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Every casino game has a house edge, including these two. This page sets out the edge on the main craps bets and explains how a video poker paytable fixes the return. It isn't a guide to winning: no bet, system or strategy turns the edge in your favour.
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Pass / Come | 1.41% |
| Don't Pass / Don't Come | 1.36% per bet made (1.40% if pushes on 12 aren't counted) |
| Taking or laying the Odds (after a point) | 0% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
| Field (12 pays 3 to 1) | 2.78% |
| Field (12 pays 2 to 1) | 5.56% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 9.09% |
| Any Craps (proposition) | 11.11% |
| Any 7 (proposition) | 16.67% |
Sources: Wizard of Odds, craps basics and Wizard of Odds, craps appendix 1 (both updated Aug 3, 2026, checked Oct 16, 2026). Figures are per bet made, the way Wizard of Odds' appendix calculates them; it also gives per-roll figures.
The Odds bet. Wizard of Odds says the Odds pays "exactly fair" (2 to 1 on 4 and 10, 3 to 2 on 5 and 9, 6 to 5 on 6 and 8), with zero house edge. You can only make it after a Pass, Come, Don't Pass or Don't Come bet, which carries an edge, and casinos cap how much you can put on it. The combined bet still has a house edge.
Proposition bets (one-roll bets in the centre of the table) carry some of the highest edges in the game, as the Any Craps and Any 7 rows show. Field payouts vary by table, so check whether the 12 pays 2 to 1 or 3 to 1.
In video poker, the return depends on the paytable, the payouts for each hand, and on how well you play. "9/6" and "8/5" refer to what a full house and a flush pay per coin. In Jacks or Better, with all other payouts the same and a royal flush paying 800 for a max-coin bet:
| Paytable | Full house | Flush | Return with optimal play | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6 Jacks or Better | 9 | 6 | 99.54% | 0.46% |
| 8/5 Jacks or Better | 8 | 5 | 97.30% | 2.70% |
Returns from the paytable tables on Wizard of Odds, Jacks or Better (updated Aug 3, 2026, checked Oct 16, 2026): 0.99543904 for 9/6 and 0.97298434 for 8/5. House edge = 100% minus the return.
Two small payout changes cost more than two percentage points of return. Online video poker can use different paytables again: Wizard of Odds lists one NetEnt Jacks or Better paytable at about 99.56%. Check the paytable on the game screen before you play.
The returns above assume optimal play on every hand. Wizard of Odds lists its own Jacks or Better strategies at 99.46% (simple), 99.52% (intermediate) and 99.54% (optimal) for the 9/6 game. Mistakes lower the return below the figure in the table. Even optimal play only reaches the stated return; on the paytables above, it stays below 100%, so the house keeps an edge. Betting systems don't change that in craps or video poker: Wizard of Odds says betting systems "can't even dent" the house edge (the truth about betting systems, updated Aug 3, 2026, checked Oct 16, 2026).
Set a money and time limit before you play. For other games, see house edge by game and roulette odds explained. If you play poker, see online poker sites in Canada. Help is free and confidential: see the helpline list for every province on our responsible gambling page.