We started covering Las Vegas craps games in 2014. The information we collected included minimum bets, maximum odds, number of tables and if the field paid double or triple on 12.
At first, we only visited Las Vegas Strip and downtown casinos. We added locals casinos over several years. By 2018, we covered every Las Vegas casino that dealt live table games.
Craps is one of the most popular Las Vegas table games. Here are some ways that it has changed over the years.
Las Vegas Blackjack and Table Games Survey
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Minimum bets have more than doubled
In 2014, Casino Royale still offered $3 craps on the Las Vegas Strip. Fremont in downtown Las Vegas also had a $3 game.
It was simple to find a $5 craps game back then. It was prevalent in the locals market. Jokers Wild, Lucky Club and Club Fortune still had $1 craps games. It was $2 at Jerry’s Nugget.
Many Las Vegas Strip casinos dealt $5 craps in 2014 and for years after that. This included Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Linq, O’Sheas, Paris, Riviera, SLS Las Vegas (now called Sahara) and Stratosphere. Every downtown Las Vegas casino dealt $5 or lower craps in most of the 2010’s.
Today, there are no $5 craps games on the Las Vegas Strip. You are lucky to find a $10 table on the slowest days. Some Las Vegas Strip casinos have $25 and $50 craps minimums.
The only $5 craps game left in downtown Las Vegas is at Downtown Grand. The others start at $10 and $15. Some go up to $25 at night.
Most locals casinos now require a $10 or $15 minimum bet to play craps. The lowest tables are $5, and that is mostly in the outlying suburbs.
Craps odds fluctuated
Las Vegas market craps odds as of March 2022
Today, every Las Vegas Strip casino from Sahara to Mandalay Bay offers players 3-4-5 times odds at live craps tables. The Strat allows up to 10 times odds. There used to be more variance at these tables.
In 2014, Casino Royale offered 20 times craps odds. Circus Circus had double odds. The rest of the strip was the same as it is now.
In 2015, Wynn and Encore dropped from 3-4-5 times odds to double odds. SLS Las Vegas went up to 10 times odds.
In 2017, Casino Royale dropped from 20 times odds to 3-4-5 times odds. It remained there until table games were pulled from the casino when it reopened in 2020. In 2017, Cromwell rolled out 100 times craps. That stayed until 2021. Circus Circus improved to 3-4-5 times odds in 2019.
Downtown Las Vegas craps odds
The odds at downtown Las Vegas craps tables are the same now as in 2014, except that Plaza and Las Vegas Club were 3-4-5 times. Circa was built on the Las Vegas Club parcel, and offers the same 3-4-5 times odds.
In 2016, Plaza went up to 10 times odds from 3-4-5 times odds, where it remains today. It converted a craps table into crapless craps with double odds. That table remained for about two years before returning to traditional craps. There are no crapless craps tables in downtown Las Vegas.
In 2017, Downtown Grand dropped from 10 times odds to 5 times odds. In 2019, Downtown Grand returned to 10 times craps odds, where it remains today.
Downtown Las Vegas craps odds are typically 10 times. The exceptions are double odds at California and Fremont, 3-4-5 times at Circa and Golden Nugget, five times odds at Binion’s and Four Queens, and 20 times odds at Main Street Station.
Craps odds at locals casinos
We do not have the complete set of locals casinos earlier than 2018. We started covering the most popular ones in 2014. Most offered 10 times odds if they were deeper in the locals market and 3-4-5 times if closer to the Strip. Ellis Island was one of the 3-4-5 craps games until 2017, when it improved to 10 times odds. That same year, Silverton also went from 3-4-5 times odds to 10 times odds.
All Station Casinos offer 10 times odds. Boyd Gaming’s locals casinos are a mix of mostly 3-4-5 times and 10 times. Sam’s Town ties Main Street Station for the highest Las Vegas craps odds at 20 times.
Pandemic changed Las Vegas craps
The pandemic forced the closure of Las Vegas casinos on March 17, 2020. When casinos reopened on June 4, there were capacity restrictions. This had an inflationary effect on minimum bets that has never been resolved.
Some attempts were made to help with this. One new product was Roll to Win Craps. This is a hybrid craps game with video screens to bet on but real dice thrown by players. It is operated by one dealer. Minimum Roll to Win Craps bets are usually $5 or $10 less than the live tables.
Rumors have it that dice setters were able to angle the smooth table for more accurate rolls, while simultaneously distracting dealers. Whatever the reason, there were eight of these machines around late 2021 in Las Vegas. It is down to three now.
Video and stadium craps have expanded in Las Vegas since the pandemic. These minimums are typically from $1 to $5.
The typical Las Vegas Strip craps game now has either a $15 or $25 minimum bet. Downtown Las Vegas casinos typically start at $10 or $15. The locals market is mostly $10, with a few $5 and $15 tables.
Craps field triple on 12 changes
Most Las Vegas casinos that were not operated by Caesars Entertainment paid triple on a field 12 when we first started collecting data in 2014. In 2016, Station Casinos switched from triple to double, except at Texas Station, which closed in March 2020.
All 12 downtown Las Vegas casinos paid triple on 12 on the field until 2017. That is when Binion’s and Four Queens switched to double. It was not long before Golden Gate, Golden Nugget and The D joined them. Circa opened in October 2020 paying double on 12.
Las Vegas crapless craps
When we first started the Las Vegas Table Game Survey, we only found crapless craps at Las Vegas Club. It moved to the Plaza after Las Vegas Club closed. Plaza and Las Vegas Club were owned by the same company.
Crapless craps reappeared at the Stratosphere around 2016. Plaza removed crapless craps in 2018, leaving it only at the Stratosphere, now called The Strat.
In early 2020, we found crapless craps at Harrah’s and Luxor. When casinos reopened in June 2020, we discovered many new crapless craps installations. Today, 19 Las Vegas casinos deal crapless craps. Westgate is the only one that is not on the Strip. No downtown Las Vegas casinos deal crapless craps. Any Las Vegas casino with crapless craps also deals the traditional version of the game.
As crapless craps grew on the Las Vegas Strip, we also found it in other markets. For example, you can play crapless craps at casinos in Maryland and Ohio. This includes MGM National Harbor and all Ohio casinos.
See also: How Las Vegas Roulette Has Changed Since 2014
