Free Odds Bet
| Updated: Overview of the Free Odds Bet
One of the main aspects of craps is the wide array of betting options it offers. This is also why the table layout looks so busy, with different sections for various types of wagers. Although some options may look tempting because of their high payouts, players should also consider the house advantage of each bet. For instance, the center section of the craps table offers the so-called proposition bets, which appear to provide generous payouts. However, the bets in this section have the highest house edge, so other wagering opportunities may prove more advantageous.
If we base our choice of craps bets on the house edge, the Free Odds bet is considered one of the best options for your money. This type of bet is also known as “true odds” because it gives the casino no advantage. If you are interested in craps, you will often see experts recommend that players take advantage of this betting option.
A casino game offering a bet with no house edge may sound too good to be true. However, the Free Odds bet is somewhat complex, and the casino does not simply offer players an effortless win. There is a reason why this type of craps bet is considered advantageous, and we will explain all the details you need to know about it in this article.
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Free Odds Bet Explained
The Free Odds bet has both advantages and disadvantages. Although many craps experts recommend this type of wager, you cannot make a Free Odds bet on its own. You must first place either a Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bet.
Although this bet is combined with one of these wagers, there is no special section for it on the craps table layout, nor will you see the exact payout for the “true odds” stake printed on the table. Nevertheless, any reputable brick-and-mortar casino offering craps should allow players to use this betting option. You can also make a Free Odds bet when playing craps online.
Even though the requirement to first make a Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bet may be considered a slight drawback, many players still opt for this wager. The reason is its lack of a house edge, which is rarely found in a casino game.
Before players can add odds to one of these flat bets, the relevant point number must be established. On the come-out roll, a point is established when the result is neither a natural (7 or 11) nor a craps number (2, 3, or 12). The point will be 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. After the dealer places the puck in the point box with the “ON” side facing upward, players with eligible bets can place a Free Odds wager.
In most casinos, players are allowed to stake 1x, 2x, or 3x their initial wager when making a Free Odds bet. Sometimes, however, players have the opportunity to bet 50 or even 100 times their initial stake. This gives craps players the chance to receive larger payouts, and the higher the Free Odds bet is, the lower the overall house edge becomes.
- Taking the Odds
| Odds Offered | House Edge of Pass and Come Bets Plus Odds |
|---|---|
| 1x | 0.8% |
| 2x | 0.6% |
| 3x | 0.5% |
| 3x, 4x, 5x | 0.4% |
| 5x | 0.3% |
| 10x | 0.2% |
| 20x | 0.1% |
| 100x | 0.02% |
As you can see, the house edge on the combined wager shrinks as a larger portion of the total stake is placed on odds. Players seeking an even lower overall house edge can consider laying the odds on Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets.
- Laying the Odds
| Odds Offered | House Edge on Don’t Pass and Don’t Come Bets Plus Odds |
|---|---|
| 1x | 0.7% |
| 2x | 0.5% |
| 3x | 0.3% |
| 3x, 4x, 5x | 0.3% |
| 5x | 0.2% |
| 10x | 0.2% |
| 20x | 0.07% |
| 100x | 0.01% |
Does the Free Odds Bet Really Have No House Advantage?
As mentioned earlier, many players enjoy making a Free Odds bet because it has no house edge. If you are wondering how the casino can profit from a bet that gives the house no advantage, the answer is that the odds portion of the wager does not provide the casino with a built-in advantage.
The True Odds bet itself has no house edge, but it cannot be made unless players have already placed another type of bet. That initial wager gives the house an advantage, although the overall edge can be considerably lower than that of many other casino bets.
Because it is combined with one of the so-called flat bets, the Free Odds bet may produce a different overall house edge. To understand the casino’s advantage under various circumstances, consider the house edge of the Pass Line, Come, Don’t Pass, and Don’t Come bets when played alone. These flat bets give the casino an approximate advantage of 1.4% when players do not make an additional Free Odds bet. If you place a Pass Line or Come bet with single odds, however, the house edge drops to 0.8%. As mentioned earlier, the higher the odds bet, the lower the casino’s overall advantage becomes. If you wager on Pass Line or Come with double odds, the house edge decreases to 0.6%.
The casino still has the upper hand on Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets with single odds, but its advantage is reduced to 0.7%. The same bets with double odds offer a house edge of only 0.5%.
The Free Odds bet has a house edge of zero because the casino pays true odds rather than using payouts that provide it with an advantage.
As mentioned earlier, each casino may impose a different limit on the odds you can bet. The maximum odds players can wager are usually displayed on a sign along the inside wall of the craps table. If you cannot see the limits, you can ask the dealer about the maximum amount you may stake on a Free Odds bet.
Taking and Laying Odds
When it comes to this type of craps wager, two options are classified as Free Odds bets. The first is “Taking Odds,” and the second is known as “Laying Odds.” The former can be placed on Pass Line and Come bets, while the latter is available after you have placed a Don’t Pass or Don’t Come bet.
Although making a True Odds bet is fundamentally the same whether you are taking or laying odds, there are a few differences you should understand before placing either type of wager.
Taking Odds on Pass Line Bets
Players can take odds on Pass Line bets, but only after a point number has been established. This happens when the shooter rolls a number that is neither a natural (7 or 11) nor a craps number (2, 3, or 12). Betting on the Pass Line means placing your money on the shooter rolling the point before a 7. Put simply, taking odds on the Pass Line means wagering additional money on the point number being rolled before a 7.
The payout for this bet depends on the Pass Line point. If, for example, the point is 4 or 10, the odds against winning are 2 to 1. This is because there are only three possible combinations for rolling a 4 or 10, while there are six possible combinations for rolling a 7. This is why taking odds on the Pass Line for a point of 4 or 10 pays 2 to 1.
When the point is 5 or 9, the odds are again against you at 3 to 2. There are four possible combinations for rolling a 5 or 9, which is fewer than the six combinations for rolling a 7. This means taking odds on the Pass Line pays 3 to 2 when the point is 5 or 9. Although the payout for a $5 odds bet on a point of 5 or 9 should be $7.50, most casinos pay only $7, with the remaining 50 cents treated as “breakage”.
If the point is 6 or 8, the odds of 6 to 5 are again against you. There are six possible combinations for rolling a 7, compared with five combinations for rolling a 6 or 8. If you are taking odds on a point of 6 or 8, you are advised to bet in five-unit increments, as this helps you receive the proper payout without incurring breakage.
To take odds on the Pass Line, simply place a chip or stack of chips a few inches behind your Pass Line bet. Whenever there is a Pass Line point, you can increase, reduce, or remove your odds bet. If you win, the dealer will place your chips next to your Pass Line bet. You must then remove your chips from the table; otherwise, the dealer may assume that you are increasing your initial bet by adding your winnings.
Laying Odds on Don’t Pass Bets
Making a Don’t Pass wager is essentially the opposite of betting on the Pass Line. During the come-out roll, players who wager on Don’t Pass are at a disadvantage because there are six possible combinations for rolling a 7, which will cause them to lose. In contrast, there are only three combinations for rolling a 2 or 3, which will result in a win.
Once a point is established for the shooter, however, the position of players who have made a Don’t Pass bet improves because they are wagering on a 7 being rolled before the point number. Since the odds favor the Don’t Pass bettor at this stage, the casino allows players to remove their Don’t Pass flat bet at any point in the game.
Players who bet on the Don’t Pass Bar are wagering on the shooter failing to make the point before rolling a 7, so they “lay the odds” when making this additional bet. As with taking odds, the payouts for laying odds on a Don’t Pass bet depend on the point number.
When the point is 6 or 8, the odds of 6 to 5 favor players who lay odds on Don’t Pass. If the bet wins, they receive $5 for every $6 wagered.
When making this bet, do not place your chips directly on top of your initial Don’t Pass bet, as this is considered “past posting.” The proper method of laying odds on Don’t Pass is known as “heeling” or “bridging” the lay.
For example, if you have made a $10 flat bet on the Don’t Pass Bar, you can lay your odds using $30 in chips. Place the bottom chip on the craps table layout and stack the remaining chips so that the odds wager is offset from the initial bet. This is known as “heeling your lay.”
If the point is 4, you can instead “bridge the lay.” Assume that a player has made a $10 flat bet. They can bridge a $20 lay by placing those chips on top of the initial bet. This is possible because the payout for the lay in this case, $10, is the same as the payout for the flat bet.
Taking Odds on Come Bets
When playing craps, you place your flat Come bet directly in the Come box on the table layout. If the next roll establishes a Come point, the dealer moves your chips to the corresponding point box. As with a Pass Line flat bet, you can take odds on your Come bet. In this case, however, you cannot place the odds wager yourself.
To make a Free Odds bet on Come, you must notify the dealer on your side of the table. After placing your chips in the Come box, tell the dealer, “Odds on my Come, please.” The dealer will then place your chips slightly offset from your flat Come bet. The chips on the bottom indicate your initial bet, while those placed on top and slightly to the side represent your odds bet.
If players place a flat Come bet, the next throw of the dice is treated as a come-out roll for that specific wager. Whenever a point is established on the Pass Line, it is marked by the ON side of the puck. The point number for the Come bet, however, is marked by the chips representing the player’s initial flat bet.
Players who choose the Come betting option can make as many Come bets as they want while the shooter continues to roll numbers other than 7. In fact, a player can have a Come bet on all six point numbers and an additional flat Come bet in the Come box.
Laying Odds on Don’t Come Bets
The Don’t Come bet is similar to the Don’t Pass wager. The main difference is that a flat Don’t Pass bet is made before the shooter establishes a point, while a flat Don’t Come bet is made after the Pass Line point has been established.
The Don’t Come flat bet is also a self-service bet, which means you must place your chips in the Don’t Come Bar section yourself. Once the point for the Don’t Come bet is established, the dealer moves your flat bet to the wide rectangle above the corresponding point box. As with the Don’t Pass bet, you can lay odds on Don’t Come.
When you want to lay odds on Don’t Come, get the dealer’s attention, place your bet in the Come box, and say, “Lay odds on my Don’t Come, please.” The dealer will then either heel or bridge the lay in the same wide rectangle where your flat bet is placed.
As with Come bets, players can have as many as seven Don’t Come bets: six corresponding to the point numbers and one flat Don’t Come wager in the Don’t Come Bar. As with the Don’t Pass bet, after a point has been established, players can remove their Don’t Come flat bet at any point in the game. This is because the odds favor the player in this situation, and removing the bet means giving up that favorable position.