Rolling the Dice: Your First Steps into Craps Betting

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Craps Demystified: Understanding the Game’s Core

Before we jump into the bets, let’s quickly grasp the essence of craps. The game revolves around the roll of two dice. Players bet on the outcome of these rolls. One player, called the “shooter,” rolls the dice. The game proceeds in rounds, and each round starts with a “come-out roll.” The goal is to predict whether the shooter will roll certain numbers. Simple enough, right? Now, let’s explore how you can put your money on the line.

The Foundation: Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line Bets

These are the most fundamental bets in craps and where most beginners should start. They offer some of the best odds for the player, making them very attractive.

The Pass Line Bet

This is the most common bet and the one you’ll see most players making.

**How it works:** You place your chips on the “Pass Line” area of the table before the come-out roll.
**Winning on the come-out roll:** If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 (these are called “naturals”), you win immediately.
**Losing on the come-out roll:** If the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 (these are called “craps”), you lose immediately.
**Establishing a “Point”:** If the shooter rolls any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), that number becomes the “Point.”
**After a Point is established:** The shooter continues to roll. You win if the shooter rolls the Point number again before rolling a 7. You lose if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the Point number.

Think of the Pass Line bet as betting *with* the shooter.

The Don’t Pass Line Bet

This is the opposite of the Pass Line bet.

**How it works:** You place your chips on the “Don’t Pass Line” area before the come-out roll.
**Winning on the come-out roll:** If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, you win.
**Losing on the come-out roll:** If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, you lose.
**Push on the come-out roll:** If the shooter rolls a 12 (sometimes 2, depending on the casino rules, but 12 is most common), it’s a “push” or “bar” – neither you nor the house wins, and your bet is returned.
**Establishing a “Point”:** If the shooter rolls any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), that number becomes the “Point.”
**After a Point is established:** The shooter continues to roll. You win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the Point number. You lose if the shooter rolls the Point number again before rolling a 7.

The Don’t Pass Line bet is essentially betting *against* the shooter. While it has slightly better odds than the Pass Line, it’s less popular because it often means betting against the majority of players at the table.

Taking and Laying Odds: The Best Bets in the Casino!

Once a Point has been established on a Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bet, you have the option to make an “Odds” bet. These are special because they pay out at true odds, meaning the casino has no edge on these bets!

Taking Odds (for Pass Line bets)

**How it works:** After a Point is established on your Pass Line bet, you can place additional chips behind your original Pass Line bet, in the “Odds” area.
**Payout:** The payout depends on the Point number:
- Point of 4 or 10: Pays 2 to 1
- Point of 5 or 9: Pays 3 to 2
- Point of 6 or 8: Pays 6 to 5
**Why it’s great:** This is the best bet you can make in craps because it has no house edge!

Laying Odds (for Don’t Pass Line bets)

**How it works:** After a Point is established on your Don’t Pass Line bet, you can place additional chips next to your original Don’t Pass Line bet, indicating you are “laying odds.”
**Payout:** The payout is the inverse of taking odds, as you’re betting that the 7 will appear before the Point:
- Point of 4 or 10: Pays 1 to 2
- Point of 5 or 9: Pays 2 to 3
- Point of 6 or 8: Pays 5 to 6
**Why it’s great:** Like taking odds, this bet also has no house edge.

Come and Don’t Come Bets: Betting on Future Rolls

These bets are similar to Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line bets, but they can be made *after* a Point has already been established for the current round.

Come Bet

**How it works:** You place your chips in the “Come” area. Your bet then treats the *next* roll of the dice as if it were a new come-out roll for your specific bet.
**Winning/Losing:** If the next roll is a 7 or 11, you win. If it’s a 2, 3, or 12, you lose.
**Establishing a “Come Point”:** If any other number is rolled, that number becomes your “Come Point,” and your chips are moved to that number box on the table. You then win if that Come Point is rolled again before a 7, and lose if a 7 is rolled first.
**Taking Odds:** Just like with the Pass Line, you can take odds on your Come bet once a Come Point is established.

Don’t Come Bet

**How it works:** You place your chips in the “Don’t Come” area. Similar to the Come Bet, the next roll acts as a new come-out roll for your bet, but with Don’t Pass Line rules.
**Winning/Losing/Push:** If the next roll is a 2 or 3, you win. If it’s a 7 or 11, you lose. If it’s a 12 (or 2, depending on the casino), it’s a push.
**Establishing a “Don’t Come Point”:** If any other number is rolled, that number becomes your “Don’t Come Point,” and your chips are moved to the “Don’t Come Bar” above that number box. You then win if a 7 is rolled before that Don’t Come Point, and lose if the Don’t Come Point is rolled first.
**Laying Odds:** You can lay odds on your Don’t Come bet once a Don’t Come Point is established.

Place Bets: Betting on Specific Numbers

Place bets allow you to bet that a specific number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled *before* a 7.

**How it works:** You tell the dealer which number you want to “Place.” For example, “Place the 6.” The dealer will place your chips on the top edge of the number box.
**Winning:** You win if your chosen number is rolled before a 7.
**Losing:** You lose if a 7 is rolled before your chosen number.
**Payouts:**
- Place 4 or 10: Pays 9 to 5
- Place 5 or 9: Pays 7 to 5
- Place 6 or 8: Pays 7 to 6
**Important Note:** Unlike Pass/Come bets, Place bets do not “turn off” during the come-out roll unless you specifically ask the dealer to do so.

Field Bet: A Quick, One-Roll Bet

The Field bet is a simple, one-roll bet.

**How it works:** You place your chips in the “Field” area.
**Winning:** If the next roll is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12, you win.
**Payouts:** Most numbers pay 1 to 1. However, the 2 and 12 often pay double (2 to 1), making them more attractive.
**Losing:** If the next roll is a 5, 6, 7, or 8, you lose.
**Why it’s simple:** It’s resolved on the very next roll, making it easy to understand, but it has a higher house edge than Pass/Don’t Pass bets with odds.

Proposition Bets: The High-Risk, High-Reward Options

These are the bets in the center of the table, often called “prop bets.” They are typically one-roll bets with very high house edges, meaning they are generally not recommended for beginners. They offer high payouts but are much harder to hit. Examples include:

**Any Craps:** Bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, or 12. Pays 7 to 1.
**Any Seven:** Bet that the next roll will be a 7. Pays 4 to 1.
**Hardways:** Bet that a specific “hard” number (e.g., Hard 4, which is two 2s) will be rolled before a 7 or an “easy” version of that number (e.g., a 3 and a 1 for an easy 4).
**Eleven (Yo):** Bet that the next roll will be an 11. Pays 15 to 1.

While tempting due to their high payouts, these bets are best avoided by beginners due to their significant house advantage.