- Pays
- 1 to 1
- House edge
- 5.56%
- Decided by
- One roll
- Can be made
- Any roll
What is the field in craps?
The field is the wide box printed across the front of the layout, between the come area and the line bets. You can place a field bet yourself on any roll, come-out or point, and it is decided on the very next throw. It does not care about the puck, the point or anything that happened on earlier rolls.
It wins if the dice total 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. It loses on 5, 6, 7 or 8. A newcomer reading the felt sees seven numbers against four and assumes the bet favors them. It does not, and the reason sits in the dice, which never roll every total equally often.
The field numbers and their payouts
At most American tables the field pays even money on 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11. The 2 pays double, 2 to 1, and the 12 pays double as well. Some casinos pay triple on the 12 instead, the better table if you like this bet. The multipliers are printed in small circles on the felt.
| Roll | Ways out of 36 | Standard pay | Better pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| 9 | 4 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| 10 | 3 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| 11 | 2 | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| 12 | 1 | 2 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| 5, 6, 7, 8 | 20 | loses | loses |
Why the field bet feels better than it is
Count dice combinations instead of numbers and the picture flips. The seven field numbers can be rolled 16 ways out of 36. The four losing numbers, 5, 6, 7 and 8, can be rolled 20 ways. So a field bet loses 20 rolls in 36 and wins 16, about 44% of the time.
The field is built around that illusion. It hands you the rare totals, the 2 and 12 that come up once in 36 rolls each. It keeps the fat middle of the distribution for the house. The 7 alone rolls six ways, more than the 2, 3 and 12 combined, and it never pays here.
Craps field bet odds, roll by roll
Put $10 in the field for 36 perfectly average rolls. You win $10 on 14 of them (the 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11), $20 on the 2 and $20 on the 12. That is $180 in winnings. You lose $10 on the other 20 rolls, which is $200. The $20 gap across $360 wagered is the house edge.
You can check that split in our guide to craps odds or by clicking through the totals. Nothing hidden sits in the field; the whole price is visible on the felt, provided you count ways instead of numbers. It is the same mistake people make when they assume a 12 is as likely as a 7.
The craps field bet house edge
At a table paying double on both the 2 and the 12, the field bet carries a house edge of 5.556%, or $20 lost per $360 bet. Move to a table paying triple on the 12 and the extra $10 on that roll cuts the gap in half, to 2.778%. That one circle matters more than any betting pattern.
Neither figure is cheap next to the line bets. The pass line costs 1.41% of each bet and a place bet on the 6 or 8 costs 1.52%. The field sits closer to the Big 6 and Big 8 than to anything a careful player makes, though it is still far cheaper than the proposition box in the middle.
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Per roll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field | 1 to 1; 2 pays 2 to 1; 12 pays 2 to 1 | 5.56% | 5.56% |
| Pass Line | 1 to 1 | 1.41% | 0.42% |
| Place 6 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% | 0.46% |
| Place 5 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% | 1.11% |
| Big 6 | 1 to 1 | 9.09% | 2.78% |
| Any Seven | 4 to 1 | 16.67% | 16.67% |
What playing the field costs per hour
The field is expensive for a second reason: speed. A pass line bet is decided every 3.4 rolls on average, so its edge is charged slowly. The field is decided on every roll, so its full 5.56% is charged on every throw. A $10 field bet costs about 56 cents per roll in the long run, whatever the shooter does.
Say your table throws 100 times an hour, a round number for illustration rather than a measured pace. Betting $10 on every roll then costs roughly $56 an hour on average. The same $10 on the pass line costs about $4 over the same hour, because it only settles around 30 times. Try your own stake and speed below.
How to play the field in craps
You can drop field chips into the box yourself at most live tables, since it sits right in front of the players. Put the chips in the part of the box nearest your spot so the dealer knows whose they are. Winning bets are paid next to the stake, and you pick them up or leave them working.
Losing field bets are swept after the roll. If you leave the original chips plus the winnings, you are betting both amounts on the next roll, which is how players drift into doubling. Dealers are used to “field for ten” called across the table, but you need the chips down before the stickman sends the dice out.
Playing the field online
Licensed online craps in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia offers the same box with the same seven numbers. Payouts can differ between games, so read the help screen for the 2 and 12 multipliers before your first click. Live-dealer studios such as Evolution Live Craps also deal it, with real dice and the same one-roll settlement.
The speed problem is sharper online. A computer-dealt game rolls as fast as you click, which can push the hourly cost well past anything a live table manages. If you use the field there at all, keep the stake small and count the rolls; the edge per roll does not change, but the number of rolls per hour does.
Is the field a good bet in craps?
On pure numbers, no. At 5.56% the field costs almost four times what a pass line bet does, and it charges that on every roll. At a triple-12 table it drops to 2.78%, which is a reasonable price for a one-roll bet but still double the line. The math says to look for that table first.
There is a case for small, occasional field bets. Some players use one to have something riding while they wait for a new shooter. That is a choice about entertainment, not value. Just watch which numbers pay double before you drop a chip, because a single circle changes the price.