Learn How to Play Craps

Craps looks like a big, confusing mess but it’s actually not a very complicated game. There are only one or two basic bets you need to know to be able to play craps as well as most people do. As long as you know those two bets, you can join any craps game in the world and look like you’ve been playing for years. After you get used to the basics, there are several other bets you can add to your craps arsenal.

Craps is played at a long, rectangular table where the players take turns throwing two dice. At the same time, the players at the table may place bets on the outcomes of the dice. There are many different bet types, but each round of craps begins with the two most basic bets: the pass line and the don’t pass line.

The Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line Bets

Every round of craps begins with the pass line and don’t pass line bets. These are the only two bets you can place at the beginning of the round. The two bets are exact opposites and are therefore fairly easy to remember.

After the bets have been placed, the person throwing the dice (the “shooter”) rolls the dice for the first time (the “come-out” roll). There are three possible outcomes for the pass line bet:

The shooter rolls a 7 or 11: you win even money on your bet. The shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12: you lose your bet. The shooter rolls anything else: that number becomes the point

If a point is established, the shooter continues throwing until the shooter either throws a 7 or the point again. If the shooter rolls the point again before throwing a 7, you win even money on your bet. If the shooter throws a 7 before throwing the point again (this is called “crapping out”), you lose the bet.

The don’t pass line bet works in the same way except it wins everywhere the pass line bet loses. If the come-out roll is a 7 or 11, the don’t pass line bet loses. If the come-out roll is a 2 or 3, it loses. If the come-out roll is a 12, the bet is a push. All other throws establish a point and then the don’t pass line bet wins if a 7 is rolled again before the point.

That’s about it for a basic round of craps. If you know how to place a pass line bet or a don’t pass line bet, you can hold your own in any craps game. The following bets are all optional.

Come Bets and Don’t Come Bets

This bet almost identical to the pass/don’t pass bet except it is placed after a point has been established. After you place a come bet, you will win if the dice land on 7 or 11 on the next throw and lose if the dice land on 2, 3 or 12. All other numbers establish a point for the purpose of the come bet. If that point is rolled again before a 7, the come bet wins.

The don’t come bet is the exact opposite, similar to the don’t pass line bet.

Odds Bet

The odds bet is an additional bet that you may place only after placing a pass line bet. When you place an odds bet, you are wagering that the current point will be rolled again before a 7 is rolled. If you are correct, you’ll be paid out at “true odds,” which means that the casino has no house advantage in this bet.

The payouts for the Odds bet are determined by the current point:

If the point is 6 or 8, the payout is 6 to 5
If the point is 5 or 9, the payout is 3 to 2
If the point is 4 or 10, the payout is 2 to 1

Laying the Odds

This is the opposite of the odds bet. This bet wins if a 7 is rolled again before the current point. The payouts are as follows:

If the point is 6 or 8, the payout is 5 to 6
If the point is 5 or 9, the payout is 2 to 3
If the point is 4 or 10, the payout is 1 to 2

Field Bet

This is a pretty simple bet that’s based on the next roll of the dice. If the next roll is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12, you win even money on your bet in all cases except 2 or 12. In the case of 2 or 12, you win double your money. If the dice is a 5, 6, 7 or 8, the bet is lost.

Place Bet

In this bet, you pick a number and wager that it will be rolled again before a 7. The payout depends on the number you select:

If you choose 6 or 8, the payout is 7 to 6
If you choose 5 or 9, the payout is 7 to 5
If you choose 4 or 10, the payout is 9 to 5

The opposite bet to this is the “place bet to lose.” In this bet, you pick a number and wager that a 7 will be rolled first. The payouts are as follows:

If you choose 6 or 8, the payout is 4 to 5
If you choose 5 or 9, the payout is 5 to 8
If you choose 4 or 10, the payout is 5 to 11

Hard Way Bet

There are two ways to throw an even number on the dice: the “hard way” and the “easy way.” The hard way is by the dice landing on a pair. For example, six rolled the hard way would mean each dice landed on the number three. The easy way would be if the dice landed in any other combination such as 4-2 or 5-1.

In a hard way bet, you pick a number and wager that it will be rolled the hard way before it is rolled the easy way or before a 7 is rolled. The payouts depend on the number you pick:

If you choose 6 or 8, the payout is 9 to 1
If you choose 4 or 10, the payout is 7 to 1

Proposition Bets

These are simple wagers on a single roll of the dice. You pick a number listed below and then win if the next dice throw lands on that number. The payouts and available bets are as follows: