How the 3 point molly craps strategy works
You start with a flat pass line bet on the come-out. Once the shooter sets a point, you take full odds behind it and then place a Come bet in the big box. When that come bet travels to a number, you add odds to it too and make a second come bet the same way.
With three numbers covered you stop betting and let the dice work. Each time one of your numbers wins, the dealer pays it and takes it down, and you make a fresh come bet to replace it. The pattern always aims for three points in action. Only a seven-out resets everything to a new come-out.
The flat bets never change size. What makes the 3 point molly cheap is the odds, because the odds bet pays true odds and the house has no edge on it at all. The flat pass and come bets carry the 1.41% edge; everything stacked behind them costs you nothing over the long run.
A hand, roll by roll
Say you bet $10 on the pass line and the come-out is a 6. You take $50 in odds and bet $10 on the come. The next roll is a 9, so that come bet moves to the 9 and you back it with $40. A second $10 come bet then travels to the 4 and gets $30 behind it.
Replacing a number that hits
Two rolls later the 9 comes in. The dealer pays even money on the $10 flat and 3 to 2 on the $40 odds, $70 in total, and returns the bet. You put a new $10 in the come box. If the next roll is an 8, that becomes your third number and the table is full again.
Money on the table at peak
This is the part most write-ups skip. At a $10 table with 3-4-5x odds you can take $30 behind a 4 or 10, $40 behind a 5 or 9 and $50 behind a 6 or 8. Three flat bets plus three sets of odds means the felt holds anywhere from $120 to $180 of your money.
| Points working | Flat bets | Odds (3-4-5x) | Total on the felt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4, 10 and 5 | $30 | $100 | $130 |
| 6, 9 and 4 | $30 | $120 | $150 |
| 5, 6 and 8 | $30 | $140 | $170 |
| 6, 8 and 6 again | $30 | $150 | $180 |
The last row is not a mistake. A come bet can travel to the same number as your pass line point, so two of your three units may both sit on the 6. The peak of $180 is when every unit rests on a 6 or 8, where the odds limit is highest. That is eighteen times the table minimum.
Now picture the seven. It clears everything at once, flat bets and odds together, and there is no partial loss. A shooter who sets a point, lets your three numbers fill up and then sevens out costs you around $150 in one roll. Two of those in a row is $300, and it happens every evening.
The combined house edge, with the numbers
Each unit in the pattern is a line bet plus odds, so the whole 3 point molly carries the same combined edge as one pass line bet with odds. The table below uses the figures from our odds bet math. The cost is measured per dollar you wager, flat and odds together.
| Odds allowed | Combined house edge |
|---|---|
| No odds | 1.414% |
| 1x | 0.848% |
| 2x | 0.606% |
| 3-4-5x | 0.374% |
| 5x | 0.326% |
| 10x | 0.184% |
Compare that with the Iron Cross, which covers every number but the seven using place bets and the Field. Place bets on the 5 and 9 cost 4% and the Field costs 5.56%. The 3 point molly pays less than a tenth of that, which is why patient players prefer it.
One honest caveat. A come bet that has not yet traveled faces its own come-out roll, where a 2, 3 or 12 costs you the flat bet. That is part of the 1.41% already, not an extra fee. It just means you will sometimes lose a $10 come bet while every other number stays put.
Bankroll for three point molly craps
Peak exposure is the number that should set your bankroll. If you can have $180 on the felt, you need enough to absorb several consecutive seven-outs without walking away early. A good rule of thumb is four to five times your peak exposure per session, so roughly $700 to $900 at a $10 table.
That may sound like a lot for a table minimum of $10. It is. The 3 point molly trades a tiny house edge for large swings, and the swings are what empty a wallet in a single cold hour. Our guide to bankroll management walks through the session math in more detail.
If that figure is too high, cut the odds rather than the pattern. Taking 2x instead of full odds lowers the peak to about $90 and raises the combined edge to 0.61%. That is still cheaper than a place bet on the 6 or 8. Or drop to two points, which removes a third of the risk.
Stopping points that make sense
Set a loss limit before you sit down, and a point at which you stop making new come bets. Many players stop adding come bets once they are up by a certain amount, letting the remaining numbers play out. That locks in part of a good roll without changing the edge at all.
Craps 3 point molly variations
The standard version covers three numbers. A two-point version uses the pass line and one come bet, and some players run a four or five point version on long rolls. The edge never changes, because every unit is the same line-plus-odds bet. Only the amount at risk on each seven moves up or down.
Some players at the rail call it 3 point dolly craps, and books often spell out three point molly. Same thing. The dark-side mirror uses Don’t Pass and two Don’t Come bets with laid odds, covered on our page about the Don’t Pass strategy, and it costs very slightly less.
Where you play changes the limits. Odds caps differ from casino to casino in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and they can change without notice, while online games print their cap in the help screen. Always read the table placard or the rules page before you decide how large each odds bet should be.
Playing the 3 point molly craps strategy online
Licensed online casinos in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia deal real-money craps with pass line, come and odds bets, so the pattern carries straight over. Live dealer tables such as Evolution’s Live Craps use real dice on camera. You must be 21 or older and physically inside the state.
The practical difference is speed. A computer-dealt game can roll far faster than a live pit, and faster rolls mean more decisions per hour at the same small edge. Try the pattern on our free craps table first, then check that the online game’s odds limit matches the table you are used to.
Watch one detail on screen. Many online layouts leave come-bet odds off on the come-out by default, just like a casino pit, and the toggle is easy to miss. Before your first real hand, check where it sits and decide whether you want those odds working when the next seven lands.