The dice are in the middle, a player pushes cash toward the layout, another calls “$12 on the eight,” and a third asks whether the point is on. A craps crew cannot handle those events as unrelated requests. Dealer procedure is the control sequence that keeps money, chips, bets, dice, and game state synchronized.
The sequence matters more than raw speed. A clean crew completes one stage before allowing the next: acknowledge the buy-in, establish ownership, book the wager, close action, validate the roll, collect losing bets, pay winners, record the new game state, and only then release the dice again.
The crew is one control system
Staffing and titles vary by casino, but a full traditional game commonly divides responsibility this way:
| Position | Primary operating responsibility | Typical control risk |
|---|---|---|
| Base dealer | Books, positions, collects, and pays bets on one side | Wrong player, amount, or payout |
| Stickperson | Controls the dice, calls totals, and handles many center bets | Invalid roll, late action, unclear call |
| Boxperson or table supervisor | Oversees the bank, procedure, disputes, and approvals | Unresolved exception or control failure |
| Floor supervisor | Covers table limits, fills, credits, ratings, and escalations | Authorization and documentation gaps |
Some casinos use a reduced crew, rotate positions, or assign supervisory duties differently. Mini-craps, electronic-assisted craps, and stadium products can change the physical workflow. The control objectives remain: visible transactions, clear ownership, valid dice, correct settlement, and an auditable response when something goes wrong.
For the broader operating model, see How Casinos Run Craps. The Stickman Role and Boxman Role pages examine those positions separately.
One complete roll cycle
1. Finish buy-ins before the dice leave
Cash should remain visible until the amount is counted and announced. The dealer states the buy-in, converts it to chips, sends the currency to the drop system under house procedure, and delivers the chips to the correct player.
A late buy-in can interrupt dice control and create uncertainty about whether chips on the layout are a wager or change. Unless an emergency or house procedure requires otherwise, the clean moment is while the dice are centered and betting is open.
2. Confirm the game state
The crew needs a shared answer to four questions:
- Is the puck on or off?
- If on, what is the point?
- Which wagers are working or not working?
- Are there unresolved instructions from the prior roll?
A misplaced puck or an unconfirmed “working” call can change whether a bet wins or loses. The state must be visible before new action is accepted.
3. Book and position wagers
Dealer-controlled bets are not complete merely because chips touched the layout. The dealer must understand the instruction, repeat it when useful, place the chips in the correct area, preserve player ownership, and handle change.
Clear calls include:
- “$12 place 8.”
- “Press my 6 to $30.”
- “Take down my 5 and 9.”
- “My odds are working on the come-out.”
“Put me up,” “same thing,” or “press it” may be understandable in context, but the dealer should clarify whenever the amount or destination is uncertain.
4. Close action and send the dice
Once the stickperson offers the dice, hands and chips should be clear of the expected dice path. The crew stops late transactions that cannot be completed safely and consistently before the throw.
This boundary protects against past posting: placing or changing a wager after the outcome is partly or fully known. A player who called in time but was not heard may have a legitimate dispute; that is why audible repeats and immediate chip placement matter.
5. Validate and call the roll
The dice must satisfy the applicable roll rule. Traditional rules commonly require both dice to leave the shooter’s hand together and travel toward the far end of the table. Dice that fail the rule, are interfered with, leave the table, or produce an unreadable result can require a no-roll or supervisory decision.
The stickperson calls the total only after the dice settle and the result is clear. The crew should not begin paying from a guessed or incomplete call.
6. Collect losers before paying winners
The standard control principle is “take, then pay.” Removing losing wagers first prevents the layout from becoming a mixture of old losing chips, live bets, new payouts, and change.
The exact side order and proposition-bet sequence are house procedures, but they should be consistent. The base dealer protects chip ownership, uses correct payout units, and states or repeats unusual presses and take-downs.
7. Reset before the next throw
After settlement, the crew confirms the point, puck, working status, unresolved change, and any new player instruction. Only then should the dice return to the shooter. Sending them early pressures the dealers to finish transactions while action is already closing, which is how small errors become disputes.
When a verbal wager becomes a booked wager
A call bet is a vocal wager made without the full chip placement being completed first. Whether it is permitted, who may authorize it, and how it must be evidenced are controlled by jurisdiction and house rules.
Nevada’s table-games minimum internal control standards provide a useful example: accepted call bets must be immediately and specifically evidenced by a lammer, chips, or another identifiable designation, and supervisory authorization requirements apply. See the official Nevada table-games MICS.
Operationally, a booked wager should leave an observable record before the result. The dealer’s audible acknowledgement, chip placement, marker, and supervisor awareness protect both sides. A vague claim made only after the dice settle is much harder to validate.
Worked settlement: a place-8 press
Point is 6. A player has $12 placed on 8. The dice show 8.
At the standard 7-to-6 payout, the correct win is:
$12 × 7/6 = $14
If the player says, “Press my 8 to $24,” the dealer can:
- leave the original $12 in place;
- use $12 of the $14 win to increase the wager to $24;
- return the remaining $2 to the player;
- repeat “eight is pressed to twenty-four” if that is the house communication practice.
If the player merely says “press it,” the dealer should not silently choose between a one-unit press, a full press, or a press to another customary amount. Clarifying “to eighteen or to twenty-four?” prevents the disagreement before the next roll.
The same sequence shows why chip placement is part of the record. After the press, the layout must visibly show $24 belonging to that player; the dealer’s memory is not enough.
No-roll and dice-control decisions
Official rules differ in detail, but the recurring controls are recognizable. Massachusetts’ published craps rules require the dice to leave the shooter’s hand together toward the far end, identify situations in which a roll is invalid or may be declared no-roll, assign the total call to the stickperson, and require wagers to be settled before the next throw. See the Massachusetts Craps and Mini-Craps rules.
The floor decision should be based on the applicable rule and observable facts, not on whether the disputed result helped the casino or the player. Consistency is a game-protection control.
Common triggers for attention include:
- one die failing to leave the hand cleanly;
- a die landing in chips or a bank area where the top face is uncertain;
- outside interference;
- a die leaving the table;
- a roll made before the table is ready;
- disagreement between the called total and the visible dice.
When correction is needed, the crew should freeze the relevant area, avoid disturbing the evidence, call the supervisor, and reconstruct the sequence before chips are moved.
The payout check
A simple audit measure is:
Payout error = actual net payout − correct net payout
A positive result is an overpayment; a negative result is an underpayment. If a $12 place 8 should win $14 but $15 is delivered:
$15 − $14 = +$1
The dollar amount is small, but the cause may reveal a larger control issue: wrong payout knowledge, chip-color confusion, rushed settlement, or poor ownership tracking. Repeated small errors matter because a craps table produces many transactions per hour.
Players can reduce disputes by keeping hands clear during settlement, stating final bet totals, watching the dealer place the chips, and raising a concern before the dice go out again. Dealers reduce them by using the same disciplined cycle on a quiet game and a crowded Saturday game. Procedure works precisely because it does not depend on memory, mood, or speed alone.