Craps Strategy for Beginners
If you’ve never played online craps for real money before, I suggest you go check out our complete guide to craps first. You can find all important details on how to play the game and once you’ve figured it out, you can check out our guide on the craps odds and which bets you should make and avoid.
Beginners can also use a craps strategy, although I recommend you only play for real money once you’ve mastered the rules. First, you should not vary your stake but instead always just bet the same amount. Increasing the stake can get confusing quickly so to start with, I recommend you pick an amount you feel comfortable with.
Second, beginners should stick to Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come bets. The vast majority of advanced strategies are based on mastering these simple wagers, so stick with these to start. They have better odds than most of the other bets you can make and occur quite frequently. Most players bet on Pass Line every round, so I suggest you do the same.
In addition, I recommend you make the Odds Bet, or Craps Lay, which has no house edge. To make this bet, you have to first wager on Pass Line or Come, and when the point has been set, you want the shooter to roll a 7 before they roll the point number. If they do, you win the bet.
With this basic strategy, you can start playing craps!
Advanced Craps Strategy
Now let’s take a look at some more advanced craps strategies. Note that some of these require quite a big bankroll so don’t attempt these strategies until you’ve played for some time and you can actually afford to lose significant sums. It’s always okay to step away from the table at any point.
You can utilize most of these strategies when playing craps online, no matter whether you like the software versions or live dealer games. Most of the legal online casinos we recommend offer craps games so you should be able to find a game to play in you’re located in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia.
Iron Cross Strategy
The Iron Cross strategy is a short-term strategy, so it’s ideal for online craps. The main point of this strategy is to cover most of the possible outcomes; the goal is to win something from several different bets. This strategy is suitable for a round here and there.
The strategy begins after the Come Out roll (you can bet Pass Line or Don’t Pass if you want to). Once the point is set, you bet on the Field (which covers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12) and add Place bets on 5, 6, and 8. If any of these numbers hit, you win; if the shooter rolls 7, you lose all bets.
The payouts are as follows:
- 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11: 1 to 1
- 2: 2 to 1
- 12: 3 to 1
- 6 and 8: 7 to 6
- 5: 7 to 5
The suggested bet amounts are 1 for Field and 5 and 1.2 for 6 and 8. So if you choose to bet $10 on Field, you’d bet $10 on 5 as well and $12 on 6 and 8, the total bet amount being $44. If that sounds like a lot of money, you can bet less but I suggest you stick with these ratios.
A couple of things to keep in mind regarding Iron Cross: if a Field bet wins, your Place bets stay and vice versa. In addition, 7 is the most frequently appearing number, so even though you’ve covered most of the table, you could still lose more than you win.
6/8 Strategy
This one is a progressive strategy, meaning you increase your stake every time you lose. If this seems daunting, you can stick to the other strategies discussed here.
Basically, you bet on 6 and 8 in this strategy. You can bet on either number coming before 7, or not to come before it if you want. The Place to Win pays 7/6 while the Place to Lose pays 4/5.
You should have quite deep pockets if you wish to employ this craps strategy, since you have to increase your stake every time you lose and you might not hit a win streak during your gaming session.
Crapless Craps Strategy
The first thing to note about crapless craps is that this game type is not widely available online. If you wish to play crapless craps, you might have to venture out to your local casino to see if they offer the game.
“Crapless” means that in the come out roll, no point loses aka 2, 3, and 12 can also become a point (instead of being a winning number of Don’t Pass bettors). In addition, 11 can become a point in this version of the game.
In crapless craps, the Pass Line and Come bets become less favorable, so the strategy is to bet on 6 and 8 since they now have the lowest house edges.
Bubble Craps Strategy
Bubble craps is a different thing from basic craps tables and online craps. Also called Shoot to Win Craps, the game is located at retail casinos. The main idea of the game is the same as basic craps, but the “bubble” element brings a little twist to the game.
Basically bubble craps is an electronic game where you can play by yourself rather than at the table with other players. While you still share the board with others, you all just press buttons rather than move the chips and dice around the table. Everyone gets a chance to shoot the dice, and you can cancel your bets when you want (with the exception of a Pass Line bet).
Now for the strategy: there isn’t one, really. You can follow one of the strategies discussed above, or just go with the flow. The most important aspect of bubble craps, or Shoot to Win, is that the dice rolls are timed so you have to think quickly and bet before the “no more bets” message comes through. This might also hinder your ability to follow any single strategy.
What is the Best Craps Strategy?
It depends on you! You should choose a strategy that suits your playing style and the amount of money you’re willing to lose. Never play beyond your means!
No strategy guarantees a big payout, so you can just play by placing the bets you feel most comfortable with without following any strategy. If you do want to use a craps strategy, here are a couple of tips:
- Nail down the strategy first! You can play on demo mode on several online casinos I recommend on BonusFinder US, so there is always option to test a particular strategy before you commit any of your own money. The benefit of learning to play craps online is to take your time without disrupting other people’s games.
- Keep track of the strategy’s success! If you just keep losing money without recouping much at all, there’s no point in continuing with a strategy. Keep tabs on how well the strategy is working for you and switch to another one if you feel like it’s not working.
- Know your own limits! Only play with money you can stand to lose and never go beyond your means. Staying in control makes gambling fun, so don’t forget to check how long you’ve been sitting at the table. If you play online, you can set deposit and time limits to your account so you never go beyond your limits.
