Understanding Craps: A Guide to the Field, Place, and Proposition Bets

You've mastered the foundational Pass Line and Don't Pass bets, which are the core of a winning craps strategy. For a refresher on the basics, be sure to check out A Beginner's Guide to the Craps Pass Line Bet.

The craps table is filled with many other wagers that offer more ways to win, often with a higher risk. Understanding these craps field place bets will allow you to navigate the table with confidence and avoid the common traps that drain a beginner's bankroll.

Guide to Understanding Craps: Learn the Basics of Field and Proposition Bets

The Field Bet: A Simple One-Roll Wager

The Field Bet is one of the easiest bets to understand. It is a one-roll wager that you place in the large, designated "Field" area on the table.

• You Win: If the very next roll of the dice is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.

• You Lose: If the next roll is a 5, 6, 7, or 8.

While the Field offers a win on almost half of the possible outcomes, the payouts make it a poor long-term bet. Most casinos pay even money (1:1) on most of the winning numbers, and a higher payout (often 2:1 or even 3:1) only on the 2 or 12. This results in a house edge of around 5.56%, which is much higher than the Pass Line.

Place Bets: Betting on Specific Numbers

Place Bets are wagers that a specific number (a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled before a 7. You place a wager directly on the corresponding number's box on the table. Unlike the Pass and Don't Pass lines, you cannot place odds behind a Place bet.

• You Win: If the number you bet on is rolled.

• You Lose: If a 7 is rolled before your number.

The payouts for these Craps Place Bets are not true odds, which is how the casino maintains its edge. However, the house edge is significantly lower on some numbers than on others, making them a more strategic option than the Field.

Number	Payouts	Number	Payouts	House Edge
4 or 10	9 to 5	4 or 10	9 to 5	6.67%
5 or 9	7 to 5	5 or 9	7 to 5	4.00%
6 or 8	7 to 6	6 or 8	7 to 6	1.52%

Notice that the Place Bets on 6 and 8 are very good bets, with a house edge only slightly higher than the Pass Line.

Proposition Bets: The High-Risk Center Bets

In the center of the craps table are the Proposition Bets. These are one-roll wagers with some of the highest payouts but also the highest house edges, earning them the nickname "sucker bets." They are very risky and should be avoided by strategic players.

Some common Proposition Bets include:

• Any Craps: A bet that the next roll is a 2, 3, or 12. It pays 7 to 1, but has a massive house edge of 11.1%.

• Any 7: A bet that the next roll is a 7. It pays 4 to 1 but has a brutal 16.67% house edge.

• The Hardways: A bet that a specific "hard" number (e.g., a hard 8, two 4s) will be rolled before an easy way (e.g., a 6 and a 2) or a 7. They have very high payouts but also a very high house edge.

House Edge Summary

The following table is a quick reference guide to the house edge on the most common craps bets. This can help you make smarter decisions at the table.

Bet Type	House Edge
Odds Bet	0%
Pass Line / Don't Pass	1.41% / 1.36%
Come / Don't Come	1.41% / 1.36%
Place Bet on 6 or 8	1.52%
Place Bet on 5 or 9	4.00%
Field Bet	5.56%
Proposition Bets	Varies (often 10%+)

Conclusion

While the variety of bets on a craps table can be tempting, a smart player knows that the best bets are always the foundational ones. For any additional action, the Place Bets on the 6 and 8 offer a very low house edge, while the rest should be treated as high-risk bets to be avoided or used only for fun.