How to Play Craps: the Come-Out Roll and the Point
A round starts with the come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins for the pass line, a 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other total (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) becomes the point. The shooter then rolls until the point repeats, which wins, or a 7 appears, which loses.
- Bet. The shooter and anyone else place pass or don’t pass bets before the come-out.
- Come-out roll. 7 or 11 wins for pass; 2, 3 or 12 (craps) loses.
- Point set. Any other total becomes the point, marked by a puck on the layout.
- Roll on. The shooter keeps rolling; only the point and 7 settle pass bets.
- Point made or seven out. The point wins for pass; a 7 loses and the dice move on.
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A table is run by a team: a stickman who handles the dice and calls the rolls, dealers who pay and collect bets on each side, and a boxperson supervising. In a quieter British casino one or two dealers may do all of it. The shooter rolls both dice so they hit the far wall of the table.
The shooter keeps the dice while they make points and passes them on after a seven out. Rolls that are neither the point nor a 7 do not affect the pass line, though they may settle other bets on the layout.
Craps Dice Odds: Why 7 Comes Up Most Often
Two dice can land 36 ways. Six of them make 7, more than any other total, while 2 and 12 can each be made only one way. Every craps payout and every house edge follows from this table.
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| Total | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ways | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Chance | 2.78% | 5.56% | 8.33% | 11.11% | 13.89% | 16.67% | 13.89% | 11.11% | 8.33% | 5.56% | 2.78% |
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Count the pairs: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2 and 6-1 all make 7. Each total from 2 to 7 gains one more way, then each total from 7 to 12 loses one. That symmetry is why 6 and 8 behave alike, and 4 and 10, and 5 and 9.
The table also explains the point numbers. Once 6 or 8 is the point, it comes up 5 ways against 6 ways for a 7, close to an even contest. A point of 4 or 10 has only 3 ways against 6, so the shooter is twice as likely to seven out as to make it.
Pass Line and Don’t Pass: the Two Main Bets
Pass bets win with the shooter: 7 or 11 on the come-out, or the point before a 7. Don’t pass bets win against the shooter: 2 or 3 on the come-out, or a 7 before the point. A come-out 12 is a push for don’t pass. Both pay even money.
| Roll | Pass line | Don’t pass |
|---|---|---|
| Come-out 7 or 11 | Wins | Loses |
| Come-out 2 or 3 | Loses | Wins |
| Come-out 12 | Loses | Push |
| Point, then point again | Wins | Loses |
| Point, then 7 | Loses | Wins |
| House edge | 1.41% | 1.36% |
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A pass bet wins 244 times in every 495 rounds, 49.29% of the time.1 (source) Paying even money on that chance leaves the casino 7 units for every 495 staked, a house edge of 1.41%. The don’t pass bet is the mirror image, except that the come-out 12 pushes instead of winning; that one change is what keeps it a house bet, at 1.36% per bet made.1 (source)
Most players bet pass, with the shooter, and the table tends to cheer together. Don’t pass is slightly cheaper but means betting against the room. Both are fine choices; the bigger saving comes from the odds bet in the next sections.
What Is a Come Bet in Craps?
A come bet is a pass line bet made after the point is set. The next roll acts as its own come-out: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes the come bet’s point. Don’t come works the same way as don’t pass.
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Come bets let you have several numbers working at once. If the point is 6 and you place a come bet, a roll of 9 moves your come bet onto the 9 box; it then wins if a 9 appears before a 7. Meanwhile the pass line still waits for its 6.
The house edge is the same as the pass line, 1.41%, and don’t come matches don’t pass at 1.36%.1 (source) You can take odds on a come bet once it has a number, just as you do on the pass line.
The Free Odds Bet: the Craps Bet With No House Edge
Once a point is set, you can back your pass or come bet with an odds bet. It pays true odds, 2:1 on 4 or 10, 3:2 on 5 or 9 and 6:5 on 6 or 8, so it has no house edge. It cannot be placed on its own.
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| Point | Ways to make the point | Ways to roll 7 | True odds and payout | Common maximum (3-4-5x) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | 2:1 | 3× the line bet |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | 3:2 | 4× the line bet |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | 6:5 | 5× the line bet |
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The payout matches the chance exactly. With a point of 4, the 7 comes up 6 ways and the 4 only 3, so the fair price is 2:1, and that is what the odds bet pays. Laying odds behind a don’t pass bet is the reverse: you stake more to win less, at the same fair price.
Because the odds bet has no edge, it dilutes the edge on your line bet. At a table allowing 3-4-5x odds, a player who takes full odds every time puts out, on average, 3.78 units per pass bet (1 on the line plus an average of 2.78 in odds) while the expected loss stays at 7/495 of a unit. That is 0.37% of all the money staked, against 1.41% for the line bet alone. The table sign shows the maximum odds allowed.
The odds bet does not make craps a winning game. It lowers the price of the bet you already have, and it raises the amount at risk on each point. At 3-4-5x odds, a £10 pass bet can carry up to £50 more on a point of 6 or 8.
Place Bets, the Field and Proposition Bets
Place bets back a single number to come before a 7. The field is a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. Proposition bets in the centre, such as any 7 or a hardway, pay big but carry house edges from 9% to over 16%.
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A place bet on 6 or 8 pays 7:6. It wins 5 ways and loses 6 ways, so for every 11 decisions you win 5 × 7/6 and lose 6, a loss of 1/6 of a unit, or 1.52% per bet resolved.1 (source) Place 5 or 9 pays 7:5 (4.00%) and place 4 or 10 pays 9:5 (6.67%), worked out the same way.
The field wins on 16 of the 36 combinations and loses on the other 20. With 2 paid at 2:1 and 12 at 3:1, it returns 14 + 2 + 3 = 19 units for every 20 lost, a house edge of 1/36, or 2.78%. Tables that pay only 2:1 on both 2 and 12 double that to 5.56%.1 (source)
The proposition bets are the dearest on the layout. Any 7 pays 4:1 on a 6-in-36 chance: 24 won against 30 lost, an edge of 16.67%. Any craps (2, 3 or 12) usually pays 7:1 for an edge of 11.11%, and a single 11 at 15:1 also comes to 11.11%. Hard 6 or hard 8 at 9:1 wins 1 way against 10 losing ways, an edge of 9.09% per bet resolved.1 (source)
Craps House Edge by Bet: Which Bets Cost Least
The free odds bet costs nothing, don’t pass costs 1.36% and pass 1.41%, and place 6 or 8 costs 1.52% per decision. Most centre-table bets cost 9% to 17%. The same table can hold one of the casino’s cheapest bets and one of its dearest.
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| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Free odds | True odds | 0.00% |
| Pass with 3-4-5x odds (combined) | 1:1 on the line, true odds behind | 0.37% |
| Don’t pass / don’t come (per bet made) | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| Pass / come | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Field (2 pays 2:1, 12 pays 3:1) | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Field (2 and 12 pay 2:1) | 1:1 | 5.56% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Hard 6 or hard 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| Any craps | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Hard 4 or hard 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Any 7 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
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Every figure here follows from the 36-combination dice table, and each matches the published figures.1 (source) Payouts vary between casinos, especially on the field and the props, so recalculate if your table pays differently: multiply each payout by its number of winning combinations, subtract the losing combinations, and divide by the total.
Our house edge guide sets these numbers beside blackjack, baccarat and roulette. Pass with odds sits at the very bottom of that list.
Craps Etiquette: Dice, Chips and Calls
Use one hand to throw the dice and make them hit the far wall. Keep your hands out of the table while the dice are in the air, and place or call bets before the stickman sends the dice to the shooter.
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Hand your cash to the dealer between rolls, not while the dice are moving. Many bets, such as place bets and the centre props, are placed for you by the dealer when you put chips on the table and call the bet. Pass and don’t pass bets you place yourself, in the area in front of you.
Craps tables can be loud, and superstition is part of the culture: saying “seven” at the table is frowned on by some regulars. None of it changes the dice. For general casino manners, see our casino etiquette guide; every online version offered in Great Britain must meet the Gambling Commission’s technical standards for fair, randomly generated results.2 (source)
Looking for a licensed site that offers craps? Our UK casino comparison lists the licensed UK sites. 18+
Quick Check: Craps Rules and Payouts
Four questions on the come-out, the point and the odds bet.
Craps Rules: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers on how a round works, the best bets and what the calls at the table mean.
How do you play craps?
What is the best bet in craps?
What does seven out mean?
Why do don’t pass bets push on 12?
What is a hardway bet?
Can you play craps in British casinos?
Do I have to roll the dice?
Sources
Documents behind this page, grouped by publisher type and dated.