9 Tips for Online Craps

Last Updated: November 3, 2022

Craps has one of the lowest house edges of any casino game, but it's pretty intimidating for new players at a casino in-person. Playing Craps online, though, is one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the game and practice the tips below.

When joining an online casino, users always have to remember that they must follow a strategy in order to maximize their chances of winning.

Here are nine ways to improve your online craps game (some that you wouldn't feel comfortable doing in person with players around you).

1. Utilize online casinos to learn the rules of craps

Online casinos offer video tutorials, free versions of the game, and rules/payout tables to help all levels of player learn the great game of craps.

Craps is filled with a mixture of great bets and sucker bets to avoid. It is intimidating to new players and while it is more complicated than other popular casino games, it is easy to learn once you get the basics out of the way. It's much easier to learn online than in person.

2. Don’t be afraid to play the Don’t Pass

In my opinion, craps is the best in-person casino game by a mile. It’s exciting, fast paced, priced well, and the most social game in the casino.

Since it is a social game, there are a lot of unwritten rules when you come to a physical craps table.

Rule No. 1: You never bet the Don’t Pass at a hot, packed table. People hate losing money. They especially hate losing money when someone bet on them to lose.

Sadly, this social pressure prevents many from playing the Don’t Pass, which is actually a great bet. The house only has a 1.36% edge on a Don’t Pass bet.

The house edge decreases even further when you lay max odds behind. So why is this a better bet online? You are playing the table by yourself. There is no social pressure. There are no unwritten rules. You can bet whatever you want without anyone complaining to you. So go play the don’ts, put max odds behind and go for glory.

3. Stay away from the single roll bets

I know this is a hard one to avoid. The instant gratification brought by a single roll bet is a lot of fun! I love throwing a chip to the stickman while telling him to hop the hard 10. It is thrilling to say the least.

But let’s be honest, every craps player knows it’s a bad bet. The casino edge on these bets depends on the payouts, but they are typically over 10%. I understand doing it occasionally for fun at a land-based craps table. But when you are online, you don’t have the social thrill that these bets bring. You are better served playing the more conservative, better priced bets.

4. Put max odds behind your Pass & Don’t Pass bets

This is one of the few bets in a casino where the more you bet reduces the house’s edge against you. The odds bet is essentially a side bet backing up either your pass bet or don’t pass bet.

While the casino still has a small edge on this side bet combined with your original wager, the odds bet alone has no casino edge! As we discussed earlier, the pass and don’t pass bets in craps are already some of the lowest house edges in the casino.

Your pass line single odds bet reduces the house edge from 1.4% to .85%. If you double your odds bet, the house edge drops to .61%. The house edge continues to drop as you multiply your odds bet behind your original bet.

Sadly, most casinos cap your odds at 3-4-5 depending on what point was established. If the point is 4 or 10, you can put 3-times odds behind your original bet. If the point is 5 or 9 you can take up to 4-times odds behind your original bet. Finally, the 6 or 8 point allows you to put up to 5-times odds behind your bet.

This is the most common format, but there are casinos that allow great max odds. Seek these out as much as possible for the best possible odds in any casino game!

5. Place some numbers with your Pass Bets

Playing the Pass bet is simple. You roll until you hit a point (4,5,6,8,9,10). Once the point is rolled you must roll the point again before you roll the dreaded 7.

Until you roll a 7, you keep the dice in your hand and keep rolling! An average round will be about 8.5 dice rolls. In that time, you will roll all kinds of numbers before you hit your point or the 7.

That is why placing numbers is a great way to hedge your original pass bet. You can lay any of the numbers above with the following payouts:

4 or 10 pay 2-1 odds.
5 or 9 pay 3-2 odds.
6 or 8 pay 5-6 odds.

The beauty of these place bets is that they stay up until you roll a 7 after the come-out roll. In other words, if you keep hitting points, these bets will not go down. You can win them repeatedly until a 7 is rolled. This is why you see a million chips on the land-based craps table when a roller gets hot. Experienced players will reinvest their winnings into these types of bets so that they can win money even when the point isn’t hit.

6. Save on tips

I think you should always tip your dealers, especially your craps dealers in land-based casinos. It is the most challenging game to deal in the casino and I have always found that tipping brings good karma. However, in online craps we get the advantage of being able to play against a computer without live dealers. Save your tip money in online craps and keep all your winnings.

7. Leave the table after a great roll

This is counterintuitive and the hardest tip to follow. I have a hard time following it myself. The truth about craps is that you can only win in the short term. While the game has a low casino edge, it is still an edge, nonetheless. This edge can only be realized over the long term after thousands of rolls.

Online craps allows for much quicker gameplay than its land-based counterpart. Because of this, you have even more reason to be cautious about how many rolls you are participating in. The goal should be to hit the table for a few big rolls and then get out. At a minimum, try a more conservative strategy until you see the table get hot again.

8. Play at an established reputable casino

At Action Network, we have plenty of reviews of casino operators from all around the world. There are many online casinos that offer craps games. Unfortunately, too many of them have reputation problems. Whether it’s slow payouts, unregulated rules, or plain bad odds offered, you want to protect yourself and make sure you are investing your hard-earned money in casino games that are fairly run.

9. Set a budget and stick with it

Setting a budget may be even more important online. Casinos use chips to distance yourself from how much money you are wagering. If you threw a $20 bill on the table for every bet instead of one green colored chip, you would bet less over time.

Instead of chips, online craps just gives you a number on your screen. Once you make your deposit, it's hard to keep track of how much money you are betting over a long period of time. Also, online craps allows you to play more rolls in a much quicker amount of time.

You can spend money much quicker online which is why sticking with a budget here is crucial. Gambling is a fun, recreational activity that should always be done responsibly.

Although Craps can be confusing, we've got your back with additional resources to help you master your game:

We recommend taking a look at our online casino legalization tracker to make sure casino gaming is legal in your state.