Craps is much easier when you reduce the layout to one repeating cycle: come-out roll, point, resolution, new come-out roll. Most of the visual complexity comes from optional bets layered around that cycle. This page is designed as a table-side reference: enough information to follow the action, check common payouts, and understand what is exposed to the next roll.
It is not a betting system. The dice do not remember the last result, and adding more bets does not improve the underlying probabilities.
The table cycle in four lines
| Stage | What the puck shows | What the dice decide |
|---|---|---|
| New round | OFF | A come-out roll begins the Pass/Don’t Pass cycle |
| Natural or craps | Still OFF | 7 or 11 settles Pass as a win; 2, 3, or 12 settles it as a loss |
| Point established | ON above 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 | The point must repeat before 7 for Pass to win |
| Point or 7 resolves | Returns to OFF | The cycle ends and another come-out roll begins |
On the Don’t Pass side, 2 and 3 win, 7 and 11 lose, and 12 normally pushes under the common Bar 12 rule. Some tables bar 2 instead, so the layout matters. The full sequence is explained in how to play craps.
Dice totals: all 36 ordered combinations
Two dice produce 36 equally likely ordered outcomes. A 2-5 and a 5-2 are different combinations even though both total 7.
| Total | Ways | Probability per roll | Typical table significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 2.78% | Craps; also called aces or snake eyes |
| 3 | 2 | 5.56% | Craps |
| 4 | 3 | 8.33% | Point number; hard 4 possible |
| 5 | 4 | 11.11% | Point number |
| 6 | 5 | 13.89% | Point number; hard 6 possible |
| 7 | 6 | 16.67% | Most frequent total; seven-out when a point is on |
| 8 | 5 | 13.89% | Point number; hard 8 possible |
| 9 | 4 | 11.11% | Point number |
| 10 | 3 | 8.33% | Point number; hard 10 possible |
| 11 | 2 | 5.56% | Natural on the come-out; often called yo |
| 12 | 1 | 2.78% | Craps; often called boxcars |
A useful memory pattern is 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-1 for totals 2 through 12. For the underlying ordered outcomes, use craps dice combinations.
Come-out roll reference
| Roll | Pass Line | Don’t Pass with Bar 12 | Come bet placed after a point is on | Don’t Come with Bar 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 or 11 | Wins | Loses | Wins | Loses |
| 2 or 3 | Loses | Wins | Loses | Wins |
| 12 | Loses | Pushes | Loses | Pushes |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 | Establishes the table point | Establishes the table point | Travels to that number | Travels to that number |
A Come bet has its own miniature come-out roll after the table point is established. A Don’t Come bet follows the opposite side. Once a Come or Don’t Come bet travels, it is independent of whether the shooter later makes the table point.
Point-versus-7 reference
After a point is established, ignore the other totals when comparing that point with 7. The relevant contest is between the combinations that make the point and the six combinations that make 7.
| Point | Ways to make point | Ways to make 7 | Chance point wins before 7 | True odds payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 / 9 = 33.33% | 2 to 1 |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | 4 / 10 = 40.00% | 3 to 2 |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 / 11 = 45.45% | 6 to 5 |
The formula is:
$$P(\text{point before 7})=\frac{w_p}{w_p+6}$$
where $w_p$ is the number of combinations for the point. For point 6, $w_p=5$, so the chance of making 6 before 7 is $5/(5+6)=5/11$.
Those ratios also explain the payout on an odds bet. Odds pay the mathematical price of the point-versus-7 contest and therefore carry 0% house edge by themselves. They still add real money at risk and require a Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come base bet.
Common bets, payouts, and price
Payouts below are common standards, not a substitute for the posted layout. Buy-bet commission timing, Field payouts, proposition payouts, and maximum odds can vary.
| Bet | Common payout | Approximate house edge | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | 1 to 1 | 1.414% | Main right-side contract bet |
| Don’t Pass | 1 to 1 | 1.364% with Bar 12 | Slightly lower edge; 12 pushes |
| Come | 1 to 1 | 1.414% | Pass Line structure after point is on |
| Don’t Come | 1 to 1 | 1.364% with Bar 12 | Don’t Pass structure after point is on |
| Odds | True odds | 0.000% | No house edge, but more exposure |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.515% | Use bet sizes divisible by 6 |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.000% | Higher price than 6 or 8 |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.667% | Often compare with a Buy bet |
| Field, 12 pays double | 1 to 1; 2 and 12 special | 5.556% | One-roll bet; 12 payout changes the edge |
| Field, 12 pays triple | 1 to 1; 2 double, 12 triple | 2.778% | Better version, still one-roll action |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9 to 1 | 9.091% | Loses to easy number or 7 |
| Hard 4 or 10 | 7 to 1 | 11.111% | Only one winning dice combination |
| Any Craps | 7 to 1 | 11.111% | Wins on 2, 3, or 12 for one roll |
| Any Seven | 4 to 1 | 16.667% | Six winners, 30 losers |
The official Massachusetts craps rules show how formal rules define wagers, valid rolls, settlement, and authorized payout language. A casino may offer a narrower set of bets or different approved options.
For a more complete price comparison, use the craps house-edge guide and odds chart.
Chip amounts that prevent payout friction
Some bets are easiest to pay in specific units:
- Place 6 and 8 in multiples of $6, because a 7-to-6 payout pays $7 for each $6 wagered.
- Place 5 and 9 in multiples of $5, because 7-to-5 pays $7 for each $5.
- Place 4 and 10 are commonly accepted in multiples of $5 at 9-to-5.
- Odds behind Pass or Come depend on the point and the table’s allowed odds multiple.
- Lay odds may need specific amounts so the win can be paid cleanly after commission where applicable.
A $15 table minimum does not mean every wager must be exactly $15. For example, a dealer may accept $18 on Place 6 because it pays $21 cleanly. Ask before the dice are out rather than placing an awkward amount and expecting the crew to repair it during settlement.
What the next 7 does
The most useful table-side question is not “How many bets do I have?” It is “What happens if the next roll is 7?”
When the puck is ON, a 7 commonly:
- loses Pass Line and its odds;
- wins Don’t Pass and its lay odds;
- loses active Come bets that have traveled to numbers;
- wins traveled Don’t Come bets;
- loses working Place and Buy bets;
- loses active hardways;
- settles one-roll bets according to their own rules;
- ends the shooter’s hand.
Not every wager is always working. Place bets are commonly off by default on the come-out roll unless called working. Come odds and other wagers can follow house procedures that differ. Make the instruction before the dice move and listen for the dealer’s confirmation.
Dealer calls worth understanding
| Call | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “Coming out” | A new come-out roll is about to begin |
| “Point is…” | The puck moves ON to the established point |
| “Winner” | The Pass side has made the point |
| “Seven out” | A 7 resolved the point against the Pass side |
| “Off” | A wager is inactive for the next roll |
| “On” or “working” | A wager remains active for the next roll |
| “Press” | Increase the wager, usually using part or all of a win |
| “Same bet” | Keep the wager at its prior amount after paying the win |
| “Take it down” | Remove a removable wager before the next roll |
| “No bet” | The attempted wager was late, unclear, invalid, or not booked |
Contract bets such as Pass Line after a point is established normally cannot simply be removed. Many Place, Buy, Lay, and proposition bets can be reduced, removed, or turned off subject to timing and house rules.
A clean first-table sequence
Suppose the minimum is $10 and you buy in for $200.
- Put cash flat on the layout when the dealer is ready; do not hand it directly to the dealer.
- Place $10 on Pass Line before the come-out roll.
- If a point is established, decide whether to add an affordable odds bet.
- Watch one full point cycle before adding Place bets.
- Keep chips out of dealer-controlled boxes unless you are making a clear verbal wager.
- State changes before the dice are pushed to the shooter.
- Track total exposure, not just the size of each chip stack.
If point 8 is on and you have $10 Pass, $10 odds, $12 Place 6, and $5 hard 8, then $37 is on the layout. A seven-out can remove all $37. The odds portion has no house edge, but it still contributes to the size of the swing.
Expected cost of a mixed layout
For separately priced wagers, approximate theoretical loss by adding each component:
$$EL=\sum_{i=1}^{k} A_i h_i$$
where:
- $EL$ is expected loss over one comparable resolution of the listed action;
- $A_i$ is the amount wagered on bet $i$;
- $h_i$ is that bet’s house edge as a decimal;
- $k$ is the number of bet components.
For $10 Pass Line, $12 Place 6, and $5 Any Seven:
$$EL=(10\times0.01414)+(12\times0.01515)+(5\times0.16667)$$
$$EL\approx0.1414+0.1818+0.8334=$1.16$$
This is not a forecast for the next roll. The actual result will be a discrete win, loss, push, or unresolved wager. The calculation shows why a small high-edge proposition can cost more theoretically than larger low-edge action.
Use the expected-loss calculator to test a session and the variance simulator to see how widely actual results can move around expectation.
Before the dice move
Check these seven items:
- Is the puck ON or OFF?
- Which bets are working?
- Which bets are contract bets?
- What does a 7 settle?
- Does the payout require a specific unit?
- Did the dealer repeat or acknowledge the instruction?
- Is total money on the layout still inside the session plan?
A quick reference is useful because it reduces procedural mistakes. It cannot alter the dice. Learn the main cycle first, use low-edge bets only at affordable sizes, and let the table crew finish each settlement before changing the next wager.