Craps is fundamentally an easy game to learn and play. This guide will clear out the confusion surrounding the different types of craps bets and explain precisely the different options that you have and the corresponding payouts when you win!
Craps is a dice game and it is played with two dice. The shooter throws the dice while players at the table place bets predicting the roll of the dice. Each first roll of the dice is a new round and reffered to as the "come-out roll". First, the shooter makes a "come-out roll" with the aim of establishing a point.
A come-out roll of 7 or an 11 is called a "natural," resulting in a win for pass line bets.
When playing craps online, a Pass Line Bet is placed by clicking on the section marked “Pass Line” with the mouse. If the shooter's first roll, or "come-out roll" is a 2, 3 or 12, it is called a "craps" (sometimes called "crap out") and the round ends with players losing their pass line bets.
In any case, the come-out roll is repeated by the shooter until a point number is thrown. If the point numbers 4/5/6/8/9 or 10 are rolled on the come-out, this number becomes the "point". This is now the end of the come-out roll. Next the dealer will place a button called the "On" button. The on button is used to identify the point number to all the players that are at the table. Then the shooter will continue to roll the dice until he rolls either the point number or a seven, once the shooter is successful in rolling the point number, the pass line wins! If the shooter rolls a seven (this is reffered to as "seven-out"), the pass line then loses. A seven-out will signal the end of this craps round. You will notice on the table, a section marked as the ‘Don't Pass Line’, this is the reverse of the ‘Pass Line’ except only for the fact that the 12 is considered a “tie” or a “push”.
The combinations of the dice rolls are explained as follows :
Dice Roll | All Possible Combinations |
2 | 1-1 |
3 | 1-2, 2-1 |
4 | 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 |
5 | 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 |
6 | 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1 |
7 | 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1 |
8 | 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2 |
9 | 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 |
10 | 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 |
11 | 5-6, 6-5 |
12 | 6-6 |
Learn how to play craps - Here is a basic summary when your looking at the craps table.
The "Pass" line, is the line that extends all around the table. This is for the players who are betting with the shooter. The smaller line which says "Don't Pass" is for players betting against the shooter. The areas marked "Come" and "Don't Come" are for bets similar to Pass and Don't Pass, these bets are placed as you progress through the game.
You will also see in the layout a place marked "Field" This is where one-roll bets show, that is bets that one of seven numbers will show up. Boxes marked 4, 5, Six, 8, Nine, and 10 are for "Place" or "Buy" bets. this is when the number chosen will be rolled before the next 7.
The following list describles all the different types of craps bets that you can make.
Name of Bet | Description |
Odds | When made with ‘Pass Line’ ‘Come’ bets, it predicts the point will be rolled prior to a 7. When played with Don’t Pass Line Bets and Don’t Come Bets, it predicts a 7 will be rolled before the shooter’s point. |
Come | Similar to Pass Line Bets but placed after the come-out roll |
Don’t Come | Similar to Don’t Pass Line Bets but placed after the come-out roll |
Big 6 | Predicting a 6 to roll prior to a 7 |
Big 8 | Predicting an 8 to roll prior to a 7 |
Aces | Predicting a 2 on the next roll |
Twelve | Predicting a 12 on the next roll |
Any 7 | Predicting a 7 on the next roll |
Any 11 | Predicting an 11 on the next roll |
Any Craps | Predicting a 2, 3 or a 12 on the next roll |
Place Win | Bet that the chosen number (4/5/6/8/9/10) will roll prior to a 7 |
Place Lose | Bet that a 7 will roll before the chosen number (4/5/6/8/9/10) |
Buy | Similar to Place Win with alternative payout, but house charges 5% |
Lay | Similar to Place Lose with alternative payout, but house charges 5% |
Field | Predicting 2/3/4/9/10/11 or 12 on the next roll |
Hardway | Predicting a double (ex. two 4’s) will roll prior to a 7 |
Horn | Predicting 2/3/11 or 12 on the next roll |
By following the above different types of bets to make when playing craps, and understanding the below odds about the game, you can perfect your craps strategy and win big!
On the bottom of this page is a glossary of craps terms.
Craps is not a game of skill and its outcome depends on the roll of the dice. It is impossible to predict the roll of the dice and even though some outcomes are more likely than others, the likelihood and mathematical odds of this are compensated by the payouts of each bet. This means that you cannot gain an advantage over the casino in the game of craps. However, there are certain strategies that you can use that are very effective and give you an edge when you are playing craps online.
The simplest strategy comes from the types of craps bets that are made. Some bets in craps have a big difference in the house edge rather than others. The bets in craps with the lowest house edge are the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets, these have a house edge of just 1.36%. The Pass and Come bets have a house edge of 1.41%. Craps bets like Hi-Lo, Craps, and Yo all have a house edge of 11.11%, betting on 2 or 12 has a house edge of 13.89% and betting on a 7 in craps has a house edge as high as 16.67% Learn the game and understand the odds before you get involved in all the different types of craps betting
