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Understanding Pass Line Bet In Online Craps

 

The Pass Line is the staple bet in online craps for expert players. This is hardly surprising because it has the lowest house edge of all craps bets. The Pass Line is a multi-roll bet and new players should make an effort to understand its nuances. This article explains the features of this bet.

The Pass Line bet has to be wagered before the come out roll. The come out roll is the first roll of a new session. The Pass Line bet immediately wins if the come out roll is a 7 or an 11 and loses if the come out roll is 2, a 3 or a 12. The second outcome is also referred to as craps. If any other number is rolled then that number becomes the point and a marker is placed on that number in the layout on the online craps screen. The dice are continuously rolled again till one of the following outcomes occurs. If the point is rolled again before a 7 then the Pass Line bet wins. If a 7 is rolled before the point then the Pass Line bet loses. The bet pays even money and has a house edge of 1.4%.

Most online craps variants offer a facility known as free odds that can be used in conjunction with the Pass Line bet. It reduces the house edge even further. The free odds component comes into play after the Pass Line bet has been placed and the point has been established. You have to place the free odds bet before the roll that follows the establishment of the point. Most online craps variants permit two free odds bets. The single free odds bet limits the additional wagered amount to the original bet. The double free odds bet limits the additional wager to twice the amount of the original bet. Then the Pass Line bet wins or loses as described earlier.

The advantage of the free odds bet is that it pays out at mathematically correct odds without any house edge. The payout depends on the point. If the point was a 4 or a 10 the payout is 2:1; if the point was a 5 or a 9 the payout is 3:2 and if the point was a 6 or an 8 the payout is 6:5. The house edge of the combined bet is reduced to 0.8% for the single free odds bet and to 0.6% for the double free odds bet.

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