Craps glossary
What craps players and dealers mean by come-out, seven-out, press, yo, Little Joe, put bet, vig, and every other word you'll hear at the table.
Craps has its own language. Here’s what the words mean, so you can follow the stickman and the players around you. Each term links to the lesson that covers it.
Aces
A roll of 2, one on each die. Also a one-roll bet on the 2, which pays 30 to 1. Also called snake eyes. See proposition bets.
Ace-Deuce
A roll of 3, and the one-roll bet on it.
Any Craps
A one-roll bet that the next roll is 2, 3, or 12.
Any Seven
A one-roll bet that the next roll is 7. Also called Big Red. It’s the most expensive bet on the table.
Bar
The “Bar 12” on the Don’t Pass line. A come-out 12 is a push for Don’t bets instead of a win, and that’s what gives the house its edge on the Don’t side. See Don’t Pass.
Big 6 and Big 8
Bets in the corner of the layout that the 6 (or 8) rolls before a 7. They pay even money, less than a Place bet on the same number.
Boxcars
A roll of 12, two 6s. Also called midnight. Also the one-roll bet on it.
Boxman
In a casino, the supervisor who sits between the two dealers and watches the chips.
Buy bet
A bet that a number rolls before a 7, paid at true odds less a 5% commission. See Place and Buy bets.
C & E
“Craps and eleven”. A one-roll bet split between Any Craps and Yo.
Come bet
A Pass Line bet made after the point is on. See Come bets.
Come-out roll
The first roll of a round, before there’s a point. 7 or 11 wins for the Pass Line, 2, 3, or 12 loses, and anything else becomes the point.
Contract bet
A bet that can’t be taken down. A Pass Line bet is a contract bet once the point is set, and so is a Come bet once it moves to a number.
Craps
A roll of 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out. It loses for the Pass Line. Also the name of the game.
Crapless craps
A version where 2, 3, 11, and 12 are points instead of instant wins or losses. See crapless craps.
Dark side
Betting against the shooter, with Don’t Pass, Don’t Come, and Lay bets. Players on the dark side are sometimes called wrong bettors, which only means they’re betting the other way.
Don’t Come
A Don’t Pass bet made after the point is on.
Don’t Pass
A bet against the shooter: it wins when a 7 rolls before the point. See Don’t Pass and Don’t Come.
Easy way
A 4, 6, 8, or 10 rolled any way except as a pair. A 4 and a 2 is an easy 6. It loses the hardway bet on that number.
Field
A one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. See the Field.
Hardway
A 4, 6, 8, or 10 rolled as a pair, like two 3s for a hard 6. Also the bet that a number rolls the hard way before the easy way or a 7. See Hardways.
Hop bet
A one-roll bet on one exact pair of dice. PlayCraps tables don’t take hop bets.
Horn
A one-roll bet split four ways, on 2, 3, 11, and 12.
House edge
The share of every bet the house expects to keep over time. See good bets, bad bets.
Lay bet
A bet that a 7 rolls before a number, paid at true odds less a 5% commission on the win. The opposite of a Place bet. See Lay bets.
Little Joe
A hard 4, two 2s. The stickman’s full call is “Little Joe from Kokomo”.
Natural
A 7 or 11 on the come-out. It wins for the Pass Line.
Odds
An extra bet behind a line bet once a point is set, paid at true odds with no house edge. Taking odds backs the Pass Line or Come. Laying odds backs Don’t Pass or Don’t Come. See the Pass Line and the Odds.
Off and working
A bet that’s off can’t win or lose on this roll. Place, Buy, hardway bets, and Come Odds are off on the come-out unless you call them working.
Place bet
A bet that a number rolls before a 7. See Place and Buy bets.
Point
The number set on the come-out roll: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The shooter wants it again before a 7.
Press
To add your winnings to a bet so it gets bigger, instead of taking the win. “Press it” on a Place 6 that just won means put the win on top of the bet. Press Tony does it all week on PlayCraps Live.
Proposition bets
The one-roll bets and hardways in the middle of the layout, also called props. See proposition bets.
Puck
The marker that shows the point. “Off” with no point, “On” and sitting on the point number once there is one.
Push
A tie. Nobody wins, and the bet stays or comes back.
Put bet
A Pass Line bet made after the point is on, skipping the come-out. It’s a worse deal than a Come bet with odds, and PlayCraps tables don’t take Put bets.
Regress
To make a bet smaller after it wins, the opposite of pressing.
Right bettor
Betting with the shooter, on the Pass Line, Come, and Place bets. Most of the table.
Seven-out
A 7 after the point is set. The Pass Line loses, the Don’t side wins, and the dice pass to the next shooter.
Shooter
The player throwing the dice. At a PlayCraps table, you flick your phone to throw.
Stickman
The dealer who runs the dice, calls each roll, and handles the proposition bets. At PlayCraps, the stickman calls every roll on the TV.
True odds
The odds the dice actually give. A 4 rolls before a 7 one time in three, so the true odds are 2 to 1 against. See craps odds.
Vig
The commission on Buy and Lay bets, short for vigorish. 5% at a PlayCraps table.
World
A one-roll bet split five ways: the Horn plus Any Seven. Also called the whirl.
Yo
A roll of 11, and the one-roll bet on it. Called “yo” so nobody hears “seven”.
Play money only: nothing is wagered or paid out.