The Iron Cross Craps Strategy
The Iron Cross is four bets that together pay on every total except 7: the 5, 6 and 8 placed and a bet on the Field. Here's how to set it up, what each roll pays, the house edge of each bet, and a free table where you can practice it.
Practice the Iron Cross freePlay money and real casino odds. The table can bet it for you each roll while you watch how it plays.
What is the Iron Cross?
A combination of place bets and the Field. The place bets cover the 5, 6 and 8; the Field covers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. At a $5 table that's:
- $5 on the Field, a one-roll bet you put back each roll;
- $5 on the 5, which pays 7 to 5;
- $6 each on the 6 and 8, which pay 7 to 6 (bet in $6 steps so they pay a whole $7).
That's $22 on the table.
How to play it, step by step
- Wait for a point. Most players put the Iron Cross up once a point is set, since place bets don't play on the come-out roll anyway.
- Place the 5, 6 and 8 ($5, $6 and $6 at a $5 table).
- Bet the Field ($5). It's settled every roll, so put it back after each one.
- Collect on a hit. When a place bet wins, it's paid and stays up. When the Field wins, it's paid.
- A 7 ends it. The place bets and the Field lose. Set it up again once the next point is on.
What every roll pays
Every total, played on our game's own engine with a point on. "How often" is the number of ways two dice make that total out of 36.
| Roll | How often | Result | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 of 36 | +$10 | Field wins $10 |
| 3 | 2 of 36 | +$5 | Field wins $5 |
| 4 | 3 of 36 | +$5 | Field wins $5 |
| 5 | 4 of 36 | +$2 | Field loses $5 · Place 5 wins $7 |
| 6 | 5 of 36 | +$2 | Field loses $5 · Place 6 wins $7 |
| 7 | 6 of 36 | −$22 | Field loses $5 · Place 5 loses $5 · Place 6 loses $6 · Place 8 loses $6 |
| 8 | 5 of 36 | +$2 | Field loses $5 · Place 8 wins $7 |
| 9 | 4 of 36 | +$5 | Field wins $5 |
| 10 | 3 of 36 | +$5 | Field wins $5 |
| 11 | 2 of 36 | +$5 | Field wins $5 |
| 12 | 1 of 36 | +$10 | Field wins $10 |
| Ways out of 36 | 30 pay something, 6 lose, 0 decide nothing | ||
On a 5, 6 or 8 the place bet wins and the Field loses the same roll, so the two together come to $2. On every other total except 7, only the Field is decided.
The house edge of each bet
The standard math for each of the four bets. Putting them together doesn't change any of them.
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| Field, double on 2 and 12 | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 | 5.56% |
| Field, triple on 12 | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2, 3 to 1 on 12 | 2.78% |
Field paytables differ from casino to casino and machine to machine. Ours pays double on both the 2 and the 12, as the felt says. How we check the odds.
Variations
- Double Field. $10 on the Field with the same place bets.
- With a Pass Line. A Pass Line bet on the come-out as well, so there's a bet on the come-out roll.
- Bigger units. $10 Field and $10, $12, $12 placed: the same shape at twice the size.
On a bubble craps machine, and in crapless
A bubble craps machine has the same four bets on its layout, so the Iron Cross is set up the same way. Check the machine's paytable for what its Field pays on the 2 and 12.
In crapless craps the Field and the place bets on the 5, 6 and 8 pay the same. What changes is the come-out: only a 7 doesn't set a point, so the Iron Cross goes up more often.
How to practice it here
- Tap the button below, or at the table tap the round ♟ button at the top right and pick The Iron Cross.
- Roll. The table puts the four bets up once a point is set, puts the Field back each roll, and sets it up again after a seven-out.
- The strip under the table shows the rolls, the shooters and the Iron Cross's running total, kept apart from any bets of your own.
- Tap Turn off any time and carry on by hand; the bets stay on the table as yours.
Questions
How do you play the Iron Cross in craps?
Once a point is set, place the 5, 6 and 8 and bet the Field. The place bets stay up until a 7, and the Field is a one-roll bet you put back each roll. Together they pay something on every total except 7.
How much money do you need for the Iron Cross?
$22 at a $5 table: $5 on the Field, $5 on the 5 and $6 each on the 6 and 8. The 6 and 8 are bet in $6 steps so they pay a whole 7 to 6. At a $10 table it's $44.
What does each Iron Cross roll pay?
With $5 on the Field and $5, $6 and $6 placed: a 2 or 12 pays $10 (on a Field that pays double), a 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 pays $5, a 5, 6 or 8 pays $7 on the place bet while the Field loses $5, and a 7 loses all $22.
What is the house edge of the bets in the Iron Cross?
Place 6 and 8 keep 1.52%, Place 5 keeps 4%, and the Field keeps 5.56% when it pays double on the 2 and 12, or 2.78% when it pays triple on the 12. Putting the bets together doesn't change any of them.
Can you play the Iron Cross on a bubble craps machine?
Yes. The four bets are on the machine's layout. Check the machine's paytable for what the Field pays on the 2 and 12, since that varies.
Is the Iron Cross different in crapless craps?
No. The Field and the place bets on the 5, 6 and 8 pay the same in crapless craps. What changes is the come-out: almost every come-out sets a point there, so the Iron Cross goes up more often.
More craps strategies
- Craps strategies: every strategy explained, each with a free table to practice it.
- Place the 6 and 8: the two place bets on their own.
- Regression: $44 inside down to $22, and the 6 and 8 regression.
- Crapless craps strategy: what changes when every number is a point.
- Bubble craps strategy: how these play on a bubble craps machine.
- Play Bubble Craps free
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