The 3-Point Molly: A Balanced Pass and Come Strategy

The point is 8. You have $10 on the Pass Line with $20 in Odds. You place a $10 Come bet. The shooter rolls a 5 — your Come bet travels to the 5, and you add $20 in Odds behind it. You place another $10 Come bet. The shooter rolls a 9 — now your second Come bet moves to the 9 with $20 in Odds. Three points working. Three numbers that can pay you on the next roll. The only number that hurts all three at once is the 7.

The shooter rolls a 5. Your Come bet on 5 pays $10 plus $30 in Odds (3:2 on $20). You immediately place a new $10 Come bet to keep three points active. The system keeps running.

This is the 3 point molly — probably the most widely recommended strategy in craps circles, and for good reason. It combines the two lowest-edge bets on the table (Pass Line and Come) with the only zero-edge bet in any casino (Odds), then structures them so you always have three active points collecting wins. It's not complicated. It's not flashy. And the math behind it is about as good as craps gets.

The Mechanics: Three Points, Always Three

The 3-Point Molly maintains exactly three active positions at all times: one Pass Line bet and two Come bets. Each position is backed with Odds. When a position wins, you immediately replace it with a new Come bet to maintain the count.

The Betting Sequence

1. Place $10 on the Pass Line before the come-out roll.
2. Shooter establishes a point. Take Odds behind your Pass Line bet.
3. Place a $10 Come bet. The next roll acts as a personal come-out for this bet. If it lands on a number, that number becomes your Come point — take Odds.
4. Place another $10 Come bet. Same process. Once this bet travels to a number and you take Odds, you have three points working.
5. Stop placing new Come bets. With three points active, you wait. Every non-7 roll either hits one of your points (you collect) or does nothing.
6. Replace any bet that resolves. If a Come point wins, immediately place a new Come bet on the next roll to stay at three points.

What You Have on the Table

With $10 base bets and 2x Odds:

The house edge applies only to the $30 in flat bets. The $60 in Odds carries zero edge. Your effective combined house edge on $90 in action is approximately 0.47% — one of the lowest numbers achievable in any casino game.

Why Three Points? The Balance Point

Players sometimes ask: why not two points? Why not four or five? The answer is a trade-off between coverage, variance, and bankroll exposure.

Two points (Pass Line + one Come) leaves you with two numbers working. That's steady, but you're only getting paid on 2 out of 6 possible point numbers. Lots of rolls do nothing for you.

Three points hits the sweet spot. With three numbers active — say 6, 9, and 5 — you have coverage across 13 of the 24 possible point-number combinations. More rolls produce results. Your action feels engaged.

Four or more points means $120+ on the table at all times with 2x Odds, and a seven-out wipes all of it. The more points you run, the more a seven-out costs. With three points and a seven-out, you lose $90. With five points, you lose $150. The house edge per dollar doesn't change, but the total dollars at risk — and the psychological blow of a wipeout — escalates fast.

Three points is where the math and the bankroll management intersect most comfortably for the broadest range of players.

A Full Session: Watching the Molly Work

Here's a ten-shooter session showing the 3-Point Molly in action. $10 base bets, 2x Odds, $300 starting bankroll.

Shooter 1: Point is 6. Come bet travels to 9. Second Come bet travels to 5. Shooter hits the 9 — you collect $10 + $30 Odds (3:2). Replace Come bet, which travels to 10. Shooter hits the 6 — collect $10 + $24 Odds (6:5). New come-out roll. +$74.

Shooter 2: Come-out 7 — Pass Line wins $10. Shooter rolls another come-out: 11 — another $10. Point becomes 4. Come bet goes to 8. Second Come goes to 6. Shooter sevens out. Lose $90 (all three positions). -$70. Session net: +$4.

Shooter 3: Point is 8. Come bets go to 5 and 10. Shooter hits the 10 — collect $10 + $40 (2:1). Replace with Come to 6. Shooter sevens out. Lose $90. -$40. Session net: -$36.

Shooters 4-7: Mixture of results. Two shooters last long enough to hit two Come points each. Two shooters seven out quickly. Net across four shooters: +$48.

Shooters 8-10: One decent roll (+$64), two quick seven-outs (-$180). Net: -$116.

Session total after 10 shooters: About -$104. Not a winning session, but not a catastrophe either. The bankroll survived because no single seven-out cost more than $90, and the winning shooters produced real returns when they lasted.

This is the 3-Point Molly's personality: measured, methodical, sometimes frustrating, but never reckless. You won't tell stories about it at the bar. But you'll still have money in your pocket.

The Seven-Out: The Cost of Doing Business

Every 3-Point Molly player must accept one reality: when the 7 comes, all three positions die simultaneously. If you have $90 on the table, the seven-out costs $90. No hedge, no partial save.

But here's the nuance that softens the blow: if you have a fresh Come bet sitting in the Come box (not yet traveled to a number) when the 7 hits, that Come bet wins — because a 7 on a Come bet's "come-out" roll is a win. So the 7 that kills your two established Come points and your Pass Line actually pays on your newest Come bet. You lose $60 in established positions but win $10 on the fresh Come. Net loss: $50 instead of $60.

This natural hedge is built into the Molly's structure. Because you're constantly replacing resolved Come bets, there's often a fresh Come bet in transit when the seven-out arrives. It doesn't eliminate the pain, but it consistently reduces the size of every wipeout by one flat bet.

The average shooter holds the dice for about 8.5 rolls before sevening out. With three points working, you'll typically resolve 2-4 points before the wipeout arrives. If those points included any favorable numbers (6, 8, or even 5/9), the payouts from Odds often recoup a significant portion of the eventual loss.

The math works because you're making the cheapest bets available. The 1.41% flat bet cost and 0% Odds cost mean the casino's take is tiny relative to your total action. You're not trying to dodge seven-outs — you're trying to make enough on your wins that the seven-outs barely dent you.

Bankroll Requirements: What the Molly Demands

The 3-Point Molly is bankroll-intensive. With three positions at $30 each, you need $90 working at peak exposure. A single seven-out takes all of it. Two consecutive seven-outs cost $180.

Recommended minimums:

The rule of thumb: bring enough to survive 4-5 complete seven-out wipeouts. That gives you the runway to encounter the winning rolls that make the strategy profitable over a session.

For detailed guidance on sizing your bankroll to your strategy, see Bankroll Management: How Much Money Do You Need for Craps?.

Common Mistakes with the 3-Point Molly

Adding a fourth or fifth point. The shooter is rolling, your three points keep hitting, and you think "one more Come bet can't hurt." Yes it can. Every additional point increases your seven-out exposure without improving the house edge. Stick to three.

Skipping Odds on Come bets. Many players take Odds on the Pass Line but forget to hand the dealer Odds chips for their Come points. The Come Odds carry the same zero house edge. Skipping them is leaving your best weapon on the table.

Abandoning the system after two seven-outs. Cold stretches happen. Two quick seven-outs might cost you $180 in five minutes. The temptation is to switch to something else — Field bets, Hardways, or just rage-pressing the Pass Line. Don't. The 3-Point Molly's edge is cumulative. It needs volume to work. Abandoning it after a rough patch means you only ever experience the losing end.

Not replacing Come bets immediately. After a Come point wins, some players take a breath and skip the next Come bet. That gap reduces your coverage. If you're running the Molly, run it — place the replacement Come bet on the very next roll.

Running it at a table beyond your bankroll. A $15 table with 3x Odds requires $135 per round and $600+ in bankroll. If you're walking in with $200, you're not playing the 3-Point Molly — you're playing a prayer. Scale down to $5 bets or find a cheaper table.

How the 3-Point Molly Compares

The 3-Point Molly delivers the best effective house edge of any multi-bet approach. It's more expensive in bankroll than simpler strategies, but cheaper per dollar in action than anything else on the table.

Try It Yourself

Practice the 3-Point Molly in our free craps simulator. Place your Pass Line bet, establish two Come points with Odds, and run the cycle through 30 shooters. Track how often your three points hit before the seven-out and how your bankroll fluctuates. The simulator shows you the rhythm of the Molly — the steady accumulation during decent rolls and the sharp drops on seven-outs — without risking a dollar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main goal of the 3 point molly strategy? Maintain three active points — one Pass Line and two Come bets — each backed with maximum Odds. This creates multiple chances to win on every roll while keeping the combined house edge below 0.5%.

How does the 3 point molly reduce the house edge? The flat bets (Pass Line and Come) carry 1.41% house edge. The Odds behind them carry 0%. By putting more money into Odds than flat bets, the blended edge drops dramatically — to 0.47% with 2x Odds or 0.35% with 3x Odds.

Is the 3 point molly guaranteed to win? No. The house always has an edge, and seven-outs will cause losses. The Molly minimizes the cost of playing, not the certainty of eventual losses. Short-term results will vary widely.

How much bankroll do I need? For $10 base bets with 2x Odds, bring $400-$500. That covers 4-5 complete seven-out wipeouts and gives the strategy room to work across a full session.

Can I use the 3 point molly at any craps table? Yes, but verify the table's Odds limits. Tables offering 3x-4x-5x Odds or better give the Molly more power. Tables with only 1x Odds still work but produce a higher effective edge.

What's the difference between the 3 point molly and just playing Come bets? The Molly formalizes the structure: always three points, always backed with Odds, always replace resolved bets immediately. It's a Come bet strategy with rules that prevent overextension or underexposure.

Final Thoughts

The 3-Point Molly is the disciplined player's strategy. It won't produce adrenaline spikes or legendary stories. What it produces is a combined house edge under 0.5%, consistent action across multiple numbers, and a structure that keeps you from making impulsive decisions when the table gets noisy.

It asks for patience and bankroll depth in exchange for the most mathematically favorable multi-bet approach available. That's a fair trade for anyone playing craps as a long-term game rather than a one-night gamble.

Related articles:

• The Come Bet: Creating Multiple Points on the Table
• The Pass Line Bet: Craps' Most Fundamental Wager Explained
• Bankroll Management: How Much Money Do You Need for Craps?