Proposition bets in Craps are clearly very popular bets, which may be surprising considering that they have the biggest house edge. These vary between 9.9% to 16.67%. Still, proposition bets are one of the reasons Craps exists — although you can place bets on Craps that don’t have any house edge, the house makes all of its money from the proposition bets Craps players make, because these are the ones that catch the attention of action fans.
And come on, they’re so much fun.
Let’s take a look at all the proposition bets that are available in a game of Craps:
Any Seven:
This is a simple bet on whether the shooter will roll a seven on the next roll. The casino odds for this are usually 4-1, although the actual probability of rolling a seven is 5-1. It is worth mentioning that some casinos promote it as a payout “5” to “1”, which is the same as 4-1 but more flashy. The general rule is that for every chip you bet and win, you will receive five back. Of course, one of these casino chips was the one you initially wagered.
Any Craps:
The Any Craps bet is where you bet that the shooter will roll a two, three, or twelve on the next roll. The payouts are usually 7-1, when the actual odds are 8-1, so the house edge for this bad boy is an incredible 11.1%.
Twelve:
Single bet — bets on whether the shooter will roll a twelve on an upcoming roll. Do you want to identify a new Craps player at the table? If you make this bet, you are probably relatively new to the game. The odds of a 12 coming up on the next spin are 35-1, and the casino is offering odds of 30-1. Although 30-1 seems very flashy to new bettors who don’t know the game in detail, which is why they will bet there on a regular basis. The house edge? 13.69%. Do you still find the 30-1 striking?
Two:
The two bet is where you bet on whether the shooter will get a 2 on the next roll. The odds on this one are also 30-1, while the actual odds for a 2 are 35-1.
Eleven:
Eleven, also known as “me” because it can be confused with seven in the English language, is a bet where you want the bettor to get an 11 on the next roll.
Three:
Betting on “Three” means of course that you are hoping that the shooter will get a three on the next roll of the dice. The true odds are 17-1, while the casino odds are normally 15-1.
Horn Bet:
With a horn bet, you are betting that the next roll of the dice will be a 2, 3, 11, or 12. The payout differs depending on which number comes up. If a 3 or 11 comes up, you get 3 times your original bet. If it’s a 2 or 12, you receive 7 times your bet minus a quarter of the current bet. This is another bet to watch out for — while the horn bet is flashy, the house edge is in double figures: 11.1%.
Hardways:
If two dice show the same number, this is known as a Hardway, then there are separate names for Hard 6, Hard 4, Hard 1, or Hard 8. Two and twelve are not considered difficult numbers as they can only be achieved with a double in any way. Difficult or hard bets can be divided like this:
Hard 4, Hard 10, Hard 6, Hard 8
When you make these bets, you are hoping to get any of these combinations before a soft combination or a seven lands. For example, if you bet 4 Hard, you expect two twos to come up on the dice. If a three and a one come up this would be a soft four, and you would lose the bet.
The payouts are different, for example a hard 4 normally pays 7-1, while a hard 6 pays 9-1. It is better that you bet on a Hard 6 or a Hard 8 because in these the advantage of the house is only 9.09%, while a Hard 4 or a Hard 10 is 11.1%
Craps Eleven:
The final proposition bet is Craps-Eleven, also known as the C&E bet. This is a one shot bet where you are looking for the shooter to roll 2, 3, 12, or 11 on the next roll. You will win three times your bet if a craps comes up, and 7 times if an 11 comes up.