Buy 2 / Buy 12
0.71%- Pays
- true odds − 5%
- Type
- Vig on wins
The cheapest bet in the format. Confirm that commission comes out of winnings only.
Updated Fact-checked 8 min read
Dean Calloway
Senior Craps Editor 12+ yrs
- Published
- Updated
- Fact-checked
Crapless Craps: you cannot lose right away, and that is the trap
The two, the three and the twelve stop killing your bet and become points instead — while the Pass Line house edge grows almost fourfold. We work out where the difference goes and find the one bet in this format that is genuinely worth its price.
Craps variants · alternative rules10 possible points5.38% Pass Line edgeBuy 2/12 — just 0.71%
What is actually going on here
Crapless Craps sells itself in one sentence: you cannot lose on the first roll. The 2, 3 and 12, which instantly kill a Pass Line bet in the classic game, become points here. The format trades under the names *Never Ever Craps*, *Craps No More* and *Bonus Craps* — the rules are the same behind all of them.
The risk does not disappear, though. It is deferred — and it gets more expensive on the way. A point of 2 or 12 has to repeat before a 7, and the odds of that are 1 in 7. On top of which the eleven stops being an instant win. The result: a Pass Line house edge of 5.38% instead of 1.41%.
Practise for free
The table runs classic rules — use it to drill the point and odds mechanics, and keep the Crapless specifics in mind from the tables below.
Craps — free practice table
Balance1,000
At stake0
OFF
Come-out roll
Pass line 1.41% · free odds 0% · paid at true odds
Practice table with virtual credits only. No real money, no payouts.
Crapless Craps in numbers
5.38% Pass Line house edge
1.04% The same with 5× odds
0.71% Buy 2 / 12 — the best bet
7.14% Place 2 / 12 — the worst bet
1 in 7 Chance of making a 2 or 12 point
0 Don't Pass bets in the format
A round of Crapless Craps
There are only two differences from the classic game, and they invert the usual logic:
- 1
Bet the Pass Line
You place it knowing there will be no instant loss: any number other than a seven keeps the round going.
- 2
The come-out roll
A 7 wins immediately. Every other total, including 2, 3, 11 and 12, becomes the point.
- 3
Back it with odds
The odds bet is settled at true odds: 6:1 on the 2 and 12, 3:1 on the 3 and 11. The house edge there is exactly 0%.
- 4
The point phase
Rolls continue until the point repeats (a 1:1 win) or a seven arrives (a loss).
- 5
Remember the eleven
In the classic game an eleven wins outright; here it becomes a point. That difference costs more than everything else combined.
The format appears under several signs — Never Ever Craps, Craps No More, Bonus Craps — but the rules are identical behind all of them, and so is the promise: you cannot lose on the first roll.
Let us work out where the price difference goes, and find the one bet in this format that is worth its money: it is cheaper than anything in classic craps except the odds.
Who pays for never losing
The shape of a round and the full comparison against classic rules are laid out above. Beginners like the concept: if you cannot lose immediately, the risk must be lower and the bankroll must last longer. In reality the risk does not vanish, it is deferred — and it gets dearer on the way. Two differences that break your habits
The eleven no longer wins. In the classic game a come-out 11 is an instant victory; here it is just a point2 that still has to be repeated.
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come are not accepted at all. There is no dark side in Crapless Craps — with everything that implies for strategy.
The whole arithmetic sits in one line: a point of 2 or 12 is made one way out of thirty-six, and the seven is made six ways. The odds of repeating such a point before a seven are 1 to 7. A point of 3 or 11 is slightly better: 1 to 4.
2 1/36 · 2,78%
3 2/36 · 5,56%
7 6/36 · 16,67%
11 2/36 · 5,56%
12 1/36 · 2,78%
The new Crapless points against the seven. Standing against each of them is a total that appears six times as often as the two and three times as often as the three.
The player has shed four losing combinations on the come-out — and received in exchange four points that are next to impossible to close, plus the loss of an instant win on the eleven. The casino did that arithmetic before the player did.
Payouts and the house edge
Odds partly rescue the situation: as in the classic game they are paid at true odds with a zero house edge.| Bet | Payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | 1:1 | 5.38% |
| Pass Line + 2× odds | true odds on the odds portion | 2.02% |
| Pass Line + 5× odds | true odds on the odds portion | 1.04% |
| Free odds on 2 / 12 | 6:1 | 0% |
| Free odds on 3 / 11 | 3:1 | 0% |
| Place 6 / 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Buy 2 / 12 (vig on wins) | true odds − 5% | 0.71% |
| Buy 3 / 11 (vig on wins) | true odds − 5% | 1.25% |
| Place 3 / 11 | 11:4 | 6.25% |
| Place 2 / 12 | 11:2 | 7.14% |
The cheapest bet on the table is not the obvious one
It is Buy 2 or Buy 12 with the vig charged on wins only: 0.71%. The same numbers played as Place bets cost 7.14% — exactly ten times more. The whole difference is in the settlement mechanic: Buy pays true odds and takes a commission, while Place bakes the markup into the price itself.
The condition without which Buy is pointless
The vig must be charged on winning bets only. Some tables take the commission up front on every bet, before the roll — and then the Buy house edge jumps to 4.76%. That single line of the rules decides whether you are looking at the best bet on the table or one of the worst.
How to play Crapless Craps properly
Pass Line + 5× odds
1.04%- Pays
- 1:1 + true odds
- Type
- Multi-roll
The base pairing. Without odds the same bet costs 5.38% — playing it bare makes no sense.
Buy 3 / Buy 11
1.25%- Pays
- true odds − 5%
- Type
- Vig on wins
The second sensible option among the format's new points.
Place 2 / Place 12
7.14%- Pays
- 11:2
- Type
- Multi-roll
The payout looks large because the number almost never comes. Ten times dearer than the same bet as a Buy.
- Small Pass Line bet, maximum odds. Double odds bring the edge to 2.02%, 5× odds to 1.04%. It is the only lever that works here.
- Place and Buy on the classic points — the 6 and 8 only. There the edge matches ordinary craps: 1.52%.
- Among the new points, take Buy 2/12 (0.71%), but never Place on the same numbers (7.14%).
- A bare Pass Line is a serious mistake. Nothing justifies 5.38%.
- Don’t Pass and Don’t Come need not be considered — they do not exist here.
The working rule for this table
Invert the proportions you use in the classic game. There, the Pass Line is the foundation and odds are the amplifier. Here, keep the Pass Line at the minimum, because it costs 5.38%, and move the rest into odds and their zero edge. Same technique as the classic game — except here it does not improve your play, it rescues it.
An honest goal
No strategy turns Crapless Craps into good value. The right goal here is not to finish ahead over distance — that is impossible — but to slow the drain on your bankroll and pay a reasonable price for the entertainment. Treat the format as exactly that: paid entertainment with unusual rules.
What the markup costs and when it is justified
The percentages in this format look alarming, but in money the picture depends on how you actually play. Take an identical $1,000 of action — a hundred bets of $10 — and compare the two tables directly.| How you play | Classic craps | Crapless Craps | Markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line with no odds | $14.10 | $53.80 | +$39.70 |
| Pass Line + 2× odds | $6.10 | $20.20 | +$14.10 |
| Pass Line + 5× odds | $3.70 | $10.40 | +$6.70 |
Watch how the gap behaves. In percentage terms it stays roughly threefold on every row; in dollars it shrinks almost sixfold — from $39.70 to $6.70. Odds do not cancel the format’s markup, but they turn it into a question of a few dollars per session rather than a few tens.
Which gives an honest answer to whether the table is worth sitting at.
Three cases where the format makes sense
You take maximum odds. Then the markup is single-digit dollars per session — a price comparable with any other entertainment. The round dying on the first roll bothers you. Here it never does: the come-out always moves into a point phase, and the round gets to happen. You want Buy 2 or Buy 12. Those are the only numbers classic craps does not offer at all, and with the vig on wins they cost less than any Place bet anywhere.
In every other case the answer is no: the same money buys more game at a classic table. And one scenario deserves naming outright — a bare Pass Line at a Crapless table. It is the most expensive way to play craps among the widely available options, and there is no quirk of the format that justifies it.
Where to play Crapless Craps for money
The format is thinly distributed: players dislike it for exactly the inflated Pass Line edge, so tables appear only sporadically, on casino floors and online alike.You can practise free at the table on this page. If it is the classic version at a 1.41% edge you want, see the craps casino rankings — where the odds limits, which matter doubly in Crapless Craps, are listed as well.
Crapless against classic craps
| Situation | Classic craps | Crapless Craps |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out | Pass Line loses | They become points |
| 11 on the come-out | Instant win | Becomes a point |
| Set of points | 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Dark-side bets | Available, 1.36% | Not accepted |
| Pass Line house edge | 1.41% | 5.38% |
| The same with 5× odds | ≈0.33% | ≈1.04% |
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Is this table worth sitting at
For
- Psychologically easier: the round does not die on the very first roll
- Buy 2 and Buy 12 with the vig on wins cost 0.71% — cheaper than any classic bet except odds
- Rounds run longer, so the same money buys more play
Against
- The Pass Line costs 5.38% — nearly four times the classic price
- There are no Don't Pass or Don't Come bets at all: half the strategies are unavailable
- The eleven stops being an instant win, so habit works against you
- Tables are rare, and the vig terms have to be checked every time
Common questions about Crapless Craps
Can you lose immediately after the come-out roll?
No. A seven wins outright and every other total becomes a point, continuing the round. But zero risk of an instant loss does not make the game better value: the 2, 3, 11 and 12 that the format 'rescues' turn into points that are extremely hard to make.
Is Crapless Craps better or worse than the classic rules?
Worse, and the consensus on that is complete. The Pass Line house edge is 5.38% against 1.41% in the classic game — nearly four times higher. Crapless Craps is sensibly treated as paid entertainment with unusual mechanics, not as a cheaper way to play.
Is there a Don't Pass bet in Crapless Craps?
No. Dark-side bets — Don't Pass and Don't Come — are not accepted in this format at all. The reason is obvious: with no losing numbers on the come-out, the mirror bet would become far too good for the player. As a consequence, every strategy built around Don't Pass is inapplicable here.
What do odds pay on the 2 and 12?
6:1, and that is true odds — the house takes nothing from that portion. On the 3 and 11 odds pay 3:1, also at true odds. Which is exactly why the correct approach to Crapless Craps is a minimum Pass Line bet with the largest possible odds on top: it is the only way to dilute an expensive line bet with a free one.
What is the best bet in Crapless Craps?
Buy 2 or Buy 12, provided the vig is charged on wins only: the house edge there is 0.71% — lower than the Pass Line in classic craps. The same numbers played as Place bets cost 7.14%, exactly ten times more. The whole difference is in how the commission is calculated.
Why does Buy sometimes cost 4.76% instead of 0.71%?
Because some tables take the vig up front on every bet rather than only on winners. The player pays commission even on losing bets, and the entire advantage of the Buy mechanic disappears. That line of the rules needs checking before your first chip: it decides whether you are looking at the best bet on the table or one of the worst.
Can you play Crapless Craps online?
Real-money tables are scarce: the format is thinly distributed precisely because of the inflated Pass Line edge. You can practise for free, and if it is the classic version you want, we have a set of free tables and rankings of casinos offering classic craps. Crapless does not appear with a live dealer at all — only the classic game does.
Related reading
Notes
- The house edge is a fixed share of total turnover that stays with the venue. It is invisible within a single session: you can finish ahead or lose everything. The figure only becomes visible over a long distance. ↩
- The numbers that become points are the 2, 3 and 12, which in classic craps mean an instant come-out loss, plus the 11, which in the classic game is a winning roll. ↩
- The vig is the casino's commission, charged when a Buy or Lay bet is settled. It is usually 5% and, in the version that favours the player, taken only from winning bets. ↩