Craps Odds

What exactly are your chances of winning in the game of craps? Well, it depends on how much you know and how well you play the game. Craps has a lot of potential in terms of turning out winners and can be the most profitable game for the player. Does a soldier go into battle unarmed? Does the sailor go out on a voyage without a compass? The point is that you have to be prepared for what you're up against to increase your chances of coming out on top. Knowing what the craps odds are does not only help you understand the game better but also aids in the decisions you make at the craps table.

Unlike many casino games, craps is based on two things: the roll of the dice and player input. This means that your decisions have an impact on the game as well as the outcome. Now, if you know which are the most profitable bets to you as the player, you can lower the edge that the house has on craps and increase your winning odds significantly. Smart craps players can bring the house edge to nearly 0% by using a combination of pass and come bets and backing them up with odds. You don't need to worry about those yet; it'll come in time.

There are two factors that contribute in deciding whether or not a bet is good. The first is the probability of the dice outcomes. The several different totals that can come up on a roll all have a certain probability. For example, there are six ways of making a 7 (1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4, 4 and 3, 5 and 2, 6 and 1) as compared to four ways of making a 5 (1 and 4, 2 and 3, 3 and 2, 4 and 1). So, out of the 36 possible dice combinations, 7 has a better chance of coming up than 5 or any other number for that fact. The second factor is the payout that the casino offers. For craps odds to be fair, a person would have to be paid out at odds that match the probability of winning that particular bet; however, the payout is always a little less than that, giving the house that much of an edge.