Craps

By Wagercomms

The Game

Throw the dices and listen to the silence, the sound as they hit the table bouncing onto the wall, another softer sound as they hit and goes in separate directions, craps is a highly popular game in the casinos and wherever there is loud action you can bet there are winners at the craps tables.

How to Play Craps

The first roll of the dice in a craps round is called the "come out roll". The basic opening bet in craps, placed just before the come out roll, is called the "pass line bet". Pass line bets immediately win when the shooter's come out roll is 7 or 11, and lose when the come out roll is 2 (snake eyes), 3 (cross eyes), or 12 (box cars). If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled on the come out roll, that number becomes "the point." The puck labelled "ON" shows that the point has been established and is located on the craps table over the box for the number rolled as the point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". The shooter now keeps rolling the dice until he rolls the point or 7 to end the round. If the shooter rolls the point first, a pass line bet wins. If, however, the shooter rolls a 7 first (i.e. "sevens out"), a pass line bet loses.

To end a round of craps and resolve pass line bets, the shooter must roll either the point or 7 after the come out roll. There's always the possibility that a craps game will go on all night if the shooter fails to roll the point or 7. Pass line bets can't win until the point is rolled, and can't lose until 7 is rolled. Because unresolved pass line bets may not be removed, players must wait for a roll of the point or 7 to determine the fate of their pass line bets. If you need to leave the game, your bet will be lost.

How to Bet

Before the dice are rolled, bets can be placed in the various areas of the craps table. First, click on the value of the chip you wish to wager with your default mouse button. Next, place the chip in the desired betting area on the craps table by clicking in the area with your default mouse button. If you wish to alter or remove a bet, click on your wagered chips with your non default mouse button. When you are finished placing your bets, click on the ROLL button to roll the dice.

Pass Line Bets

A pass line bet is placed on the field labelled "PASS LINE" on the craps table before the come out roll (i.e. the first roll of the dice in a new craps round). A wager on the pass line wins if the come out roll is 7 or 11, and loses if 2, 3 or 12 are rolled. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, that number becomes "the point". To win a pass line bet, the shooter must roll the point again before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, your pass line bet loses. A winning pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1). Once the point has been established, unresolved pass line bets may not be increased, reduced or removed. They must be resolved by rolling the point or 7.

Don't Pass Line Bets

A don't pass line bet is essentially the reverse of a pass line bet and is placed on the craps table in the "Don't Pass line" before the come out roll. If the shooter rolls 3 or 12 in the come out roll, a don't pass line bet wins. If, however, the come out roll is 7 or 11, don't pass line bets lose. If the come out roll is 2, a don't pass line bet is returned to the player in a push. If the come out roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. Once the point has been established, don't pass line bets win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again. If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7, don't pass line bets lose. A winning don't pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1). Unlike pass line bets, unresolved don't pass line bets may be removed or reduced, but not increased.

Come Bets

A come bet is placed in the "COME" bar on the craps table before any roll of the dice, once the point has been established by the come out roll. The rules for come bets are essentially the same as for pass line bets. Come bets win if the shooter's next roll is 7 or 11, and lose if the roll is 2, 3, or 12. If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point," and the dealer will move the come bet from the "COME" bar on the craps table to the box corresponding to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". If the shooter rolls the come point again before rolling a 7, the come bet pays even money. The come bet will stay in place until the come point or a 7 is rolled. Just as with the pass line bet, unresolved come bets may not be increased, reduced or removed. They must be resolved by a roll of the come point or 7.

Don't Come Bets

A don't come bet is essentially the opposite of a come bet. A don't come bet is placed after the come out roll in the "Don't Come Bar" on the craps table. Don't come bets win when the shooter's next roll is 3 or 12, and lose if the roll is 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 2, the bet will be returned to the player in a push. If the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the don't come point," and the dealer will move the don't come bet from the "Don't Come Bar" to the left corner of the narrow, uppermost bar over the box corresponding to the don't come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". After the don't come point has been established, don't come bets win even money if 7 is rolled and lose if the don't come point is rolled. Don't come bets will stay in place until the don't come point or a 7 is rolled. However, unresolved don't come bets may be removed or reduced at any time, but not increased.

Odds Bet

An odds bet is a "back up" bet on an original pass line bet, don't pass line bet, come bet, or don't come bet. The maximum odds bet is 2 times your original bet on the pass line and come bets. You are allowed to lay full odds on don't pass and don't come up to the amount you could win if these bets were on the pass line or come.

Pass Line Odds Bets

After the point has been established, a pass line odds bet is placed by clicking with your default mouse button on the craps table beneath the "PASS LINE", under your original pass line bet. A winning pass line odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original pass line bet, an unresolved pass line odds bet may, at any time, be increased, reduced or removed.

Don't Pass Line Odds Bets

Once the point has been established, a don't pass line odds bet is placed by clicking with your default mouse button on the right side of your original bet in the "Don't Pass Bar". A winning don't pass line odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't pass line odds bet may be removed. However, if you click with your non default mouse button to remove your don't pass line odds bet, your original don't pass line bet will also be removed.

Come Odds Bets

Once the come point has been established, a come odds bet is placed by clicking with your default mouse button directly under your come bet within the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". A winning come odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original come bet, an unresolved come odds bet may, at any time, be increased, reduced or removed.

In the Craps game, come odds bets are inactive during come out rolls by default. However, if you wish to change the default setting to make your come odds bets active during the come out rolls, click on the OPTIONS button. In the menu, click on the box next to "Come odds bets". Check the box to activate come odds bets during come out rolls. Then click ok.

Don't Come Odds Bets

Once the come point has been established, an odds bet is placed on your don't come bet by clicking in the tiny space directly under your don't come bet within the narrow, uppermost bar over the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". A winning don't come odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't come odds bet may be increased, reduced or removed at any time.

Field Bets

A field bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. It is placed in the "FIELD" bar on the craps table before any one roll of the dice. If the next roll is 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11, the field bet wins even money. If 2 or 12 are rolled, the field bet wins 2 to 1. If 5, 6, 7, or 8 are rolled, the field bet is lost.

Big 6 and Big 8 Bets

A big 6 bet is a bet that 6 will be rolled before 7. Likewise, a big 8 bet is a bet that 8 will be rolled before 7. A big 6 or a big 8 bet is placed in either the "6" or "8" box located in the left corner of the craps table. A big 6 or big 8 bet wins even money if the shooter rolls a 6 or 8 before rolling 7. Unresolved big 6 and big 8 bets may be increased, reduced or removed at any time.

Place Bets

There are two types of place bets. A place win bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a seven. A place win bet is placed in the narrow, unlabeled bar located just under the box with the corresponding number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". Winning place win bets are paid according to the following ratios: 7 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 7 to 5 on numbers 5 and 9, and 9 to 5 on numbers 4 and 10.

In the Craps game, place bets are inactive during come out rolls by default. However, if you wish to change the default setting to make your place bets active during come out rolls, click on the OPTIONS button. Click on the box next to "Place bets" in the menu. Check the box to activate place bets in come out rolls. Then click OK.

If the box next to "Use On/Off marker" is checked in the Options menu, an "ON" marker will cover your place bet to indicate that it is active, or an "OFF" marker will cover your place bet to indicate that it is inactive during a come out roll. The markers will be removed from your place bets after the come out roll, since all place bets will be active. Unresolved place bets may be removed.

Buy Bets

A buy bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before 7. A buy bet is placed in the box corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". The buy bet will be covered by a "BUY" marker to distinguish it from a come bet. A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged when the buy bet is placed. Buy bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 6 to 5 on numbers 6 and 8, 3 to 2 on numbers 5 and 9, and 2 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10. If a buy bet is lost or removed, the 5% vig. is returned. Buy bets may be placed at any time during the craps game, and you may increase, reduce or remove a buy bet at any time.

Lay Bets

A lay bet is essentially the reverse of a buy bet. A lay bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The lay bet is placed in the top, unlabeled bar above the box corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". A lay bet will be covered by a "LAY" marker to distinguish it from a don't come bet. A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged when the lay bet is placed. Lay bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 5 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 2 to 3 on numbers 5 and 9, and 1 to 2 on numbers 4 and 10. Lay bets are active also during the come out roll, and unresolved lay bets may be increased, reduced or removed at any time.

Any 7 Bets

An "any 7" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be a seven. This bet is placed in the betting area called "any seven" on the craps table. If a seven is rolled, you win 4 to 1 on your bet.

Any 11 Bets

An "any 11" bet, sometimes referred to as a "YO" bet, is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 11. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice that add up to 11. If 11 are rolled, you win 15 to 1 on your bet.

Any Craps Bets

An "any craps" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, or 12. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the "any craps" betting area on the craps table. If 2, 3, or 12 are rolled, you win 7 to 1 on your bet.

C & E Bets

On the craps table layout, you will see a vertical row of the letters "C" and "E". These letters represents two bets.

The letter C represents the "any Craps" bet. By using your default mouse button, place a wager on letter C; your chips will appear in the "any Craps" betting area of the craps table. This bet is exactly the same as placing a wager directly on the "any Craps" bet.

The letter "E" represents the "any 11" bet or "YO" bet. Just like the any Craps bet, the "YO" bet will be placed in the "any 11" betting area. This bet is exactly the same as placing the wager directly in the "any 11" betting area.

C & E Split Bet

On the craps table layout, you will see a vertical row of the letters "C" and "E". These letters represents the two bets above, and now you can wager on both of these popular bets with just one chip.

The letter C represents the "any Craps" bet. The letter "E" represents the "any 11" bet or "YO" bet. By using your default mouse button, place a wager between the letters C & E; your chips will appear between the two letters indicating that you have a spilt bet.

If 2, 3 or 12 are rolled, you win 3 to 1.

If 11 are rolled, you win 7 to 1.

7 & 11 Split Bet

This split bet pays 7 to 1 if the 11 is rolled and 3 to 2 if the 7 is rolled. This bet is placed by straddling the very top line of the any seven bet near the chip rack.

Horn Bet

The "horn" bet is one roll bet by which you are betting that 2, 3, 11 or 12 will appear on the next roll of the dice. This bet box is placed in the center of the layout and is a one roll bet.

If 3 or 11 are rolled, the bet pays 3 to 1.

If 2 or 12 are rolled, the bet pays 7 to 1 minus one fourth of the bet.

For example. If you bet a $4 horn and a 2 is rolled, you will win 4 X 7 = 28 - (1/4 of 4) 1 = 27.00. To put in another way: Let's assume you bet 1 on the 2, 3, 11 and 12 prop bets. If you win on the roll of a 2, you will be paid 30. However, you also lost 3 on the 2, 3, 12 and thus your net win will be 27.

Hardway Bets

This is a bet on the shooter rolling a 4, 6, 8, or 10 as doubles (2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5) before rolling a 7. The hardway bet is placed in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice corresponding to the number. Rolling a number by doubles is said to be rolling the number "the hard way". For example, a roll of 4+4 is a called a "hard 8", while a roll of 5+3 or 6+2 is called an "easy 8". A winning hardway bet pays 7 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10 and 9 to 1 on numbers 6 and 8. Unresolved hardway bets may be increased, reduced or removed at any time.

In the Craps game, hardway bets are inactive during come out rolls by default. However, if you wish to change the default setting to make your hardway bets active during come out rolls, click on the OPTIONS button. In the menu, click on the box next to "Hardway bets". Check the box to activate hardway bets in come out rolls.

Detailed Game and Betting Limits

The following game and betting limits are considered standard in craps.

Spread                        1 to 100                   5 to 500                    25 to 1000

Betting Limits           Min   Max             Min   Max                Min   Max

Passline                     1        100               5       500                 25    1000

Passline Odds          1        2 x wager    1       2 x wager      25     2 x wager

Don't Passline          1         100               5      500                 25     1000

Don't Pass Odds      1        *                    1       *                       1       *

Field                           1        100                5      500                 25     1000

Come Bets                1        100               5      500                 25     1000

Come Bet Odds       1        2 x wager    1      2 x wager      25      2 x wager

Don't Come Bets     1        100                5     500                 25      1000

Don't Come Odds   1        *                    1       *                       1        *

Place Bets                 1        100               5      500                  25     1000

Buy Bets                    1        100                5      500                  25    1000

Big 6 & 8                   1        100                5      500                  25     1000

Any 7 Bet                  1        35                  5      125                   25     250

Any Craps                1        20                 5       65                    5       140

YO 11 or 3                   1        10                  5       35                    5       60

2 or 12                        1        5                    1        17                     5       30

Horn Bet                   1        40                  1        80                    5       160

Hard 6 & 8               1         15                  1        50                    5       110

Hard 4 & 10              1        20                  1        65                    5       140

7/11 Split                    1        25                 1        75                    5        150

C & E Split                 1        25                 1        75                    5        150

Lay 6 & 8                  1         120               5       600                  25      1200

Lay 5 & 9                  1         150               5       750                  25      1500

Lay 4 & 10                 1         200              5       1000                25      2000

* The maximum odds a player can lay on the Don't Pass & Don't Come Odds bets is the most a player can win if the odds bet were on the pass line or come bet. Hence, these are considered "full lay odds".

To that the maximum lay odds amounts that possibly can be be made is per standard the following, per game limit.

1 to 100 Limit

On the 4 or 10 the max is 400. On the 5 or 9 the max is 300. On the 6 or 8 the max is 240.

5 to 500 Limit

On the 4 or 10 the max is 2,000. On the 5 or 9 the max is 1,500. On the 6 or 8 the max is 1,200.

25 to 1,000 Limit

On the 4 or 10 the max is 4,000. On the 5 or 9 the max is 3,000. On the 6 or 8 the max is 2,400.

Shooting the Dice

To be eligible to "shoot" the dice when playing with others, you must meet one requirement. You must place a pass line bet or a don't pass line bet. In the event you do not wish to shoot, you may choose "pass" to pass the dice to the next player. If you are alone at the table, you can pass the dice and the game will roll for you. In the event you fail to make a choice to shoot within a reasonable amount of time, the dice will automatically be passed to the next player or, if your are alone, to the house. You control the dice until you "seven-out".

Online Craps

Most operators offers a menu that allows you to activate several wagers "on" and "off" during the come out roll. Wagers that when checked will be "ON" or "working" during the come out roll. Unsure how it works, we advice that to play for practice to get an understanding of these functions before you hit the tables for real play.

Online Come Out Selection

Pass dice

On/Off marker

Buy working

Place working

Come odds working

Hard working

Detailed Odds and Payouts for the Various Craps Bets

Do note that the free odds bets are the only bets where the house has no advantage. That's why some reduce the free odds down to 2X from 3X.

The numbers for the Buy and Lay bets take into account the 5% cost of making the bet.

Buy Bet       Pay       House Edge

4 or 10         2 to 1     4.7%

5 or 9          3 to 2    4.7%

6 or 8          6 to 5    4.7%

Lay Bet       Pay       House Edge 

4 or 10        1 to 2     2.4%

5 or 9         2 to 3    3.2%

6 or 8         5 to 6   4%

Hard 6 or 8

A hard way roll is a number made with a matching pair, or doubles. These bets continue until the same number comes up easy, a 7 is rolled, or the shooter rolls a hard 6 or 8 (and collects this bet). The house advantage is 9.09%. The house pays 9 to 1 (though the true odds are 10-1).

Hard 4 and 10

The house advantage is 11.1%. The house pays 7 to 1 (though the true odds are 8-1).

2 or 12

This proposition bet clearly favours the house and should be avoided. The next roll determines the outcome of the bet. More experienced Craps players avoid these bets. The house advantage is 13.89%. The house pays 30 to 1 (the true odds are 35-1).

3 or 11

This proposition bet clearly favours the house. The next roll determines the outcome of the bet. The house advantage is 11.1%. The house pays 15 to 1 (the true odds are 17-1).

House Edge

The following detailed house edges can be said to be the agreed standard in craps, but several variations do exist between operators, dependent on pay.

Bet                                            Pay             House Edge

Pass Line                             1 to 1          1.4%

Pass Line Odds                  *                0%

Don't Pass                           1 to 1         1.4%

Don't Pass Odds                **              0%

Come                                  1 to 1          1.4%

Come Odds                       *                 0%

Don't Come                        1 to 1          1.4%

Don't Come Odds             **              0%

Place 6 or 8                        7 to 6        1.5%

Place 5 or 9                        7 to 5        4.0%

Place 4 or 10                       9 to 5       6.6%

Any Craps                          7 to 1         11.1%

Two                                      30 to 1       13.9%

Three                                   15 to 1        11.1%

Any Seven                          4 to 1         16.6%

Eleven                                 15 to 1        11.1%

Twelve                                30 to 1       13.9%

Hard 4 or 10                       7 to 1          11.1%

Hard 6 or 8                        9 to 1         9.0%

Big 6 or Big 8                     1 to 1          9.0%

The Field                            2 to 1          5.56%

The Field                            3 to 1          2.78%

* Pass Odds and Come Odds... pay 2 to 1 on 4 and 1, pay 3 to 3 on 5 or 9, pays 6 to 5 on 6 or 8. 

** Don't Pass Odds and Don't Come Odds... pay 1 to 2 against 4 or 10, pay 2 to 3 against 5 or 9, pay 5 to 6 against 6 or 8.