Dice combinations & odds — the whole game in one table.
Every payout, every house edge, every "smart vs. sucker" call in craps traces back to one thing: 36 equally likely combinations of two dice. Learn this single grid and you can derive any craps number yourself — you'll never need to memorize a payout again.
1 · Why exactly 36 combinations
6 × 6, all equally likelyEach die has 6 faces. The two dice are independent, so every face of the first die can pair with every face of the second: 6 × 6 = 36 combinations, each equally likely. Critically, 1-6 and 6-1 are different combinations even though both total 7 — that's why order matters when you count, and why some totals are far more common than others.
2 · The full 6×6 grid
Every combination, with its totalRows = die 1, columns = die 2. Each cell is the total. The diagonal of 7s is the busiest line on the board:
3 · Odds of every total
Count the cells — that's the whole table| Total | Combinations | Ways | Probability | True odds against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1-1 | 1 | 2.78% | 35 : 1 |
| 3 | 1-2, 2-1 | 2 | 5.56% | 17 : 1 |
| 4 | 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 | 3 | 8.33% | 11 : 1 |
| 5 | 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 | 4 | 11.11% | 8 : 1 |
| 6 | 1-5 … 5-1 | 5 | 13.89% | 31 : 5 |
| 7 | 1-6 … 6-1 | 6 | 16.67% | 5 : 1 |
| 8 | 2-6 … 6-2 | 5 | 13.89% | 31 : 5 |
| 9 | 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 | 4 | 11.11% | 8 : 1 |
| 10 | 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 | 3 | 8.33% | 11 : 1 |
| 11 | 5-6, 6-5 | 2 | 5.56% | 17 : 1 |
| 12 | 6-6 | 1 | 2.78% | 35 : 1 |
4 · Why 7 rules the game
The pivot of every betA 7 has six ways to be made — more than any other total — which is exactly why craps is built around it. On the come-out a 7 is an instant Pass Line win. After a point is set, that same 7 is the kill switch: the most likely single total is now the one that ends your bet. Every "before a 7" calculation — Place bets, the odds bet, come-points — is just a race against those six combinations. Master the 7 and the rest of craps is bookkeeping. See it in motion in the how-to-play guide.
5 · Derive any payout yourself
No memorization requiredOnce you have the grid, every "fair" payout is just ways-to-lose : ways-to-win. Three quick examples:
- Free odds on a 6: a 6 wins 5 ways, a 7 loses 6 ways → true odds 6:5. That's exactly what the odds bet pays — hence 0% edge.
- Place 4: 4 wins 3 ways, 7 loses 6 → true odds 2:1. It only pays 9:5 → that gap is the 6.67% edge (Place bets).
- Any 7: wins 6/36, true odds 5:1. It pays only 4:1 → the 16.7% edge (prop bets).
That's the entire trick. Every craps argument reduces to "what does the grid say the true odds are, and how far short does the payout fall?"
6 · FAQ
Dice odds questionsHow many combinations are there with two dice?
What's the probability of rolling a 7?
What are the odds of each total?
Why are 6 and 8 important in craps?
You know the grid. Now watch it roll — for real.
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