How to play craps
The whole game in five minutes. The shooter, the come-out roll, the point, and the two bets that cover most of what happens at a craps table.
Craps looks like chaos. Chips everywhere, people shouting at dice, a dealer with a stick. Under all that noise is a simple game, and you can learn the part that matters in five minutes.
The shooter and the dice
One player, the shooter, throws two dice. Everyone at the table bets on what comes up. When the shooter’s turn ends, the dice pass to the next player. At a PlayCraps table, the shooter flicks their phone to throw.
Two dice make totals from 2 to 12, and they don’t all come up equally often. There are six ways to roll a 7, more than any other total. That one fact drives the whole game.
Two phases: the come-out and the point
Every round starts with the come-out roll.
- 7 or 11 on the come-out: the Pass Line wins.
- 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out: that’s craps, and the Pass Line loses.
- Any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) becomes the point. The dealer marks it with the puck.
Once there’s a point, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point comes up again before a 7, the Pass Line wins. If a 7 comes first, that’s a seven-out: the Pass Line loses, and the dice move to the next shooter. Every other number in between just means roll again.
The bet to start with: the Pass Line
Put your chips on the Pass Line before the come-out, and you’re betting with the shooter. It pays even money, and it’s one of the best bets in the casino: the house keeps only 1.41% of everything bet on it over time. Most of the table plays it, which is why craps crowds cheer together.
The Pass Line has a mirror image, Don’t Pass, which bets that the shooter sevens out. It’s just as good a bet, but you’re rooting against the room. Read more in the Pass Line and the Odds.
The best bet on the table: the Odds
Once a point is set, you can back your Pass Line bet with Odds. Odds pay true odds, so the house has no edge on them at all. It’s the only bet like that in the casino. The harder the point is to make, the more it pays: 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on 6 or 8.
What about everything else?
The rest of the layout is extra bets you can make any time: Come bets, Place bets, the Field, hardways, and one-roll proposition bets in the middle. Some are good. Many cost you a lot more than the Pass Line. Good bets, bad bets ranks them all.
Try it with friends
PlayCraps turns your TV into a craps table. Open a table on the big screen, everyone joins from their phone, and you learn by playing. Play money only: nothing is wagered or paid out.
The short version: Pass Line before the come-out. Odds after the point. Root for the shooter.