How To Play Craps: Rules, Bets, Odds Explained

Full of bets, flying dice, and ancient superstitions, craps remains one of the world’s most popular casino games. Now players can even play online craps games from the comfort of their own homes. Although this classic game can be overwhelming for new players, this guide will help introduce key concepts.

Read on to learn the rules of craps, how online craps works, and what bets are available in both craps table games online or in-person.

The Basics of How to Play Craps

Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the total sum of two rolled dice. When learning the rules of craps, it’s important to begin with how the game is split into two phases: the come-out phase and the point phase.

In the come-out phase, rolling a 7 or 11 is an instant win for Pass Line bets and an instant loss for Don’t Pass Line bets. But rolling a 2, 3, or 12, collectively known as “craps,” flips this on its head and is an instant loss for Pass Line bets and an instant win for Don’t Pass Line bets. Rolling any other number sets that number as the “point,” and the game moves into the point phase.

During the point phase, the goal is to roll the point number a second time before rolling a 7. In this phase, any roll other than the point or a 7 results in a reroll.

The core mechanics of craps are quite easy to pick up. However, craps includes dozens of different bets that can be combined and modified to execute advanced strategies. While there are certainly other easy casino table games, this additional layer of betting options makes craps appealing to veteran players.

The Shooter’s Role

During each round of play, one player is designated the “shooter” who rolls the dice. A shooter must make either a Pass or Don’t Pass bet before rolling.

The shooter continues rolling until they either win or lose. Then the role passes to the next player, commonly in a clockwise motion.

The role of the shooter is one of crap’s defining features. For example, comparing roulette vs craps, a roulette table would riot if a player was allowed to handle the ball.

The Craps Table

Craps tables are covered with various squares denoting the possible bets. When playing in person, croupiers will handle bets for the players, placing chips on the corresponding bet square and keeping track of bets. Online, this is all handled by the casino software.

Dice rolls also occur on the craps table. The high walls of the table keep the dice from flying wild, while pyramidal humps along the walls provide a surface for the dice to bounce off of for a more random roll. Typically, the shooter throws the dice down the length of the table, where they must bounce off the far wall.

Craps Odds and Payouts

The odds of online craps can be quite favourable to players, depending on their choice of wagers. Each bet has its own specific odds, with the highest house edge on a craps bet being a whopping 16.67%, higher than almost any other table game. But at the low end, some craps bets offer a stunning 0.0% house edge, lower than any other casino game. As such, craps could be seen as the king amongst online casino games with good odds.

Common Types of Craps Bets

Here’s a brief summary of the craps bets most commonly found at both in-person tables and in craps games online.

Pass/Don’t Pass Bet

The Pass and Don’t Pass bets are the most basic bets in craps.

With a Pass bet, the bettor wins if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 in the come-out phase, and loses if they roll craps: a 2, 3, or 12. If play moves to the point phase, the Pass bet wins if the shooter rolls the point before a 7, and loses if a 7 is rolled first. In this way, a Pass bet can be considered like taking the shooter’s side, hoping they win whichever roll they are making.

A Don’t Pass bet is just the opposite, hoping the shooter loses their rolls. In the come-out phase, Don’t Pass wins on 2, 3, or 12, but loses on a 7 or 11. In the point phase, Don’t Pass wins if a 7 is rolled before the point, and loses if the point is rolled first.

The Pass and Don’t Pass bets remain in play until they are won or lost, with no modification allowed. Both bets pay +100.

Come/Don’t Come Bet

The easiest way to understand Come bets is they operate like a Pass bet, but are placed anytime, not necessarily during the come-out phase. The next roll is evaluated as if it were the come-out phase (7 or 11 wins; 2, 3, or 12 craps out), with the chance to establish a Come-bet point, after which subsequent rolls are evaluated like the points phase using the Come-bet point.

A Don’t Come bet is similar, acting like a Don’t Pass bet that can be placed anytime. The Come and Don’t Come bets remain in play until they are won or lost, with no modification allowed. Both bets pay +100.

Odds Bet

Odds is a special type of bet that can be added onto Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come bets. Once play moves to the points phase, a multiple of a Pass or Don’t Pass bet can be added as odds, up to a table maximum. With a Come or Don’t Come bet, odds can be taken after a Come-bet point is established. Odds are sometimes known as “betting behind” as they build on an existing bet.

Unlike the bet they built upon, players can reduce or retract odds at any time. They can also turn off odds; should the round of play end while odds are turned off, the bet is returned.

Odds bets are notable for paying true odds, meaning odds bets have a 0% house edge. The payouts are as follows:

Place Bet

During the point phase, a place bet can be made on any point number: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The bet pays whenever the shooter rolls that number, and remains in place until a 7 is rolled. Players can reduce or retract a place bet at any time. The payouts are as follows:

Field Bet

A field bet covers a certain set of numbers: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The bettor wins if the next roll matches any of those numbers. As a one-roll bet, a field bet wins or loses on the following roll. The payouts are as follows:

Proposition Bet

Proposition — or “prop” — bets see players betting a specific number or combination of pips on the dice will appear on the next roll. These include hardways (a chosen even number is rolled via doubles), any craps (2, 3, or 12 is rolled), hi-lo (2 or 12), any seven, and single-number bets on 2, 3, 11, or 12. As one-roll bets, a prop bet wins or loses on the following roll. The payouts are as follows: