- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
The bubble craps calculator prices the bets on an electronic craps machine, the kind where three-quarters of the table is a touchscreen and the dice bounce around under a glass dome. The dice maths is the same as a live table. What changes is the speed, the minimum bets and sometimes the payouts, so pick your bet and the rolls you’re likely to see, and the CasinoCalcs calculator turns the house edge into money per hour.
Bubble craps RTP for each bet
| Bet | House edge | RTP | $10 for 100 rolls costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass line, odds behind | 1.41% (flat bet) | 98.59% | $4.19 |
| Don’t pass | 1.36% | 98.64% | $4.04 |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | 98.48% | $4.63 |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% | 96.00% | $11.11 |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | 93.33% | $16.67 |
| Field, triple 12 | 2.78% | 97.22% | $27.78 |
| Hard 6 or 8 at 9 to 1 | 9.09% | 90.91% | $27.78 |
| Any seven | 16.67% | 83.33% | $166.67 |
The last column is the useful one. The field’s 2.78% looks close to the pass line, but it’s settled every single roll, while a pass bet stays up for 3.38 rolls on average. So $10 in the field for 100 rolls costs nearly seven times what $10 on the pass line does. The same thing is why the one-roll props are so expensive on a machine that rolls quickly.
Is there a bubble craps system?
The only one that holds up is boring: pass line or don’t pass, as much free odds as the machine allows, and maybe place bets on 6 and 8. Bubble machines are often generous with odds, sometimes 5x or 10x, and that’s the real advantage they have over a busy table with a $15 minimum. With $5 on the pass line and 5x odds, your total money faces about 0.33% edge. Progressions, regression systems and “hedge” combinations all rearrange the same bets; none of them adds up to less than the bets they’re made of.
Two things to check on the machine’s help screen before you play: what the field pays on 12, and what the hardways pay. Some machines pay a point less on each, and a hard 6 at 8 to 1 instead of 9 to 1 doubles its edge to 18.2%. The calculator has both versions.
Speed is the hidden cost
A live table manages around 100 rolls an hour when it’s busy, fewer with a slow shooter. A bubble machine with nobody holding things up can go faster. Same bet, same edge, more rolls: more money through the machine. Put your own pace into the calculator, or time ten rolls on the machine and multiply. For the full layout with every payout, see the craps payout chart, and to play a session on the virtual felt, try the craps simulator.
Machines don’t get tired, and that’s the risk. Set a time and a budget before the first roll. BeGambleAware.org offers free support.