What’s the most profitable bet in craps?

At first glance, the game of craps offers dozens of betting opportunities but, for the experienced player, almost all of them are nothing more than window dressing, intended to tempt the unwary to play at inherently poor odds. The most profitable bet in craps, in terms of house edge, is the Odds bet, a.k.a. ‘Taking the Odds’. Indeed, the Odds bet is one of the few bets offering a house edge of 0%, but players need to place a ‘Pass Line’ bet, with a house edge of 1.41%, or a ‘Don’t Pass Line’ bet, with a house edge of 1.36%, before they can place an Odds bet.

The Odds bet is essentially a side bet made after a point is established or, in other words, after the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the come-out roll. The Odds bet pays odds of 6/5 on points of 6 and 8, 6/4 on points of 5 and 9 and 2/1 on points of 4 and 10, which are the fair, mathematical odds against the shooter rolling the point number again before rolling a seven.

Consequently, some, but not all, casinos limit Odds bet stakes to three, four or five times the original Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bet, depending on the point established. Other casinos may offer five, ten, twenty or even more times the original stake on Odds bets but, either way, betting the table minimum on a Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bet, followed by the table maximum on an Odds bet, allows you to take full advantage of the 0% house edge on offer.