The Pass Line is the main “right-way” wager in craps. It wins immediately when the come-out roll is 7 or 11, loses immediately on 2, 3, or 12, and establishes a point on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Once a point exists, the bet wins if that point repeats before 7 and loses if 7 appears first.
A winning Pass Line bet pays 1 to 1. Under standard rules, its exact house edge is 7/495, or about 1.414% of the original line wager per resolved decision.
One wager, two different phases
The easiest way to misunderstand the Pass Line is to memorize “7 wins” without asking which phase the game is in.
Phase 1: the come-out roll
| Dice total | Pass Line result |
|---|---|
| 7 or 11 | Immediate win |
| 2, 3, or 12 | Immediate loss |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 | That number becomes the point |
The come-out roll begins a new Pass Line decision. The dealer places the puck with its OFF side showing before the roll. When a point is established, the puck moves to that number with ON showing.
Phase 2: the point cycle
Once the point is on:
- repeating the point wins the Pass Line;
- rolling 7 first loses the Pass Line and ends the shooter’s turn;
- every other total leaves the wager unresolved.
A come-out 7 is a winner. A point-cycle 7 is the “seven-out” that loses the Pass Line. The dice have not changed; the contract has moved into a different phase. The page on why seven matters in craps explains the six dice combinations behind that reversal.
Why it is called a contract bet
The Pass Line is normally placed before the come-out roll. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 becomes the point, the wager is committed until the point or 7 decides it.
That is why dealers may call it a contract bet. It is not generally available for removal simply because the player dislikes the point. Rules vary by jurisdiction, but the principle is common: once the second phase begins, the original Pass Line stake stays in action.
This is different from many place bets, which can usually be reduced, removed, or called off before a deciding roll. Read craps rules for the broader timing and wager-status framework.
The dice combinations behind the bet
Two fair six-sided dice have 36 equally likely ordered combinations. The relevant totals occur this many ways:
| Total | Combinations |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 5 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 5 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 1 |
On the come-out roll, the Pass Line has eight immediate winning combinations: six ways to roll 7 and two ways to roll 11. It has four immediate losing combinations: one way to roll 2, two ways to roll 3, and one way to roll 12.
That first phase favors the player. The house advantage appears because the remaining 24 combinations establish points, and 7 is more likely than every individual point number.
The dice combinations guide gives the full 36-outcome map.
Point-by-point chances
After a point is established, only the point and 7 matter to that Pass Line decision. Other totals delay the result.
| Point | Ways to roll point | Ways to roll 7 | Chance point wins before 7 | Chance 7 wins first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | 3/9 = 33.33% | 6/9 = 66.67% |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | 4/10 = 40.00% | 6/10 = 60.00% |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | 5/11 = 45.45% | 6/11 = 54.55% |
The 6 and 8 are the easiest points to make, but even they lose to 7 slightly more often than they win. A point of 4 or 10 loses twice as often as it wins after establishment.
Exact Pass Line house-edge derivation
Let (P_W) be the probability that the Pass Line wins and (P_L) the probability that it loses.
Immediate come-out wins contribute:
[ \frac{8}{36} ]
Points 4 and 10 are each established with probability (3/36) and then win with probability (3/(3+6)). Points 5 and 9 are each established with probability (4/36) and then win with probability (4/(4+6)). Points 6 and 8 are each established with probability (5/36) and then win with probability (5/(5+6)).
Therefore:
[ P_W = \frac{8}{36} +2\left(\frac{3}{36}\cdot\frac{3}{9}\right) +2\left(\frac{4}{36}\cdot\frac{4}{10}\right) +2\left(\frac{5}{36}\cdot\frac{5}{11}\right) ]
This simplifies to:
[ P_W = \frac{244}{495} \approx 49.293% ]
Because every Pass Line decision eventually wins or loses:
[ P_L = 1-P_W = \frac{251}{495} \approx 50.707% ]
At a 1-to-1 payout, expected value per one unit wagered is:
[ EV = P_W(1)-P_L(1) ]
[ EV = \frac{244}{495}-\frac{251}{495}=-\frac{7}{495} ]
So:
[ \text{House edge} = \frac{7}{495} \approx 1.414% ]
For a $10 Pass Line wager, long-run expected loss per resolved decision is:
[ 10\times\frac{7}{495}\approx$0.1414 ]
The player does not lose 14 cents on a particular decision. A resolved $10 line bet normally wins or loses $10. The 14 cents is the average difference over a very large number of standard decisions.
The odds bet changes the combined price, not the base bet
After a point is established, the player may usually place an additional wager behind the Pass Line. This is the craps odds bet. It pays true odds:
| Point | Pass Line odds payout |
|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 |
The odds portion has zero house edge because the payout matches the point-versus-7 probability. The original Pass Line bet still has its 1.414% edge.
The combined percentage depends on how “amount wagered” is measured. If a player always takes (x) times odds whenever a point is established, then odds are present only on the two-thirds of come-out rolls that establish a point.
Average total action per Pass Line decision is:
[ A = 1 + \frac{2}{3}x ]
The expected loss remains (7/495) of one base unit, so the blended house edge on average total action is:
[ H_x = \frac{7/495}{1+(2/3)x} ]
Examples:
| Odds taken | Blended edge on average total action |
|---|---|
| None | 1.414% |
| 1× odds | 0.848% |
| 2× odds | 0.606% |
| 5× odds | 0.326% |
Lower percentage does not mean lower dollar volatility. A $10 line bet with $50 odds can lose $60 on one seven-out. The pricing improves because more of the money is on a fair wager, but the amount exposed increases sharply.
A complete table example
A player places $10 on the Pass Line. The come-out roll is 9, so the dealer marks 9 as the point. The player adds $20 odds.
The shooter rolls 5, 6, 4, and then 9.
The unrelated rolls do nothing to the Pass Line. When 9 repeats:
| Component | Stake | Payout | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | $10 | 1 to 1 | $10 |
| Odds on 9 | $20 | 3 to 2 | $30 |
| Total | $30 | $40 |
The player receives $40 profit plus the original $30 in wagers. If 7 had appeared before 9, both the $10 line bet and $20 odds bet would have lost.
Massachusetts’ published craps rules provide one regulated example: they define the Pass Bet, require it to be placed before the come-out roll, pay it at 1 to 1, and prohibit removing or reducing it after a point is established. Property details and maximum odds can differ, so the table sign and local rules still control.
Pass Line versus nearby bets
The Pass Line is not the same as a Come bet. A Come bet begins its own mini come-out roll after the table point already exists and then travels to an individual number.
The Don’t Pass bet takes the opposite side after a point: it generally wins when 7 arrives first. Its come-out treatment differs because 12 is usually a push rather than a win, producing a slightly lower house edge.
Place bets skip the come-out decision and wager directly on a point number beating 7. They use different payouts and house edges.
Frequent beginner errors
- Placing the Pass Line bet after the come-out roll has already established a point.
- Believing 7 always wins for the Pass Line.
- Trying to remove the line wager after an unfavorable point is set.
- Confusing the 1-to-1 line payout with the true-odds add-on.
- Taking maximum odds without calculating the total amount exposed.
- Judging the wager by one hot shooter or one fast seven-out.
- Adding high-edge proposition bets because the Pass Line itself is relatively inexpensive.
- Saying “same bet” without clarifying whether the previous odds amount should also be repeated.
A sensible beginner use
The Pass Line is a practical way to learn craps because its location, timing, and result are easy to follow. A table-minimum line wager with an affordable odds amount keeps the structure clear and avoids the expensive center bets that create most beginner confusion.
It is still a negative-expectation wager. Its value is not that it can beat the dice, but that it offers a comparatively low-cost route through the game’s main cycle. Learn the two phases, know when 7 changes from winner to loser, and treat odds as extra risk at a fair price—not as free money.