Craps is a game of chance; no one knows where the dice will fall or which bets will win or lose. In craps, not all bets are equal since not all outcomes are equally likely. These distinctions in the house advantage might assist players make the best decisions.
In our craps strategy guide, we examine the benefits of placing bets with a reduced house edge. Our goal is to help you understand how math impacts your betting decisions.
Dice combos
Each game of craps involves two six-sided dice. The outcomes of each throw vary from 2 to 12.
For example, a 4 can be produced by the following:
- Dice A displaying 1 and Dice B showing 3 Dice A showing 2 and Dice B showing 2
- Except for the 2 and the 12, which may only be produced in one way (1+1 and 6+6).
Every time the dice are rolled, there are 36 possible results because each die has six sides. Understanding this element allows us to calculate a result’s % likelihood. The formula is:
[target results] x 100%
Let us use the result of 11 as an example. 11 can be made by 5+6 or 6+5. Those are our goals. We know there are 36 possible outcomes, thus our formula will be:
236 x 100% Equals 5.55 %
The probability of rolling an 11 at craps is 5.55 percent. This is an alternative method of visualising the odds.
When it comes to odds, players might get confused as to which odds are being discussed. ‘What are the odds of landing a 6?’ The casino sets the payout odds, which determine how much of your stake will be paid out if you win.
We’ll focus on the first sort of odds because they’re the most calculable. We proposed a formula to calculate the % likelihood of an outcome in the previous section. The same formula may provide an odds ratio with a minor change. To acquire a percentage, we just need to leave out the final step of multiplying by 100. Let’s use the result of 11 again as an example:
2 x 36 (total potential outcomes = 1/18)
This means that one in eighteen rolls will result in an 11. So, if 1 out of 18 rolls is wanted, the odds of hitting 11 are 17:1. This computation may be done for any desired output, as shown in the table below. Knowing how likely (or unlikely) a result is might assist a player place bets.