Bubble Craps Odds Explained: Payouts and Free Odds

In ordinary craps with two fair dice, the house edge is 1.41% on the Pass line and 1.36% on Don't Pass. However, the Bubble Craps name does not guarantee identical rules or payouts on every machine. Supplementary free odds have a 0% house edge, but the combined bet still has negative expected value and can put more money at risk.

This guide explains standard probabilities, payouts, commissions and verified calculator examples. It is a reference for understanding bets and checking a terminal's paytable, not a promise of profitable play.

What is Bubble Craps, and which variants need separate calculations?

Bubble Craps is a format using physical dice in an enclosed device, with electronic terminals for placing bets. It should be distinguished from online electronic games that present virtual dice rolls.

Interblock's craps cabinet series describes a mechanical dice shaker and lists ordinary, Easy and Crapless variants separately. That does not establish that all cabinets use air or pneumatics, have identical payouts, or that RNGs are universally absent from electronic craps games.

In Crapless Craps, 2, 3 and 12 can become points. The ordinary Pass line edge of 1.41% therefore does not apply. Unless stated otherwise, every calculation below assumes ordinary craps.

A mechanical design is not, by itself, certification of a particular device's integrity. This guide does not test equipment or assume a universal playing pace, minimum stake or venue limit.

What do “odds” and payout ratios mean?

“Odds” can mean three different things: the probability of an event, the payout ratio for a winning bet, or a supplementary free-odds bet after a point is established.

For example, the probability of rolling six next is 5/36. A payout of 7:6 describes something else: a stake of 6 earns 7 in net profit, with 13 returned including the stake.

Two paytable conventions must not be confused:

• 7 to 6: a stake of 6 earns 7 profit, for a total return of 13.
• 7 for 6: a stake of 6 receives 7 in total, for a net profit of 1.

These examples explain notation, not a universal Bubble Craps payout. Check the actual help screen or paytable. Also distinguish the nominal wager from the total paid including commission and from the amount on which commission is calculated.

Free odds pay at true odds: in the fair-dice model, the payout exactly compensates for the probability of losing. “Free” means zero house edge on that component, not free money or protection against loss.

Which rules do you need to read the payout table?

You need to know when each bet wins, loses or remains unresolved. The full craps rules guide provides more background.

Pass line: On the come-out roll, 7 or 11 wins, while 2, 3 or 12 loses. A roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 establishes the point. Afterward, repeating the point before seven wins; seven before the point loses.

Don't Pass: Under the standard bar-12 rule, 2 or 3 wins on the come-out, 7 or 11 loses, and 12 pushes, returning the stake without profit. Once a point is established, seven before the point wins.

Come and Don't Come: Each has its own come-out roll after placement and then its own point. A seven does not lose every Come bet: a newly placed Come bet wins on seven on its own first roll.

Place bets: The selected number must roll before seven. Other totals leave the bet unresolved.

Hardways: The selected total wins when rolled as a matching pair. The same total rolled the easy way, or a seven, loses. Other totals leave the bet active. A Hardway is not a one-roll proposition bet.

Field and one-roll proposition bets: These settle on a single roll.

Check separately whether Place bets and odds are working on a new come-out roll. Do not assume every active-looking bet is working at that stage.

What are the probabilities for two dice?

Two fair, independent six-sided dice have 36 equally likely combinations. These probabilities describe a mathematical model, not a certification or test of a particular machine.

Percentages are rounded to two decimal places; the fractions out of 36 are exact.

The chance of six on the next roll is 5/36 = 13.89%. The chance of six before seven is 5/(5 + 6) = 45.45%. The second calculation excludes neutral rolls, which only extend the wait for a result.

Independence means that an “overdue seven” does not change the next-roll probabilities. These figures cannot predict outcomes.

Win probability is also not house edge. Expected value requires the probability of winning, the net profit when you win and the loss when you lose. See the house-edge explanation for more on stake bases.

What are the standard payouts and house edges?

The table below is a comparative reference for ordinary craps, not a guaranteed paytable for every Bubble Craps terminal. All payout ratios mean net profit excluding the returned stake.

Grouped labels such as “6/8” and “4/10” mean alternative selections: one bet on one chosen number. They do not mean splitting the stated stake across both numbers.

Field wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and loses on 5, 6, 7 or 8. Both endpoint payouts matter: double on both 2 and 12 gives a 5.56% edge; double on 2 and triple on 12 gives 2.78%.

For Place bets and Hardways, the edge is per resolved bet, not per intervening roll. For Pass, it is per complete trial beginning with the come-out. The 1.36% Don't Pass figure includes bar-12 pushes among initial wagers; excluding those pushes from the denominator gives about 1.40%.

Expected loss per 100 units wagered equals 100 × house edge only when the stake basis matches. For example, a Place 6 stake of 6 has an expected loss of about 9.09 units over 100 resolved bets, not every 100 dice rolls.

Theoretical return to player, or RTP, is 100% minus the house edge on the stated basis. It is not win frequency, a constant for the entire Bubble Craps format, or a promised session return.

New Jersey regulation 13:69F-1.4 provides a jurisdiction-specific example of minimum payouts and “to” notation. It does not set worldwide machine rules. The edges here are independently calculated; Wizard of Odds Appendix 1 is a cross-check for standard values.

The chart compares house edges under the standard payouts explained above; individual tables may use different rules. Pass and Come pay 1:1, and Don't Pass and Don't Come include pushes on 12. Free Odds pay true odds without commission. Place pays 7:6 on 6/8, 7:5 on 5/9 and 9:5 on 4/10; Big 6 and Big 8 pay 1:1; Hard 6/8 pays 9:1 and Hard 4/10 pays 7:1; Any Craps pays 7:1 and Any Seven pays 4:1; 2 or 12 pays 30:1, and 3 or 11 pays 15:1. Field 2/2 means 2:1 on 2 and 12; Field 2/3 means 2:1 on 2 and 3:1 on 12.

As explained in the commission section, Buy fees are 5% of the stake and Lay fees are 5% of potential profit. “Upfront” means charged on every placement: Buy's 4.76% uses a stake-plus-fee basis, and Lay's 2.44% uses a risk-plus-fee basis. “Win-only” means charged only on wins: both 1.67% figures use the nominal stake or risk, excluding the fee.

How do Buy and Lay commissions change the calculation?

Standalone Buy and Lay bets with commission differ from commission-free supplementary odds. Sharing a true-odds payout does not make their expected values identical.

A Buy bet on 4 or 10 pays true odds of 2:1. If a fee of 5% of the nominal stake is charged upfront on every placement, the edge is 4.76% of stake plus fee, or 5% of the nominal stake. If charged only on wins, the edge is 1.67% of the nominal stake.

This example assumes an exact fractional fee, with no rounding or minimum commission:

With the upfront fee, you pay 20 plus commission of 1. A winning return of 60 therefore leaves 39 net profit. With commission on wins only, 1 is deducted from the winning return, leaving 59 returned and the same 39 profit. The losing amount and expected loss differ.

A Lay bet on 4 or 10 risks 2 to win 1. Its 5% commission in this model is based on potential profit, not the amount at risk. Charged upfront, it produces a 2.44% edge on risk plus fee; charged only on wins, it produces a 1.67% edge on nominal risk.

Minimum fees, cent rounding, a different commission base, or fees charged again on repeat bets can change these results. Although standard Place 4/10 has a 6.67% edge, that comparison does not justify a universal “always Buy” recommendation.

Commission rules vary. For example, New Jersey regulation 13:69F-1.5 prohibits vig on the listed true-odds place bets. This illustrates variation, not a worldwide 5% fee rule.

How do taking and laying free odds work?

Free odds are added to your own Pass or Come bet after its point is established. On Don't Pass or Don't Come, laying supplementary odds backs seven before that bet's point. These are not standalone Buy or Lay bets.

These probabilities are conditional on an established point. The supplementary component has zero house edge at these payouts, but both it and the base bet can lose together.

Under a 3x-4x-5x model, a base Pass bet of 10 allows the following maximum supplementary stakes:

For point 6, Pass 10 plus odds 50 wins 70 net profit and returns 130 if six rolls before seven. A seven loses all 60. Other totals leave both bets unresolved.

On the opposite side at point 6, supplementary risk of 60 wins 50. Adding Don't Pass 10 gives total risk of 70, winning net profit of 60 and total return of 130. Read the posted limit separately: a limit on risk is different from a limit on potential winnings.

New Jersey regulation 13:69F-1.6 illustrates taking and laying odds rules. It does not establish the maximum available on your terminal.

Original English paragraph (a) of the New Jersey regulation describing odds added to a Pass Bet

Original English regulatory screenshot captured on October 9, 2026. Paragraph (a) concerns the Pass Bet. This is a New Jersey regulatory example, not a casino terminal paytable or a translated cabinet interface.

How can you check a payout with the standalone calculator?

The craps payout calculator can verify the standard Place 6 or 8 example: a stake of 6 earns 7 profit and returns 13 in total.

Open the tool and select “Place 6 or 8”. Enter 6 in “Stake”. Results update automatically; there is no Calculate button to press.

The results show profit 7, total return 13, house edge 1.52% and win probability 45.45%. That probability is per resolved bet: the one selected number must roll before seven. It is not the probability of that number on the next roll. A verdict badge does not mean the bet is profitable or safe.

Local localhost calculator capture with Place 6 or 8 selected, Stake 6, profit 7 and total return 13

Local localhost capture of the standard payout example for one selected number. This is not a production-site or casino test.

Use the separate Free odds pane for the supplementary bet. Change “Stake” to 10: this value is reused as the base line bet in that pane, not as a Place bet of 10 with odds attached. Select point button “6” and enter 5 in the multiplier input.

The supplementary results are odds stake 50, profit 60 and house edge 0%.

Local localhost Free odds pane capture with base Stake 10, point 6, multiplier 5, odds stake 50 and profit 60

Local localhost capture of the supplementary-odds calculation, not a production-site or casino test. “Max here 5x” comes from the preset 3x-4x-5x model for point 6, not live casino rules.

The multiplier input accepts 1 through 100, but that does not confirm those amounts are available at a terminal. The tool uses fixed rules: it cannot accept a custom paytable, its Field preset assumes double on 2 and triple on 12, and its commission preset cannot validate your machine's fees. It is not an RNG simulator, risk-of-ruin calculator or profit predictor.

Why is the combined edge 0.37%, not 0.29%?

For Pass with maximum odds under the 3x-4x-5x model, the combined house edge is 0.37433155%, rounded to 0.37%, when measured against the average total stake over complete initial Pass trials.

Let the exact base Pass edge be e = 7/495. Odds are added only when the come-out establishes a point, not on every initial trial.

The expected supplementary stake per unit of base stake is:

2 × (3 × 3 + 4 × 4 + 5 × 5) / 36 = 25/9

The combination counts are 3, 4 and 5 for the respective point pairs; the other factors are the odds multipliers. Average total stake is therefore:

1 + 25/9 = 34/9

The combined edge is:

(7/495) / (34/9) = 0.37433155%

The conditional average multiplier 38/9 applies only after a point has been established. It cannot be used unchanged across all initial trials. Neither is 3.8 the correct average odds multiplier for this calculation.

For a fixed multiplier m, the formula is e / (1 + 2m/3), not e / (1 + m), because a point is established on two thirds of come-out rolls.

All figures use the average base-plus-odds stake over complete initial trials. They are not point-specific conditional line edges or a list of available terminal limits.

What is the expected loss per hour?

With a fixed Pass base of 10 USD and a hypothetical 70 initial Pass trials per hour, expected loss is 9.898989 USD, or about 9.90 USD, with or without true-odds bets.

The calculation is 10 × 70 × 7/495 = 9.898989. Over four hours under the same assumptions, expected loss is about 39.60 USD.

Here, 70 means initial Pass trials, not 70 dice rolls. A trial may take several rolls. This is a worked assumption, not a universal Bubble Craps pace. A different number of completed wagers changes expected loss.

Free odds do not change the expected loss of an unchanged base bet. They increase exposure, the amount that can be lost in one trial and variance. A lower percentage does not automatically mean lower risk.

At a fixed total wagering budget, shifting money from the base bet to zero-edge odds can lower theoretical monetary loss if minimum stakes and rules allow it. That is not arbitrage. Maximum odds are not automatically advisable for a small budget, and neither chasing losses nor using a stop-loss guarantees profit.

What are the embedded calculator's limitations?

The embedded block is retained for reference only: do not use its combined-edge or hourly-loss outputs as accurate calculations. Use the standalone payout tool for the verified payout examples and the formulas above for combined edge.

For 3x-4x-5x, base stake 10 and 70 decisions, its code uses 1.41 / (1 + 3.8) and displays 0.29%, 2.06 USD per hour and 8.22 USD over four hours. The mathematical references for the same 70 initial Pass trials are 0.37%, 9.90 USD and 39.60 USD.

Its simplified edge / (1 + m) calculation has the wrong average-wager denominator. Its hourly formula then multiplies the combined percentage by the base stake alone. The block's 0.37% tip also conflicts with its actual 0.29% output.

Its Field label says “2:1 on 12” without fully specifying the other endpoint, while its 2.78% preset assumes one endpoint pays triple. It cannot validate an actual terminal paytable, and its code has not been corrected here. The following block is therefore for reference viewing only, not an accurate odds or hourly-loss engine.

What should you check at the terminal before putting money in?

Before betting, confirm the craps variant, payout conventions, commissions and supplementary-odds limits. If the accounting does not match the rules, do not bet more to investigate.

1. Identify the variant. Confirm ordinary craps rather than Crapless, where 2, 3 and 12 can become points. Only then apply the ordinary Pass reference.
2. Find the actual rules and paytable. A section may be called “Help,” “Rules” or “Paytable,” but these are possible labels, not guaranteed buttons. Establish whether payouts mean net profit “to” or total return “for.”
3. Check key outcomes. Confirm Don't Pass bar 12, or another stated push rule such as bar 2. Compare Place 6/8, both Field endpoint payouts and Hardway conditions.
4. Read commission terms separately. For Buy and Lay, identify the fee base, when it is charged, minimum fees and rounding. Check whether commission is charged again on every repeat placement.
5. Read odds limits for each point. A maximum supplementary stake is not a payout ratio. On the Don't side, establish whether the limit refers to risk or potential profit.
6. Check working status and rebetting. Find out whether Place bets and odds work on the come-out, whether automatic rebetting is enabled, and which available control turns it off. Do not assume a universal switch.
7. Reconcile the money if records are available. Keep a ticket or bet history and compare the initial stake, settled result, credited return and any still-active bet. Account separately for repeat stakes and commission.

Treat Bubble Craps as paid adult entertainment, not income. Set an amount you can afford to lose before playing: probability tables explain the model, but they do not remove risk.