CRA 103: Craps Rules

Craps has one pair of dice but several layers of rules operating at once. The table must control who may shoot, when betting closes, whether the roll is valid, which game state applies, which wagers are working, and how every bet settles.

The simplest way to understand the game is to separate three questions:

1. Was the roll valid?
2. Was the table in a come-out or point phase?
3. What rule governs the specific wager?

A valid seven can be a Pass Line win on a come-out roll and a seven-out one roll later. The dice total did not change; the table state did.

The live-table roles

A full-size craps crew commonly includes:

• a boxperson, who supervises the game, bankroll, dice, fills, credits, and disputes;
• a stickperson, who controls the dice, calls results, manages proposition wagers, and moves the dice to the next shooter;
• base dealers, who book, position, pay, and collect wagers on their sides of the table.

Staffing and titles vary by property. Electronic, stadium, and mini-craps formats can divide these duties differently. The rules of the wager remain separate from the staffing model.

The craps table layout shows where the major bets are placed. This page focuses on procedure and decision order.

Choosing the shooter and controlling the dice

The dice move around the table in an established direction, usually clockwise. When offered the dice, a player may accept or pass. Many casinos require the shooter to have a Pass Line or Don’t Pass wager, but the exact requirement is a house or jurisdiction rule.

The shooter normally selects two dice from a group presented by the stickperson. Once selected, the dice should remain over the table and visible. Common controls include:

• handling the dice with one hand only;
• not taking them below the rail;
• not switching or rubbing them against an object;
• throwing both dice together;
• sending both dice to the far end of the table;
• making both dice strike the back wall or approved end surface.

These controls protect the game and help create a clear ruling. They do not imply that a legal throw makes every outcome equally likely because of the player’s technique; the equipment and procedure are designed to preserve randomness.

A player can set the dice to a preferred face arrangement at many tables, but the subsequent throw still has to satisfy the casino’s legal-roll requirements. Repeated short rolls or deliberate attempts to avoid the back wall can cause a warning, a no-roll call, or removal of the dice from that shooter.

What makes a roll valid

A roll is normally valid when both dice leave the shooter’s hand together, travel to the opposite end, and come to rest in a way that allows both values to be read.

A roll may be declared invalid when, depending on the governing rules:

• one or both dice leave the table;
• one die lands on top of the other;
• a die rests in the chip bank or another unreadable position;
• the dice do not leave the hand simultaneously;
• either die fails to reach or strike the required end of the table;
• the shooter interferes with the dice after release;
• a foreign object or person interferes with the roll;
• the dice are thrown before the game is ready.

A regulatory example is the Colorado rule on craps and invalid rolls, which lists specific no-roll conditions and identifies who may make the call. Other jurisdictions use similar but not identical language.

If a die leaves the table, staff may inspect it, replace it with another approved die, or offer the remaining dice for a new selection. The outcome of an invalid roll does not settle wagers.

The controlling decision belongs to authorized table staff, not the shooter or another player.

The puck shows the game state

The round has two main phases.

Come-out phase: puck OFF

The come-out roll begins a new Pass Line and Don’t Pass decision.

For the Pass Line:

• 7 or 11 wins;
• 2, 3, or 12 loses;
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 establishes the point.

For the Don’t Pass:

• 2 or 3 commonly wins;
• 7 or 11 loses;
• 12 commonly pushes under “Bar 12” rules;
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 establishes the point.

Some games use Bar 2 instead of Bar 12. Read the layout and posted rules. The Don’t Pass guide explains how that push creates the wager’s 1.36% standard house edge.

When a point is established, the dealer places the puck ON over that number.

Point phase: puck ON

The shooter continues until:

• the point repeats, which wins the Pass Line and loses the Don’t Pass; or
• 7 appears first, which loses the Pass Line and wins the Don’t Pass.

A point decision ends that Pass/Don’t Pass cycle. The puck returns OFF and the next roll is a come-out roll, even if the same shooter continues.

“Seven-out” refers to a 7 during the point phase that ends the shooter’s turn. A 7 on the come-out roll is not a seven-out; it is a natural Pass Line win.

Contract bets and removable bets

A contract bet cannot normally be removed after the point is established.

The Pass Line and Come bets are contract wagers. Once they travel to a point, the player cannot simply pick them up because the next roll looks unfavorable.

Don’t Pass and Don’t Come wagers are generally removable or reducible after they establish a point, although increasing them is usually restricted because the player has already reached the favorable side of the decision. House rules control the exact procedure.

Odds wagers are separate from the flat bet. They may be added, reduced, or removed within posted limits while the underlying point exists. Odds pay at true odds and carry no house edge by themselves, but they increase the cash exposed to the next decision. See craps odds bets for the point-specific payout units.

Come and Don’t Come create separate decisions

A Come bet placed while the puck is ON acts like a new Pass Line wager using the next roll as its own come-out roll:

• 7 or 11 wins immediately;
• 2, 3, or 12 loses;
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 moves to that number.

After moving, it wins if its number repeats before 7 and loses if 7 appears first.

A Don’t Come wager follows the opposite structure, with the designated bar number pushing on its first roll.

Several Come and Don’t Come points can exist at once. A single roll may therefore settle different wagers in different ways. On a point-phase 7, a new Come bet in the Come box wins, existing Come points lose, Don’t Come points win, the Pass Line loses, and the Don’t Pass wins. Dealers settle in a controlled sequence so one result is not confused with another.

The Come bet and Don’t Come bet pages show those simultaneous outcomes in detail.

Working and not working

Not every multi-roll wager automatically operates on every come-out roll.

Depending on house rules:

• Place bets may be off on the come-out unless the player asks to make them working;
• hardways may be off on the come-out;
• Come and Don’t Come points usually remain working;
• odds behind Come points may be on or off under local procedure;
• proposition wagers usually resolve on the next roll regardless of the puck.

“Off” means the wager is inactive for that roll. It does not mean removed or refunded. The chip remains in position and resumes under the applicable rule.

A player who wants a wager working should tell the dealer before the dice are out and receive confirmation. A silent assumption is weak evidence in a later dispute.

One-roll and multi-roll wagers

Craps bets also differ by duration.

One-roll wagers

These decide on the next valid roll. Examples include:

• Any 7;
• Any Craps;
• 2, 3, 11, or 12 propositions;
• the Field bet;
• hop bets.

Multi-roll wagers

These remain until a specified number or losing condition appears. Examples include:

• Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come after a point;
• Place bets;
• Buy and Lay bets;
• hardways;
• some bonus wagers.

The duration matters because the number of rolls is not the number of betting decisions. One roll can decide several active positions, while another roll decides none of them.

Bet timing and dealer acceptance

A player may make or change a wager only while betting is open and before the dice are in motion. On a crowded game, merely throwing chips toward a dealer does not guarantee that the wager was booked.

Good procedure is:

1. state the wager clearly;
2. place or hand over the correct chips;
3. allow the dealer to position them;
4. hear or see confirmation before the shooter releases the dice.

Late bets can be refused. A verbal call may be accepted only if the dealer has authority, understands the amount and wager, and confirms it before the roll.

Never reach into the layout while the dice are moving. Apart from the safety problem, a hand over the betting area can obstruct surveillance and create uncertainty about whether chips were added, removed, or moved.

Payout rules and chip units

A correct wager can still create a payout dispute if the amount is not in a clean unit.

Common examples:

Buy and Lay bets include a commission, and casinos differ on whether it is collected when the wager is made, only on a win, or under another approved schedule. Field payouts on 2 and 12 also vary.

The felt and signage control the live game. Do not transfer a payout remembered from another casino without checking.

A full-roll example

Assume the puck is OFF.

1. The shooter makes a $10 Pass Line bet and rolls 6. The point becomes 6.
2. The player adds $50 odds behind the Pass Line.
3. Another player places $12 on Place 8.
4. The next roll is 8. Place 8 wins $14; the Pass Line and its odds remain unresolved.
5. A $10 Come bet is placed. The next roll is 5, so the Come bet moves to 5.
6. The next roll is 6. The Pass Line wins $10, and $50 odds on 6 win $60 at 6-to-5 true odds. The Come 5 remains active.
7. The puck turns OFF. If the Place 8 is normally off on the come-out, it does not act unless the player asks to work it. The Come 5 remains governed by its own point rule.

This sequence shows why “the point was made” does not mean every bet on the table ends.

How disputes should be raised

If a wager or payout appears wrong, speak before the next roll. State:

• the wager type;
• amount;
• location;
• whether it was called working or off;
• the roll that should have decided it.

Do not move the chips to demonstrate your version. The boxperson or supervisor may review dealer recollection, layout position, surveillance, player ratings, and transaction records.

A ruling may depend on local rules. The right question is not “How is craps always played?” but “What rule and accepted wager applied at this table before this valid roll?”

Rules that commonly vary

Check the table for:

• Bar 12 versus Bar 2 on Don’t wagers;
• odds limits and the meaning of 3-4-5x odds;
• Place and hardway working status on the come-out;
• vig timing on Buy and Lay bets;
• Field payout on 2 and 12;
• bonus and side-bet paytables;
• minimums for dealer-controlled bets;
• dice-off-table replacement procedure;
• shooter eligibility and required line wager.

The craps quick reference is useful after these house rules are known. The craps house-edge guide compares the price of the available bets.

Craps becomes manageable when each roll is read in the correct order: validate the dice, identify the puck state, identify which wagers are active, and settle each decision under its own rule. The noise of the table does not change that structure.