Top Craps Casinos

Craps features some of the most exciting action in the casino. You can enjoy this fine game in both land-based and online casinos.

Assuming you’re new to craps, you can use this guide to study the game. You’ll learn how to find the best craps casinos, get bonuses, use expert strategy, and more on this page.

How we rate the top craps casinos

Many online casinos offer craps. However, not all of these sites are worthy of your time and money.

Therefore, we’ll spend time examining a variety of internet casinos and rating them. Below, you will see the main features that we feel are important.

Interface & software

A good craps gambling site offers a smooth and intuitive interface.

Beyond an aesthetically pleasing table, you’ll also want to consider the craps software. The top software clearly displays where you can place bets by highlighting appropriate boxes.

Licensing

Reputable online casinos and software providers obtain licenses. Such licensing demonstrates that a casino/software developer has made a significant monetary and time commitment toward their operation.

Some licensing jurisdictions add even more credibility to a gaming site. For example, the UK Gambling Commission thoroughly examines applicants and only approves trustworthy operators.

Craps bonuses

Some online casinos exclude craps from bonus offers. We do our best to only recommend sites that boast craps bonuses and VIP rewards.

Secure website

An internet casino should secure their website with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This technology encrypts your banking and financial details so that hackers can’t steal your information.

Game testing

Gaming sites and their software providers should seek third-party testing. Third-party testers assess a casino’s or software developer’s games to ensure that they’re fair.

Some of the prominent game-testing labs include eCOGRA, Gaming Laboratories International, and iTech Labs.

Variety of banking options

Casinos should make the deposit and withdrawal processes easy. They can do so by providing plentiful banking methods.

Many casinos let you deposit with ACH (e-check), credit cards, e-wallets, and prepaid cards. Some sites also include cryptocurrencies and wire transfers among their deposit methods.

Common withdrawal options in online gaming include ACH, e-wallets, wire transfers, and cryptocurrencies.

Quality customer support

Any worthwhile casino boasts solid customer service. Without this, they’ll have difficulties retaining players.

We only suggest gaming sites that employ knowledgeable and helpful support representatives. In contrast, sites with poor support are not worth patronizing.

Getting started with online craps

You can begin playing internet craps almost immediately. The following advice will help you enjoy craps as quickly as possible:

1. Find a quality casino – You can refer to our list for the top craps casinos.
2. Register for an account – Most gaming sites require you to complete registration before playing free online craps.
3. Enter a bonus code (optional) – You may need to enter a bonus code to qualify for a casino’s welcome bonus.
4. Verify your email address – Customarily, you must verify your email to activate your account.
5. Play free craps (optional) – Once registered, you’ll have the ability to play free online craps games.
6. Deposit – Assuming you want to play real-money craps, you’ll need to at least place a minimum deposit (e.g. $10).

Craps bonuses

Online casinos offer craps bonuses to encourage you to deposit. Meanwhile, you benefit by earning extra money on the side of your play.

Of course, you must earn these bonuses before withdrawing them. The following advice explains how to unlock your bonus funds.

Ensure that craps counts

Certain gaming sites exclude craps from bonus deals. They do so because this game features one of the lowest house edges in gaming.

Luckily, not all casinos are this stingy. Many include craps and other table games in bonus offers.

You should read the fine print behind a welcome bonus or any other offer before assuming that craps qualifies.

Use the proper bonus code

Some casinos require that you use a bonus code during registration and/or when depositing to qualify for bonuses. That said, you should ensure that you obtain and use the proper code.

Satisfy T&Cs

Gaming sites attach T&Cs to bonus offers. These terms force you to play for bonuses before withdrawing them.

You must satisfy all T&Cs to avoid forfeiting your deal. The following terms are especially important when chasing craps bonuses:

• Rollover – You need to wager a multiple of the bonus (or bonus + deposit).
• Maximum bet – Max bets prevent you from using extremely large wagers to meet rollover. 
• Claim bonus – You must visit your account and activate a bonus within a certain time frame.
• Rollover time frame – Casinos give you a limited time to satisfy rollover.

How to play craps

At first glance, craps looks like one of the most complicated casino games. After all, its board features dozens of boxes and betting options.

You can quickly learn how to play, though, by understanding craps basics. Here’s a simplified version on how craps games work:

1. You place chips on either the pass line or don’t pass line space before the come-out roll (first roll of a new round).
2. The shooter performs the come-out roll.
3. The shooter wins if they roll a 7 or 11—as do pass line bettors.
4. The shooter loses if they roll a 2, 3, or 12—don’t pass line bettors win on 2 or 3 and push on 12.
5. A point is established if the shooter rolls anything besides the aforementioned numbers.
6. You can place more bets once a point is established (e.g. come and don’t come).
7. The shooter wins if they roll the point before 7—as do pass line and come bettors.
8. The shooter loses if they roll a 7 before the point—don’t pass line and don’t come bettors win.

The shooter continues rolling until they either win or lose. A new round begins following a decisive outcome, at which point a new shooter may be chosen.

Not all wagers are available during the come-out roll. Likewise, not all bets are eligible once a point is established.

Craps bets

You can make craps as easy or as complicated as you’d like. The game becomes more complex when you begin learning and making proposition wagers.

The craps board features dozens of prop bets. Most of these wagers are poor choices when considering their high house edges.

However, you can find a few extra bets beyond pass line and don’t pass line that are worthwhile. Here are the best craps bets in terms of the house advantage:

• Pass line – 1.41% house edge; pays 1:1
• Don’t pass line – 1.36% house edge; pays 1:1 
• Come – 1.41% house edge; pays 1:1
• Don’t come – 1.36% house edge; pays 1:1
• Place 6 – 1.52% house edge; pays 7:6
• Place 8 – 1.52% house edge; pays 7:6

Many craps software providers explain the rules behind each bet in the help screen. In some cases, you can even get this information by hovering over a betting space.

Odds bets

Odds bets refers to wagers that pay at true odds and don’t carry a house edge.

Some land-based and online casinos don’t offer odds. That said, you’ll want to focus on gaming sites and casinos that do feature these wagers.

You can place odds behind either a pass line, don’t pass line, come, or don’t come bet once a point is established. The payout depends upon the odds of the point number.

Pass line and come odds pay:

• 2:1 on point numbers 4 and 10
• 3:2 on 5 and 9
• 6:5 on 6 and 8

Don’t pass line and don’t come odds pay:

• 1:2 against point numbers 4 and 10
• 2:3 against 5 and 9
• 5:6 against 6 and 8

Casinos control the size of odds you can bet. Most gaming sites don’t let you wager above 3x odds.

Here’s an example on placing an odds wager:

• You bet $5 on pass line.
• 4 (2:1 odds) is established as the point number.
• The casino lets you bet up to 3x odds, or $15 in this case.
• You place the extra $15 behind your original $5 pass line bet.
• The shooter rolls a 4 before 7 and wins.
• You win your original $5 pass line bet, plus $30 (2:1 payout).

Craps strategy

Optimal craps strategy is rather simple. You just need to place the right bets and choose casinos that offer odds.

You should focus on pass line, don’t pass line, come, and/or don’t come bets to maximize your chances of winning. These four bets feature the lowest house edges among basic wagers.

Don’t pass line and don’t come give you slightly more value than pass line and don’t pass line. However, they don’t win you any friends in land-based casinos.

Many gamblers like betting with the shooter. Assuming you choose don’t pass line or don’t come, you’re wagering against the shooter.

Of course, you don’t need to deal with this situation at internet casinos. Therefore, you should consider exclusively making don’t pass line and/or don’t come bets online.

Ideally, you’ll place the largest odds allowed behind your bet. After all, you want most of your wager to not carry a house edge.

The downside, though, is that you’re still risking money with odds. You may not feel comfortable wagering another 3x behind your original bet.

In any case, you should at least risk something on odds wagers. Odds are the only non-strategic bets in the casino that don’t feature a house advantage.

Land-based vs. online craps

Craps rules are largely the same at land-based and online casinos. However, each setting offers its own set of advantages over the other. 

You should consider the following benefits of each setting before choosing where to play.

Advantages of land-based craps

• More excitement – The craps table is often the loudest spot on the gambling floor.
• Camaraderie – You may feel like part of a team when betting with the shooter.
• Unique comps – Casinos give drinks, meals, hotel stays, and more to craps players.
• Roll the dice – You can actually touch, feel, and roll the dice when you’re the shooter.

Advantages of online craps

• Convenience – You can play internet craps through a smartphone, tablet, PC, or Mac.
• Low stakes – Many gaming sites let you place bets worth just $1.
• Bonuses – Some casinos offer lucrative craps deposit bonuses.
• Easy learning environment – You can take your time and use the software as a guideline when learning craps.

FAQs