Live online craps is the casino dice game streamed from a real table: a studio dealer runs the game, two physical dice are thrown on camera, and you bet through an on-screen layout. The best bets are the same as in Las Vegas: the Pass Line (1.41% house edge) or Don’t Pass (1.36%), backed with the free Odds bet, which has no house edge at all. The worst are the one-roll propositions in the middle of the table, at 11% to almost 17%. In the US, live dealer craps is offered by state-licensed casinos in regulated states using Evolution’s Live Craps; none of the four offshore sites we review runs a live craps table.
Updated October 2026. We rewrote this guide to correct several wrong payouts and claims in the old version (including “there is no house advantage in craps”) and added the house edge of every bet.
Live Craps at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dice | Two standard six-sided dice |
| Best bets | Don’t Pass 1.36%, Pass Line 1.41%, plus Odds at 0% |
| Worst common bet | Any Seven, 16.67% |
| Main live game | Evolution Live Craps (launched November 2020) |
| Live craps in the US | State-licensed casinos in regulated states (Evolution launched it in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 2022 and Michigan in May 2023) |
| Offshore sites | Bovada, Ignition, MyBookie and BetOnline: RNG craps only at the sites that offer it, no live table (October 2026) |
House edges are from Wizard of Odds throughout this page and match the figures in our biggest craps rolls in history article.
Where Craps Comes From
Craps grew out of Hazard, an older European dice game. Bernard de Marigny is usually credited with bringing Hazard from London to New Orleans around 1805, though historians now argue that the simplified American game was developed by anonymous Black American players rather than by Marigny himself. The name is thought to come from “crabs”, London slang for the lowest throws of two and three in Hazard, which drifted to “craps”.
Our old page said “craps” is French for “the cards”. That is wrong, and we removed it. Another change shaped the modern game: around 1907, the Philadelphia dicemaker John H. Winn introduced a layout with a space to bet “Don’t Pass”, which let players bet with or against the shooter and gave casinos a reason to use fair dice.
Two forms of the game survive. In street craps, players bet against each other. In bank or casino craps, everyone bets against the house, on a layout with set payouts. Live online craps is the casino version.
How a Round of Craps Works
Every round has two stages, and the shooter keeps the dice until the round ends with a seven.
- Come-out roll. A 7 or 11 is a “natural”: Pass Line bets win and Don’t Pass bets lose. A 2, 3 or 12 is “craps”: Pass loses, and Don’t Pass wins on 2 or 3 and pushes on 12.
- The point. Any other total (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) becomes the point. A puck marked ON is placed on that number.
- Point roll. The shooter keeps rolling. If the point comes up before a 7, Pass wins and Don’t Pass loses. If a 7 comes first (“seven out”), Pass loses, Don’t Pass wins, and the dice pass to the next shooter.
- Other bets. Many other wagers, such as Place, Field and proposition bets, are settled along the way, some on a single roll.
Our old version said the point “must be rolled twice before a 7”. It only needs to be rolled once more after it is set.
Dice probabilities
Two dice give 36 combinations. Everything in craps follows from how many of them make each total:
| Total | Ways to roll | Probability | Chance of rolling it before a 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 each | 2.78% each | n/a |
| 3 or 11 | 2 each | 5.56% each | n/a |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 8.33% each | 33.3% (1 in 3) |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 11.11% each | 40.0% (2 in 5) |
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 13.89% each | 45.5% (5 in 11) |
| 7 | 6 | 16.67% | n/a |
Seven is the most common total, which is why it ends the hand and why bets on it pay so little relative to the risk.
Craps Bets, Payouts and House Edge
The table below lists the standard bets you will find at a live or land-based craps table. Payouts can vary by casino on a few bets (the Field in particular), so always check the table’s paytable.
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Settled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line / Come | 1:1 | 1.41% | Over several rolls |
| Don’t Pass / Don’t Come | 1:1 | 1.36% | Over several rolls |
| Odds (behind any line bet) | True odds: 2:1 on 4/10, 3:2 on 5/9, 6:5 on 6/8 | 0% | Over several rolls |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% | Until a 6/8 or 7 |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% | Until a 5/9 or 7 |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% | Until a 4/10 or 7 |
| Buy 4 or 10 (5% commission on wins only) | 2:1 minus commission | 1.67% | Until a 4/10 or 7 |
| Field (2 pays 2:1, 12 pays 3:1) | 1:1 on 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 | 2.78% | One roll |
| Field (2 and 12 pay 2:1) | 1:1 on 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 | 5.56% | One roll |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1:1 | 9.09% | Until a 6/8 or 7 |
| Hard 6 / Hard 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% | Until hit, a 7 or the easy way |
| Hard 4 / Hard 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% | Until hit, a 7 or the easy way |
| Any Craps (2, 3 or 12) | 7:1 | 11.11% | One roll |
| Yo (11) or 3 | 15:1 | 11.11% | One roll |
| 2 or 12 | 30:1 | 13.89% | One roll |
| Horn (2, 3, 11, 12) | Varies by number | 12.50% | One roll |
| Any Seven | 4:1 | 16.67% | One roll |
Source: Wizard of Odds.
Notice how wide the range is: Any Seven costs almost 12 times as much per dollar as the Pass Line.
Line Bets: Pass, Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come
Pass Line
The Pass Line is the default craps bet and the one most players start with. It wins on a come-out 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise wins if the point repeats before a 7. With an even-money payout and a win rate of about 49.3%, that works out to the 1.41% edge.
Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass is the mirror image, except that a come-out 12 is a push rather than a win (some tables bar 2 instead). That small change is what gives the house its 1.36% edge. Don’t bettors are sometimes called “wrong” bettors because they win when the shooter loses, but there is nothing improper about it, and the edge is slightly lower. The trade-off is psychological: you lose on the come-out naturals and win when the rest of the table groans.
Come and Don’t Come
A Come bet works exactly like a Pass Line bet, but you make it after a point is already set. The next roll acts as its own come-out: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes that bet’s own point. Don’t Come is the reverse. Our old page described these as “using an established point”, which was misleading; each Come bet gets its own point. Both carry the same edge as their line-bet twins.
The Odds Bet: the Only Bet With No House Edge
Once a point is set, you can add an Odds bet behind your Pass, Don’t Pass, Come or Don’t Come bet. It pays at true odds, so the casino has no advantage on it. It does not appear on the layout, and you cannot make it without a line bet first.
| Point | Pass / Come odds pay | Don’t Pass / Don’t Come odds pay |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 1:2 |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 2:3 |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 5:6 |
Casinos limit how much odds you may take as a multiple of your line bet. The more you are allowed, the lower the combined house edge on your total stake:
| Odds allowed | Combined edge, Pass Line + Odds |
|---|---|
| None | 1.41% |
| 1x | 0.85% |
| 2x | 0.61% |
| 3x-4x-5x | 0.37% |
| 5x | 0.33% |
| 10x | 0.18% |
| 100x | 0.02% |
“3x-4x-5x” means three times the line bet on 4 and 10, four times on 5 and 9, and five times on 6 and 8. A note of caution: the combined percentage falls because you are adding money at 0%, not because the line bet got cheaper. Your expected loss in dollars stays the same, 1.41% of the line bet, while your swings grow. Take odds if you were going to bet that money anyway, and keep the line bet small.
Worked example: Pass Line with 2x odds
You bet $10 on the Pass Line. The come-out roll is 6, so 6 is the point. You add $20 in odds (2x). Now one of two things happens:
- A 6 rolls before a 7 (5 chances in 11, 45.5%): the Pass bet pays $10 and the odds pay $24 (6:5 on $20), so you win $34.
- A 7 rolls first (6 in 11, 54.5%): you lose both bets, $30.
The odds part is a fair bet: 5/11 x $24 equals 6/11 x $20, both about $10.91. All of the house edge sits on the $10 Pass bet.
Place and Buy Bets
Place bets let you back a single number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) to roll before a 7, without waiting for it to become the point. They pay less than true odds, which is where the house edge comes from.
- Place 6 or 8 pays 7:6, so bet in multiples of $6. At 1.52% it is the best Place bet and close to the Pass Line.
- Place 5 or 9 pays 7:5 (bet in multiples of $5), at 4.00%.
- Place 4 or 10 pays 9:5, at 6.67%.
The old version of this page said Place 6 and 8 pay 9 to 5. That was wrong: 9:5 is the 4 and 10 payout. A Buy bet pays true odds instead, minus a 5% commission. On 4 and 10, if the commission is charged only when you win, the edge drops to 1.67%, far better than placing them. Lay bets are the reverse of Buy bets: you back the 7 to come before a number, paying commission on wins.
The Field, Big 6 and Big 8
The Field is a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. It pays even money on 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 and a bonus on 2 and 12. Our old page listed the winning numbers wrongly and said the bet loses on 2, which is one of its bonus numbers. The edge depends on the bonus:
- 2 pays 2:1 and 12 pays 3:1: 2.78%.
- 2 and 12 both pay 2:1: 5.56%, twice as expensive.
Reviews of Evolution’s Live Craps describe the double-pay version, so check the table’s payout before you lean on the Field. With seven winning numbers it looks tempting, but the losing numbers (5, 6, 7 and 8) are the most frequent rolls.
Big 6 and Big 8 are bets that a 6 or an 8 rolls before a 7, paid at even money. The old page said they produce “no profit or loss”, which is not true: they cost 9.09%. Since a Place bet on the same number pays 7:6 at 1.52%, there is no reason to make the Big 6 or Big 8.
Hardways and Proposition Bets
A hardway bet wins if a number is rolled as a pair (“the hard way”) before it is rolled any other way or a 7 comes up. Hard 4 is 2-2 and pays 7:1; hard 10 is 5-5, also 7:1; hard 6 (3-3) and hard 8 (4-4) pay 9:1. The old page said a 4-4 wins the hard 4, which mixed up the numbers. Hardways cost 9.09% to 11.11%.
Proposition bets in the centre of the layout are mostly settled on the next roll:
- Any Seven pays 4:1 on a 7, the worst bet on the table at 16.67%.
- Any Craps pays 7:1 on 2, 3 or 12 (11.11%).
- Yo (11) and Ace-Deuce (3) pay 15:1 (11.11%).
- Snake Eyes (2) and Boxcars (12) pay 30:1 (13.89%).
- Horn splits one bet four ways across 2, 3, 11 and 12, paid at each number’s odds less the three losing parts, for a 12.50% edge. The old page’s “pays 15 to 1” applies only when a 3 or 11 rolls.
- C&E combines Any Craps and Yo (11.11%).
These bets are fun because they pay big and settle fast. They also drain a bankroll quickly, since they are settled on almost every roll.
Comparing Bets by the Roll
A bet that stays up for several rolls exposes your money less often than a one-roll bet. Wizard of Odds therefore also measures the house edge per roll, which gives a fairer picture of cost over time:
| Bet | Edge per bet resolved | Edge per roll |
|---|---|---|
| Don’t Pass | 1.36% | 0.40% |
| Pass Line | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | 0.46% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | 1.67% |
| Field (12 pays 3:1) | 2.78% | 2.78% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9.09% | 2.78% |
| Any Seven | 16.67% | 16.67% |
Per roll, a Place 6 or 8 is almost as cheap as the Pass Line, while the Field, despite its modest-sounding 2.78%, costs more than six times as much per roll.
Live Dealer Craps Online: How It Works
Craps came late to live casino. Evolution, the largest live studio, launched what it called the industry’s first online Live Craps game on 12 November 2020, filmed in a speakeasy-style studio. Evolution’s Pennsylvania launch followed in 2022, then New Jersey, and the company announced Michigan on 16 May 2023.
The game keeps the standard layout and bets, with features designed for online play:
- Easy Mode: a simplified interface with fewer bet spots for newcomers.
- Interactive tutorial: explains the game in the client.
- My Numbers and statistics: the screen shows what you need to win and potential payouts, plus how other players are betting.
- First Person Craps: an RNG version of the same game with a “GO LIVE” button that takes you to the live table.
There is no player shooter. According to independent reviews of the game, the dealer loads the dice into a mechanical arm that throws them against the back wall of the table. Everyone at the table shares the same roll, just as everyone at a land-based table shares the shooter’s roll. Because no one handles the dice, “dice control” and similar shooting techniques play no part online.
For more on the studio, see our Evolution Gaming review. If you like dice games with single-roll settlement, our sic bo guide covers the three-dice Asian game, which has its own house-edge range.
Where US Players Can Play Live Craps
Eight states have legalised online casinos. Seven markets are live (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island), and Maine legalised a tribal-only market (LD 1164: became law without the governor’s signature in January 2026, effective 29 July 2026) that had not launched as of October 2026.
- State-licensed casinos: this is where live dealer craps is. Hard Rock Bet says its live dealer craps is available in regulated states including New Jersey and Michigan, and DraftKings’ bonus terms list Live Dealer Craps among its games. Each licensed casino decides which Evolution tables to carry and in which states, so check the live lobby after you sign in.
- Offshore sites: we checked the four US-facing offshore casinos we review in October 2026. BetOnline’s own craps page says live craps tables are not currently available and that it offers two virtual (RNG) craps games from Betsoft and Quickspin. The Bovada, Ignition and MyBookie live lobbies list no craps table. These sites hold no US state licence, so there is no state regulator to complain to and your funds are not protected.
Because none of the offshore casinos we list runs live craps, this guide carries no casino list. Bonuses rarely help either: Ignition counts craps at 0% towards bonus rollover, MyBookie excludes craps from bonus wagering, BetOnline’s casino bonuses exclude it, and DraftKings counts Live Dealer Craps at 0%. For other table games that the offshore sites do stream live, see our live dealer games guide.
Live Craps vs RNG Craps vs a Land-Based Table
| Feature | Live online craps | RNG (virtual) craps | Land-based casino |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dice | Real dice, thrown mechanically on camera | Random number generator | Real dice, thrown by players |
| Pace | Fixed betting window each roll | As fast as you click | Depends on the crowd |
| Free play | No | Usually, in demo mode | No |
| House edge | Set by the paytable; same maths | Same maths | Same maths |
| Social side | Chat and shared rolls | None | Full |
The odds do not depend on the format. A Pass Line bet is 1.41% everywhere; what differs is the payout on bets such as the Field and the odds multiple the casino allows.
Craps Strategy: What Actually Helps
- Stick to line bets. Pass or Don’t Pass, plus Come or Don’t Come if you want more action.
- Take odds within your budget. They are the only 0% bet, but they increase your swings.
- If you place numbers, place the 6 and 8. At 1.52%, in $6 units, they are the only cheap Place bets. Buy the 4 and 10 instead of placing them where commission is charged on wins only.
- Check the Field paytable. A triple on 12 halves its edge.
- Skip Big 6/8 and the centre of the table. Hardways and propositions cost 9% to 17%.
- Ignore systems. The Iron Cross, Martingale and similar staking plans combine the same bets in new shapes. No staking system changes the house edge; it changes only when you win or lose. As an example, the popular “Iron Cross” (Field plus Place 5, 6 and 8) wins on every roll except a 7, yet each piece keeps its own edge, and every 7 wipes out the whole spread.
- Set a session limit. Decide in advance what you can afford to lose, and stop when you hit it.
Our common craps bets guide goes through each wager in more detail.
Live Craps FAQ
Can you play live craps online for real money?
Yes, at state-licensed online casinos in regulated states, which carry Evolution’s Live Craps. Hard Rock Bet, for example, offers live dealer craps in New Jersey and Michigan. None of the offshore sites we review (Bovada, Ignition, MyBookie, BetOnline) ran a live craps table in October 2026.
What is the best bet in craps?
Don’t Pass (1.36%) or Pass Line (1.41%), backed by the Odds bet, which has no house edge. With 3x-4x-5x odds the combined edge on Pass plus Odds falls to about 0.37%.
How are the dice thrown in live online craps?
At Evolution’s Live Craps there is no player shooter. Independent reviews describe the dealer loading the dice into a mechanical arm that throws them against the back wall, with every player at the table betting on the same roll.
Is online craps rigged?
Live craps uses physical dice on camera, and RNG craps at licensed sites uses tested random number generators. The house edge comes from the payouts, not from manipulated dice. Play at a state-licensed casino if you want a US regulator behind the game.
What is the worst bet in craps?
Any Seven, which pays 4:1 on a 7 and carries a 16.67% house edge. The 2 and 12 at 30:1 (13.89%) and the Horn (12.50%) are close behind.
Can you play craps online for free?
Not live: live tables need a funded account. Many casinos offer RNG craps in demo mode, and Evolution’s First Person Craps is an RNG version of its live game.
What do the odds multiples like 3x-4x-5x mean?
They are the maximum odds bet allowed as a multiple of your line bet: three times on points 4 and 10, four times on 5 and 9, five times on 6 and 8. Each extra multiple adds money at 0% edge.
More Dice and Table Game Guides
If gambling stops being fun, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), or visit our responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Wizard of Odds: craps basics (house edge per bet and per roll, odds multiples)
- Wizard of Odds: craps (main game page)
- Wikipedia: Craps (history, Hazard, Marigny, John H. Winn, etymology)
- Evolution: Live Craps game page (Easy Mode, tutorial, My Numbers, First Person Craps)
- Evolution: launches world's first online Live Craps game (12 Nov 2020)
- Evolution: Live Craps launches in Pennsylvania (2022)
- Evolution: Live Craps rolls out to players in Michigan (16 May 2023)
- Casino.org: how to play Evolution Live Craps (mechanical arm, Field pays)
- Hard Rock Bet: live dealer craps (regulated states incl. NJ and MI)
- BetOnline: online craps page (live craps not currently available; Betsoft and Quickspin RNG craps), via US proxy 2026-10-06
- Gambling Insider: Maine LD 1164 tribal online casinos
- NCPG: National Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-MY-RESET
Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the page address. Verified corrections are made with a dated note.