, you can either bet WITH the dice or AGAINST the dice.
A bet with the dice is a pass bet. (A come bet is also a way of betting with the dice. More about that later.)
A bet against the dice is a don’t pass bet. (A don’t come best is another way of betting against the dice. I’ll also have more to say about that.)
On the initial roll, 1 of 3 things will happen:
- The dice will win
- The dice will lose
- A point will be set
The dice win immediately on the come-out roll if they land on a total of 7 or 11.
They lose immediately on the come-out roll if they land on a total of 2, 3, or 12.
All the other possible totals result in a point being set. The point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
When that happens, the shooter keeps rolling the dice until she rolls the point number total or rolls a 7.
If she rolls the point number before rolling a 7, the dice win.
If she rolls a 7 first, the dice lose.
The pass bet pays off at even money when the dice win.
The don’t pass bet pays off at even money when the dice lose – but with one exception.
If the dice land on 12 on the come-out roll, it’s treated as a push. You don’t lose your bet, but you don’t get any winnings, either.
How to Bet With or Against the Dice After the Come-Out Roll
You can also place bets called “come” or “don’t come.” These bets you can place when playing craps are just like the pass and don’t pass bets, but they treat the next roll as a new come-out roll regardless of when it happens in the game. In other words, if the shooter is trying to roll a point, you can still make the equivalent of a pass or don’t pass bet by betting come or don’t come.
The Free Odds Bet Is Also a Bet With or Against the Dice
If you’re betting on the pass line and the shooter sets a point, you can place a 2nd bet called an odds bet. This bet is a multiple of your original bet, and it pays off if the dice win.
It’s sometimes called the “free odds” bet because it has no house edge. The bet pays off at the same odds you have of winning it.
If you’re making an odds bet on a pass line bet, it’s called “taking the odds.” In other words, you’re betting with the dice.
You can also put an odds bet down on the don’t pass bet that you made. It also has no house edge, and now you’re betting against the dice.
In this case, you’re “laying the odds” instead of taking the odds.
Unlike the pass and don’t pass bets, the odds bets don’t pay off at even money. They pay off based on what the point is, as follows:
- If the point is 4 or 10, taking odds pays off at 2 to 1, and laying odds pays off at 1 to 2.
- If the point is 5 or 9, taking odds pays off at 3 to 2, and laying odds pays off at 2 to 3.
- Finally, if the point is 6 or 8, taking odds pays at 6 to 5, and laying odds pays off at 5 to 6.
The odds bet is one of the best bets in the casino, so you should always make sure you have enough of a bankroll to take or lay odds.
Is It Better to Bet with the Dice or to Bet Against the Dice?
You can look at this question in 2 ways. The way many experienced gamblers and gambling writers look at it is though the prism of the house edge. Many gamblers try to keep the house edge as low as possible.
In that case, betting with the dice offers a house of 1.41%. Betting against the dice offers a house edge of 1.36%.
From that perspective, it’s better to bet against the dice.
But consider another perspective:
Is it more fun to root for something or against something?
Most of the other craps players at the table are going to be betting with the dice. They’re rooting for the shooter to succeed. Half the fun of being at the craps table is watching a shooter get on a hot streak and cheering her on when she does.
Is that worth 0.05% in house edge?
I think it is.
How much money would you lose, on average and in the long run, if you bet $100 repeatedly on the pass line bet?
Without factoring in the odds bets, you’d lose an average of $1.41 per bet. That’s not bad.
If you bet on don’t pass, you’d save a nickel and only lose an average of $1.36 per roll.
That’s not a big difference.
Betting Against the Dice and Getting Paid Less Than Even Money
One of the perks of betting with the dice is taking the odds bet and getting the big payouts. Most people enjoy winning even money. Bet $100 and win $100.
2 to 1 or 3 to 1 is even better. Bet $100 and win $200, or bet $100 and win $150.
But when you lay odds, you’re guaranteed to win less than you wagered.
If you bet $100 on a bet that pays 1 to 2, you’ll win $50, which is less than you staked.
A lot of gamblers hate that.
And even though you know that mathematically it’s no different than taking odds – it still has a 0% house edge – the psychology of it is a bummer.
My suggestion is to bet with the dice even though you’re giving up 0.05% in house edge. It’s just not enough money to warrant doing otherwise.
What About All the Other Craps Bets?
The house edge on all the other real money craps bet is so lousy that you should just avoid them altogether. Even the best of the other bets available on the table are significantly worse than the pass or don’t pass bet.
And since you can make come and don’t come bets, you can put more money into action on every roll of the dice without ever being forced into a situation where you have to make a bet with a house edge of 16.66%.
Not all the other bets at the craps table are that bad. Some of them have a house edge of 9.09%.
But why would you ever want to make a bet with a house edge of 9.09% when you’re playing a game where you could place a bet with a house edge of close to 1%.
Conclusion
Is it better to bet against or bet with the dice?
It depends at least a little bit on your personality. I suggest you bet with the dice, but plenty of experienced gamblers always bet against the dice.
Either way, as long as you’re avoiding the prop bets, you’re doing all right.
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …
