Beginner's guide
How to play craps
Two dice. One number to chase. Craps looks chaotic from the outside, but the core game takes about two minutes to learn — and the best bet on the table is one of the simplest.
STEP 1
Bet the Pass Line before the first roll.
STEP 2
The shooter rolls. 7 or 11 wins now, 2, 3,
12 loses now.
STEP 3
Anything else becomes the point — your new target number.
STEP 4
Roll the point again to win. Roll a 7 first and you lose.
01
The pieces of the game
Six words cover almost everything you will hear at a craps table.
Shooter
The player throwing the dice. Everyone at the table bets on the same rolls.
Come out roll
The first roll of a round. It either settles your bet immediately or sets the
point.
Point
The target number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. A puck marks it on the table.
Natural
A 7 or 11 on the come out roll. Instant Pass Line win.
Craps
A 2, 3 or 12 on the come out roll. Instant Pass Line loss.
Seven out
A 7 rolled after the point is set. The round ends and the dice pass on.
The one thing to remember: on the come out roll a 7 is your best friend. Once a point
is set, the same 7 becomes your enemy.
02
How a round works
Every round has at most two phases. The come out roll decides whether there is a second one.
PHASE 1 — COME OUT ROLL
Natural
7 or 11
Instant win. Pass Line pays even money and the shooter comes out again.
Craps
2, 3 or 12
Instant loss for the Pass Line. The shooter keeps the dice and comes out
again.
Point set
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Nobody wins yet. That total becomes the point and the round moves to phase
2.
PHASE 2 — POINT PHASE
YOU WIN
The point is rolled again before a 7. Pass Line pays even money and the
round ends.
YOU LOSE
A 7 comes first — "seven out". Pass Line loses and a new shooter takes the
dice.
KEEP ROLLING
Any other total does nothing to your Pass Line bet. The shooter throws
again.
03
A real round, roll by roll
A $10 Pass Line bet, followed from the first throw to the last.
COME OUT
8
The point is 8. Odds bets are now allowed behind the Pass
Line.
ROLL 2
6
Nothing for the Pass Line. Anyone with a Place 6 gets paid.
ROLL 3
11
An 11 means nothing during the point phase — it only pays on a come
out roll.
ROLL 4
8
The point repeats. The $10 Pass Line pays $10, and a $10 Odds bet on
the 8 pays $12.
COME OUT
7
New round, natural 7. Another $10 win — before the point is set, the
7 is on your side.
COME OUT
2
Snake eyes. Craps on the come out, so the Pass Line loses this
one.
04
The bets that matter
A craps layout holds forty-odd wagers. Four of them are worth learning first.
Pass Line
START HEREPAYS
1 : 1
HOUSE EDGE
1.41%
You are betting with the shooter. Put your
chips down before the come out roll and the round plays out as described above.
WINS ON
7 or 11 on the come out — or the point repeating before a 7.
LOSES ON
2, 3 or 12 on the come out — or a 7 arriving before the point.
Odds
BEST BET IN THE CASINOPAYS
TRUE ODDS
HOUSE EDGE
0.00%
Once a point is set you can back your Pass Line bet with an Odds bet
placed just behind it. It pays exactly what the chances deserve, so the house takes nothing.
Most tables let you bet 2× to 10× your Pass Line wager, and you can add or pull it at any
time.
Point 4 or 10
2 : 1
$10 returns $20
Point 5 or 9
3 : 2
$10 returns $15
Point 6 or 8
6 : 5
$10 returns $12
Place bets
PICK A NUMBER, BEAT THE 7
Bet that a specific number lands before the next 7. It pays every time
that number hits, and it works whether or not it is the point.
Place 6 or 8
7 : 6
EDGE 1.52% — the good one
Place 5 or 9
7 : 5
EDGE 4.00%
Place 4 or 10
9 : 5
EDGE 6.67%
Field
SETTLED EVERY SINGLE ROLL
One roll, one verdict. Seven numbers pay, four numbers take your chips —
and the four that lose are the ones that come up most.
2
PAYS 2:1
3
PAYS 1:1
4
PAYS 1:1
5
LOSES
6
LOSES
7
LOSES
8
LOSES
9
PAYS 1:1
10
PAYS 1:1
11
PAYS 1:1
12
PAYS 2:1
Standard Field carries a 2.78% house edge. Some tables
pay 3:1 on the 2 or the 12, dropping it to 1.85% — worth
looking for before you sit down.
Proposition bets
THE CENTER OF THE TABLE — HANDLE WITH CARE
Loud payouts, brutal math. These are the bets the stickman keeps offering;
a 9–17% house edge is the price of the fun.
Any 7
PAYS 4 : 1
EDGE 16.67%
Any Craps (2, 3, 12)
PAYS 7 : 1
EDGE 11.11%
Hard 4 or Hard 10
PAYS 7 : 1
EDGE 11.11%
Hard 6 or Hard 8
PAYS 9 : 1
EDGE 9.09%
05
Why the 7 rules the table
Two dice make 36 possible combinations. Here is how often each total shows up — every bet in craps is priced off this shape.
2.8%
2
1 way
5.6%
3
2 ways
8.3%
4
3 ways
11.1%
5
4 ways
13.9%
6
5 ways
16.7%
7
6 ways
13.9%
8
5 ways
11.1%
9
4 ways
8.3%
10
3 ways
5.6%
11
2 ways
2.8%
12
1 way
The 7 has six ways to appear — more than any other total. That is why it wins
for you on the come out roll and ends your round afterwards, and why the 6 and 8 are the friendliest
numbers to bet on.
06
A beginner's playbook
Five moves that keep you in the best bets on the table.
DO THIS
1
Bet the Pass Line. One decision, 1.41% edge.
2
When the point is set, take the maximum Odds you can comfortably
afford.
3
If you want more action, Place the 6 and 8 — nothing
else.
4
Leave the center of the table alone.
5
Decide your budget before the first roll, and stop when it is
gone.
SKIP THIS
Any 7 — the worst bet on the felt at 16.67%.
Hardways and one-roll props — fun, expensive, and
constant.
Big 6 / Big 8 — the same numbers, paid worse. Place
them instead.
Chasing losses — no betting system beats the house
edge.
Now go roll some dice
Practice the Pass Line at a real table's pace in Knave Craps — full payout help on every bet, no real money anywhere.
Android coming soon.