What are odds bets in craps?
Odds bets are supplementary craps wagers placed behind your Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bets after a point is established. They’re unique in casino gambling: they pay true odds with zero house edge. The casino makes no profit from an odds bet.
How odds bets work
Once a point is set (say, 6), you can place an odds bet behind your Pass Line bet. If the shooter rolls a 6 before a 7, your Pass Line bet pays 1:1 and your odds bet pays 6:5 (true odds for a 6). The true odds payouts: 4 or 10 pay 2:1, 5 or 9 pay 3:2, 6 or 8 pay 6:5. These reflect the actual probability of rolling that number before a 7.
How much to take
Casinos limit odds bets to a multiple of your Pass Line bet — often 2x, 3x-4x-5x, or even 100x odds at some Nevada casinos. Taking maximum odds reduces your overall house edge on the combined Pass Line plus odds stake. With 3x-4x-5x odds, the combined house edge on total money wagered drops to around 0.37%. This makes full-odds craps one of the best-value games in the casino.