Free Odds in Craps: The Only 0% House Edge Bet
Last reviewed: June 2026
The free odds bet in craps carries exactly zero house edge — the only bet in any standard casino game where the casino makes nothing on your wager.
That sentence is not a typo or a marketing hook. It is simple arithmetic: the casino pays true probability on the odds bet, so there is no built-in advantage. Understanding how this bet works, why casinos offer it, and how to use it properly is one of the most useful pieces of casino math you can learn.
How the Odds Bet Works
After the come-out roll establishes a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), you can place an additional bet directly behind your original Pass Line bet. This extra wager is called taking odds (or, on the Don’t Pass side, laying odds). It has no separate spot on the felt and is often not mentioned by dealers to new players, which is why it is sometimes called the “secret” best bet in craps.
The bet wins or loses under the same conditions as your flat bet:
- Pass odds win if the point repeats before a 7 rolls, and lose if a 7 comes first.
- Don’t Pass odds win if a 7 rolls before the point repeats, and lose if the point hits first.
The key difference from the flat bet is the payout. Instead of even money, the casino pays true odds — the exact ratio that reflects the mathematical probability of each outcome.
True-Odds Payouts by Point
| Point | Probability (point before 7) | Take-Odds Payout | Lay-Odds Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 1 in 3 (33.3%) | 2:1 | 1:2 |
| 5 or 9 | 2 in 5 (40.0%) | 3:2 | 2:3 |
| 6 or 8 | 5 in 11 (45.5%) | 6:5 | 5:6 |
For point 4, there are three ways to roll a 4 (1-3, 3-1, 2-2) and six ways to roll a 7. True odds are therefore 6:3, reduced to 2:1. The casino pays exactly that — no shave, no rounding, no edge. The same math holds for every other point.
Why Is the House Edge Exactly Zero?
House edge exists when a casino pays less than true odds. A roulette wheel has 38 pockets but pays only 35:1 on a single number — that gap is where the edge lives. The craps odds bet has no such gap. Payout equals probability. Over any number of trials, you expect to break exactly even on the odds portion of your wager. The house makes nothing.
This is genuinely unusual. The only reason casinos offer it is that the flat Pass Line bet still carries a 1.41% edge. The odds bet creates goodwill and keeps players at the table longer, but all casino profit on the sequence flows through that original flat wager.
How Odds Multiply Your Action — and Shrink the Combined Edge
When you place a flat Pass bet and back it with odds, your total money at risk increases, but only the flat portion is disadvantaged. That means the combined house edge — measured across all dollars wagered — falls as you add more odds. Here is how that looks in practice:
| Odds Multiple | Combined Edge on Total Action |
|---|---|
| No odds (flat only) | 1.41% |
| 1× odds | ~0.85% |
| 2× odds | ~0.61% |
| 3-4-5× (most casino default) | ~0.37% |
| 5× flat | ~0.33% |
| 10× | ~0.18% |
The 3-4-5× odds structure is the most common default at US casinos. Under this rule, you can take 3× your flat bet as odds on a 4 or 10, 4× on a 5 or 9, and 5× on a 6 or 8. At that cap, the combined edge on total action falls to approximately 0.37% — the lowest combined edge available at any table game without a skill component. At 10× odds, commonly found at downtown Las Vegas properties, that figure drops to roughly 0.18%.
To put those numbers in context: a standard Place bet on 6 or 8 carries a 1.52% edge, and the Field bet runs 5.56% or higher. Relative to those options, the odds bet is in a different class entirely.
Laying Odds on Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass players can also access a zero-edge extension. After a point is established, laying odds means wagering that a 7 will appear before the point repeats — the same direction as your flat bet, but now at true odds. Because the 7 is more likely to appear than most points, Don’t Pass odds require you to risk more than you stand to win. On point 4 or 10 you risk $2 to win $1; on 6 or 8 you risk $6 to win $5. The math still works out to zero edge. Some players are put off by the larger risk-to-reward ratio, but arithmetically the bet is just as clean as taking odds.
Practical Strategy: Always Take Maximum Odds
The math points in one direction: always take the maximum odds your bankroll allows. Every dollar you move from the flat bet into odds reduces the overall edge on your session action. You cannot eliminate the edge on the flat bet itself — it is a fixed 1.41% — but you can dilute its impact by stacking as much zero-edge action on top of it as the table allows.
If your bankroll is limited, one reasonable approach is to play a smaller flat bet and allocate the bulk of your craps budget to odds. A $5 flat with $25 in odds at 5× is mathematically superior to a $25 flat with no odds, because the total edge on $30 of action falls to a fraction of the edge on $25 alone.
See the combined edge fall
- Place a $5 Pass Line bet on the come-out roll.
- When a point is set, add the maximum free Odds behind your Pass bet.
- Track your results over 30 resolved points — the combined edge across all action should hover near 0.37%.
For a full picture of how Pass and odds interact with broader craps decisions, see Craps Optimal Strategy and Pass vs. Don’t Pass.
Frequently Asked
Is the odds bet really zero house edge — no catch? Yes, genuinely zero. The payout matches the true probability for every point number. Over millions of trials the casino expects to profit nothing from the odds portion. The catch, such as it is, is that you must first place a flat Pass or Don’t Pass bet (which does carry edge) before you can add odds.
Can I take odds without a flat Pass bet? No. The odds bet is always an extension of an existing flat bet — you cannot place odds on their own. This is why casinos offer it freely; the flat bet is their guaranteed revenue source.
How much can I bet in odds? It varies by casino. Common caps are 2×, 3-4-5×, 5×, or 10× your flat wager. Ask the dealer before the come-out roll. Some specialty tables (often downtown Las Vegas) offer 100× odds, which would push the combined edge down to approximately 0.02%.
Does this work on Come bets too? Yes. Come and Don’t Come bets work identically to Pass and Don’t Pass once a point is established, and you can take or lay odds on them the same way.
Sources & Further Reading
- Wizard of Odds — Craps (house edge tables and odds bet math)
- Craps for Beginners — LearnTheOdds introduction to the game
- Craps Dice Probability — the combinatorics behind every point number
Educational explanation only. No real-money gambling happens on LearnTheOdds.
Responsible gambling: Play for entertainment, not income — the math favors the house over time. Set limits, never chase losses, and if it stops being fun, take a break. 21+. Need help? Call 1-800-MY-RESET (1800myreset.org).