Is Craps the Best Casino Game?

The gaming world offers plenty of fun casino games. Everything from blackjack to slot machines provide excitement and attract many players.

Which of these games is the absolute best, though? One could make a strong case for craps being the top casino game.

It has the excitement and favorable odds to be worthy of consideration for the top ranking. I’ll present a case for craps being the best by looking at its pros and cons.

The Best Traits of Craps

Craps has several qualities that make it a great casino game. You can check out its main benefits in the following sections.

Exciting Atmosphere in Land–Based Casinos

No casino game can match what craps brings to the table in terms of atmosphere. Craps has a lively feeling unlike anything else in gaming.

Meanwhile, they console each other when things aren’t going so well. You simply don’t get this team-based feeling with any other casino game.

A group of buddies will sometimes sit together at a blackjack or baccarat table. However, nothing is like 15 to 20 people standing at the craps table rooting for the same result.

Many Bets to Choose From

The craps table offers many different sections and numbers. Each of these little boxes represents a different wager. You certainly won’t get bored with how many craps bets there are. In fact, you may even feel overwhelmed in the beginning.

Once you familiarize yourself with the board, though, you’ll probably appreciate the variety. This game offers dozens of prop bets.

“Odds” Bets

You’re facing a house edge on each wager. The casino makes sure that it has an advantage in order to win long-term profits.

Odds are a unique exception to this case. These special craps wagers pay at your true odds of winning, meaning they don’t have a house edge.

To place an odds bet, you must first start with a pass line or don’t pass line wager. Once a point is established, you can put odds behind your pass line or don’t pass line bets.

The size of the maximum odds depends upon the casino. For example, you may be able to bet up to 3x odds. If you make a $10 pass line wager in this case, you’d be able to bet up to $30 on the odds.

The higher the odds you’re able to take, the more you’ll reduce the house edge. With that said, you certainly want to think about dedicating more money to these wagers.

Great Chance to Win

When you make the right bets, craps gives you some of the casino’s best odds. Pass line and don’t pass line wagers offer very reasonable house edges at 1.41% and 1.36%.

You’ll enjoy an even better chance to win when adding odds to the equation. As mentioned before, bigger odds really reduce the house edge.

Here’s how the house advantage goes down based on the size of odds:

No Skill Needed to Be Successful

Unlike with blackjack or video poker, you don’t need any real skill to be successful with craps. Instead, you just need knowledge of which bets provide the lowest house edges.

Assuming you’re a casual player, you don’t need to do anything beyond knowing these bets. You’ll be using optimal strategy so long as you make one of the aforementioned wagers backed with odds.

Downsides of Craps

So far, I’ve only discussed the positives of this game. However, the drawbacks must also be covered in order to form a complete picture on craps.

Confusing to Beginners

A craps table looks like a bunch of gibberish to new players. It features boxes with words, numbers, and even dice combinations on the felt.

You’ll have no idea what’s going on as a beginner. Assuming you haven’t put any research into the game beforehand, you’ll need some help figuring out everything else.

The best way to learn this game in a pressure-free environment involves playing online craps. The software acts as a guiding hand when you play online.

Poor Prop Bets

As discussed before, craps offers immense betting variety. You’ll have no shortage of options to choose from when placing wagers.

Unfortunately, the majority of these bets aren’t worth your time. Most craps prop wagers feature high house advantages. Outside of a few like Place 6 and Place 8, you’re better off avoiding these wagers.

Here are some of the worst craps prop bets:

Boring in Online Casinos

Craps is often the most exciting game in land-based US casinos. It offers the aforementioned team-like atmosphere, where many players place the same bets and cheer together.

Furthermore, you don’t get to physically roll the dice online. You simply select a roll button and watch computer generated dice roll onto the felt.

Higher Stakes on Certain Bets

Again, your best chances of winning lie with don’t pass line and don’t pass line wagers with odds. However, you should be prepared to play for higher stakes with these wagers.

Many casinos require you to bet at least $10 on pass line or don’t pass line. Some even feature a $25 minimum on these wagers.

Luckily, you can still find casinos that accept $5 pass line and don’t pass line bets. The gaming world is moving towards higher minimums, though, on these wagers.

How Does Craps Compare to Other Popular Casino Games?

Craps stacks up well to other top casino games. Here’s a closer look at how it compares to some of the all-time favorites.

Baccarat

Baccarat competes with craps in terms of the house edge. Its banker bet only carries a 1.06% house advantage.

However, it’s a bit boring in terms of betting variety. Outside of three main wagers and two to three potential side wagers, baccarat doesn’t have much to choose from.

Blackjack

Strategic gamblers gravitate towards blackjack. They like using strategy to lower the house edge and win more money.

Aside from its strategy, blackjack can give you a great chance to win. Its house edge can be 0.5% or lower. However, you do need to be a good player and find a table with favorable rules to boost your chances of winning.

Roulette

Roulette is a rare game that can compete with craps’ betting variety. It offers dozens of wagers, such as single number, trio, corner, red/black, high/low, and more.

The roulette house edge varies based on the given game. European roulette offers a reasonable 2.7% house edge. American roulette, on the other hand, features a much-worse 5.26% house advantage.

Slot Machines

Slots definitely aren’t on par with craps regarding the odds. The average online slot game features around a 4% house edge, while the typical land-based machine carries a 6% house advantage.

Plus, slots give developers an endless amount of themes and concepts to experiment with. Therefore, you can enjoy countless games through slot machines.

Video Poker

Much like blackjack, video poker features extensive strategy. The drawing round requires you to figure out the best cards to keep and which ones to discard.

On the right variation, you can reduce the house edge to around 0.5% or lower. However, you need to choose the right game and pay table. 9/6 Jacks or Better, which carries a 0.46% house edge with perfect strategy, is a good starting point.

Video poker doesn’t quite offer the same excitement as craps. It’s a solo affair that doesn’t have the presentation of slot machines.

Is Craps Ultimately the Top Game?

Craps definitely stacks up well against or even outdoes many casino games. It offers the excitement, bet selection, favorable odds, and unique gameplay to be a worthy pick.

Of course, everybody’s tastes will vary when it comes to the best casino game. Some gamblers appreciate the simplicity and variety of slot machines. Case in point, slot machines take up the most space on gaming floors.

Others enjoy employing strategy through games like blackjack or video poker. They want to work to lower the house edge.

Craps, on the other hand, is good for anybody who’s looking for a low house edge combined with less strategy. A player who knows the right bets will do well.

This game also lets you roll the dice to determine outcomes. This physical element is something that’s unique to any other casino game.

I can’t speak for all players in saying that craps is no doubt the best casino game. However, craps does have enough good qualities to make it worth consideration. And that’s why craps makes it onto our list of the 4 most important table games in the casino.

Conclusion

Craps doesn’t make for the best starting point for beginners. It has a confusing board and numerous wagers.

Nevertheless, this game is worth figuring out due to its proposed benefits. It gives you a strong chance to win, many bets to choose from, and plenty of excitement.

You can rotate between several wagers and still enjoy a 1.52% house edge or less. Provided you play in a land-based casino, you’ll also experience the full effect of craps.

Whether these qualities are exactly what you’re looking for in the top casino game depends upon your preferences. However, some gamblers certainly do see craps as the best game.