Practice Craps Free: Test Your Strategy

The way to practice craps without losing money is to play with play money. Our free Bubble Craps machine gives you $1,500 in chips, pays real casino odds and runs in your phone's browser. Play the come-out roll, try the Iron Cross, the 3-Point Molly or chasing the ATS here first, and see how each one really plays before you take it to a casino.

What's the best mobile craps game to practice on?

One that plays like the real thing, so what you learn carries over. Look for:

• Real casino odds. Place 6 and 8 should pay 7 to 6, and the odds bet true odds. A practice game that pays more teaches you the wrong lessons.
• Every bet you'll use. Pass and Don't Pass, Come, odds, place bets, the Field, hardways, the one-roll bets and the bonus bets.
• Regular and crapless. Many casino bubble machines run crapless craps, so practice both.
• Help as you play. Something that explains a bet before you place it.
• No catch. No download, no account, no real-money casino behind it.

Bubble Craps does all of that, free. It's built for a phone held upright, plays on a computer too, and Learn mode (the ? at the top right of the table) explains each bet before you place it.

How to test a craps strategy

1. Pick one strategy from the list below and write down the bets, so you play it the same way every time.
2. Set a session bankroll. Say $300 of your $1,500, the way you'd bring a set amount to a casino.
3. Play a fixed number of shooters, 20 or so, or until the $300 is gone. Don't change the plan halfway.
4. Note the result and how it felt: how often you won, how fast the money went, how big the swings were.
5. Run it again. One session is luck. Several start to show you the strategy's real shape.

Then try the next one and compare. If you run out, reset your wallet to $1,500 from the table's Actions menu. Most strategies below use regular craps, so the button above opens the table on regular; switch with the Craps and Crapless buttons above the table.

Craps strategies to practice

Every one of these uses the same bets, so the house edge on each bet stays the same however you combine them. What changes is how much you have out, how often you win, and how hard a 7 hurts.

Pass Line with full odds

The bets: the Pass Line on the come-out, then the full odds behind it once a point is set. Why: the line keeps 1.41% and the odds keep nothing. With our 3-4-5x odds, the house keeps about 0.37% of everything you bet, as low as craps gets. It's the strategy to learn first.

Playing the come-out roll

The come-out is the first roll of a new shooter, and it's where a craps session starts. In regular craps, a 7 or 11 on the come-out wins the Pass Line (about 2 rolls in 9), a 2, 3 or 12 loses it (1 in 9), and anything else becomes the point (2 in 3). Don't Pass is the mirror: it wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, and pushes on 12.

• The simple way: a Pass Line bet and nothing else. The come-out is the Pass Line's best moment: 8 ways to win and only 4 to lose.
• Hedging with Any Craps or C&E: a small bet that pays if the 2, 3 or 12 shows, to cover the Pass Line. With $10 on the line and $1 on Any Craps, a craps roll costs you $3 instead of $10. But Any Craps keeps 11.1%, so over time the hedge costs more than it saves.
• The Yo (11): pays 15 to 1 on the next roll and keeps 11.1%. Fun on the come-out, not a strategy.
• Place bets are off on the come-out unless you turn them on, so a 7 then doesn't take your numbers. They're back on once there's a point.
• Bonus bets go on first. The Fire Bet and the ATS have to be placed before the come-out they start from.
• In crapless craps nothing loses on the come-out: a 7 wins and every other number becomes the point.

Working your numbers on the come-out

When a point is made, your place bets stay on the table but go quiet for the next come-out: they can't win or lose. Plenty of players don't want that dead roll, so they say "my bets are working" and keep the numbers live through the come-out. On our machine, tap SET BETS ON. Your place bets and hardways then play every roll, come-out included, until you tap SET BETS OFF.

• Why players do it: two come-outs in three set a point, and plenty of those are a 6 or 8. Working the numbers gets you paid on them instead of watching them roll by.
• The catch: the 7 is the most common come-out roll, 1 in 6, and now it takes every number while the Pass Line wins only its own bet. With $10 on the Pass Line and $12 each on the 6 and 8 working, a come-out 7 wins $10 and loses $24: you're down $14 on a "winner". A 6 or 8 pays $14.
• The cost: the edge on each bet doesn't change (the 6 and 8 still keep 1.52%), but working them gives the house more rolls at them. $12 each on the 6 and 8 costs about 11 cents more every come-out they're working.
• On the dark side it's the other way round: lay bets work on the come-out already, so a come-out 7 loses your Don't Pass but wins your lays.

A good one to practice both ways: play 20 shooters with your numbers off on the come-out, then 20 with them working, and see which swings you'd rather live with.

Don't Pass with lay odds (the dark side)

The bets: Don't Pass, then lay odds against the point. You're betting the 7 shows before the point. Why: slightly cheaper still: Don't Pass keeps 1.36%, and with full lay odds the whole bet keeps about 0.27%. You win more often than you lose, but each win is small. Not offered in crapless.

The 3-Point Molly

The bets: a Pass Line bet with odds, plus two Come bets with odds, so you have three numbers working. Why: it's the "right way" player's way to get more action without paying more edge, since every dollar is on line bets and odds. The catch: a 7 after the point takes all three at once.

Place the 6 and 8

The bets: $6 each on the 6 and 8, in multiples of $6 so they pay a full 7 to 6. Why: the 6 and 8 are the most-rolled point numbers, and at 1.52% they're the cheapest bets after the line and odds. Popular with players who like steady small wins.

Inside and Across

The bets: Inside is the 5, 6, 8 and 9 ($22: $5, $6, $6, $5). Across adds the 4 and 10 ($32). Both are a single tap on the table's INSIDE and ACROSS buttons. Why: lots of numbers that pay. But the 5 and 9 keep 4% and the 4 and 10 keep 6.67%, so the more you spread out, the more you pay for the action.

The Iron Cross

The bets: place the 5, 6 and 8 and bet the Field, say $5, $6, $6 and $5. Why people like it: it wins on every number but 7, which is 30 of the 36 rolls. The catch: most wins are small ($2 on a 5, 6 or 8, because the Field loses), and a 7 takes all $22. On average it loses about 44 cents a roll, mostly to the Field. A good one to practice: it feels like winning until it isn't.

Press and regress

Regress: start big on the 6 and 8, say $12 each, and after the first hit drop to $6 each, so the win has already paid for most of what's out. Press: when a place bet wins, add the win to the bet instead of taking it, so a hot shooter grows it (the table's Press button adds a chip to each of your numbers). Neither changes the edge; they change when you're risking your own money and when it's the house's.

Chasing the ATS (All, Tall and Small)

The bets: a small bonus bet on Small, Tall or All every shooter, on top of your main play. Small (LOW ROLLS on our felt) wins if the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all roll before a 7. Tall (HIGH ROLLS) wins on the 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. All (ROLL'EM ALL) needs every number.

The fun is watching the numbers light up as the shooter rolls. The cost is that it's one of the most expensive bets on the table, so players who chase it keep it small next to their main bets. On our machine you place it before the first roll after a 7, and it rides until it wins or the next 7. Practice here and you'll see how many shooters it takes before one hits.

The Fire Bet

The bet: a small bet before the shooter's first roll that pays if they make 4, 5 or all 6 different points before sevening out: 24 to 1, 249 to 1 or 999 to 1. All six happens about once in 6,156 shooters. The house keeps about 21%. Fun to keep a small bet on, costly as a strategy.

The Martingale (doubling up)

The idea: double your Pass Line bet after every loss, so one win gets it all back. Try it with play money: starting at $5, eight losses in a row cost $1,275, and you can't cover the next $1,280. Losing streaks that long come along more often than they feel like they should. Practice it here, not with rent money.

Strategies side by side

The line-and-odds figures assume you take the full 3-4-5x odds. Each bet's edge is checked against the exact math and ten million simulated rolls. How we check the odds.

Practicing for a casino or a bubble craps machine

• Learn the words. The come-out is the first roll. The point is the number to repeat. A seven-out ends the shooter's turn. "On the dark side" means betting Don't.
• Learn when bets work. Place bets are off on the come-out unless you say otherwise, and odds behind Come bets too.
• Check the paytable. Our machine pays live-table prices. Some casino bubble machines pay less on the 6 and 8, the Field's 12 or the hardways, which raises the edge on those bets.
• Practice crapless too. If the machine you'll play runs crapless, the Pass Line keeps 5.38% instead of 1.41%. More on our crapless craps page.
• Practice your budget as much as your bets: a set amount for the session, and stop when it's gone.

Questions

Where can I practice craps without losing money?

Play a free craps game with play money. Bubble Craps at minivelvetgames.com/craps gives you $1,500 in play chips, pays real casino odds and runs in your phone's browser with no download or sign-up. You can reset your chips any time.

What is the best mobile craps game to practice on?

Pick one that pays real casino odds, has every bet you plan to use (odds, place, come, field, hardways, bonus bets), plays regular and crapless craps, explains the bets, and has no real-money upsell. Bubble Craps at Mini Velvet Games does all of that free in the browser, built for a phone held upright.

What is the best craps strategy for beginners?

Bet the Pass Line and take the full odds once a point is set. The Pass Line keeps 1.41% and the odds keep nothing, so with 3-4-5x odds the house keeps only about 0.37% of everything you bet. Add Place 6 and 8 (1.52%) if you want more action.

What's the best bet on the come-out roll?

The Pass Line. On the come-out it wins on a 7 or 11 (8 ways out of 36) and loses only on a 2, 3 or 12 (4 ways), and it keeps just 1.41%. Hedging it with Any Craps or C&E costs 11.1% on the hedge, so it loses more over time than it saves.

Should I keep my place bets working on the come-out roll?

Only if you're happy to take the swing. Working them means a 6 or 8 on the come-out pays you, but a come-out 7, the most common roll, takes every number while the Pass Line wins only its own bet. The edge on each bet stays the same; you just give the house more rolls at them. On Bubble Craps, tap SET BETS ON to keep them working.

What does chasing the ATS mean in craps?

ATS is the All, Tall and Small bonus bet. Small wins if 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all roll before a 7; Tall wins on 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12; All needs every number. Chasing it means betting it every shooter. Small or Tall hits about 1 time in 38 and pays 30 to 1; the house keeps about 18%.

Does any craps strategy beat the house edge?

No. Every roll is independent, so no pattern of bets or progression like the Martingale changes the edge on the bets you make. A strategy decides how much you risk, how often you win and how wild the swings are. Practicing with play money shows you that before real money is at stake.

Does the Iron Cross strategy work?

It wins on 30 of the 36 dice rolls, but most wins are small and a 7 takes everything. With $5 on the Field and $5, $6 and $6 placed on the 5, 6 and 8, you lose about 44 cents a roll on average, mostly to the Field.

Is free online craps the same as casino craps?

The bets and the dice math are the same. Bubble Craps pays the live table's prices: 7 to 6 on Place 6 and 8 and 9 to 1 on Hard 6 and 8. Some casino bubble machines pay less on those bets, so check the paytable on the machine before you play.

More free games

• Bubble Craps: the dice-in-a-bubble craps machine, regular or crapless.
• Crapless craps: the rules and the real odds of the version most bubble machines run.
• Blackjack: Vegas rules from a six-deck shoe, with side bets and a strategy chart.
• Roulette: Las Vegas American roulette with 0 and 00, built for your phone.
• All Mini Velvet games

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