How to play craps: the rules
Craps is a dice game: you bet on what two dice will total. The basic bet is the pass line. On the first roll, 7 or 11 wins and 2, 3 or 12 loses; any other number becomes the point, and then you win if the point rolls again before a 7.
The two phases
A round has two phases. It starts with the come-out roll, while the puck, the marker on the table, says OFF. If that roll sets a point, the puck turns ON and the shooter keeps rolling until the point or a 7 comes up.
| Roll | On the come-out | With a point on |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Pass line wins (a natural) | Pass line loses (seven-out) |
| 11 | Pass line wins (a natural) | No decision |
| 2, 3 or 12 | Pass line loses (craps) | No decision |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 | Becomes the point | Pass line wins if it’s the point. Any other number is no decision. |
The 7 does opposite things: it wins on the come-out and loses once a point is on. That’s the first thing to remember.
How a round goes
- Before the come-out, put your chips on the pass line. The puck says OFF.
- The shooter rolls two dice. A 7 or 11 is a natural: the pass line wins 1 to 1, and the next roll is a new come-out.
- A 2, 3 or 12 is craps: the pass line loses, and the next roll is a new come-out.
- A 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 becomes the point. The puck turns ON and sits on that number. Your bet stays up, and you can now add odds behind it.
- The shooter keeps rolling. For the pass line, only the point and the 7 matter. Every other number, 11 and craps included, is no decision.
- If the point rolls first, the pass line wins 1 to 1, the puck goes OFF, and the same shooter starts a new come-out.
- If a 7 rolls first, that’s a seven-out: pass line bets and their odds lose, the round ends, and the dice go to the next shooter.
A 7 on the come-out is not a seven-out: the pass line wins and the shooter keeps the dice. In our game there are no other players waiting for the dice, so you roll every time.
How many ways each total can be rolled
Two dice can land 36 ways, all equally likely, and most totals can be made more than one way. This table explains everything else in the game.
| Total | Dice | Ways out of 36 | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1-1 | 1 | 2.78% |
| 3 | 1-2 | 2 | 5.56% |
| 4 | 1-3, 2-2 | 3 | 8.33% |
| 5 | 1-4, 2-3 | 4 | 11.11% |
| 6 | 1-5, 2-4, 3-3 | 5 | 13.89% |
| 7 | 1-6, 2-5, 3-4 | 6 | 16.67% |
| 8 | 2-6, 3-5, 4-4 | 5 | 13.89% |
| 9 | 3-6, 4-5 | 4 | 11.11% |
| 10 | 4-6, 5-5 | 3 | 8.33% |
| 11 | 5-6 | 2 | 5.56% |
| 12 | 6-6 | 1 | 2.78% |
Each pair of different numbers counts twice: 3-4 and 4-3 are different rolls, which is easy to see with one red die and one blue.
On the come-out, 8 ways win for the pass line and 4 lose, so it starts ahead. But once a point is on, the 7 is the most common total, with 6 ways against 5 at most for any point, so the 7 usually comes first. The two parts almost cancel out: the pass line wins 49.29% of the time and loses 50.71%.
The main bets
The house edge is what a bet costs on average, as a share of the bet: 1.41% on the pass line means about 1.41 chips lost for every 100 bet, in the long run. These are exact numbers, not simulated.
| Bet | Wins | Loses | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass line | 7 or 11 on the come-out, then the point before a 7 | 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out, then a 7 before the point | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Don’t pass | 2 or 3 on the come-out, then a 7 before the point | 7 or 11 on the come-out, then the point before a 7 | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| Come | 7 or 11 on the next roll, then its number before a 7 | 2, 3 or 12 on the next roll, then a 7 before its number | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Don’t come | 2 or 3 on the next roll, then a 7 before its number | 7 or 11 on the next roll, then its number before a 7 | 1:1 | 1.36% |
| Free odds | The line bet it backs wins | The line bet it backs loses | 2:1 (4, 10), 3:2 (5, 9), 6:5 (6, 8) | 0.00% |
| Place 6 or 8 | That number before a 7 | A 7 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | That number before a 7 | A 7 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | That number before a 7 | A 7 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Field | 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 on the next roll | 5, 6, 7 or 8 | 1:1 on 3, 4, 9, 10, 11; 2:1 on 2; 3:1 on 12 | 2.78% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | That number as a pair (3-3 or 4-4) before a 7 | A 7, or that number any other way | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 or 10 | That number as a pair (2-2 or 5-5) before a 7 | A 7, or that number any other way | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Any 7 | A 7 on the next roll | Any other total | 4:1 | 16.67% |
| Any craps | 2, 3 or 12 on the next roll | Any other total | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| 2 or 12 | That exact total on the next roll | Any other total | 30:1 | 13.89% |
| 3 or 11 | That exact total on the next roll | Any other total | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Horn | 2, 3, 11 or 12 on the next roll | Any other total | 30:1 on 2 or 12, 15:1 on 3 or 11, on a quarter of the bet | 12.50% |
| C & E | 2, 3, 11 or 12 on the next roll | Any other total | 7:1 on 2, 3, 12 and 15:1 on 11, on half the bet | 11.11% |
With the game’s default rules: the field pays triple on 12 (5.56% if it pays double). A 12 on the first roll of a don’t pass or don’t come bet is a tie. Place bets, hardways and the odds on come bets are normally off on the come-out roll. Pass and come bets with a point can’t be taken down, but their odds can.
Come and don’t come are line bets you can make with a point already on. The next roll works as their own come-out, and a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 becomes that bet’s number. That’s why the same 7 can win a new come bet and lose an older one.
The table also has buy and lay bets, big 6 and 8, and hop bets. The odds page has them all.
The odds bet
Once a point is on, you can add odds behind your pass line or come bet. It’s the only bet in the game with no house edge, because it pays exactly what its chance of winning is worth. There are 3 ways to roll a 4 and 6 ways to roll a 7, so the 7 comes first twice as often, and odds on the 4 pay 2 to 1.
| Point | Ways vs. the 7 | Comes before a 7 | Odds pay | Most odds at 3-4-5x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 vs. 6 | 33.33% | 2:1 | 3x |
| 5 or 9 | 4 vs. 6 | 40.00% | 3:2 | 4x |
| 6 or 8 | 5 vs. 6 | 45.45% | 6:5 | 5x |
On don’t pass and don’t come you lay the odds instead: you put up more to win less, at 1:2 (4, 10), 2:3 (5, 9), 5:6 (6, 8). That has no house edge either. Our table starts at 3-4-5x odds, and you can change that in the table rules.
An example at 3-4-5x: with 10 chips on the pass line and a point of 6, you can take up to 50 in odds. If the 6 comes first, the line pays 10 and the odds pay 60. If a 7 comes first, you lose both.
Odds don’t change what you lose on average: 0.14 chips per 10-chip pass line bet, with or without them. What changes is the total at stake, 37.78 chips on average at 3-4-5x, so the edge on all your money falls from 1.41% to 0.37%. The catch is bigger swings: a seven-out now costs several times your line bet.
| Odds allowed | Pass line | Don’t pass |
|---|---|---|
| No odds | 1.414% | 1.364% |
| 1x odds | 0.848% | 0.682% |
| 2x odds | 0.606% | 0.455% |
| 3-4-5x odds | 0.374% | 0.273% |
| 10x odds | 0.184% | 0.124% |
| 100x odds | 0.021% | 0.014% |
The combined edge, line bet and odds together, per chip bet, with full odds on every point.
Which bets to make and which to leave alone
Keep your chips on the line bets and their odds, and add place 6 or 8 if you want more numbers working. Those are the cheapest bets on the table.
| Bets to make | House edge | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Don’t pass or don’t come, with odds | 0.273% | The lowest edge on the table, at 3-4-5x. You lay more to win less, so it ties up more chips. |
| Pass line or come, with odds | 0.374% | The simplest good bet, at 3-4-5x. Learn this one first. |
| Don’t pass or pass line, no odds | 1.36%, 1.41% | Still cheap, with smaller swings. |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% | Almost as cheap, you pick the numbers, and you can take it down at any time. |
Everything else costs more, and the price climbs fast. Big payouts make these bets look good, but they still pay less than the chance of winning is worth.
| Bets to leave alone | House edge | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Field | 2.78% | Seven numbers win, but they’re only 16 of the 36 ways. It’s decided on every roll, so it costs 2.78% per roll, against 0.42% for the pass line. |
| Place 5 or 9 | 4.00% | Pays 7:5 when the true odds are 3:2. |
| Place 4 or 10 | 6.67% | Pays 9:5 when the true odds are 2:1. |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9.09% | One way wins and 10 lose, but it pays only 9:1. |
| Hard 4 or 10 | 11.11% | One way wins and 8 lose, but it pays only 7:1. |
| Center props | 11.11% to 16.67% | One roll and a big payout, at the highest prices on the table. Any 7 is the worst of all, at 16.67%. |
Words you’ll hear
- Shooter: the player rolling the dice, until a seven-out.
- Come-out: the first roll of a round, with no point on.
- Point: the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 set on the come-out. It has to roll again before a 7.
- Puck on and off: the marker on the table. OFF means the next roll is a come-out. ON sits on the point number.
- Seven-out: a 7 with a point on. Pass line bets lose and the dice move on.
- Natural: a 7 or 11 on the come-out. The pass line wins.
- Craps: a 2, 3 or 12. On the come-out, the pass line loses.
- Yo: the 11, called that so “eleven” can’t be mistaken for “seven”.
- Boxcars: the 12, two sixes.
- Snake eyes: the 2, two ones. Also called aces.
Where to go next
The quickest way to learn is to play a few rounds with virtual chips. Turn on the trainer and the game shows each bet’s chance of winning and house edge as you go.
Odds and house edge of every bet · Should you take max odds? · More questions · How craps compares with other games