Craps becomes easier when every question is tied to the current game state. On the come-out roll, Pass Line players want 7 or 11. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 establishes a point, they then want that point repeated before 7. Other wagers create their own smaller contracts around the same two dice.
This FAQ gives direct answers, but it does not pretend every casino uses identical limits, optional bets, commission collection, or working rules. The table layout, posted signs, and approved house procedures control.
The basic game
What is craps?
Craps is a casino game played with two six-sided dice. Players can bet on the next roll, on a sequence ending when a number or 7 appears, or on the shooter completing a point cycle.
Two fair dice produce 36 equally likely ordered combinations. The totals are not equally likely: 7 has six combinations, while 2 and 12 have one each. That uneven distribution explains the payouts and house edges.
What is the come-out roll?
It is the opening roll of a Pass/Don’t Pass cycle. For a Pass Line bet:
- 7 or 11 wins;
- 2, 3, or 12 loses;
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 becomes the point.
The next come-out roll begins after that Pass/Don’t Pass decision is finished.
What is the point?
The point is the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 established on the come-out roll. Once it is set, Pass Line wins if the point repeats before 7; it loses if 7 arrives first.
The point marker also tells players whether many place, hardway, and proposition wagers are normally working. House procedure can differ, especially on a new come-out roll.
Why is 7 good sometimes and bad at other times?
Timing changes the contract. On the come-out roll, 7 wins Pass Line. After a point exists, 7 ends the hand and defeats Pass Line, Come numbers, and many place wagers. The dice probability did not change; the active wagers did.
What does “seven-out” mean?
It means the shooter rolled 7 after a point had been established. The shooter’s turn ends after the table settles all affected wagers.
Beginner wagers and their cost
What is the simplest starting bet?
Pass Line is the most familiar beginner wager. It pays even money and has a house edge of approximately 1.414%. It also gives the shooter a valid line wager in houses that require one to receive the dice.
A simple bet is not a safe bet. A $15 Pass Line wager can still lose immediately or after a point cycle.
Is Don’t Pass better?
It is slightly lower in house edge under the common rule where 12 pushes: approximately 1.364%. It wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, and pushes on 12 during the come-out roll; after a point is established, it wins if 7 appears first.
The mathematical difference from Pass Line is small. Player preference, social atmosphere, and rule comprehension matter more than the 0.05-percentage-point gap for most short sessions.
What are Come and Don’t Come bets?
They create new line-bet cycles after the table point already exists. The first roll after the wager acts like a private come-out roll. If a box number is established, the dealer moves the chip to that number, and the wager then resolves against 7.
A Come bet is not automatically “off” merely because the main Pass Line point is different. It has its own come point.
What is an odds bet?
Odds is a supplemental wager behind an established Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bet. It is paid at the true mathematical odds of the point:
| Point | Taking odds payout | Laying odds payout |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 1 to 2 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 2 to 3 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 5 to 6 |
The odds portion has zero house edge, but it increases the dollars that can swing on one decision. It lowers the combined edge as a percentage of total line-plus-odds action; it does not remove the expected loss already built into the base wager.
Example: $10 Pass Line plus $20 odds on point 6 creates $30 at risk. If 6 repeats first, the line earns $10 and odds earn $24. If 7 arrives first, all $30 loses.
What is a place bet?
A place-to-win wager wins when its selected box number appears before 7. Common payouts and edges are:
| Number | Common payout | Approximate house edge |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% |
| 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
Correct betting multiples avoid awkward rounding. A place 6 or 8 is normally made in multiples of 6 because the 7-to-6 payout then divides cleanly.
What is the Field bet?
Field is a one-roll wager that commonly wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and loses on 5, 6, 7, or 8. Its price depends on the special payouts for 2 and 12. A version paying double on both has about 5.56% house edge; paying triple on one of them can reduce the edge to about 2.78%.
Never quote one Field edge without checking the table’s paytable.
Why are center-table proposition bets expensive?
Many pay less than true odds. Any Seven wins on 6 of 36 combinations. At 4 to 1, one unit has:
$$EV=\frac{6(4)-30}{36}=-\frac{6}{36}=-16.67%$$
The bet resolves every roll, so repeated small chips can create substantial hourly expected loss. See one-roll craps bets for the full comparison.
Payout and working questions
What does “to one” mean?
A 7-to-6 payout means seven units of profit for every six units wagered, with the original stake returned separately. An $18 place 6 win earns $21 profit and leaves the $18 wager in place unless removed or changed.
Are place bets working on the come-out roll?
Often they are marked off by default on a come-out roll, but procedure varies. A player may be able to call them working. Hardways and other wagers can have different defaults. Confirm before the roll rather than arguing after it.
Can I remove a bet whenever I want?
Many wagers can be removed before a deciding roll. Pass and Come bets generally cannot be reduced or removed after their point is established because the player then holds the favorable side of the contract. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come are commonly removable, although doing so usually gives up a mathematically favorable position.
The Massachusetts approved craps rules illustrate these contract and payout rules, including Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, place bets, odds, dice control, and valid-roll procedure. Other jurisdictions may approve different optional wagers or limits.
What is a buy or lay bet?
A buy bet backs a number to appear before 7 and is paid at true odds, with a commission. A lay bet backs 7 to appear before a selected number, also with a commission. The fee may be collected when the wager is made, only on a win, or under another approved procedure. That timing changes the effective house edge.
Shooting and table procedure
Do I have to shoot?
No. A player can normally pass the dice to the next eligible player. Do not accept them out of social pressure.
How must the dice be thrown?
A valid live-casino throw generally requires both dice to leave the shooter’s hand together and reach the far end of the table, commonly striking the back wall. The exact rule is jurisdiction- and house-specific. Repeated short rolls or deliberate interference can cause warnings, invalid rolls, or loss of shooting privileges.
Why does the stickperson send five dice?
The shooter usually selects two from a controlled set, and the remaining dice return to the bowl or cup. The procedure makes dice custody visible and reduces opportunities for substitution or manipulation.
When should I place a verbal bet?
Before the dice are sent and early enough for the dealer to book, repeat, and position it. A late shout is not automatically a valid wager. Dealer confirmation and final chip placement matter.
How do I buy in correctly?
Place cash flat on the layout when the game is not resolving a roll. Do not hand it directly to a dealer. The dealer spreads it for visibility, confirms the amount, and pushes chips to the player under surveillance coverage.
Can I reach into the layout?
Keep hands out while dice are moving and while dealers are settling. Reaching across chips creates safety, interference, and dispute problems. Ask the dealer to move or return a wager.
Bankroll and risk
How much bankroll is enough?
There is no universal number. Count complete exposure, not just the table minimum.
A $15 player using $30 odds, $18 each on place 6 and 8, and a $5 hardway can have $86 active. A few short point cycles can remove a large part of a $300 buy-in even though some components have low or zero house edge.
Use:
$$\text{Base units}=\frac{\text{bankroll}}{\text{base wager}}$$
and
$$\text{exposure ratio}=\frac{\text{amount vulnerable on the next relevant outcome}}{\text{bankroll}}$$
These are planning measures, not guarantees. The craps bankroll risk guide covers the problem in detail.
Does a larger bankroll improve the odds?
No. It increases staying power and may reduce the chance of going broke within a fixed session, but it does not change the probability or expected value of any wager.
Can a betting system overcome the game?
Changing stake size does not change dice combinations or underpaid payouts. Progressions alter the distribution of session outcomes and the speed at which table limits or bankroll limits are reached. They do not convert negative expectation into positive expectation.
Myths and practical decisions
Is a shooter “hot”?
A winning sequence is real history, but it does not prove the shooter changed the physical probability of the next fair roll. Joining late also means buying only future outcomes; previous wins are not transferred to a new player.
Can dice setting control the result?
Setting the faces is observable. Producing a repeatable, wager-relevant distribution shift under casino conditions is a much stronger claim. Back-wall contact, bounce, rotation, surface variation, and selection effects make casual demonstrations inadequate. Read the dice-control evidence test.
What should a first-time player do?
- Watch one complete point cycle before buying in.
- Learn one line bet and how its point resolves.
- Keep total action small enough to count instantly.
- Ask whether an unfamiliar bet is one-roll or multi-roll.
- Confirm payout and working status before the dice move.
- Avoid center action until its exact price is understood.
- Decide session time and loss limit away from the table.
The useful question at craps is not “Which chip looks exciting?” It is: What event wins this wager, what event loses it, how long can it remain active, what does it pay, and how much total money is exposed? Continue with how to play craps, craps rules, craps odds, and craps expected value.