Craps Proposition Bets: The High-Edge Traps
Last reviewed: June 2026
The proposition bets in the center of a craps table are the most expensive wagers in the game — carrying house edges between 9% and 17%, compared to just 1.41% on the Pass Line.
Walk up to a craps table and the first thing that catches your eye is the crowded center section: “Any 7,” “Yo,” “Hardways,” “C & E,” snake eyes, midnight. Bold graphics, dramatic names, and payouts that sound like lottery tickets. That visual appeal is intentional. These bets exist because they are profitable for the casino, not because they are good for players. Understanding why requires a short look at the math behind each one.
How Proposition Bets Work
Proposition bets — “props” — are one-roll or multi-roll wagers that live in the middle of the layout, handled by the stickman rather than the base dealers. Most resolve on the very next roll, which creates rapid action and frequent payouts. The problem is that the payouts are systematically less than the true odds of winning. The gap between what the casino pays and what fair odds would pay is the house edge, and on props that gap is enormous.
The Numbers Behind Each Bet
A standard die has six sides. Two dice produce 36 equally likely combinations. True odds for any outcome are simply the losing combinations divided by the winning ones.
| Bet | Ways to Win | True Odds | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any 7 | 6 of 36 | 5:1 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
| Any Craps (2, 3, 12) | 4 of 36 | 8:1 | 7:1 | 11.1% |
| 11 — “Yo” | 2 of 36 | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.1% |
| 2 — “Snake Eyes” | 1 of 36 | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.9% |
| 12 — “Midnight” | 1 of 36 | 35:1 | 30:1 | 13.9% |
| 3 — “Ace-Deuce” | 2 of 36 | 17:1 | 15:1 | 11.1% |
| Hardway 4 or 10 | varies | — | 7:1 | ~11.1% |
| Hardway 6 or 8 | varies | — | 9:1 | ~9.1% |
Any 7
Any 7 is the worst bet on the table. There are six ways to roll a seven (1-6, 2-5, 3-4, and their reverses), giving you a 6-in-36 chance of winning — true odds of 5:1. The casino pays only 4:1. That one pip of shortfall translates to a 16.67% house edge. Bet $10 on Any 7 one hundred times and you can expect to lose about $16.70 on average. No other standard craps bet comes close to that level of extraction.
Any Craps
Any Craps wins if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the next throw. There are four ways to make those numbers (one way each for 2 and 12, two ways for 3), so your true odds are 8:1. The casino pays 7:1. That single unit of shortfall produces an 11.1% edge. Despite the seemingly reasonable payout, you are giving up more than one dollar in eleven over the long run.
Yo (11)
Yo — the stickman’s term for eleven, to avoid confusion with “seven” — wins on the two combinations that make 11 (5-6 and 6-5). True odds are 17:1. The table pays 15:1. The 11.1% edge is identical to Any Craps, though many players treat Yo as a “protection” hedge during come-out rolls. It is not protection; it is a tax.
Snake Eyes and Midnight (2 and 12)
There is exactly one way to roll a 2 (1-1) and one way to roll a 12 (6-6). True odds are 35:1 for either. Casinos pay 30:1. The five-unit gap produces a 13.9% house edge. These bets feel like lottery tickets and perform about as well on a per-dollar basis.
Hardways
A Hardway bet wins if the shooter rolls the target number as a pair (hard 4 = 2-2, hard 6 = 3-3, etc.) before rolling it the easy way or a seven. Hardways are multi-roll bets, which means your money sits at risk across multiple throws. The hard 4 and hard 10 carry roughly 11.1% edges; the hard 6 and hard 8 come in around 9.1%. Lower than Any 7, but still far above any bet on the outer layout.
Why Dealers Pitch Them
Casinos train stickmen to promote proposition bets because the casino’s expected profit per dollar wagered is highest on those wagers. A friendly “Two-way Yo for the dealers!” suggestion costs you little per bet in isolation, but the habit compounds fast. If you tip via props, you are giving the house a double cut — once on the edge, once from your bankroll.
The Real Cost: Comparing to the Pass Line
The contrast with the Pass Line is stark. The Pass Line carries a 1.41% house edge on its own — already among the lowest in any casino game. Back it with free odds (a zero-edge side bet available once a point is established), and the combined edge on your total action drops to roughly 0.85% at 1× odds, ~0.61% at 2× odds, and about 0.37% at the standard 3-4-5× caps most casinos offer. For a deep look at how free odds work, see Craps Odds Bets.
Proposition bets run 9% to 17%. The Pass Line with odds runs under 1.5%. Playing $25 props all night versus $25 Pass Line bets with odds is not a difference of feel — it is a difference of hundreds of dollars in expected loss over a session.
If you want to see how prop edges compare to the worst bets across all casino games, Best and Worst Casino Bets lays out the full picture. For a broader craps primer, start with Craps for Beginners or visit the Craps game page.
Practical Takeaway
Proposition bets are not cheating — the odds are printed on the layout. They are a straightforward exchange: you receive entertainment value (big number payouts, dramatic rolls) in return for an outsized mathematical disadvantage. If you find them fun, budget a small portion of your session bankroll for them and treat the cost as the price of the experience. But never mistake a 30:1 payout for a good bet. A fair payout for a 1-in-36 event is 35:1, and the five-unit gap is where the house makes its money.
The simplest craps strategy is also the mathematically optimal one: Pass Line or Don’t Pass, backed with as much free odds as your bankroll allows. Everything else on the layout costs more. Props cost the most.
Frequently Asked
Is Any 7 really the worst bet on a craps table? Yes. At 16.67%, Any 7 has the highest house edge of any standard craps wager. For comparison, the Pass Line is 1.41% and even the Field bet (with 2:1 on both 2 and 12) is only 5.56%.
Do Hardway bets have better odds than single-roll props? Slightly. The hard 6 and hard 8 sit around 9.1% and the hard 4 and hard 10 around 11.1%. That is better than Any 7 (16.67%), but still far worse than the outer-layout bets or the Pass Line with odds.
Why does Any Craps pay 7:1 if the true odds are 8:1? Any Craps covers four combinations out of 36 (one way to make 2, two ways to make 3, one way to make 12). The 32 losing combinations versus 4 winning ones gives true odds of 8:1. The casino pays one unit less — 7:1 — which is the source of the 11.1% edge.
Should I ever bet props? If you enjoy them and budget for them, they are a legitimate recreational choice. Just size them appropriately and know you are paying a premium for the excitement. Do not let a stickman’s pitch pull you into props as your primary strategy.
Sources & Further Reading
- Wizard of Odds — Craps (house edge tables, probability breakdowns)
- Craps Pass vs. Don’t Pass — LearnTheOdds
- Best and Worst Casino Bets — LearnTheOdds
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).