How to play craps
Craps rules for beginners, shown with the table, the dice and one full example round.
The craps table layout
| Bet | Pays | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Pass line / Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Don't pass / Don't come | 1 to 1, bar 12 | 1.40% |
| Odds (any point) | true odds | 0.00% |
| Place 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% |
| Buy 4 or 10 | 2 to 1, 5% on win | 1.67% |
| Lay 4 or 10 | 1 to 2, 5% on win | 1.67% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Field (12 pays 3 to 1) | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 | 2.78% |
| Field (12 pays 2 to 1) | 1 to 1, 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 | 5.56% |
| Hard 6 or 8 | 9 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 or 10 | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Any craps | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Yo (11) / Ace-deuce (3) | 15 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Aces (2) / Twelve | 30 to 1 | 13.89% |
| Horn | 2/12: 30 to 1, 3/11: 15 to 1 | 12.50% |
| Any 7 | 4 to 1 | 16.67% |
House edge per bet decided (pushes not counted), exact math from the dice.
- Pass Line and Don't Pass – the main bets, along the outer edge.
- Come and Don't Come – the same bets, made after the point is set.
- Place numbers – the boxes four, five, six, eight, nine and ten, with the puck above them.
- Field – a one-roll bet on two, three, four, nine, ten, eleven and twelve.
- Center – one-roll bets and hardways.
The shooter and the come-out roll
One player, the shooter, rolls two dice for the whole table. The first roll of a round is the come-out roll.
- Seven or eleven – Pass wins.
- Two, three or twelve – Pass loses (craps).
- Four, five, six, eight, nine or ten – this total becomes the point.
The point, the puck and seven-out
The puck turns to ON and sits on the point number. Now the shooter rolls until the point or a seven shows.
Point first – Pass wins. Seven first – Pass loses, called seven-out, and the dice go to the next shooter. The seven has 6 ways to roll, the most of any total: 16.67% of all rolls.
Example round
- Come-out roll: six. The point is six, and the puck goes ON.
- Next roll: nine. Nothing happens to Pass.
- Next roll: six. The point is made – Pass wins, and the puck goes OFF.
- The same shooter starts a new come-out roll.
Only two, three, seven, eleven and twelve settle Pass on the come-out roll; any other total sets the point, and after that only the point and seven decide Pass.
Pass, Don't Pass and Come bets
- Pass – you bet with the shooter. House edge: 1.41%.
- Don't Pass – the opposite: on the come-out roll it wins on two or three, loses on seven or eleven, and twelve is a push (bar twelve); after the point it wins if seven comes before the point. Edge: 1.36%.
- Come – a Pass bet made after the point is on; the next roll is its own come-out.
More bets: craps bets.
Taking odds and place bets
- Odds – an extra bet behind Pass after the point. It pays true odds with no house edge: 2 to 1 on four and ten, 3 to 2 on five and nine, 6 to 5 on six and eight.
- Place bets – a bet that one number rolls before seven. Place six or eight pays 7 to 6, edge 1.52%.
Place bets and hardways are off on the come-out roll by default. See all craps payouts.
The field and one-roll center bets
One-roll center bets have the highest edge on the table – compare them before you use them.
- Field – wins on two, three, four, nine, ten, eleven and twelve, and pays extra on two and twelve. Edge: 2.78%, or 5.56% on tables that pay less on twelve.
- Any seven – edge 16.67%.
- Any craps – edge 11.11%.
Details: prop bets.
Questions
What is craps?
Craps is a dice game where one shooter rolls two dice and all players bet on the result. The main bet, Pass, wins on seven or eleven on the come-out roll, or when the point repeats before a seven.
How does craps work for beginners?
Start with the Pass Line: on the come-out roll, seven or eleven wins and two, three or twelve loses. Any other total becomes the point, and you win if it rolls again before a seven.
What is the best bet in craps?
Pass and Don't Pass have low edges (1.41% and 1.36%), and the odds bet behind them has no house edge at all. The house still keeps its edge on the Pass bet over time.
Why is seven so important in craps?
The seven can be rolled 6 ways with two dice, more than any other total, so it comes up on 16.67% of rolls. It wins Pass on the come-out roll and ends the round as seven-out after the point.
Can a betting system beat craps?
No. Every bet except odds has a house edge, and no order of bets changes it, so the house wins over time.