Craps Odds Bet Strategy, Zero House Edge: Part 3, Laying the Odds on Don't Pass

The "laying the odds" craps side bet has a zero house edge. I demonstrate this bet at the Wizard of Odds craps simulator and show how the payoff ratios are calculated. Parts 1 and 2 are available here:

   • Craps Odds Strategy Explained: The On...  

   • Craps Odds Bet Strategy, Zero House E...  

The Don't Pass bet is the opposite of the Pass bet. It wins when Pass loses, and loses when Pass wins, with one exception. Throwing 12 in the come-out roll is a tie for the Don't Pass bet, not a win. This small difference brings down the total return of the Don't Pass bet from +1.4% to -1.4%, same as for the Pass bet.

Now let's take a look at the payoff ratios. If the point is 10, a decision is rendered by throwing a 7, which wins, or 10, which loses. There are 6 ways to throw a 7 and win, and 3 ways to throw a 10 and lose. Your chance of winning is 6/9 and your chance of losing is 3/9. The odds bet is fair, so the payoff on a win is 3:6, or one-half the size of your odds bet. Because you are more likely to win than lose, the payoff is less than your odds bet.

For the 5:6 payoff points, be sure to bet a whole multiple of $6 so you can win a whole number of dollars, as there are no one-sixth dollar chips; and bet a multiple of $3 when the payoff is 2 to 3. To keep it simple, you can always bet a multiple of $6 when you lay the odds on a Don't Pass bet.

The casino limits the size of your odds bet to a multiple of your Don't Pass bet, usually 3X-4X-5X. These multiples apply to the payoffs when you win, so you can always bet up to 6 times your Don't Pass bet.

The house edge is zero on odds bets and 1.4% on the Don't Pass bet, or 14 cents on a $10 Don't Pass bet.

Both winning and losing streaks will occur, and a bad losing streak can wipe out your entire bankroll, as demonstrated in the next video, "Craps Simulation Excel Spreadsheet":

   • Craps Pass Bet With Max Odds Sim, Nea...  

The field bet in craps has a house edge of 2.78%, which is worse than Pass or Don't Pass, but better than most craps bets. You can view a simulation of field bet results here:

   • Craps Field Bet Payoff Odds, House Ed...