The Don’t Pass house edge is about 1.36% when 12 is barred and pushes on the come-out roll. That is slightly better than Pass Line, which is about 1.41%. The edge exists because the casino turns one otherwise favorable come-out result for the Don’t bettor into a push instead of a win.
At a Glance
- Don’t Pass house edge is about 1.36% with bar 12.
- Come-out 2 and 3 win for Don’t Pass.
- Come-out 7 and 11 lose.
- Come-out 12 usually pushes, not wins.
- After a point is established, Don’t Pass wins if 7 rolls before the point.
- Lay odds behind Don’t Pass have 0% house edge.
- Don’t Pass is mathematically strong but socially unpopular at many tables.
Why Don’t Pass gains a slight mathematical advantage after points are established
Don’t Pass is the “against the shooter making the point” line bet. It wins when the shooter fails after a point is established, and loses when the shooter succeeds.
The math is slightly better than Pass Line because once a point exists, the Don’t side has the 7 working for it. Since 7 is the most common total, that matters.
But the casino protects itself on the come-out roll. The 12 is usually “barred,” meaning it pushes instead of winning for the Don’t Pass player. Without that rule, the Don’t side would be too strong.
For basic mechanics, read Don’t Pass Bet Explained. This page is about the edge. The Wizard of Odds craps basics gives common house-edge values, the Wizard of Odds craps appendix shows return math, and the Massachusetts craps rules show how regulated craps procedures handle wagers and dice outcomes.
Don’t Pass Resolution Sequence
Don’t Pass also has two stages.
Come-Out Roll
| Roll | Combinations | Don’t Pass Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Win |
| 3 | 2 | Win |
| 12 | 1 | Push on most layouts |
| 7 | 6 | Lose |
| 11 | 2 | Lose |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 | 24 total | Point established |
The push on 12 is the key detail. Some casinos may bar 2 instead, but bar 12 is the common version. Either way, one craps number is removed from the player-win column and turned into a push.
After the Point
Once a point is established, Don’t Pass wants 7 before the point.
| Point | Point Combinations | 7 Combinations | Don’t Pass Advantage After Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | Strong |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | Good |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | Smaller but still real |
This is why the bet is strong. The Don’t bettor is often on the side with more combinations after the point.
Craps Table Example
You bet $20 on Don’t Pass before the come-out roll.
The shooter rolls 12. You do not win. The dealer calls it barred or push, and your $20 stays up or is returned depending on table procedure.
Next come-out roll is 5. The point becomes 5. Now your Don’t Pass bet wins if 7 appears before 5. There are six ways to roll 7 and four ways to roll 5.
You may lay odds behind the Don’t Pass. If you lay odds against 5, the true-odds price is 2 to 3: you risk $30 to win $20. That lay odds portion has 0% house edge, but the flat Don’t Pass bet still carries about 1.36% edge.
Why Don’t Pass accuracy depends on contract-bet rules and correct rating treatment
Casinos do not care that some players dislike Don’t bettors. The bet is part of the game and must be protected like any other contract wager.
Dealers care about the exact position of the Don’t Pass bet, whether odds are laid correctly, whether the 12 is barred, and whether a player tries to remove or alter a contract bet improperly. The boxman and floor supervisor care about disputes, especially when new players think 12 should pay.
From a rating perspective, Don’t Pass with lay odds creates the same kind of issue as Pass Line with odds: the flat portion has edge; the odds portion does not. Casinos may rate the flat bet more heavily than the odds amount.
Misreads of the Don’t Pass Math
- Thinking 12 wins on Don’t Pass at every casino.
- Forgetting that 7 and 11 lose on the come-out roll.
- Calling Don’t Pass “no risk” after a point is established.
- Laying odds without understanding that you must risk more to win less on some points.
- Confusing Don’t Pass with Don’t Come.
- Removing the bet at the wrong time.
- Letting table pressure push you into worse bets.
Why the Don’t Pass push keeps its edge from disappearing
Don’t Pass has slightly better math than Pass Line, but the casino still charges for it by turning one come-out winner into a push.
Reconstruct the 1.36% edge from the two-stage bet
The Don’t Pass edge looks unusual because the wager changes character after the come-out roll. On the come-out, the player wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, usually pushes on 12, and moves to the point phase on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Once a point exists, the player is favored because seven has more combinations than any individual point number.
That creates an important distinction: the Don’t Pass player is favored conditionally after a point has been established, but the overall contract bet still has a casino edge because of the come-out structure. A common mistake is to notice that seven beats the point more often and conclude that the player has beaten the game. The house edge is calculated across the entire wager from come-out through resolution, including the barred-number push.
For the point of 4 or 10, there are six ways to roll a 7 and three ways to repeat the point, so the Don’t side wins two thirds of resolved point-phase outcomes. For 5 or 9, the conditional win probability is 6 out of 10, or 60%. For 6 or 8, it is 6 out of 11, about 54.55%. Those are favorable conditional positions, but reaching them is not free: the come-out roll has already exposed the wager to 7 and 11 losses and to the 12 push.
This is why the Don’t Pass bet guide should be read together with the craps house-edge overview. One explains the contract; the other explains how the whole sequence is priced.
Lay odds change the denominator, not the expected loss on the flat bet
Free odds behind Don’t Pass are often described as “zero house edge,” which is correct for the odds portion itself. The casino pays lay odds at the true mathematical price of the point. If the point is 4 or 10, the player commonly risks 2 units to win 1. On 5 or 9, the common true-odds relationship is risk 3 to win 2. On 6 or 8, it is risk 6 to win 5.
Adding odds therefore does not make the original flat Don’t Pass bet disappear. If you bet $10 Don’t Pass and then lay $20 odds behind a point of 4, the $20 odds portion has no built-in house edge, but the $10 contract bet still carries its expected loss. When analysts quote a lower “combined house edge” after odds are added, they are spreading roughly the same expected loss from the flat bet over a larger amount of total money at risk.
That denominator effect is useful, but it can be misunderstood. A lower percentage of total action does not mean lower dollar volatility. You have more money on the layout, and losing a point decision can cost both the flat bet and the odds. The practical trade-off is: lower expected loss as a percentage of total money wagered, higher swings in actual dollars.
Use the craps odds guide for the payoff relationships and the house-edge calculator when comparing percentages. Keep the wager base explicit every time you compare two numbers.
Bar 12 is a pricing rule, not a superstition
Players sometimes treat “bar 12” as a quirky casino tradition. Mathematically it is the rule that keeps Don’t Pass from becoming player-positive on the come-out. Twelve has one combination out of 36. Turning that outcome from a win into a push is enough to move the full contract back to a small house edge.
Some layouts bar 2 instead of 12. The important idea is not the specific number printed on a familiar table; it is that one of the two one-combination craps totals is neutralized. Always read the layout or house rules before assuming the common version.
This also explains why “the casino has to bar something because Don’t Pass is too good after the point” is directionally right but incomplete. The rule is not a response to a streak or shooter behavior. It is built into the probability structure before the dice are rolled.
Compare Don’t Pass and Pass Line on the same basis
The usual house-edge comparison—about 1.36% for Don’t Pass versus about 1.41% for Pass Line—uses the initial flat wager as the base. The difference is real, but small. A gap of roughly 0.05 percentage points is about five cents of theoretical cost per $100 of flat action, or about fifty cents across $1,000 of flat action. Session variance will overwhelm that difference in the short run.
That makes game choice and bet discipline more important than arguments about which line side is “dramatically better.” Both are low-edge core craps bets relative to many propositions. Both can be paired with true odds. Both can lose quickly in a short sequence. The Pass Line house-edge page provides the other side of the comparison.
From an operating perspective, Don’t Pass should also be rated and settled as a contract bet with its actual odds exposure, not treated as a simple one-roll wager. Confusion about when odds are working, whether a bet may be removed, or what number is barred is a procedure problem, not a mathematical strategy edge.
Questions Players Ask
What is the Don’t Pass house edge?
About 1.36% when 12 is barred and pushes.
Is Don’t Pass better than Pass Line?
Mathematically, yes by a small amount. Don’t Pass is about 1.36%; Pass Line is about 1.41%.
Why does 12 push on Don’t Pass?
Because without barring one craps number, the Don’t Pass side would be too favorable to the player.
Does Don’t Pass win on 7?
Only after a point is established. On the come-out roll, 7 loses for Don’t Pass.
Do lay odds have a house edge?
No. Lay odds are paid at true odds, but they require risking more money to win a smaller amount on some points.
Is Don’t Pass bad etiquette?
It is legal and part of the game. Some players dislike it socially because it wins when the shooter fails.
Can I remove a Don’t Pass bet?
Rules and house procedure matter. Do not assume you can freely remove it after the point; ask the dealer.
Don’t Pass gains value in the point phase despite its awkward come-out structure
The Don’t Pass edge is lower than Pass Line because the point phase favors the Don’t side. But the come-out roll makes the bet less comfortable than beginners expect.
On the first roll, 7 and 11 are bad. That is eight losing combinations. The player wins on 2 and 3, only three combinations. The 12 would add one more winning combination, but the casino usually bars it.
Once a point exists, the bet becomes mathematically attractive because 7 has more combinations than 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 individually.
That split personality is why many players misunderstand Don’t Pass. It can feel ugly early and strong later.
The house edge is commonly rounded to 1.36%. The exact expression depends on the barred number convention, but the standard bar-12 game produces the familiar low-edge result.
Worked Calculation
House Edge = -Player EV / Initial Stake
Don’t Pass House Edge ≈ 1.36%
RTP ≈ 98.64%
Expected Loss = Total Amount Wagered × House EdgeFor a $20 flat Don’t Pass bet:
Expected Loss = $20 × 1.36% ≈ $0.27 per resolved flat betPoint-phase examples:
Point 4: P(7 before 4) = 6 / (6 + 3) = 66.67%
Point 5: P(7 before 5) = 6 / (6 + 4) = 60.00%
Point 6: P(7 before 6) = 6 / (6 + 5) = 54.55%What the Calculation Means
After a point, Don’t Pass often has the more likely number because 7 has more combinations. The casino edge survives because the come-out roll is not generous to the Don’t bettor, and the 12 usually pushes instead of paying.
Continue With
Start with Don’t Pass Bet Explained if you need the table-flow version. Compare it with Pass Line House Edge and craps house edge. Use craps odds for the 36-combination base and the house edge calculator to compare Don’t Pass against place bets, field bets, and proposition bets.