Craps

Overview

A casino dice game played with two dice. Most of the table is side bets; the core game is a single sequence called the pass line.

There is no governing body. Rules, odds limits and permitted bets are set by each casino and its gaming regulator, so check the rules posted at your table. The house edges below are our own calculations from the standard payouts.

1. The come-out roll

The shooter begins with a come-out roll:

Roll	Pass line result
7 or 11	Natural — pass line wins immediately
2, 3 or 12	Craps — pass line loses immediately
4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10	That number becomes the point

2. Rolling for the point

Once a point is established, the shooter keeps rolling until one of two things happens:

• The point is rolled again — pass line wins, and a new come-out begins with the same shooter.
• A 7 is rolled — "seven out". Pass line loses and the dice pass to the next player.

Note the inversion: on the come-out a 7 wins; after the point is set, a 7 loses. That single reversal is the whole game, and it is why the table erupts or groans at the same number.

3. Don't pass

Broadly the opposite bet. It loses on a come-out 7 or 11, wins on 2 or 3, and pushes on 12 — the "bar 12" printed on the felt, which is where the house takes its edge on that side.

After a point is set, don't pass wins on a 7 and loses if the point repeats.

Betting don't pass means winning when most of the table loses. Its house edge is slightly lower than the pass line's.

4. Odds — the best bet in the casino

Once a point exists, you may back your pass line bet with an odds bet placed behind it. Odds pay true probability with no house edge at all:

Point	Odds pay	True probability
4 or 10	2 to 1	1 in 3
5 or 9	3 to 2	2 in 5
6 or 8	6 to 5	5 in 11

Because the odds bet has no house edge, casinos cap how much you can take, usually as a multiple of your line bet. The limit varies by casino.

5. Other bets

• Come / don't come — the same structure as pass, started on any roll.
• Place bets — betting a specific number appears before the next 7.
• Field — a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.
• Proposition bets — the centre of the table. Large payouts, terrible odds; the worst hold an edge above 16%.

6. House edge summary

Bet	House edge
Pass line	1.41%
Don't pass	1.36%
Pass line with 3× odds	~0.47%
Place 6 or 8	1.52%
Field	2.78–5.56%
Any 7	16.67%

7. Etiquette

Casinos usually ask the shooter to throw with one hand and hit the far wall of the table, and players to keep their hands clear while the dice are rolling. Many regulars also consider it bad luck to say "seven" once a point is set.

Commonly argued

• A 7 wins on the come-out and loses afterwards. Same number, opposite result.
• Odds bets have zero house edge.
• 12 pushes on don't pass, which is the entire house advantage on that bet.
• Casinos usually require the dice to hit the far wall. Check the table's rules.
• Proposition bets are terrible. The centre of the table is the worst value in the building.