House Edge in Craps

Betting in craps online is all about identifying where the edge lies. Sometimes the edge lies with the player, and other times the house has the clear edge. Smart online players will be able to calculate the exact house edge craps odds and will bet accordingly.

The House Edge in Craps

In the simplest terms, the house's edge is the average percentage of a wager that will go to the casino. The higher that edge, the lower the odds are for the player and the less likely it is that the player is going to win that bet. Players who want to maximize their wins should avoid bets with the highest house edge. From this point, the matter is simply one of mathematics; the player has to calculate the odds of each possible outcome and evaluate the house's edge.

Calculating the Edge

In craps there are only two six-sided dice. That means there are 11 possible outcomes (2-12) and 36 different ways of generating those outcomes. Craps is determined by rolling a 2, 3, or 12. By adding up the different combinations of the two dice, we can determine there are 4 ways of rolling craps (1+1, 1+2, 2+1, and 6+6). The player has a 4 in 36, or 1 in 9, chance of rolling craps, so the house's edge on craps is 11.11%. This can be calculated for any possible outcome and any possible bet.

The bets get more complicated, so it may be more useful to consult house edge craps charts at online casino websites. These charts can make it easy to identify the odds and the edges in order to bet strategically.