How to Play Craps: Rules, Bets, Odds & Strategy

Craps is a dice game where players bet on the outcome of a roll, or a series of rolls, of two six-sided dice. One player, the shooter, throws the dice, and everyone at the table wins or loses together based on what those dice do. That shared outcome is why Craps is the loudest, most social game on the casino floor. When the shooter is hot, the whole table gets paid at the same time.

Underneath the noise, the whole game runs on 36 possible dice combinations. Two dice can land 36 ways, and the number 7 comes up more often than any other, on six of those 36 combinations. That one fact drives almost every rule and every bet in Craps, so keep it in mind. Seven is the most common roll, and once a point is set it becomes the number you learn to fear.

A Craps table looks intimidating because the layout is mirrored. The same betting areas are printed on both ends so two groups of players can bet at once, with the center reserved for the wild proposition bets. You only ever need to understand one half of it. Once you realize the left and right sides are identical, the table shrinks to something very manageable.

You’ll be looked after by a four-person crew, and knowing who does what makes you look like a regular:

• Boxman. Sits in the middle behind the chip bank, supervises the game, settles disputes and watches the money. You do not deal with the boxman directly.
• Stickman. Stands opposite the boxman, controls the dice with a long stick, calls out every roll and books the proposition bets in the center.
• Two base dealers. One sits on each side of the boxman, and these are the dealers you talk to. They take your buy-in, place your bets on the layout, and pay you when you win.

When you walk up, don’t hand the dealer cash. Drop it flat on the layout and say “change only”, or tell them the amount you want in chips. The dealer slides it to the boxman and pushes your chips back to you. Passing money hand to hand is one of the fastest ways to out yourself as new.

Here’s a full round from the come-out roll to a decision, which is all the structure you need to start.

1. Becoming the shooter is optional. If you want to throw, the stickman offers you the dice, so take two of them with one hand. If you would rather just bet, that’s completely fine. Most players at a full table are betting, not shooting.
2. Make your come-out bet. Before the first roll, place a Pass Line bet by putting a chip on the area marked “Pass Line” directly in front of you. This is the fundamental Craps bet and the one every beginner should start with.
3. The come-out roll. The first roll of a new round is the come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins your Pass Line bet instantly, which players call a “natural”. A 2, 3 or 12 loses instantly, and that roll is what gave the game its name. Players call it crapping out. Any other number, meaning 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point.
4. The point is established. Once a point is set, the dealer flips a marker called the puck to its ON side and places it on that number. Now the shooter keeps rolling with one goal, to hit the point again before rolling a 7.
5. Chase the point. If the shooter rolls the point number again, Pass Line bets win and a brand-new come-out roll begins. If the shooter rolls a 7 first, that is a “seven-out”. Pass Line bets lose, the dice pass to the next player, and a new round starts.

That loop of come-out roll, establish a point, then roll until the point or a 7, is the whole engine of Craps. Every other bet is just a different way to wager on that same sequence of dice.

You do not need to be a mathematician, but knowing how often each number appears turns Craps from guesswork into informed betting. With two dice there are 36 combinations, and they’re not spread evenly:

Notice the shape. The 7 is the peak, and the numbers fan out evenly on either side of it. This is why 6 and 8 are the friendliest points, since they appear almost as often as 7, while 4 and 10 are the hardest to hit. It is also why the odds bet pays you more when your point is a 4 or a 10. If you like dice but want a shorter bet menu, Sic Bo runs on three dice and settles on a single roll.

There are dozens of bets on a Craps layout, but you can play well with three or four of them. I’ve grouped them below from the lowest house edge, where your money lasts longest, down to the tourist traps.

Pass Line bet

The anchor of the game. You bet before the come-out roll that the shooter will win, either with a 7 or 11 on the come-out or by hitting the point before a 7. It pays even money and carries a 1.41% house edge, one of the best bets on the casino floor. If you learn only one bet, learn this one.

Don’t Pass bet

The mirror image, where you bet against the shooter. On the come-out, a 2 or 3 wins, a 7 or 11 loses, and a 12 is a push. That push is the “bar 12” rule, and without it the Don’t Pass bettor would have the edge over the house. After a point is set, you want a 7 before the point.

At a 1.36% house edge it’s fractionally better than the Pass Line, but be warned that you’ll be quietly rooting against the whole cheering table.

Come and Don’t Come bets

Once a point is already established, a Come bet works exactly like a fresh Pass Line bet, using the very next roll as its own personal come-out. It lets you get more money in play at that same low 1.41% edge. The Don’t Come bet is its opposite number at 1.36%. Come betting is how experienced players get several good bets working at once.

The odds bet, or free odds, is the best bet in the casino

This is the move most beginners never learn. After a point is set, you can back your Pass Line or Come bet with an extra “odds” wager placed just behind it. The odds bet pays true odds and carries a 0% house edge, the only bet in the building where the casino has no mathematical advantage at all. It can’t stand alone, so it always rides on a Pass or Come bet. Payouts depend on the point:

The practical takeaway is simple. Bet the table minimum on the Pass Line, then put as much as the casino allows behind it in odds. Lowering your flat bet and maxing the free odds is the single most effective way to shrink the house edge against your money.

How Much Odds Can You Take? 3-4-5x Explained

Every table caps the odds bet at a multiple of your line bet, and the cap is on the table sign. One setup you’ll see a lot is 3-4-5x odds: three times your line bet behind a 4 or 10, four times behind a 5 or 9, and five times behind a 6 or 8.

It looks random until you do the sums. On a $10 Pass Line bet, full odds are $30 on a 4, which pays 2 to 1, $40 on a 5, which pays 3 to 2, and $50 on a 6, which pays 6 to 5. Every one of those wins pays exactly $60, six times your flat bet, whichever point you’re on. That’s the whole idea. The payout never changes, which keeps the dealer’s math simple.

Because the odds carry no edge, more odds means a smaller edge on everything you have riding. The Pass Line alone costs you 1.41%. With 1x odds your edge across the whole bet falls to 0.85%, and at 3-4-5x it’s 0.37%. A 10x table takes it to 0.18%. It lowers the cost per dollar, not the swings, so only take as much odds as your bankroll can carry.

Which Bets You Can Take Down

Some bets are locked in once the point is set. The Pass Line and Come bets are contract bets, so after the point is established you can’t take them down, turn them off or reduce them until they win or lose. That makes sense when you think about it, because the come-out roll, the part of the bet that favored you, is already spent.

The Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets are no-contract bets, so you can take them down after a point is set. You almost never should. Once a point is on, the 7 is the favorite, and against a point of 4 it comes up six ways to the 4’s three, which makes your Don’t bet a 2 to 1 favorite.

Your odds bets are yours to move, and you can remove, reduce or turn them off at any time. Two defaults catch new players out. Place bets are off on the come-out roll at most tables unless you ask for them to work, and the odds behind your Come bets are off on a come-out roll too unless you tell the dealer “odds working”. The Big 6 and Big 8 always work.

Place bets

A Place bet lets you bet that a specific number, meaning 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, will roll before a 7, without waiting for it to become the point. The two worth knowing are Place 6 and Place 8. They pay 7 to 6 and carry only a 1.52% edge, which makes them excellent value, and placing the 6 and 8 is a favorite move for players who want action on the friendliest numbers.

The rest are weaker. Place 5 and 9 pay 7 to 5 for a 4% edge, and Place 4 and 10 pay 9 to 5 for a steep 6.67%. If you want the 4 or 10, buy it instead.

Field, Big 6 & Big 8, and buy/lay bets

The Field is a one-roll bet that wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and loses on 5, 6, 7 or 8. Seven winning numbers looks generous, but the losing numbers are the common ones. Where the 2 and 12 both pay double, the edge is 5.56%. Some tables pay triple on the 12, which halves it to 2.78%, so read the layout before you play it.

The Big 6 and Big 8 boxes pay even money for the 6 or 8 to roll before a 7. Placing the 6 or 8 pays 7 to 6 for exactly the same event, which makes the Big 6/8 a 9.09% trap you should simply never use.

Buy and Lay bets pay true odds for a 5% commission, the vig. On a buy it’s 5% of what you bet, so buying the 4 or 10 at a table that takes the vig only when you win costs you just 1.67%, far cheaper than placing it at 6.67%. Where the vig comes off up front, the buy is 4.76%. Laying the 4 or 10 with the vig paid up front costs 2.44%.

Proposition and hardway bets: the fun traps

The bets in the center of the table are the loud, flashy wagers the stickman keeps offering you. They pay big, up to 30 to 1, but every one of them costs more than anything above:

• Hard 6 or 8 pays 9 to 1 at 9.09%, and Hard 4 or 10 pays 7 to 1 at 11.11%. You win if the number rolls as a pair before it rolls any other way or a 7 shows.
• Any Craps pays 7 to 1 on a 2, 3 or 12, and the Yo pays 15 to 1 on an 11. Both carry 11.11%.
• Snake Eyes and Boxcars, the 2 and the 12, pay 30 to 1 at 13.89%.
• The Horn puts one unit on each of the 2, 3, 11 and 12 at 12.5%, and the World adds a fifth unit on the 7 at 13.33%.
• Any 7 pays 4 to 1 and carries 16.67%, the worst bet on the table.

Treat them as entertainment, not strategy. Throw a dollar on the hardway to tip the crew and enjoy the ride if you like, but never build your session around the center of the table.

If you take one screenshot from this whole guide, make it this table. It ranks every common bet from the cheapest, where your bankroll survives longest, down to the most expensive, with what each one actually pays:

For context, that 1.41% Pass Line edge puts Craps in the same value bracket as Blackjack at around 0.5% with basic strategy and Roulette at 2.7% on a European wheel, and comfortably ahead of most Slots, which hold 4% or more.

You cannot change the odds of the dice, but you can control which bets you make, and that alone separates players who last all night from players who bust in twenty minutes. Here’s the approach I give every friend I bring to a table for the first time.

• Keep it simple with Pass Line plus max odds. Bet the table minimum on the Pass Line, and once the point is set, put the maximum allowed behind it in free odds. A low flat bet with big odds gives you the smallest possible house edge.
• Pick the table with the best odds. The odds multiple is on the table sign. At 3-4-5x, a Pass Line bet backed with full odds costs you 0.37% in total, against 1.41% on the line alone.
• Add value, not risk. If you want more numbers working, add Place 6 and Place 8, or a Come bet with odds. That covers all the strategy most players ever need.
• Ignore the flashy bets. The center-table proposition bets and the Big 6/8 will slowly drain you. Skip them, or cap them at a dollar or two of pure entertainment money.
• Set a bankroll and a loss limit. Decide before you sit down what you’re willing to lose, split it into session buy-ins, and never dig into money you did not bring to the table. Craps swings hard and fast in both directions.
• Forget betting systems. No dice-setting ritual, no “due” number and no betting system changes the underlying math. Anyone selling you a guaranteed Craps system is selling you the seven-out.

Here is the reality. Craps has a built-in house edge, so over a long enough run the casino comes out ahead. But by sticking to the Pass Line and odds you face one of the lowest edges anywhere in the building, which means longer sessions, more of those table-wide cheers, and a real shot at walking away up.

Craps has more unwritten rules than almost any casino game, and breaking them, even innocently, gets you noticed. A few minutes of etiquette will help you feel like you belong:

• One hand on the dice. Pick up and throw the dice with one hand only. Switching hands or taking them off the table makes the crew nervous and can pause the game.
• Hit the back wall. The dice must travel the length of the table and bounce off the far wall for the roll to count. A soft toss that stops short gets waved off.
• Hands out of the landing zone. When the shooter is about to throw, get your hands out of the dice’s path. If your hand deflects the dice, superstitious players will groan loudly.
• Never say the word “seven”. After the come-out, seven is the losing word, and regulars really dislike hearing it aloud. Say “the big red” if you must, or just avoid it.
• Let the dealer place the tricky bets. Some bets can only be made by the dealer at certain moments. For center-table props, get the stickman’s attention and call your bet rather than reaching across the layout.
• Tip the crew. Craps dealers work hard, and a tipped crew is a friendly crew. Toss them a bet, like a dealers’ bet on the hard eight, or hand over a toke when you color up. It’s good manners and good karma.

If a live table feels like too much for a first outing, online Craps is the perfect training ground. The rules, bets and odds are identical, but you play at your own pace with no crowd watching and no pressure to keep up. You can even play free Craps in demo mode to drill the come-out roll and practice backing your Pass Line with odds until the sequence feels natural. When you want to play for real, start with our current picks for real money online casinos.

Live dealer Craps sits in the middle, with a real table streamed to your screen, real dice and a real crew, but you bet from your phone. When you’re ready for the genuine cheering-crowd experience, walk up to a table during a quiet afternoon, make a simple Pass Line bet, and let the rhythm teach you the rest. Every Craps regular at that table was a nervous first-timer once.

A few figures that explain why Craps plays the way it does, and where the smart money goes.

• 36 dice combinations: the 7 comes up on six of them, or 16.67% of rolls, more than any other total.
• 1.41% Pass Line: one of the lowest edges in the casino, and Don’t Pass is lower still at 1.36%.
• 0% on the odds: it pays true odds, so the house has no edge on that part of your money.
• 0.37% at 3-4-5x: your total edge when you back the Pass Line with full 3-4-5x odds.
• 1.67% to buy the 4: against 6.67% to place it, at a table that takes the vig only on wins.
• 16.67% on Any 7: the worst bet on the table, about twelve times the Pass Line edge.
• Around 40 bets: on a full layout, and a smart player needs two of them.

Almost everything else on this page comes back to those numbers.

Craps rewards the player who keeps it simple. Learn the come-out roll, anchor yourself to the Pass Line, back it with free odds, add a Place 6 and 8 when you want more action, and leave the screaming center-table bets to the tourists. Do that and you’ll not only know how to play Craps, you will be playing it better than most of the people cheering around you. Now go find a table, drop your chips on the Pass Line, and listen for that roar.

Keep reading: the best bets in Craps, the Craps table layout explained, what a lay bet actually does, how Crapless Craps differs, and the wider table games guides.