How To Play Craps

If you don't know your pass line bets from your field bets, read this page!

Craps is probably the most intimidating casino game. People look at all the boxes with the strange names and get frightened off playing this amazing game. However, craps is not difficult if you know the craps rules and craps terminology. Read on and we will show you how to play craps:

Starting a new game

Before the first roll in a new game, people usually bet on the "pass line" or "don't pass line".

The first roll of the dice is called the "come out roll" and establishes the "point". The number that is rolled, if it is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point. Once the point is established, a marker or round disc is placed over the box of the number.

Now the real betting starts!

Types of bets

Pass line bet
A pass line bet is a bet placed on the "pass line" field on the table before the first roll. On the come out roll, the player wins if a 7 or 11 is rolled and loses when 2, 3 or 12 is rolled. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, this becomes the point.

After the point is established, the shooter must roll the point before rolling a 7. If he rolls the point, he wins, if he rolls a 7, he loses.

Pass line bets pay even money (1:1).

Odds on pass line bet
After the point is established, the player can make an additional bet on odds. If he rolls the point he wins, if he rolls a 7 he loses.

Odds on pass line bet pay out as follows: if the point is 4 or 10 the payout is 2:1, if the point is 5 or 9 the payout is 3:2, if the point is 6 or 8 the payout is 6:5.

Don't pass line bet
This is the reverse of a pass line bet. If the player rolls a 2 or 3 he wins, if he rolls a 7 or 11 he loses. If he rolls a 12, it is a draw. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, this becomes the point.

After the point is established, the shooter must roll a 7 before rolling the point. If he rolls a 7, he wins, if he rolls the point, he loses.

Don't pass line bets pay even money (1:1).

Odds on don't pass line bet
After the point is established, the player can make an additional bet on odds. If he rolls a 7 he wins, if he rolls the point he loses.

Odds on don't pass line bet pays out as follows: if the point is 4 or 10 the payout is 1:2, if the point is 5 or 9 the payout is 2:3, if the point is 6 or 8 the payout is 5:6.

Come bet
A come bet is placed on the table after the point has been established, but before any other rolls of the dice. The rules are the same as for a pass line bet. The player wins the come bet if a 7 or 11 is rolled and loses when 2, 3 or 12 is rolled. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, this becomes the "come point".

After the come point is established, the shooter must roll the point before rolling a 7. If he rolls the come point, he wins, if he rolls a 7, he loses.

Come bets pay even money (1:1).

Odds on come bet
The same as odds on pass line bet, except that the player takes the odds on the come bet, not the pass line bet.

Don't come bet
This is the reverse of the come bet. If the player rolls a 2 or 3 he wins, if he rolls a 7 or 11 he loses. If he rolls a 12, it is a draw. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, this becomes the "come point".

After the come point is established, the shooter must roll a 7 before rolling the come point. If he rolls a 7, he wins, if he rolls the come point, he loses.

Don't come bets pay even money (1:1).

Odds on don't come bet
The same as odds on don't pass line bet, except that the player takes the odds on the come bet, not the pass line bet.

Place bet
After the point is established, the player can place bets on rolling 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and/or 10. He wins if his number is rolled before a 7 and loses if a 7 is rolled before the number the bet was placed on.

Place bets pay out the following depending on which number the bet was placed on: 4 or 10 payout is 9:5, 5 or 9 payout is 7:5, 6 or 8 payout is 7:6.

Field bet
A field bet is a bet placed on the next roll of the dice. If the next roll is 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11, the payout is 1:1. If it is 12, the payout is 2:1. If it is 2, the payout is 3:1. If the next roll is 5,6,7 or 8 the player loses.

Any 7 bet
An any 7 bet is a bet placed on the next roll of the dice. If the player rolls a 7 he wins, if he rolls any other number he loses.

Any 7 bets pay out 5:1

Any craps bet
An any craps is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3 or 12.

Any craps bets pay out 8:1

Horn bet
A horn bet is where the player can bet on either 2, 3, 11 or 12 to be rolled on the next roll.

Horn bets pay out 15:1 for bets placed on 3 or 11 and 30:1 for bets placed on 2 or 12.

Big 6 and big 8 bet
Here the player bets on whether 6 or 8 will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. If a 6 or 8 is rolled first he wins, if a 7 is rolled first he loses his bet.

Big 6 and big 8 bets pay even money (1:1).

Hardway bet
A hardway bet is a bet placed that the player will roll either double 2's, 3's 4's or 5's. When you roll doubles, it is called rolling a number the "hard" way. For example, if you roll 4 + 4, you roll a hard 8. If you roll 3 + 5, it is called rolling an 8 the "easy" way.

If the player rolls a 7 or an "easy" on the number he has bet, he loses his bet.

Double 2's and 5's pay out 7:1, double 3's and 4's pay out 9:1.