Winning At Craps - Strategies, Tips & Advice To Help You Succeed At The Table

Locating the craps table in any busy casino is never too difficult, as you just need to follow your ears! That’s because there’s pretty much always a lot of shouting and cheering around the table during the game, as everyone tries out their own craps strategy in an attempt to win big!

So, is there a way you can win at craps on a regular basis? Is there a good craps strategy that will let you leave winning more often than not? Well, that’s what we’re going to look at here, as we delve down into the aspects that make the game so popular in online casinos and land-based casinos all around the world.

We’d recommend reading our introduction to craps blog before reading on here, however, as this piece is written with the understanding that you have a basic knowledge of the game. Terms like ‘come out roll’ and ‘place bets’ will mean something to you, once you have.

Making Smarter Bets at the Craps Table

The best craps advice we can give for beginners is to be cautious. Whether playing online or in the glitz and glamour of a plush casino, when you’re new, you need to get a firm grip of the rules. This takes a little time, so it’s recommended that you’re conservative with your betting to begin with.

The great thing about craps is that the house has a relatively low edge and it is possible to get lots of enjoyment in without risking too much. We’ll cover one of the most popular betting strategies for that in a little while, but for now, we’ll just say that you should stick with the safe bets to begin with.

Most of us mere mortals need to know how to win at craps with a small bankroll, but the good news is that unlike some other casino games, craps can be enjoyed just as much with smaller, safer bets. Stick to those Pass Line bets to begin with and you’ll keep the risk low and most of your money in your pocket.

Pass Line Bets Are the Simplest Safe Ones to make

For beginners, staying with the safest bets is one of the best tips for playing craps . There are numerous ways you can bet on the craps table, but the simplest ones are perhaps the safest you can make. The Pass Bet very much falls into this category and it has a pretty low house edge too at around 1.4%, so you’re essentially betting on even money. The basics of the bet are easy to get your head around too, as you’re looking for a 7 or 11 to be thrown on the come out roll.

With Pass Bets, a 2, a 3 or a 12 is bad news, but if any of the remaining numbers are rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), that then becomes the point number, with the shooter carrying on rolling. You haven’t lost at this point, as you’ll still succeed if a 7 is rolled before the point number comes up.

Want An Even Safer Craps odds Strategy to Use?

If you want to hedge your bets even more with an even safer wager, then you should keep placing your real or virtual chips on the Don’t Pass Line. This is pretty much the antithesis of the Pass Line bet with the bets placed here winning when a 2 or a 3 comes up. If it doesn’t come up, but neither does a 7 or an 11, don’t worry as you’re still in the game.

That’s because any other number will result in a point number being established. Then if a 7 comes up before that point number is re-thrown, you win. This is basically the safest bet you can make on the craps table, meaning that it’s perhaps one of the best tips for winning at craps for beginners - albeit that you probably won’t win big in the long run.

Making the Most of Your Money With Odds Bets

When looking for tips for playing craps you should not overlook those extra bets that you can make on top of your original wager. The awesome thing about these bets - which are called odds bets - is that they add value, as that the house has no edge at all on them. Sure, they still have the edge on your original bet, but odds bets diminish that somewhat.

These bets will usually come with an upper limit, which is generally 2x, 3x or as much as 5 times the stake you’ve placed on the Pass Line bet. This is one of the best ways to play craps when you’re hoping to make come out ahead whilst also making your chips last as long as possible, as you shorten your odds of winning overall.

What does an odds bet involve? Well, when you make an odds bet after placing a Pass Bet, you’re wagering that the point number will be thrown before the 7 comes up. The odds are 2-1 when 4 or 10 is the point number, 3-2 when 5 or 9 is thrown and 6-5 when a 6 or an 8 is the result.

It’s also possible to make the opposite bet and it’s called ‘laying the odds’. This involves making an odds bet after making a Don’t Pass Line bet and it relies on a 7 being thrown before a point number comes up. This bet pays out 1-2 against either a 4 or a 10 coming up, 2-3 against a 5 or a 9 being thrown or 5-6 against a 6 or an 8.

Want to Know How to Win at Craps With Little Money?

Now we come to the juicy part of the article where we look at a good craps strategy for getting the absolute most out of the chips in your pocket. It’s important to say that the following tip is not a guaranteed way to make money at the game, as in truth, there’s no such thing.

Whether playing online or in a land-based casino, the house will always have the edge, meaning that if you play for long enough, you’re almost certain to lose. This is statistically guaranteed, so the following strategy might not result in a big win, but it will allow you to win small, even with a small bankroll.

So, let’s see what this casino craps strategy involves.

Hedging Your Bets With the 6/8 Place Strategy

So, the basics of this strategy for winning at craps involves placing $10/£10 on the Don’t Pass Line and a $6/£6 6/8 place bet at the same time. With a bit of luck on your side, this approach can win you some meaningful money if you keep hitting those 6s and 8s on the come out roll.

By ‘hedging’ your bets in this way, you hugely reduce the risk against you and your chips. If the shooter throws 7, you lose, but you lose small, as you have the Don’t Pass bet to fall back on, meaning that based on the wagers mentioned above, you only lose $2/£2.

Even with a small bankroll, you can make your money last for much longer with an approach like this. You can up the ante from time to time if you want to make it interesting, but just remember not to go chasing your losses if those extra bets don’t come off.

We’ve explained it as best we can here, but for a more detailed explanation of this winning craps strategy YouTube is just a click away where you can get the lowdown from an expert. It’s perhaps the most painless way to get started on the craps table and you can see for yourself by following this video.

Stay Away from the Risky Bets that Favour the House

One fatal mistake that many gamblers make is that they get bored playing small and get carried away. This leads to silly bets being made where the odds are stacked really high against the punter with a huge edge for the house. Any gambler with a serious hope of winning long-term needs to stay away from these kinds of bets at all costs.

We’ve said it already in this article, but it’s definitely worth reiterating that when considering how to win at craps , caution is the watchword. Outside bets are quite thrilling when you win, of that there is little doubt, but they’re designed for entertainment value at best and you’re almost certain to lose. If you’ve got money to burn, then go for it, but only if you can afford to lose it, because long shots are the surest way to have you leaving the casino with nothing in the fastest possible time.

We’ll finish this article with our helpful Frequently Asked Question section, but we’ll leave you with one last piece of craps advice that applies to every single game in the casino. That advice is to quit while you’re ahead, because once you’re in front, chances are - it won’t be for long. Don’t get caught up in the ‘just one more roll’ mentality and you’ll be able to get out of the place with all your winnings intact.

So, there you have it. Follow these guidelines and you’ll get to enjoy one of the most fun games at the casino for longer. We hope that you have found the information here helpful and that it leads to a long-term appreciation for the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

As promised, we end this article with answers to some of the most commonly-asked questions about winning at craps. Enjoy!

“Do casinos ever cheat at craps?”

There have been stories about casinos ‘loading’ the dice, but this is something of a myth, as reputable casinos are very tight on this kind of thing. Also, when playing at an online casino, random number generators or RNGs are used to create completely random outcomes.