3 Point Molly (working odds)
0.374%- Pays
- 1:1 + true odds
- Type
- Three points
More money sits in the free portion — hence the better figure and the higher variance.
Updated Fact-checked 11 min read
Dean Calloway
Senior Craps Editor 12+ yrs
- Published
- Updated
- Fact-checked
3 Point Molly: three points for the price of one
The system people call the gold standard of craps. It does not improve on the math of a Pass Line with odds — it copies it, adding coverage of three numbers at the same price. We walk the algorithm, count a real round, and give an honest verdict on what it demands of a bankroll.
Strategy · advanced0.37% house edgeA roll-by-roll round40 units minimum
Who this system is for
3 Point Molly is not a day-one strategy. It asks for a confident grasp of three things: how the Pass Line works, how a Come bet differs from it, and what happens to odds on the come-out of a new round. If any of the three is shaky, start with the [craps rules](/rules/) and the [bet reference](/rules/bets/).
For an experienced player, though, it delivers exactly what a lone Pass Line bet lacks: action on almost every roll without raising the price of the game. The cost stays at 0.37% — but so does the spread of outcomes widen, because a seven-out now takes down not one bet but all three at once.
3 Point Molly in numbers
0.374% House edge with working odds
0.405% With odds off (the default)
$3.70 Cost per $1,000 wagered
$170 Exposure at a $10 flat bet
40–50 Units of bankroll per session
3 Numbers working at all times
The algorithm
Four rules make up the whole of Molly. Departing from any one of them breaks the math:
- 1
Come-out — bet the Pass Line
If the next roll is a come-out and fewer than three numbers are covered, the bet goes on the Pass Line.
- 2
Otherwise — bet Come
If it is not a come-out and fewer than three numbers are covered, the bet goes on Come. The next roll becomes its personal come-out.
- 3
Back it with maximum odds
Every Pass and Come bet gets the largest odds the table allows as soon as it has its own point.
- 4
Decide the working-odds question
On the come-out of a new round, odds behind Come bets are off by default. Working odds give 0.374% instead of 0.405%, but noticeably raise the variance.
The name undersells it. “Three points” sounds like a minor elaboration, but what changes is the scale: exposure grows sixteenfold against a flat bet while the price of the game stays exactly where it was. Here is where both of those come from.
What 3 Point Molly is
The name says it. A player on the Pass Line with odds has one point working. A Molly player has three, and in a long roll each of them can pay more than once.The combination is a Pass Line bet plus two Come bets, each backed with maximum odds. As soon as any of the three wins, it is immediately replaced, so three numbers are always in action.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Composition | Pass Line + 2 Come, all with maximum free odds; three numbers working at all times |
| Combined house edge | ≈0.37% at 3-4-5× (0.405% with odds off on the come-out, 0.374% with working odds) |
| Cost per $1,000 wagered | ≈$3.70 (for comparison, the Iron Cross is ≈$39) |
| Full exposure | ≈$160–$180 at a $10 flat bet with 3-4-5× — gone on one seven-out |
| Session bankroll | 40–50 units ($400–$500 at a $10 bet); comfortable is 6–10× full exposure |
| Pace | Medium: a decision on nearly every roll during the build-up |
| Who it is for | Disciplined players after a month on Pass + odds. Not for beginners |
Its popularity has a simple explanation: the price is the same as the boring single bet1, while the game visibly comes alive through more frequent payouts.
The one thing to understand about Molly
The system does not improve the math of a Pass Line with odds — it copies it. What changes is not the cost but the shape: wins arrive more often and smaller, while the loss on a seven-out arrives less often and bigger. If that shape does not suit you, no amount of theory will fix it.
Why the algorithm looks like this
The four rules are stepped out above. It is worth understanding where each comes from — otherwise, in a borderline moment at the table, you will drift off the system without noticing.The “Pass Line or Come” order is dictated by price, not convenience. Both bets cost the same 1.41%, but the Pass Line is only available on a come-out roll. So during the point phase the only way to add a number at that same price is a Come bet. Any attempt to speed the build-up up through Place or Field immediately triples the cost of the game or worse.
The maximum-odds requirement is the only thing that makes the system cheap. The flat portion always costs 1.41% and there is no lowering it. Diluting it with a zero-edge odds portion is possible, and the more money sits in odds relative to the line, the lower the blended figure.
The odds mode on the come-out2 is the one place where the player has a choice, and it is about character rather than value: working odds give 0.374% instead of 0.405%, but noticeably widen the spread of results.
It comes down to one thing: three points working, always. A number wins — replace it with a fresh Come immediately. And do not add a fourth, and do not raise the flat bet.
A worked round, roll by roll
Theory sticks worse than numbers. Below is a round that ends in a seven-out. It is a losing round, and that matters: a system should make sense in its bad case.| Roll | Action before the roll | Result | Money | Numbers working |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (come-out) | $10 on the Pass Line | 8 — the point | +$50 odds (5×) | 8 |
| 2 | $10 on Come | 5 — come point | +$40 odds (4×) | 8, 5 |
| 3 | $10 on Come | 6 — come point | +$50 odds (5×) | 8, 5, 6 |
| 4 | — (three numbers working) | a 5 rolls | collect $10 + $60 (3:2) | 8, 6 |
| 5 | $10 on Come | 9 — come point | +$40 odds (4×) | 8, 6, 9 |
| 6 | — (three numbers working) | 7 — seven-out | −$30 flat, −$140 odds | round over |
Peak simultaneous exposure was $170 — and that is exactly what the seven took. Along the way the player had collected $70, so the net result is minus $100.
Had the seven-out come a couple of rolls later, the round could have finished in profit. That is the character of Molly: the flat bet looks like a mere $10, and the spread of outcomes runs into the hundreds.
The math: what Molly actually costs
The combined house edge in the better mode (working odds) is ≈0.374%. It gets there by diluting the 1.41% on the flat bets with zero-edge odds. The math is literally the same as a Pass Line with odds — the coverage is simply wider.3 Point Molly (odds off)
0.405%- Pays
- 1:1 + true odds
- Type
- Three points
The default mode. On the come-out the odds do not play and are returned — calmer, marginally dearer.
Pass Line + 3-4-5× odds
0.37%- Pays
- 1:1 + true odds
- Type
- One point
The same price at a quarter of the exposure. The base Molly only adds coverage to.
Every $1,000 wagered costs roughly $3.70. For comparison, the Iron Cross at up to 3.9% takes about $39 out of the same thousand — ten times as much.
Working odds is a decision made in advance
At a live table you call the odds mode to the dealer before the roll, not after. At an online table it is an interface setting. Either way, changing it mid-round in reaction to a result is the direct route to getting the worst of both modes.
Bankroll and the cost of one seven-out
This is where the system demands respect for the numbers. At a $10 flat bet, full exposure — Pass Line, two Come bets and large odds on all three — comes to $160–$180. And all of it goes on a single roll.Which gives the bankroll guidance:
- minimum — 40–50 units, or $400–$500 at a $10 bet;
- comfortable — 6–10× full exposure: with exposure at $180 that is $1,080–$1,800.
Every bet in the system lives its own life and settles separately, including carrying over into the next round. There is one pleasant quirk:
The seven that pays you
If you have just placed a Come bet and the next roll is a 7, that is a seven-out for everything that came before — but for the new Come bet it is its own come-out roll, and it wins at 1:13. The same roll simultaneously takes $170 and pays $10. That is not consolation, it is a piece of mechanics worth understanding in advance.
Given the size of the individual losses, playing Molly without strict bankroll discipline is not worth attempting at all.
The rules that keep the system cheap
- Odds at maximum. Push up against the table limit. Short on bankroll? Reduce the flat bet, not the odds: the free portion is what makes the system worth playing.
- No outside bets. Field, hardways and propositions break the whole calculation: a single bet at 11.11% cancels the saving the system was built around.
- Line bets are contracts. Pass and Come do not come down — they stay in until they settle.
- Exactly three points. Not two out of laziness, not four out of excitement. A number wins, a fresh Come goes down in its place.
When the table will not let you play it properly
The system is described under ideal conditions: a high odds limit, a minimum bet well below your unit, and a calm pace. In practice at least one of those three usually fails — and then it matters to know exactly what breaks.| Table constraint | What happens to the system | The right response |
|---|---|---|
| Odds limit of 1× or 2× | The free portion is small, so there is nothing to dilute the 1.41% with: the blended figure climbs to 0.85–0.61% | Molly still works, but its entire point is gone — go and find a 3-4-5× table |
| Minimum bet high relative to bankroll | You end up with 10–20 units rather than 40–50, and one seven-out takes a quarter of the evening | Drop to 2 Point Molly, or to a plain Pass Line with odds |
| Fast pace on an RNG table | Three times the decisions per hour of a live table — and three times the turnover | Price your evening by turnover, not by hours |
The third row deserves its own paragraph, because almost nobody mentions it. The house edge is taken not from your bankroll and not from your time at the table but from turnover — the sum of every bet you make. The same hour on a fast table costs several times what it costs on a slow one, with an identical system and an identical stake.
Pace is a price too
A live dealer table produces noticeably fewer rolls per hour than an RNG one: there is bet-taking, calling, and settling to get through. RNG craps waits for nobody, and Molly adds several bets per round on top of that. If you want to stretch an evening and cheapen it at the same time, the simplest lever is not changing the system but changing to a slower table.
Variants: 2 Point Molly and the Dark Molly
If your bankroll cannot carry the full system, there is a lighter version — 2 Point Molly. It is literally the same strategy with two points working instead of three. Wins arrive slightly less often, a seven-out costs less, and the house edge is unchanged at 0.37% with 3-4-5×.The cheaper variant is the Dark Molly: the same construction on the dark side. Instead of Pass and Come you take Don’t Pass, two Don’t Come bets and the maximum lay bets that stand in for odds. Depending on the lay maximum available, the house edge falls to 0.14–0.37%.
The psychological price of the dark side
In a land-based casino, betting against the table is visible to your neighbours at the rail, and the atmosphere can cool. It makes no difference to the math; it occasionally makes a difference to the evening. Online the question does not arise.
Drill whichever variant you choose at the free table, and once the system runs on autopilot, pick a site from the craps casino rankings — checking the odds limit first: without a high multiple, Molly loses the point entirely.
Molly against its neighbours
One price, very different characters, and very different bankroll demands.
| System | House edge | Exposure at a $10 bet | Session bankroll | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line + 3-4-5× odds | 0.37% | ≈$60 | 20–30 units | Calm, one decision per round |
| 2 Point Molly | 0.37% | ≈$120 | 30–40 units | The bankroll compromise |
| 3 Point Molly | 0.374–0.405% | $160–$180 | 40–50 units | Frequent payouts, expensive seven-out |
| Dark Molly | 0.14–0.37% | depends on lay | 40–50 units | Cheapest of all, hardest psychologically |
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Is it worth moving to Molly
For
- Three numbers working at the price of a single Pass Line with odds
- Action on almost every roll — the game stops being a wait
- All of your money sits in the lowest-edge bets on the table
- The logic is rigid: there is nowhere to improvise, and therefore nowhere to go wrong
Against
- Exposure is 16–18 times the flat bet, and it burns on a single roll
- Needs 40 units minimum — below that a normal losing run ends the session immediately
- Not for beginners: you need the Come mechanic and the odds modes cold
Common questions about 3 Point Molly
Is 3 Point Molly really the best craps strategy?
It is among the best by cost of play: 0.37% with 3-4-5× odds and three points working at once. But 'best' in the sense of 'winning' does not apply — like any system, Molly does not remove the long-run house edge. On price alone it is beaten only by Don't Pass with maximum lay odds (0.12–0.18%).
What happens to the bets on a seven-out?
The entire exposure loses at once — Pass Line, both Come bets and all the odds under them. At a $10 flat bet with maximum odds that is $160–$180 on one roll. The single exception is a Come bet still sitting in the come area with no number behind it yet: for that bet the seven is a 1:1 win.
Do odds behind Come bets work on the next round's come-out?
By default no: they are off, they neither win nor lose, and if the underlying Come bet loses they are returned to the player. An experienced player can call working odds in advance — then the odds play alongside their Come bet in both directions. That lowers the house edge from 0.405% to 0.374%, because more money sits in the zero-edge portion, but variance rises with it.
What bankroll does Molly need?
40–50 units minimum, which is $400–$500 at a $10 flat bet. For comfort, hold 6–10 full exposures: if maximum odds put your exposure at $180, a comfortable bankroll is $1,080–$1,800. With less than that, one bad round takes a visible bite out of your session.
What if a 7 rolls while my Come bet is still in the come area?
For every bet placed earlier it is a seven-out and they lose. But for the new Come bet that roll is its own come-out, so the seven is a win at 1:1. One roll simultaneously takes the whole exposure and pays the fresh bet.
Can you play Molly online?
Yes. The system works in full in RNG craps and at live-dealer tables such as Evolution Live Craps. Drill it at a free table first: the pace online is quicker than in a land-based pit, and mistakes in bet order cost you faster.
How does 2 Point Molly differ from 3 Point Molly?
Only in how many numbers are working: two instead of three. The house edge is the same — 0.37% at 3-4-5× — but exposure is about a third lower, so a seven-out costs less. It is the sensible choice when the bankroll cannot carry the full system: better to play 2 Point Molly with maximum odds than 3 Point Molly with trimmed ones.
Can you add a Field bet or a hardway to Molly?
Technically yes, practically no. The entire value of the system is that the money sits in bets running from 0% to 1.41%. One Field bet at 5.56% or a hardway at 11.11% cancels the saving the system was built for. Molly works only in its pure form.
Related reading
Notes
- Molly's combined house edge with 3-4-5× odds is ≈0.37%: the flat bets and their 1.41% are diluted by zero-edge odds. The system neither improves nor worsens the price of a single Pass Line with odds — it adds coverage of three numbers at the same price. ↩
- Odds behind Come bets left working through a come-out lower the overall house edge from 0.405% to 0.374%, because a larger share of the money sits in the zero-edge portion. The price is variance: with odds off, a come-out seven simply returns the odds to the player, while with working odds they lose alongside their Come bet. If that Come bet's number rolls instead, working odds mean both the flat part and the odds win. ↩
- A seven rolled while a Come bet is still in the come area, with no number behind it, is a 1:1 win for that bet: at that moment the Come is functioning as a fresh Pass Line on its own come-out. ↩