Best Craps Bets by House Edge
What this guide covers
With so many bet types available at a craps table, having a single ranked reference makes value-based decisions considerably easier. This guide ranks every major bet from best to worst by house edge, with practical guidance at each tier. For the underlying math behind these figures, see craps house edge explained; for full mechanics of any specific bet, see craps betting guide.
The complete ranking
| Rank | Bet | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odds (any) | 0% |
| 2 | Don't pass / don't come | 1.36% |
| 3 | Pass line / come | 1.41% |
| 4 | Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| 5 | Lay 4 or 10 | ~2.44% |
| 6 | Field (best-case payout structure) | ~2.7% |
| 7 | Lay 5 or 9 | ~3.23% |
| 8 | Place 5 or 9 | 4.0% |
| 9 | Buy 4 or 10 | ~4.76% |
| 10 | Lay 6 or 8 | ~4.0% |
| 11 | Field (typical payout structure) | ~5.5% |
| 12 | Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
| 13 | Hard 6 or 8 | 9.09% |
| 14 | Big 6 / Big 8 | 9.09% |
| 15 | Any craps | 11.1% |
| 16 | Hard 4 or 10 | 11.1% |
| 17 | 3 or 11 | 11.1% |
| 18 | 2 or 12 | 13.9% |
| 19 | Any seven | 16.67% |
Tier one: the zero-edge tier
Odds bets stand entirely alone at the top of this list, carrying no house edge whatsoever. They're only available as a supplement to an existing line or come bet, which is exactly why "maximize your odds bet" is the single most impactful piece of advice in all of craps strategy — see how craps odds bets work for the complete mechanics.
Tier two: the foundational bets
Don't pass, don't come, pass line, and come all sit within a tight 0.05 percentage point range of each other, all under 1.5% house edge — genuinely excellent value by any casino game's standards, comparable to blackjack played with correct basic strategy. These four bets, ideally combined with odds, form the sound foundation of nearly every competent craps approach.
Tier three: solid supplementary bets
Place bets on 6 and 8, along with lay bets on 4 and 10, sit in a very reasonable 1.5%-2.5% range — good choices for adding flexible, standing coverage to a session without meaningfully increasing your overall cost. This tier represents the practical ceiling of "good value" bets beyond the foundational tier above.
Tier four: moderate-value bets
The field (under favorable payout terms), lay bets on 5 and 9, place bets on 5 and 9, and buy bets on 4 and 10 all fall in a 3%-5% range — noticeably worse than the tiers above, but still considerably better than the table's worst offerings. These are reasonable choices if you specifically want the coverage or payout structure they offer, understanding you're paying a real premium for it.
Tier five: bets worth reconsidering
Lay bets on 6 and 8, the field under less favorable payout terms, and place bets on 4 and 10 sit in a 4%-6.7% range — meaningfully costly compared to the table's better options, and generally worth replacing with a better-value alternative covering similar ground (buying 4 or 10 instead of placing them, for instance).
Tier six: high-cost bets to use sparingly
Hard 6, hard 8, and Big 6/Big 8 all carry roughly 9% house edge — a genuine step up in cost from every tier above. Big 6/Big 8 specifically has no redeeming value advantage over the equivalent place bet and should generally be avoided outright in favor of placing the same numbers instead.
Tier seven: the worst-value bets at the table
Any craps, hard 4, hard 10, bets on 3 or 11, bets on 2 or 12, and any seven round out the bottom of this list, all above 11% house edge and climbing to nearly 17% on any seven specifically. These bets exist for their large payout multiples and genuine excitement value, not for anything resembling sound expected-value play — see proposition bets explained for the full detail on why they cost so much.
How to use this ranking practically
A sensible approach for most players: build your core session around tiers one through three (odds, line/come bets, and place 6/8 or lay 4/10), treat tier four as a reasonable expansion if you want more coverage, and treat tiers five through seven as occasional, deliberately small allocations for variety and excitement rather than core strategy. See craps strategy guide for how this translates into specific session approaches like the 3-point Molly or Iron Cross.
Why this ranking isn't the whole story
House edge ranking tells you relative cost, but it doesn't capture everything relevant to choosing a bet — variance, how quickly a bet resolves, and simple personal enjoyment all matter too. A player who understands this ranking and still chooses to bet "any seven" occasionally, for the specific excitement of a rare large payout, isn't making a mistake — they're making an informed trade-off, which is precisely what this ranking is meant to enable.
Revisiting this ranking as you gain experience
New players benefit most from focusing on tiers one and two exclusively while learning the game — there's no need to engage with the lower tiers at all until curiosity or specific strategic interest draws you there. More experienced players often use this full ranking to make deliberate, informed choices about exactly how much "cost" they're willing to accept in exchange for broader coverage or bigger potential payouts on any given session.
Frequently asked questions
What's the single best bet on this entire list? Odds bets, at exactly 0% house edge — though they require an existing pass line, don't pass, come, or don't come bet to attach to.
Which bets should a beginner focus on? Tiers one and two — odds, pass line, don't pass, come, and don't come — which together form a genuinely sound, simple foundation.
Is Big 6/Big 8 ever worth using instead of placing those numbers? No — it carries a considerably worse house edge (9.09% versus 1.52%) with no offsetting advantage, so placing the numbers directly is always the better choice.
Are the bottom-tier bets ever worth using? They can be, as a small, deliberate allocation for excitement and variety — the key is understanding their real cost rather than being drawn in by payout size alone.
Does this ranking change between online and physical casino craps? No — the underlying house-edge figures are determined by the bets' fixed payout structures, which are identical across RNG, live dealer, and physical casino formats running standard rules.
Should I completely avoid every bet outside the top few tiers? Not necessarily — understanding the full ranking lets you make informed, deliberate choices about which trade-offs you're comfortable with, rather than requiring you to avoid anything beyond the best-value bets entirely.
