Craps

Craps is by far the most exciting game in the casino. Players crowd around the table, cheering for the dice shooter and placing bets left and right. But for newcomers, craps can also be the most intimidating and complicated game in the casino. We'll show you how to keep the game simple by placing only the best bets at the craps table.

How to Play Craps

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The players at the craps table take turns rolling the dice. The player who is rolling the dice is called the shooter. All of the players are betting on the same dice roll. Generally, the shooter keeps rolling until they roll a 7, referred to as sevening out. A player may pass the dice to the next player if they wish not to roll.

The first roll in a craps game is called the Come Out roll. A round On/Off marker near the dealer will be turned over to the OFF side to indicate the Come Out roll. The Pass Line and Don't Pass bets can only be placed before the Come Out roll. These are explained below.

Pass Line

The Pass Line bet is the most popular bet at the craps table, and the only one you really need to know to play craps. To bet the Pass Line, place your wager in the Pass Line area in front of you on the table. On the Come Out roll, if the shooter rolls a:

  • 7 or 11: The Pass Line bets win. Another Come Out roll commences.
  • 2, 3 or 12: The Pass Line bets lose. These numbers are called craps. Another Come Out roll commences.
  • 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: This is the point. The Point roll commences.

If a point is rolled, the next and subsequent rolls are Point rolls. The On/Off marker is turned over to the ON side and placed next to the number that was just rolled. For the Pass Line players to win their bets, the shooter must roll the point again before rolling a 7. If a 7 is rolled, the Pass Line players lose their bets. If any other number is rolled, the shooter rolls again. Once a 7 or the point is rolled, the Point roll ends, the marker is flipped over to the OFF side, and another Come Out roll commences.

For example, on the Come Out roll the shooter rolls a 10. This is the point. The dealer flips the marker to the ON side, and places it near the 10 on the craps table. The next roll is the point roll. If the shooter rolls a 10, the Pass Line bettors win their bets. If he rolls a 7 before rolling a 10, the Pass Line bettors lose. If any other number is rolled, the shooter rolls again. Once a 7 or a 10 is rolled, the marker is turned over to the OFF side, and another Come Out roll follows.

Pass Line bets pay 1:1, and are removed from the table after a win. The Pass Line has a house advantage of 1.41%, making it one of the better bets in the casino.

Don't Pass

The Don't Pass bet is pretty much the opposite of the Pass Line bet. Basically you are betting on a contrary outcome than the Pass Line bettors. If the shooter rolls a:

  • 2 or 3: The Don't Pass bets win. Another Come Out roll commences.
  • 7 or 11: The Don't Pass bets lose. Another Come Out roll commences.
  • 12: Tie. Don't Pass bets are returned, and another Come Out roll commences.
  • 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: The Point roll commences.

On the Point roll, the Don't Pass bet wins if a 7 is rolled before the point. Don't Pass bets pay 1:1, and are removed from the table after a win. The house advantage on the Don't Pass bet is 1.36%, just slightly less than the Pass Line bet. Keep in mind that betting the Don't Pass line may make you unpopular at the craps table, since you'll be winning while everyone else is losing.

Come Bet

After the point has been established, players can place a Come bet. The Come bet is very similar to the Pass Line bet. The player places their bet on the Come line. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the next roll, the Come bet wins. If a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, the Come bet loses. If any other number is rolled, this becomes the come point. The dealer moves the player's Come bet to the area on the table corresponding to the come point. If the come point is rolled again before a 7 is rolled, the player's Come bet wins. If a 7 is rolled first, the Come bet loses.

The Come bet pays 1:1. The bet remains on the table after a win until the player decides to remove it. The house advantage is the same as the Pass Line bet, 1.41%. A Come bet is the best way to get additional action while waiting for the point to be rolled on your Pass/Don't Pass bets.

Don't Come Bet

Similar to the Don't Pass bet, the Don't Come bet is the opposite of the Come bet. The Don't Come bet wins if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, loses on a 7 or 11, and ties on a 12. If a come point is established, the Don't Pass bet wins if a 7 is rolled before the come point. The house advantage on the Don't Come bet is 1.36%.

Odds Bet

Once the point or come point has been established on a Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come or Don't Come bet, the player has the option to place an additional bet that pays true odds with no house advantage! The maximum allowed Odds bet is a multiple of your original bet – generally 2x to 10x, although a few casinos may offer higher odds. A sign at the table will indicate the maximum allowed Odds bet.

Place the Odds bet next to your original bet on the table, up to the maximum allowed odds. You can place the Odds bet anytime before a point roll. For a Pass Line or Come bet, if the point or come point is rolled before the 7, you win true odds on your Odds bet:

  • A point of 4 or 10 pays 2:1
  • A point of 5 or 9 pays 3:2
  • A point of 6 or 8 pays 6:5

The Odds bet is removed from the table after a win.

For the Don't Pass and Don't Come bets, the payouts on the Odds bet are reversed. A point of 4 or 10 pays 1:2, a point of 5 or 9 pays 2:3, and a point of 6 or 8 pays 5:6. The reduced payouts are due to the increased likelihood of rolling a 7 before the point.

For example, the player places a Pass Line bet of $5. The Come Out roll is a 4 – this is the point. The table offers 3x odds, so the player places an Odds bet of $15 next to their original Pass Line bet. If the point is rolled before a 7, the player wins $10 on their Pass Line bet and $30 on their Odds bet. If a 7 is rolled, the player loses both bets.

The following table shows the combined house advantage of the Odds bet with the Pass Line/Come and Don't Pass/Don't Come bets. Full Double Odds means that the maximum allowed odds for a point of 6 or 8 is 2.5:1. 3-4-5x odds means that the player can bet 3x odds on a point of 4 or 10, 4x odds on a 5 or 9, and 5x odds on a 6 or 8.

OddsPass/ComeDon't Pass/Come
2x0.61%0.59%
Full Double Odds0.57%0.55%
3x0.47%0.45%
3-4-5x0.37%0.35%
5x0.33%0.32%
10x0.18%0.17%
20x0.10%0.09%
100x0.02%0.01%

To summarize, you should always place the maximum Odds bet on your Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come and Don't Come bets. The house advantage in craps when placing these bets is comparable to blackjack and high-payout video poker, which makes craps an exciting and potentially profitable gamble for the smart player.

Other Bets

As you're probably aware, there are many other bets available at the craps table, such as the Field bet, Place bets, Buy and Lay bets, Proposition bets, Big 6, Big 8, Hardways and others. All you need to know is that, as an advantage player, you can safely ignore these bets. All of these bets have a high house advantage, and should be avoided.

Dice Control

Just as professional blackjack players have learned how to count cards with skill, craps enthusiasts have similarly developed a method of rolling the dice in such a manner as to influence the outcome. This ability to roll dice with precision is called dice control.

First, the shooter sets the dice, by arranging them side-by-side so that the numbers are identical on one or more sides. Next, the shooter grips the dice lightly, so as to minimize skin contact and friction. Finally, the shooter throws the dice, sending them sailing at a 45-degree angle and rotating on the same axis. The dice should hit the table, bounce gently off the back wall, and land softly on the table without much rolling.

Obviously, dice control is a physical skill that takes time and practice to master. For serious craps players, dice control is the only method to gain an advantage in craps. There are many books, courses and seminars on dice control – check the recommended books and links below. A good way to learn dice control is to take a class the next time you go to Vegas.

Play Craps Online

The best way to learn craps is to download some online casino software and play for free. The gameplay described above will make much more sense after you've played a few rounds. The following online casinos allow 3x Odds, which offers a house advantage of 0.47% on Pass Line/Come bets and 0.45% on Don't Pass/Come bets. Note that almost all online casinos do not allows craps wagering to apply towards bonus requirements.

  • Fortune Room Online Casino - Fortune Room offers Vegas Craps with the best odds online! Receive a minimum 100% match bonus with just a $35 deposit!
  • Vegas Red - Vegas Red offers attractive software and authentic games, including 3x Odds on Craps! Receive up to $888 in bonuses by playing at Vegas Red today!

Craps Books

Craps Software
  • WinCraps - A comprehensive craps simulator, recommended by craps dealers and trainers. Shareware.

Craps Links

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