Craps 7 Basic Craps Player's Guide Menu

Craps table with a $5 pass line bet on the come-out roll
Craps table layout
Bet shown is the pass line bet on the come-out roll.
The come-out roll is the start of a new game. The black puck that says "off" in the upper left is the visual signal that a new game is starting. This is the absolute BEST time to make a pass line bet.

How to play Craps

The basic game of Craps involves making the Pass Line bet. It is the most often made wager on a craps table and the game of craps revolves around it.

The craps table layout looks very confusing for the first time player but there are 2 bets that the game of craps is all about. There are actually many bets that can be made on the craps table but those will be covered in another area of this site. Let us play the game of Craps.

First is the Pass Line bet.

Click here to play the Don't Pass.

Play a simple Craps Game right here.
See how the pass line can win and lose.
You can only bet the Pass Line and wager $5.
  4 5 SIX 8 NINE 10
Don't Pass Bar 12
  PASS LINE

Click the button to begin

thanks to mark for the code to this game. The Wizard of Odds has a nice craps game, and a great site, to play where all bets can be made. It's free to play.(game will open in a new window) Click here to play.

You must first Buy In.

Place your cash or chips on the layout and ask the dealer for change only. You can play craps on either side of the table. The layout has the identical bets on both sides. Place your chips in the rail on the top of the table and look to see if a new game is starting.

Pass Line Bet
You place your bet on the pass line before a new shooter begins his roll. The shooter is the person that will be tossing the dice.
This is known as the come out roll. The visual sign that the next roll is the come out roll is the black puck on the table says "off". That means a new game is starting. This is the absolute best time to make a pass line bet.

If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 you win on the first roll.

If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12, you lose.

If the shooter rolls any other number, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 that number becomes the point number for the current game. The shooter must roll that number again before a seven is rolled. If that happens, you win even money for your pass line bet. If a seven is rolled before the point number is rolled again, you lose.

Odds Bet
Once the point is established the bettor can make an additional bet behind the pass line bet. This is known as the "Odds Bet." It does not increase the chances of you winning but it allows you to win more by increasing your bet so it pays more than even money.

Most casinos offer at least double odds, which means you can make a bet twice the size of your pass line bet. If your pass line bet is $5 you are allowed to make an odds bet of $10 on a double odds table.

The winning payout would be $17 on the point of a 6 or 8, $20 on a point of 5 or 9 and $25 on a point of 4 or 10, instead of $15 that the total wager is.

The Odds bet is an optional bet and is not necessary to play the game of craps. It is actually easier to learn as you play.

Shooting the Dice

As long as the shooter, the one rolling the dice, is rolling point winners, he keeps control of the dice. Only after a 7 out, when the 7 rolls before the point number, does the shooter lose control of the dice and the dice rotate clockwise to the next player for a new come out roll.

Players are not supposed to handle the dice with more than one hand (such as shaking them in cupped hands before rolling) nor take the dice past the edge of the table. The only way to change hands when throwing dice, if permitted at all, is to set the dice on the table, let go, then take them with the other hand. This reduces or eliminates the possibility of the shooter switching dice.

When throwing the dice, the player is expected to hit the farthest wall at the opposite end of the table. Most casinos will allow a roll that does not hit the opposite wall as long as the dice are thrown past the middle of the table, occasionally a short roll will be called a "no roll" due to the more controllable nature of such a roll. The dice may not be slid across the table and must be tossed. Typically, players are asked not to throw the dice higher than the eye level of the dealers.

Dice are considered "in play" if they land on players' bets on the table, the dealer's working stacks, on the marker puck or with one die resting on top of the other. The roll is invalid if either or both dice land in the boxman's bankroll, the stickman's bowl (where the extra three dice are kept between rolls), or in the rails around the top of the table where players chips are kept. If a die or both dice leave the table, it is also a "no roll" and the boxman will examine the dice before letting it come back into the game. However, the player may request the same die or dice.

When either of the dice land on or come to rest leaning against chips, markers, or the side of the table, the number that would be on top if the object the die is leaning on were removed, is the number that is used to make the call.
If one or both dice hits a player or dealer and rolls back onto the table, the roll counts as long as the person being hit did not interfere with either of the dice, though some casinos will rule "no roll" for this situation.
In most casinos the shooter may "set" the dice to a particular starting configuration before throwing (such as showing a particular number or combination, stacking the dice, or spacing them to be picked up between different fingers), but if they do, they are often asked to be quick about it so as not to delay the game. Some casinos have "no setting" rules.

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