Craps has a reputation as the loudest, most confusing game in the casino: a crowded table, a layout covered in boxes, and a language all of its own. Underneath, it is simple. Two dice are rolled, and nearly everything depends on two ideas, the come-out roll and the point. Learn those, and the rest of the table is just a menu of side bets, some fair and some very expensive.
This guide explains how a round works, what every bet does, what it pays and what it costs, using the rules of the craps table on this site, which you can play free with play chips.
Key takeaways
- Seven is the most likely roll: 6 of the 36 ways two dice can land, or one roll in six.
- The Pass Line wins on 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, loses on 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise needs its point to be rolled again before a 7.
- Pass Line (1.41%) and Don't Pass (1.36%) are among the cheapest bets in any casino.
- Place 6 and 8 cost 1.52%. The one-roll proposition bets in the middle cost between 11% and 17%.
- No bet has a positive expectation. The good bets just cost less.
The dice: why 7 rules the game
Two six-sided dice can land 36 ways. Some totals can be made more ways than others, and that is all craps strategy really is:
| Total | Ways to roll it | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 each | 2.8% each |
| 3 or 11 | 2 each | 5.6% each |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 8.3% each |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 11.1% each |
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 13.9% each |
| 7 | 6 | 16.7% |
How a round works
The come-out roll
A round starts with the come-out roll. On the Pass Line, the main bet:
- 7 or 11 is a "natural": Pass Line bets win even money immediately.
- 2, 3 or 12 is "craps": Pass Line bets lose.
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 becomes the point.
The point
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point is rolled again before a 7, Pass Line bets win even money. If a 7 comes first, called a "seven-out", Pass Line bets lose and the round ends. Every other number in between doesn't matter to the Pass Line, though it may settle other bets. On average, a Pass Line bet takes about 3.4 rolls to be decided.
The main bets
Pass Line
The bet described above. It pays even money and has a house edge of 1.41%. On this table, once a point is established a Pass Line bet is a contract bet and stays on until it wins or loses.
Don't Pass
The opposite bet. On the come-out roll it wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, and on 12 it is a push: your stake comes back. That "bar 12" rule is what gives the house its edge. Once a point is set, Don't Pass wins if a 7 comes before the point. House edge: 1.36%, very slightly better than Pass.
Come and Don't Come
These work exactly like Pass and Don't Pass, but you make them after a point has been set. The next roll acts as the bet's own come-out roll: a Come bet wins on 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise "travels" to the number rolled, which becomes its own point. They carry the same low edges as Pass and Don't Pass, and on this table they are only available once the table has a point.
Place bets
A Place bet backs one number to be rolled before a 7, and stays working until it wins or a 7 appears. When it wins, it is paid and stays up.
| Place bet | Pays | Bet in multiples of | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 6 | 1.52% |
| 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 5 | 4.00% |
| 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 5 | 6.67% |
The multiples exist so the odd payouts come out in whole chips. Place 6 and 8 are nearly as cheap as the Pass Line; Place 4 and 10 cost more than four times as much.
Field, hardways and proposition bets
These are the bets that make craps expensive. The Field is a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. It pays even money, and 2 to 1 on 2 and 12. It looks like it covers most of the numbers, but the four totals it leaves out, 5, 6, 7 and 8, can be rolled 20 ways out of 36: more than half the time. A hardway bets that a number arrives as a pair, like 3 and 3 for a hard 6, before it arrives any other way or a 7 is rolled. Proposition bets in the centre of the table are one-roll bets on a specific result.
Every bet on this table, priced
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Don't Pass / Don't Come | 1 to 1 (12 pushes) | 1.36% |
| Pass Line / Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| Field | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 | 5.56% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 or 10 | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps (2, 3 or 12) | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Yo (11) | 15 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Any Seven | 4 to 1 | 16.67% |
The house edge is the share of each bet the house keeps on average over time. At 1.41%, you lose about 1.41 chips per 100 staked on the Pass Line. At 16.67%, Any Seven costs nearly twelve times as much per bet. Many casinos also offer a "free odds" bet behind the Pass Line with no house edge; the table on this site does not, so the numbers above are the whole menu. For more on what these percentages mean, see what is the house edge.
A simple way to start
- Bet the Pass Line on the come-out roll, and nothing else, for the first few rounds. Watch how the point works.
- Once you are comfortable, add Place bets on 6 and 8 after a point is set.
- Skip the Field, the hardways and the proposition bets in the middle. They are fun, and they are the reason craps takes chips so quickly.
- Decide your session budget and a time limit before the first roll, and stop when you reach either one.
Craps words you will hear
- Shooter: the player rolling the dice.
- Come-out roll: the first roll of a round, before a point is set.
- Point: the number, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, that the Pass Line needs rolled again before a 7.
- Natural: a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll.
- Craps: a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll.
- Seven-out: a 7 after a point is set, which ends the round.
- Yo: an 11, so called so it is not misheard as "seven".
- Hard way: an even number rolled as a pair, like 4 and 4 for a hard 8.
The Craps playbooks
The Craps series of the strategy playbooks goes deeper in three parts. Craps Decoded covers how the table works, what every bet does and what each one costs. Craps Precision sets out every bet's true odds, payout and price in tables. Seven Out is about living with the number that ends every hand: plans, stop rules and the log.
Ready to try it? The craps table here uses free play chips only, so you can learn the come-out roll and the point without risking anything.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best bet in craps?
Don't Pass (1.36%) and Pass Line (1.41%) are the cheapest on this table, with Place 6 and 8 close behind at 1.52%. "Best" here means "costs the least"; every bet still has a house edge.
Why is 7 so important?
It is the most likely total, one roll in six, and it decides most bets: it wins the Pass Line on the come-out roll and loses it once a point is set.
Is betting against the shooter bad etiquette?
At a real table, some players dislike Don't bettors because they win when the shooter loses. It is a completely legitimate bet, and on an online table there is nobody to annoy.
Can you win at craps in the long run?
No. Every bet carries a house edge, so the longer you play, the closer your results get to losing that percentage of everything you stake. Short sessions vary a lot, which is part of the fun.
How long does a round of craps last?
A Pass Line bet takes about 3.4 rolls to be decided on average, but a hot shooter can keep a round going for dozens of rolls.