Craps 3-4-5 Times Odds

Casinos can be intimidating and their games a little confusing, but here's a tip: The best bet on the craps table has no house edge, and it isn't shown anywhere on the layout. There's no mention of "odds" on the table. You must have a Pass or Don't Pass bet to take odds on, but then you're on your own. If you don't know about odds, you'll miss the best bet in the casino.

If you know how to play craps, you know that new shooters have to place a wager on the Pass or Don't Pass line. Once that new point of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is made, they can just keep shooting. The odds bet, the one that has zero house edge, isn't mandatory; it's optional.

The Pass Line always pays even money, but the real beauty of the Odds wager is that you are paid the true odds of the point rolling. To make the wager, simply place chips behind your original Pass Line bet on the craps layout. This wager can at least equal your Pass Line bet, so if you have an original wager of $10, put another $10 behind it to take odds. The amount you should wager depends on the point number.

If the point is 4, 5, 9, or 10, match your bet. If the point is 6 or 8, bet $6 in odds for every $5 you have on the Pass Line. When the shooter makes their point, you'll get a much bigger payoff.

Pass Line Odds Payoffs

If the point is:

• 4 or 10, you are paid 2 to 1 on your Odds wager.
• 5 or 9, you are paid 3 to 2 on your Odds wager.
• 6 or 8. you are paid 6 to 5 on your Odds wager.

Most casinos allow you to take double odds on you Pass Line bet. That means if you put $5 on the Pass Line, you could make an odds bet of $10.

Your Pass Line bet has a house edge of 1.41 percent. The Odds bet has no house edge, so by taking it you lower the house edge on your overall wagers. A Pass Line bet with single odds has a house edge of 0.85 percent and with double odds, the house edge drops to 0.61 percent.

Over the last few years, many casinos have allowed players to take larger odds bets. Some casinos compete with each other to see who can offer the highest odds, up to 100 times odds. Although this sounds great, it is impractical for average players to wager this much unless they have a very big bankroll.

3-4-5 Times Odds

To make things quick and easy for everyone, from the players to the dealers to the Box Men, many casinos have incorporated a simplified odds system in which they allow odds of only 3, 4, or 5 times a Pass Line wager. With this system, players are allowed to take three, four, or five times odds, depending on the point number. You can get odds on Come Bets too.

If the point is::

• 4 or 10 you can take 3 times odds.
• 5 or 9, you can take 4 times odds.
• 6 or 8, you can take 5 times odds.

Craps Odds Bets