Craps vocabulary sounds complicated because several kinds of language are used at the same time. One phrase may describe the state of the game, another names a wager, a third tells the dealer what to do with an existing bet, and a fourth is simply a traditional call for a dice total.
The fastest way to understand a live table is to separate those categories. Learn come-out roll, point, shooter, and seven-out first. Then learn the major bet families. Finally, learn the short instructions players give the crew, such as press, off, working, same bet, and take me down.
This glossary is a reference, not a strategy chart. A term tells you what a bet or procedure means; it does not tell you whether the wager is good value. For cost and mechanics, continue to craps bets explained and the craps odds bet guide.
The four words that control the game
Shooter — The player who throws the dice. The shooter must make an eligible line wager under the house rules before rolling. The dice move to the next player after a seven-out or when the shooter gives them up.
Come-out roll — The first roll of a new Pass Line or Don’t Pass cycle. A 7 or 11 wins the Pass Line immediately; 2, 3, or 12 loses it. A 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 establishes the point.
Point — The box number established on the come-out roll. Once the point is on, the Pass Line wins if that number repeats before 7 and loses if 7 arrives first.
Seven-out — A 7 rolled after a point has been established. The Pass Line and most working place-style bets lose, Don’t Pass wins, the point is turned off, and the dice pass after settlement.
Those four terms explain the table’s basic cycle. If you can follow them, the rest of the language has somewhere to attach.
Table-flow and equipment terms
Base dealer — One of the dealers positioned on the long sides of the table. Base dealers place, mark, collect, and pay many player wagers in their section.
Box numbers — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. These are the possible Pass Line points and the main numbers used for place, buy, lay, Come, and Don’t Come wagers.
Boxperson or boxman — The casino employee traditionally seated at the center of a full-size table, supervising the bank, dice, fills, credits, procedures, and disputes. Staffing models vary, and some properties operate without a seated boxperson.
Dice bowl — The container holding the unused dice available for selection or rotation.
Dice in the middle — A dealer warning that the dice are in the center of the table and betting or paying may still be in progress. Do not throw until the stickperson sends the dice and the crew is ready.
Dice off the table — A die has left the layout. The crew retrieves and inspects it, and the boxperson or supervisor decides whether it remains in play. House procedure controls the result and replacement.
Layout — The printed felt or synthetic table surface showing the authorized betting areas.
No roll — A roll declared invalid under house rules, for example because the dice were not delivered correctly, did not reach the required area, were interfered with, or another irregularity occurred. Exact reasons vary by jurisdiction and property.
On/off puck — The round marker used to show whether a point exists. “Off” normally means a come-out roll is next. “On” is placed on the established point number.
Rail or chip rail — The grooved edge where players keep chips. Money in the rail is not a wager.
Stickperson — The dealer who controls the dice with the stick, announces totals, books many proposition wagers, and directs the pace of the game.
The formal procedures behind these terms are not improvised. The Maryland standard craps rules, for example, define authorized wagers and detailed dealing procedures. Other jurisdictions use their own approved rules.
Line and Come-bet terms
Pass Line bet — A contract wager made before the come-out roll. It wins on a come-out 7 or 11 and loses on 2, 3, or 12. If a point is established, it wins when the point repeats before 7.
Don’t Pass bet — The opposite line wager. It loses on a come-out 7 or 11, wins on 2 or 3, and normally pushes on 12, though a table can use a different barred number if clearly posted. After a point, it wins when 7 arrives before the point.
Come bet — A Pass-Line-style wager made after the table point is on. Its first roll acts like a private come-out roll: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses, and a box number becomes that bet’s Come point.
Don’t Come bet — A Don’t-Pass-style wager made after the table point is on. On its first roll, 2 or 3 wins, 7 or 11 loses, and 12 normally pushes. A box number then becomes the Don’t Come point, which wins if 7 appears first.
Come point — The box number assigned to an individual Come or Don’t Come wager. It can differ from the table point.
Contract bet — A wager that generally cannot be removed or reduced after a point has been established. Pass Line and Come bets are the usual examples. The exact withdrawal rules are controlled by the approved game rules.
Flat bet — The original Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come wager, excluding any separate odds wager attached to it.
Right bettor and wrong bettor — Traditional labels for Pass/Come players and Don’t Pass/Don’t Come players. “Wrong bettor” describes the direction of the wager, not misconduct. Many modern crews simply use the bet names.
Odds, place, buy, and lay terms
Odds bet — An additional wager placed behind a Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bet after a point exists. It is separate from the flat bet and is paid at true odds when handled correctly.
Take odds — Add an odds wager behind a Pass Line or Come bet. The player is betting that the point will repeat before 7.
Lay odds — Add odds behind a Don’t Pass or Don’t Come bet. The player risks more than the potential profit because 7 is more likely than an individual point.
True odds — A payout matching the mathematical ratio of ways to win and lose, with no built-in house margin on that separate wager. For example, Pass odds on 4 or 10 pay 2 to 1 because there are three combinations for the point and six for 7.
Odds multiple — The maximum odds wager allowed relative to the flat bet, such as 2x, 3-4-5x, 5x, or 10x odds. The limit changes the amount that may be placed, not the probability of the dice.
Place bet — A wager that a selected box number will roll before 7. Place bets on 6 and 8 are commonly made in $6 units because the standard 7-to-6 payoff then produces whole chips.
Buy bet — A wager on a box number that is paid at true odds, usually with a commission. Commission timing and rounding can materially affect the real cost.
Lay bet — A wager that 7 will roll before a chosen box number. It pays at true odds less a commission and is not the same as laying odds behind a Don’t bet.
Vig or vigorish — The commission charged on certain buy and lay wagers. A crew may say “vig,” “juice,” or “commission.” Ask whether it is collected when the bet is made, only on a win, or under another posted procedure.
Inside numbers — Usually 5, 6, 8, and 9.
Outside numbers — Usually 4, 5, 9, and 10. This phrase is not completely uniform; confirm what the dealer means before handing over chips.
Across — A place-bet instruction covering 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. The quoted amount may include all numbers or may be stated “including” or “plus” the point, so repeat the instruction clearly.
The craps dice combinations table shows why true-odds payouts differ by point.
One-roll and proposition-bet terms
Proposition bet or prop bet — A wager, usually in the center of the layout, on a specific total or event. Many are resolved in one roll and carry a much higher house edge than line bets.
Any 7 — A one-roll wager that the next total will be 7.
Any craps — A one-roll wager that the next total will be 2, 3, or 12.
Field bet — A one-roll wager usually winning on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and losing on 5, 6, 7, or 8. The special payout on 2 or 12 varies by table.
Horn bet — A four-part wager divided among 2, 3, 11, and 12. Because four separate wagers are involved, the total amount should divide cleanly by four unless the dealer explains the uneven distribution.
Horn high — A horn wager with one extra unit placed on the named number. “Horn high yo,” for example, puts equal units on 2, 3, and 12 and two units on 11.
World or whirl bet — Commonly a five-part wager on 2, 3, 11, 12, and any 7. Names and pay procedures can vary.
Hop bet — A one-roll wager on a specific two-dice combination, such as 6-3. Same-number combinations have fewer ways to occur than mixed combinations, so payouts differ.
Hardway — A wager that 4, 6, 8, or 10 will be rolled as a pair before either 7 or an “easy” version of that total. Hard 8 is 4-4; a 6-2 is an easy 8 and defeats the hard 8 wager.
Easy way — A 4, 6, 8, or 10 made with two different dice, such as 1-3 for easy 4 or 6-4 for easy 10.
C and E — A combined one-roll wager split between “any craps” and 11. The exact chip distribution and payoff should be confirmed.
Yo or yo-leven — Dealer slang for 11, used to reduce confusion between “seven” and “eleven.”
Aces — A total of 2, rolled 1-1.
Ace-deuce — A total of 3, rolled 1-2.
Boxcars or midnight — Slang for 12, rolled 6-6. Slang differs by region and should never replace a clear wager instruction.
Bet-status and instruction terms
Booked — The dealer has heard, accepted, and established the wager before the decision point. A shouted request is not automatically a booked bet.
Late bet — A wager offered after the dealer has closed betting or after the dice are in motion. It may be refused even if the chips reach the layout before the dice stop.
Working — The wager is active on the next roll and can win or lose.
Off — The wager is temporarily inactive. Many place and buy bets are normally off on a come-out roll unless the player asks to make them work, but house procedure can vary.
On — The wager has been activated, or the point puck has been placed on a number. Context determines which meaning applies.
Press — Increase an existing wager, often after it wins. “Press one unit,” “press it to $30,” and “full press” are different instructions.
Full press — Add all available profit from the previous win to the wager, subject to chip denominations and correct payoff. Because payouts may not convert neatly, state the desired final bet when possible.
Same bet — Repeat the previous wager at the same amount. This phrase is safe only when the prior bet and payoff are unambiguous.
Parlay — Add the original wager’s entire profit to the next wager, usually creating a much larger bet. The term can be used differently at different tables.
Take me down — Remove a removable wager and return it to the player. It does not normally cancel a contract Pass Line or Come bet after a point exists.
Down with odds — Remove the base wager and its attached odds where rules permit, or return the odds after a result. The exact meaning depends on the wager and timing.
Press and take — Increase one portion of the wager and return the remaining profit to the player. State the final desired amount rather than relying on slang when the rack is busy.
Two-way bet — A wager made for the player and the crew, usually divided into separate player and dealer portions. Tipping rules and permitted forms vary by jurisdiction and property.
Change only — Chips handed in for denomination exchange, not as a wager. Say it before the dice move.
Color up — Exchange smaller-denomination chips for larger ones, usually when leaving. The crew may wait for a suitable break in play.
Dice totals and their combinations
Two fair six-sided dice produce 36 equally likely ordered combinations. The totals are not equally likely:
| Total | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 each | 1/36 = 2.78% each |
| 3 or 11 | 2 each | 2/36 = 5.56% each |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 3/36 = 8.33% each |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 4/36 = 11.11% each |
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 5/36 = 13.89% each |
| 7 | 6 | 6/36 = 16.67% |
The probability formula is:
$$ P(\text{total})=\frac{\text{combinations producing that total}}{36} $$
For 11, the favorable combinations are 5-6 and 6-5:
$$ P(11)=\frac{2}{36}=5.56% $$
For 12, only 6-6 qualifies:
$$ P(12)=\frac{1}{36}=2.78% $$
This is why a “yo” and “boxcars” bet cannot have the same fair payout. The names are colorful; the combination count controls the probability. The role of 7 is explained in why seven matters in craps.
Terms that are often confused
| Do not confuse | Difference |
|---|---|
| Odds and probability | Probability measures likelihood; the odds bet is a specific additional wager |
| Lay bet and lay odds | A lay bet stands alone; lay odds attach to Don’t Pass or Don’t Come |
| Place 6 and hard 6 | Place 6 wins on any 6 before 7; hard 6 wins only on 3-3 before 7 or an easy 6 |
| Come-out roll and Come bet | The come-out roll starts the table cycle; a Come bet is an individual wager after the point is on |
| Point and Come point | The table has one point; multiple Come bets can have their own points |
| Seven winner and seven-out | A come-out 7 wins Pass Line; a point-on 7 creates seven-out |
| Off and taken down | Off leaves the wager in place but inactive; taken down returns it |
| Payout odds and house edge | A large posted payoff does not mean a low house edge |
How to speak clearly at a live table
Dealer slang is efficient only when both sides understand it. A beginner is better served by precise instructions:
- Name the bet and amount: “$12 place 6.”
- For a change, name the final amount: “Press my 6 to $24.”
- Ask whether the bet is working on the come-out.
- Keep proposition calls short and make them before the dice are sent.
- Wait for the dealer to repeat or place the wager.
- Do not reach into the layout to correct chips yourself.
- Ask for an explanation during a quiet moment, not while payouts are crossing the table.
The crew may use slightly different calls from another casino. Approved rules also vary in barred numbers, field payouts, commission timing, maximum odds, and irregular-roll procedure. When slang and the printed layout appear to conflict, ask the dealer or floor supervisor before betting.
For the practical behavior expected around the game, see craps etiquette. Once the language is familiar, use craps terms explained for a walk-through in the order the calls occur during an actual hand.