New York Craps

How to Play New York Craps

In a nutshell: Box numbers only, true odds, 5% vig - The no-frills East Coast game. You play with 2 dice, it's rated simple, box numbers only, and true-odds payouts minus a 5% commission on wins.

New York craps strips the table to its skeleton. There is no pass line, no come bets and no place bets - you simply pick box numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) and your chips win if the number rolls before a 7. Payouts are true odds - 2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, 6:5 on the 6 and 8 - and the house takes its cut as a flat 5% commission on winnings, the 'vig'. That makes the math unusually honest: you can see exactly what the game costs on every bet. A field bet rides alongside for one-roll action. Because a single 7 sweeps every box at once, the skill is in how many numbers you keep working and how deep. Same session rules as every table here: $500 in free chips, double to $1,000, fastest time takes the board.

New York at a glance

Goal	Turn $500 into $1,000 betting box numbers straight up - your number against the 7, at true odds less a 5% vig.
Dice used	2 standard dice - 36 combinations per roll
Difficulty	Simple, box numbers only
Odds	True-odds payouts minus a 5% commission on wins
Family	Casino Classics
Bankroll	Start with $500 in free chips - double up to $1,000 to win the session

Step by step

History of New York

New York craps grew up alongside bank craps in the early 20th century, dealt on a distinctive 'double-end dealer' layout in the eastern United States and later in Caribbean casinos. Where Las Vegas tables multiplied side bets, the New York game went the other way and kept only the box numbers.

Its 5% vigorish is the same mechanism bookmakers used, and it gave the variant a reputation as the 'honest' craps - the price of every bet was printed on the felt. Players who wanted true odds without learning a sprawling layout gravitated to it.

The pure New York table has nearly vanished from casino floors, surviving mostly in gambling literature. Craps.now recreates it with the classic six boxes, true-odds payouts and the traditional vig - plus the site-wide free-chip session race to $1,000.

How to Win New York: Strategy

💡 Top tip: Anchor on the 6 and 8 - they roll five ways each against the seven's six, so they hit more often than anything else on the layout.

Winning tips, in order of importance

1. Spread shallow, not deep: three numbers at modest stakes survives a seven far better than one number at maximum.
2. The vig is the whole house edge - since it is charged on wins only, every bet costs the same fair 5%-of-winnings price.
3. The 4 and 10 pay a handsome 2:1 but hit only three ways each - treat them as occasional spice, not the base of your game.
4. After each seven sweeps the layout, rebuild gradually - the Repeat Bets button restores your last spread in one click.
5. Use the field sparingly; it is the only non-box bet here and its 2.78% edge is charged win or lose, unlike the vig.
6. The leaderboard clock is running: steady 6-and-8 grinding is the fastest reliable route to $1,000.

Advanced tactics for New York

1. Expected cost per box bet is identical (5% of expected winnings), so allocate by hit frequency, not payout size - frequency keeps sessions smooth.
2. A 6 or 8 wins its private race 5/11 of the time; a 4 or 10 only 3/9. Two units on 6 and 8 beat one unit on four numbers for variance control.
3. Because bets stay up after a win, decide in advance how many hits you take before pulling a bet down - two hits and down is a classic New York rhythm.
4. A full six-number spread means the only losing roll is the 7 itself - but it also means the 7 costs you everything. Size the spread at no more than a third of your rack.
5. Watch the win floor: our table floors payouts to whole dollars after the vig, so bet in amounts the odds divide cleanly - $10 on 5/9, $12-style multiples of 5 on 6/8.
6. There is no point cycle here - no puck, no come-out. Every roll is live, which makes New York the fastest table on the site per decision.
7. If you want the same numbers with a lower price and a point cycle, the classic table's place bets on 6/8 cost 1.52% - the trade is pace versus price.

Common New York mistakes to avoid

• Covering all six boxes with big bets at once. Fix: one 7 sweeps the whole layout - spread across two or three numbers and keep the total under a third of your rack.
• Favoring the 4 and 10 for their 2:1 payout. Fix: they win only three ways each against the 7's six - anchor on the 6 and 8, which win five ways each.
• Forgetting the vig only comes out of wins. Fix: that is the game's honesty - judge every bet by hit frequency, since the 5% price is identical everywhere.
• Rebuilding the full spread immediately after a seven. Fix: restore numbers gradually (or use Repeat Bets at your old size) so back-to-back sevens cannot ruin the session.

New York Variations

Bank craps

The full Las Vegas game with pass line, come bets, odds and props - the main table on this site, and the best line price in the house at 1.41%.

Buy bets on the classic table

Modern casinos sell 'buy' bets - true odds minus 5% vig on any box number - which is exactly the New York mechanism grafted onto a standard layout.

Money craps

The open, high-stakes cousin once dealt in illegal East Coast rooms - box numbers and center bets settled in cash. New York craps is its housebroken descendant.

Crapless craps

Keeps the pass-line cycle but removes come-out losses; a different answer to the same wish for a friendlier game. It has its own table here.

Street craps

No layout at all - just pass, don't pass and a point. Our Street table is the minimalist counterpoint to New York's box grid.

New York FAQ

New York guides & strategy

• New York craps and the 5% vig
• Place bets and box numbers, compared
• More craps questions, answered in plain English

Still have a question about New York Craps? Browse the full craps FAQ, look up a term like come-out roll or seven-out in the craps glossary, or compare New York with the other tables in the rules for every craps game.

Last updated 2026-07-03.