CRA 507: Craps Payout Procedure From Roll Call to Reset

A craps payout is not one calculation. One roll can settle line bets, odds, Come and Don’t Come wagers, place bets, hardways, field bets, and center action at the same time. The craps payout procedure is the crew’s repeatable sequence for identifying the roll, collecting losing wagers, paying winners at the correct ratios, carrying or moving continuing bets, and resetting the layout before the next throw.

The exact order can vary by casino. What should not vary is the discipline: the dice result is established first, chips remain visible, each wager is settled according to its own rules, and the next roll does not begin until the layout is ready.

The roll must be final before chips move

The stickperson calls the total after the dice come to rest and the roll has been judged valid. Dealers should not begin paying from an anticipated result while a die is still moving, hidden, cocked, or under review.

The call does several jobs:

• establishes the total;
• identifies a hard or easy way when relevant;
• signals whether the point was made or sevened out;
• tells dealers which Come or Don’t Come bets move or resolve; and
• gives surveillance and players an audible record of the event.

If the roll is disputed or potentially invalid, the crew pauses. The chips should remain where they were until the boxperson or supervisor decides the result under the house rules.

A controlled settlement sequence

A practical sequence is:

1. Call and confirm the roll.
2. Resolve one-roll and losing wagers that must be cleared.
3. Handle line, Come, and Don’t Come decisions and move contract bets when required.
4. Pay place, buy, lay, hardway, and other winning wagers in the crew’s established order.
5. Return, retain, or remove original stakes according to the bet type.
6. Carry out clear player instructions such as same bet, press, regress, or take down.
7. Check the layout and return the dice for the next roll.

Some crews “take and pay” one section at a time. Others clear losing action across the layout before paying winners. Center bets may be handled by the stickperson while base dealers settle their sides. The house procedure should make responsibility clear and avoid two employees reaching into the same action without coordination.

One number can produce several different payouts

Suppose the point is 5 and the shooter rolls 5. Three players may all say they “bet the 5,” yet receive different treatment.

Pass Line with odds

A player has $10 on the Pass Line and $20 odds behind it.

• The $10 Pass Line wager wins at 1 to 1: $10 profit.
• Odds on 5 pay 3 to 2: $20 × 3/2 = $30 profit.
• Total profit: $40.
• The original $30 in stakes is also returned because the point cycle has ended.

Place 5

Another player has $15 placed on 5. A standard 7-to-5 payout gives:

The place bet commonly remains on the layout after being paid unless the player asks to take it down or change it. House procedures and the next come-out status still apply.

Come bet on 5

A third player has a Come bet that previously traveled to 5, with odds behind it. It resolves like a Pass Line contract bet on that number: the flat Come wager pays even money, and its odds pay 3 to 2.

The dice total is identical. The contracts are not. Dealers pay the wager that was booked, not a generic “5.”

Why correct betting units matter

Many craps payouts are fractional ratios. The bet must be in an amount that can be paid accurately with the chips available.

A player who gives the dealer an awkward amount may be asked to increase or reduce it to a proper unit. This is not an attempt to change the odds. It prevents fractional-chip payouts and keeps the settlement verifiable.

The general calculation is:

For an $18 Place 6 at 7 to 6:

• Bet amount = $18
• Numerator = 7
• Denominator = 6
• Profit = $18 × 7 ÷ 6 = $21

The returned stake is separate from the profit. Whether the stake stays up, is returned, moves to a number, or is collected depends on the wager.

Contract bets, self-service bets, and dealer-controlled bets

Procedure becomes clearer when the crew separates wagers by how they are controlled.

Contract bets

Pass Line and Come bets generally cannot be removed after a point has been established. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come wagers may have different removal rights under the rules. Odds behind those bets are separate and may often be taken down or changed.

When a Come bet travels, the dealer moves the flat wager to the number box and positions any odds so ownership and amount remain clear. On the winning roll, flat and odds are cut and paid separately.

Self-service bets

Players normally place their own Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, and Field wagers in the designated areas, subject to the house procedure. Dealers must still confirm that late chips were down before the dice were in motion.

Dealer-controlled bets

Place, buy, lay, and many number bets are given to a dealer, who positions them in the correct player area. Center proposition bets are commonly booked through the stickperson. Because the physical location identifies ownership, clean placement is part of payout accuracy.

Working and off status must be clear before the roll

A bet may be physically present but inactive for a particular roll. Place bets, buy bets, Come odds, and hardways are commonly off on the come-out unless called working, though house rules control.

The time to establish working status is before the dice are thrown. After the result, “I thought it was on” is difficult to reconstruct.

Dealers use verbal confirmation and marker buttons where applicable. Players should listen for the confirmation and avoid changing the claim after seeing the dice.

Official rules can differ. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Craps and Mini-Craps rules, for example, state that buy and place-to-win bets, Come odds, and hardways are inactive on the come-out unless the player calls them on and the dealer confirms that status. The same rules publish minimum payout ratios and require odds to be stated as “to” rather than “for.”

Presses should follow a visible base payout

A player may ask to press, parlay, same-bet, take down, or change a wager after a win. Good procedure keeps the original result visible before creating the new bet.

For example, an $18 Place 6 wins $21. If the player says “press it one unit,” the dealer might:

1. establish the $21 winning amount;
2. use $6 of the win to raise the wager from $18 to $24; and
3. return the remaining $15 to the player.

The exact chip handling can vary by crew convention, but the final state should be unmistakable: $24 is now working on 6, and $15 was delivered to the player.

Mixing the press into the payout before the win is clear makes disputes harder to resolve. It can also conceal an incorrect cut.

Center bets need component-by-component settlement

Horn, C and E, hopping combinations, and other proposition wagers may contain several underlying bets. They cannot always be paid as though the entire amount were on the winning component.

A $4 Horn bet is typically one unit each on 2, 3, 11, and 12. If 11 rolls, only the 11 component wins; the other three components lose. The net payoff therefore reflects both the winning award and the three losing units.

Similarly, a C and E wager is divided between Any Craps and Eleven. The crew pays the component that won and accounts for the component that lost.

This is why a high printed payout does not automatically apply to the full chip stack. The bet’s internal allocation matters.

Buy and lay commissions require the posted house method

Buy and lay bets use true-odds-style payouts but add a commission, commonly called vigorish. The commission may be collected when the bet is made, only when it wins, or under another approved house procedure. Rounding conventions and minimum amounts may also differ.

Dealers should not borrow a commission method from a previous casino. Players should check the posted rule before comparing costs. A 5% commission charged only on wins is not economically identical to 5% charged up front on every attempt.

For the underlying distinction, see true odds versus casino payouts.

What a clean payout looks like

A payout should be reconstructable by a supervisor or surveillance reviewer.

That means:

• the original wager remains identifiable until the decision is clear;
• chip cuts are placed where the recipient can see them;
• flat bets and odds are not merged before verification;
• color and denomination are used consistently;
• unusually large or complex payouts receive the required check;
• the dealer does not obscure neighboring bets; and
• the layout is not swept into the next roll while a question remains.

Speed matters, but speed built on unclear chip work creates more delay when an error occurs.

How to handle a suspected wrong payout

Speak up before the next roll. Do not reach into the layout or grab chips from a dealer’s work area.

A useful statement is specific: “I had $15 on Place 5 and received $18; I believe the 7-to-5 profit should be $21.” That is easier to review than “You shorted me.”

The dealer or supervisor can then examine:

• the original bet amount;
• the winning ratio;
• the delivered chips;
• the dealer’s recollection;
• the table’s rack and transaction sequence; and
• surveillance footage when necessary.

Once the dice move again, new chips and new outcomes can obscure the prior state. Prompt, calm questions protect both sides.

The reset is part of the procedure

Settlement is not finished when the last winning chip reaches a player. The crew must also:

• place the puck correctly;
• move or remove Come and Don’t Come bets;
• confirm working or off markers;
• return the dice to the shooter or select the next shooter;
• clear late or invalid action; and
• verify that no payout stack or instruction remains unresolved.

Only then is the table ready for the next decision.

Craps payout procedure is therefore less about memorizing one chart than maintaining separation: separate profit from returned stake, flat bets from odds, contract bets from optional bets, working action from off action, and the completed roll from the next one. The payout chart tells the dealer how much. Procedure ensures the right amount reaches the right wager at the right time.