• Craps

What are the Worst Craps Bets?

Avoiding the worst craps bets is key to protecting your bankroll. While there is debate over the top craps wagers depending on your strategy, the dumbest craps bets all have one thing in common: a high house edge. 

This guide highlights the worst bets available at the craps table. I will analyze the dumbest craps bets and explain why each wager is a waste of time and money. Also, I will detail my experience betting on these craps bets at a top casino site. 

What are the Dumbest Craps Bets?

There are dozens of bets available to craps players. Over the years, players have also created betting combinations, so there are even more wagers than appear on the table. 

With so many betting options available, it would be impossible for every wager to be a “good” bet. The worst craps bets are so bad that only new players and suckers rely on them as part of their craps strategy. 

So, what makes these bets the worst wagers at the craps table? First and foremost, they have a high house edge. The large edge for the casino is due to the difference between the true odds and the payout odds. 

Take the single-roll bets on two or 12. Each of these wagers only has one way of hitting, but there are 36 possible outcomes that the shooter can have. For these wagers to be fair, they would have to pay out around 35:1 odds. 

However, they only pay out at 30:1, which creates a massive edge for the house. They are also single-roll bets, meaning you either win or lose your entire stake on the next roll. 

My Experience With “Dumb” Craps Bets

As the name suggests, “dumb” craps bets are the opposite of smart wagers. So, it should be no surprise that I lost money when testing these bets. 

See the table below for a recap of my experience at Ignition Casino making the five bets in craps with the highest house edge. 

Craps Bet	House Edge	Times Bet	Total Bet	Profit/Loss
Any 7	16.7%	5	$15	$0
Snake Eyes	13.9%	5	$15	-$15
Boxcars	13.9%	5	$15	-$15
Whirl	13.3%	5	$25	+$27
Horn	12.5%	5	$20	-$20

I made each of the single-roll wagers above five times each. However, I had to vary my stake amount for two of the wagers. 

The Whirl and Horn bets are combinations of multiple single-roll wagers. As a result, I had to increase my stake amount from $3 to $5 and $4, respectively, to bet a dollar on each part of these wagers. 

Any 7

• Winning numbers: 7
• House edge: 16.7%
• Total wins: 1
• Profit: $0

A “seven” is the most likely outcome for any given roll in craps. Despite this, the Any 7 wager is the worst craps bet because of its house edge. You only get 4-1 odds on this wager, and it carries a house edge of 16.7%. 

I made this bet five times during my session and lost four times. Since this is a single-roll bet, I only had one chance each roll to win the bet. On the bright side, my one win was enough to cover my bankroll, so I at least came out even on this wager. 

Unlike other craps wagers, you do not need to wait for a point number to be set to bet on the Any 7 wager. This was great news for me, as it kept my losses to a minimum. 

Snake Eyes

• Winning numbers: 2
• House edge: 13.9%
• Total wins: 0
• Profit: Lost $15

After testing the Any 7 wager, the next bet I tried was Snake Eyes. The only way to win this bet is for the shooter to roll two ones, also called “Snake Eyes,” on the next roll. 

Like the Any 7 wager, Snake Eyes is a single-roll wager. Also, only one of the 36 possible combinations in craps will result in a win. However, thanks to its 30:1 odds, the house edge for this bet is only 13.9%.

As with the Any 7 bet, I only tried this wager five times and wagered $3 on Snake Eyes each time. A single win in my five rolls would have covered my entire bankroll. Lady Luck was not on my side in this experimental session, as I went 0-5 when betting on Snake Eyes. 

Boxcars

• Winning numbers: 12
• House edge: 13.9%
• Total wins: 0
• Profit: Lost $15

My bad luck continued when I moved on to testing the Boxcars wager. This wager is only won if the shooter rolls two sixes, for a total of 12, on their next wager. 

Since there are only two dice, there is only one way to hit Boxcars in the 36 possible outcomes. On the bright side, the 30:1 payout odds give this bet a house edge of 13.9%, which is tied with Snake Eyes for the second-highest edge of any single-roll bet in craps. 

Five rolls is a small sample size, but even my brief session showed why this bet is not worth the hassle. I lost all five of my bets, resulting in a net loss of my entire $15 bankroll for this bet.  

Despite my results, it is possible to win with the Boxcars wager. However, since only one of the 36 outcomes results in a win, you are likely to experience long stretches of losses with this bet. Without multiple wins in a short time, it will be nearly impossible to make up for these losing streaks. 

Whirl

• Winning numbers: 2, 3, 7, 11, 12
• House edge: 13.3%
• Total wins: 3
• Profit: +$27

The Whirl bet in craps combines five single-roll bets into one wager. However, since these are separate single-roll bets, you must bet them each individually on every roll. 

To make the Whirl bet, you must make single-roll bets on the following numbers:

• 2 (Snake Eyes)
• 3
• Any 7
• 11
• 12 (Boxcars)

For my experiment, I wagered $1 on each of the bets above, for a total stake of $5 per whirl bet. This created a bankroll of $25 for my session. 

To my surprise, my luck turned around with the Whirl wager. I won three of my five bets, hitting a three, seven, and a two. The Snake Eyes win was my saving grace in this session, as it resulted in a $30 payout. 

After subtracting my two losing Whirl wagers, I was left with a nice profit of $27. If it were possible to keep a 60% win rate with the Whirl, it would be a great bet. However, as the 13.3% house edge suggests, it was only a matter of time before I would start to lose this bet more than I won it. 

Horn

• Winning numbers: 2, 3, 11, 12
• House edge: 12.5%
• Total wins: 0
• Profit: -$20

Rounding out my experiment of the worst craps bets was the Horn bet. This wager is similar to the Whirl, except you do not wager on the Any 7 wager. The Horn has a slightly better house edge than the Whirl at 12.5%. 

Despite having the higher house edge, I lost significantly more money betting the Horn. I bet $1 each on the following numbers:

• 2 (Snake Eyes)
• 3
• 11
• 12 (Boxcars)

With four single-roll wagers, my total stake per round was $4, and my bankroll for the session was $20. I did not win any of my Horn bets and lost my entire bankroll. 

Not making the Any 7 wager was especially costly in my short session. Two of my five rolls came out seven, but since I was only making the horn wager, I lost those rolls. 

On the other hand, two of my wins on the Whirl bet were from numbers in the Horn bet. It is unlikely that you will lose every Horn wager over a long session, but your chances of winning it consistently are low.  

Check out our craps Horn bet guide to learn more about this wager. 

What Are Your Least Favorite Craps Bets?

Craps players have dozens of bets to choose from, but some are simply not worth the risk. Check out the guide above to learn more about the worst bet in craps and why you should stay away from them. 

Regardless of the bets you make, using a top-notch craps site can take your experience to the next level. Create your Ignition Casino account today to play craps and your other favorite casino games. New members who make their first deposit with an approved crypto can use the 300% welcome bonus to get up to $1,500 in extra casino funds.