Crapless craps is a variation of the traditional game. It was introduced at Bob Stupak's Vegas World in the 1990's. That casino is known as The Strat today.
There has been a crapless craps comeback in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts re-felted some standard tables with the game in 2020. This was reflected in our 2021 Las Vegas Table Game Survey. It has a higher house edge than the standard game.
The Best Craps Bets The best bets in craps are the pass line bet, taking the odds, the don't pass bar, the come bet, and placing the 6 or the 8. Let's look at each. Crapless craps table odds vary from one casino to another. The Strat offers 10 times odds. It is the best casino for crapless craps odds in Las Vegas. The odds at MGM Resorts properties is 3-4-5. The three covers 2, 3, 11 and 12. Harrah's goes down to double odds on 3 and 11 and single odds on 2 and 12. Place bets are accepted on all numbers.
Related: Las Vegas craps survey
Best Las Vegas casino for crapless craps
The Strat on the far north end of the Las Vegas Strip is the best place for crapless craps odds. It is 10 times odds there. All other Las Vegas crapless craps tables are 3-4-5 or 1-2-3-4-5 times.
- Craps - 2 or 12 Paying out a massive 30/1, Craps - 2 or 12 is the top paying bet at the craps table. You have a 2.8% chance of winning. For this bet, you will have to contend with a 13.9% house edge – but the payoff is most definitely worth it.
- Beginner craps players, if you can remember only one bet, make it the pass line bet. This is the starting bet for all craps games and has one of the lowest house edges at 1.41% and highest odds of landing (251 to 244 to be exact). This is one of the best bets craps players can make, with payout odds of 1 to 1.
Field players will want to choose one of the six MGM Resorts properties with crapless craps over Harrah's or The Strat. The field pays triple on 12 at MGM Resorts casinos.
Minimum bet for Las Vegas Crapless Craps
$10 (10x & Double Field)
| $10 (3-4-5x & Triple Field)
| $15 (3-4-5x & Triple Field)
$25 (1-2-3-4-5x Double Field)
|
How to play crapless craps
A crapless craps game starts just like a normal one does. A point is established on a come out roll. The betting is different. In crapless craps, there is only a pass line. There are no don't bets on the table. The shooter must bet on the pass line.
A crapless craps pass line cannot lose on the come out roll. It wins on any 7. Any other number becomes the point. This includes 2, 3, 11 and 12. Any number besides 7 may become a place bet. The table has all other standard craps bets like the field, hardways and hop bets.
Crapless craps table odds vary from one casino to another. The Strat offers 10 times odds. It is the best casino for crapless craps odds in Las Vegas. The odds at MGM Resorts properties is 3-4-5. The three covers 2, 3, 11 and 12. Harrah's goes down to double odds on 3 and 11 and single odds on 2 and 12.
Place bets are accepted on all numbers. These are paid based on this list:
- 2 and 12: 11:2
- 3 and 11: 11:4
- 4 and 10: 9:5
- 5 and 9: 3:2
- 6 and 8: 7:6
Hardway bets pay 7:1 on 4 and 10 and 9:1 on 6 and 8. Hop bets pay 15:1 on easy ways and 30:1 on hard ways. The field wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. All Las Vegas casinos pay double at 2. The odds and bet table on this page shows whether the casino pay double or triple on 12.
While there is no such thing as craps at a crapless craps table, there is still a bet for it on the felt. It pays 9:1 when the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12.
Las Vegas Crapless craps FAQ
What is the difference between craps and crapless craps?
There are no don't bets in crapless craps. A 7 wins and all other numbers become a point. The pass line and come bet cannot lose on the first roll. Place bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 are available.
Can I play crapless craps in Las Vegas?
Yes. It is available at eight Las Vegas casinos. These are The Strat, Harrah's, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York and Park MGM.
What is the minimum bet for crapless craps in Las Vegas?
Crapless craps games start at $10 in Las Vegas.
Which Las Vegas casino has the best crapless craps odds?
The Strat offers 10 times odds at crapless craps.
Craps is my favorite game in the casino, and if you learn how to play, it will be one of your favorites, too. I've written multiple posts explaining how to play.
In this post, I want to do something a little different.
I want to offer you the best tips for playing craps WELL.
If you want to do well at the craps table, these are the only 11 tips you'll ever need.
1 – Stick With the Pass, Come, and Free Odds Bets
The pass line bet is the basic bet when playing craps for real money. It's a bet that the shooter will roll a 7 or an 11 on his come-out roll, or that the shooter will roll a point number and subsequently hit that point number again before rolling a 7. The pass line bet loses if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll.
The come bet is just like the pass bet, but it treats a roll after the come-out roll as if it were a new come-out roll.
And the free odds bet is only available if you've made a pass or come bet, and the shooter has set a point. The odds bet pays off at the true odds of rolling the point again before rolling a 7.
If you stick with those bets, you'll be playing the most exciting game in the casino and facing terrific odds. These bets make craps almost as attractive a game as blackjack.
2 – Most of the Bets at the Craps Table Offer Lousy Odds
One of the great things about craps is that it's easy to learn how to make the best bets and avoid the lousy ones. That's because the only good bets at the table are these:
- Pass
- Don't pass
- Come
- Don't come
- Free odds
- Place 6
- Place 8
- 2 and 12: 11:2
- 3 and 11: 11:4
- 4 and 10: 9:5
- 5 and 9: 3:2
- 6 and 8: 7:6
Hardway bets pay 7:1 on 4 and 10 and 9:1 on 6 and 8. Hop bets pay 15:1 on easy ways and 30:1 on hard ways. The field wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. All Las Vegas casinos pay double at 2. The odds and bet table on this page shows whether the casino pay double or triple on 12.
While there is no such thing as craps at a crapless craps table, there is still a bet for it on the felt. It pays 9:1 when the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12.
Las Vegas Crapless craps FAQ
What is the difference between craps and crapless craps?
There are no don't bets in crapless craps. A 7 wins and all other numbers become a point. The pass line and come bet cannot lose on the first roll. Place bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 are available.
Can I play crapless craps in Las Vegas?
Yes. It is available at eight Las Vegas casinos. These are The Strat, Harrah's, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York and Park MGM.
What is the minimum bet for crapless craps in Las Vegas?
Crapless craps games start at $10 in Las Vegas.
Which Las Vegas casino has the best crapless craps odds?
The Strat offers 10 times odds at crapless craps.
Craps is my favorite game in the casino, and if you learn how to play, it will be one of your favorites, too. I've written multiple posts explaining how to play.
In this post, I want to do something a little different.
I want to offer you the best tips for playing craps WELL.
If you want to do well at the craps table, these are the only 11 tips you'll ever need.
1 – Stick With the Pass, Come, and Free Odds Bets
The pass line bet is the basic bet when playing craps for real money. It's a bet that the shooter will roll a 7 or an 11 on his come-out roll, or that the shooter will roll a point number and subsequently hit that point number again before rolling a 7. The pass line bet loses if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll.
The come bet is just like the pass bet, but it treats a roll after the come-out roll as if it were a new come-out roll.
And the free odds bet is only available if you've made a pass or come bet, and the shooter has set a point. The odds bet pays off at the true odds of rolling the point again before rolling a 7.
If you stick with those bets, you'll be playing the most exciting game in the casino and facing terrific odds. These bets make craps almost as attractive a game as blackjack.
2 – Most of the Bets at the Craps Table Offer Lousy Odds
One of the great things about craps is that it's easy to learn how to make the best bets and avoid the lousy ones. That's because the only good bets at the table are these:
- Pass
- Don't pass
- Come
- Don't come
- Free odds
- Place 6
- Place 8
You literally have dozens of bets to choose from at the craps table, but the house edge on the bets listed above are all less than 1.5%.
3 – Here's What You Should Do If You're a Beginner
If you're a beginner craps player, stick with the pass line bet. Don't start making a lot of come bets until you're comfortable with what's happening with the pass line bet.
It might be a good idea to take one of the free casino game classes where they'll teach you how to play.
Once you're comfortable with the pass line bet, expand your repertoire by making occasional come bets, too.
Try not to have more than two or three numbers working at one time. Any more than that, and you might be devastated by a big loss you're not expecting.
4 – Understand the House Edge in Craps
The house edge represents the difference between the odds of winning and the payout odds for the game. Craps, like every other casino game, pays out less than the odds of winning. The difference is where the casino makes its profit.
The house edge is expressed as a percentage, and it's an estimate of how much you should expect to lose in the long run on a game.
In the case of craps, the house edge for the pass and come bets is the same – 1.41%.
The house edge for the don't pass and don't come bets is 1.36%.
The great thing is the house edge for the free odds bet. It's called 'free' odds because it carries no house edge. The payout for this bet is the same as the odds of winning it.
By taking or laying odds on top of your pass, don't pass, come, or don't come bets, you're effectively reducing the house edge for the game even further.
5 – Pick Your Wins Up From the Table
It's your responsibility to pick up any money you win from the table. If you just leave those chips on the table, they're considered new bets, and they stay in action.
If you're on a winning streak, that's cool. You'll just win that much more money. In fact, win three or four times in a row by letting your winnings ride can net you a lot of cash fast.
But if you're a more conservative player, pick the chips you've won up off the table after you win.
6 – Ignore Dealers at the Craps Table That Recommend a Bet
One of the dealers at the craps table is comparable to the ringmaster in a circus. He's the stickman, and part of his job is to sell you on the idea of making bets in the middle of the table.
The house edge on those bets is terrible, and when I say terrible, I mean over 9%.
Would you rather lose an average of 9% on each bet or an average of 1.5% on each bet?
It's the difference between losing $15/hour and losing $90/hour.
7 – Don't Use Betting Systems at the Craps Table
Any game with bets that offer even money payouts is ripe for betting system players. Craps is no exception. In fact, you'll have no trouble finding a Martingale or Paroli system player at the craps table.
These two systems work in precisely the opposite way, but both systems also don't do anything to help you win the game. A negative expectation bet is a negative expectation, no matter what.
The Martingale System and the Paroli System are examples of positive and negative progression systems. You raise and lower the size of your bets based on whether you won or lose previous bets.
Here's an example of the Martingale in action at the craps table:
You bet $5 on the pass line, and you lose when the shooter 7s out. Now you bet $10 on the pass line, and if you win, you've won back your $5 loss along with a $5 profit.
But if you lose, you have to bet $20 on your next bet, and so on.
Eventually, you'll run into a losing streak that's so long that it will be impossible to place the next bet in your progression.
With the Paroli System, you'll let your winnings ride until you've had a specific, arbitrary number of wins in a row.
For example, you might set a goal of winning 3 times in a row. You bet $5 on pass, win, and bet $10 on the 2nd round, and win again. Now you bet $20. If you win all 3 bets, you've won $35 over 3 rounds of the game.
But this approach doesn't work, either, in the long run.
8 – Don't Try to Become a Craps Professional
Contrary to what you might read and what some people might tell you, it's not possible to get an edge at craps in the long run. Without being able to get a mathematical edge, you can't possibly play craps for a living.
Even the odds bets, which have no house edge, can only be made when you've made an initial bet with a negative expectation.
On top of the negative expectation, you have a highly volatile game. Just because the house edge on the odds bets is 0% doesn't mean those bets pay off often. They still lose most of the time.
It's just that, theoretically, in the long run, you'll win as much money as you lose on such bets.
If you want to be a professional gambler, learn to count cards in blackjack, or handicap sports with a high degree of accuracy, or play poker at a pro-level.
But stay away from craps if you want to gamble professionally.
9 – Skip Don't Pass and Don't Come Bets If You're New
You might think that don't pass and don't come are the best bets at the craps table. And since the house edge for these bets is 1.36% instead of 1.41%, that's true.
But that doesn't mean you should place these bets.
In fact, if you're new, I suggest avoiding them.
Here's why:
Most of the other players are betting with the shooter. It's fun to root for a shooter to win, and it's fun to have a sense of teamwork and camaraderie at the craps table.
If you're betting against everyone at the table, you'll probably have less fun.
Unless you just have one of those personalities.
10 – Take as Big an Odds Bet as Possible While Still Being Comfortable
Let's say you're at a craps table where the minimum bet is $5 and the maximum bet is $500. And the maximum amount of odds this casino will let you take is 2X your bet.
Don't bet $15 on the pass line and ignore the odds bet.
And don't bet $15 on the pass line and then put $30 on the odds bet.
In one case, you're letting the house have a more significant edge than you need to.
In the other case, you're putting more money into action on a single roll of the dice than you're comfortable with.
Neither of these situations is good.
11 – Free Casino Classes Are Great – Except for the Strategy Advice
Craps, more than most casino games, is a good one to learn via the free casino classes that most gambling halls offer during their slow periods. You can get an excellent feel for how the game plays and how the betting works. Most real money online casinos will also allow you to play for free and practice before you're ready for the real thing.
Just ignore any strategy advice that live casino dealers offer. Sometimes the dealers don't know anything about the math behind the game and give what they think is good advice. Other times, the dealers are just rooting for you to lose.
Conclusion
With a basic understanding of how to play craps, you can have more fun in the casino than most. And you'll stand a good chance of having some big winning sessions.
It's just as important to play smart at the craps table as it is at any other casino game.
Odds On Craps Bets
Thinking about these 11 craps tips will keep you on the side of the gambling angels.
