How to Play Craps: Rules, Bets and House Edge

Craps is a casino dice game in which players bet on the outcome of rolls of two dice. The simplest way to play is the Pass Line bet: it wins if the first roll, called the come-out roll, is a 7 or 11, loses on a 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise sets a number called the point, which must be rolled again before a 7 for the bet to win. The Pass Line pays 1 to 1.

The game looks busy because the table offers dozens of bets, but most of them are optional and expensive. The Pass Line carries a house edge of 1.41%, Don’t Pass 1.36%, and the free odds bet, which can only be added behind one of those two, carries 0%. Many popular side bets cost several times as much.

This guide explains the craps rules step by step, the dice math behind them, what the common bets pay, and the mistakes that make the game more expensive than it needs to be. Rules that differ between casinos are flagged.

The Basic Rules of Craps

Craps uses two six-sided dice, and only the total of the two dice matters. Each die has six faces, so two dice produce 6 × 6 = 36 equally likely combinations. A total of 7 can be made six ways, more than any other total, which is why 7 plays such a central role in the game.

One player at a time is the shooter and rolls both dice to the far end of the table. Players are not betting against each other: they are betting on the dice, and the casino pays winning bets. Any player may bet on the shooter’s rolls, and a player may also bet against the shooter, using Don’t Pass.

The table crew runs the game. The stickman controls the dice and calls the results, the boxman supervises the bank, and dealers handle bets and payouts. Most casinos set a table minimum, commonly posted on a placard at the table, and the minimum and the maximum odds allowed vary by casino.

Craps is a house-banked game, so every bet except free odds carries a house edge. For a plain-English explanation of that cost, see the house edge explained. Learning two or three bets well is enough to play comfortably, since the rest of the layout can be ignored.

How a Round of Craps Works: Come-Out Roll and Point

The come-out roll

Every round starts with a come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins for Pass Line bets, which together can be rolled 8 ways in 36, or 22.2% of the time. A 2, 3 or 12, called craps, loses for the Pass Line and can be rolled 4 ways in 36, or 11.1%. Any other total, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point.

Rolling for the point

Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point repeats before a 7, the Pass Line wins. If a 7 appears first, called a seven-out, the Pass Line loses and the dice pass to the next shooter. Other totals do not settle the Pass Line and the shooter rolls again.

The point decides how likely the Pass Line is to win once it is set. A point of 6 or 8 is made 5 times out of 11, about 45.5%, a point of 5 or 9 is made 40% of the time, and a point of 4 or 10 one time in three. Pass Line bets still win slightly less than half the time overall, about 49.29%.

Don’t Pass and free odds

Don’t Pass is the opposite bet. It wins on a come-out 2 or 3 and loses on a 7 or 11. A come-out 12 is a push at most casinos, though this varies. After a point is set, Don’t Pass wins if a 7 comes first. Free odds can be added behind either bet once a point exists and are paid at true odds: 2 to 1 on a 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a 6 or 8.

Worked Examples: A Point Made and a Come-Out Loss

Suppose a player puts $10 on the Pass Line, and the come-out roll is 4 and 2, a total of 6. The point is 6, so the player adds a $20 free odds bet, assuming the table allows odds of at least 2 times the bet. The shooter then rolls 9, then 4, and neither settles the bet.

The next roll is 5 and 1, a total of 6, so the point is made. The Pass Line pays 1 to 1, a win of $10. The $20 odds bet on a 6 pays 6 to 5, which is $20 × 6 ÷ 5 = $24. The total profit is $10 + $24 = $34, and the player keeps the original $30 stake.

Now take a come-out loss. A player bets $10 on the Pass Line and the shooter rolls 1 and 2, a total of 3. A come-out 3 is craps, so the Pass Line loses and the player loses $10. A Don’t Pass bet of $10 on the same roll would have won $10.

Craps Payouts and House Edge by Bet

The odds paid on a bet are lower than the true odds of winning, and the gap is the house edge. The Pass Line and Don’t Pass are the lowest-cost bets on the layout, apart from free odds. The table below uses the standard payouts, which a few casinos change.

Free odds have no house edge, but a player can only bet them alongside a Pass or Don’t Pass bet, so the combined cost is lower than the line bet alone. In money terms, $1,000 wagered on the Pass Line costs about $14.10 on average, compared with about $55.60 on the Field and about $166.70 on Any 7. Some casinos pay 3 to 1 on a Field 12, which cuts that edge to 2.78%, so check the layout.

Common Craps Mistakes and Myths

The most common mistake is chasing the proposition bets in the center of the table. Any 7 and Any craps look exciting because they pay 4 to 1 and 7 to 1 on a single roll, but their house edges are 16.67% and 11.11%, many times the cost of the Pass Line.

The second is believing a shooter is “hot” or a number is “due”. Dice have no memory, so a 7 is just as likely on the next roll after five 7s as after none: 6 in 36, or 16.67%. Streaks are normal in random results and do not predict the next roll.

A third is believing that dice control, or any betting system, can beat the game. No system changes the house edge, and at the table, the total cost depends only on which bets are made and how much is wagered. Systems also run into table maximums and limited budgets.

Finally, many beginners skip the free odds, the cheapest bet on the table, or place bets like 4 and 10 at 6.67% when the Pass Line would have cost 1.41%. Neither mistake needs skill to avoid, only a quick look at the table of edges.

What to Check at the Table

Before playing, read the placard and confirm the minimum bet and the maximum odds, because many tables allow odds of 3 times, 5 times or more of the line bet. Also check how the Field pays on 2 and 12 and whether a Don’t Pass 12 is a push, since these rules change the edges in the table above.

Place bets in the right area of the layout. Let the dealers handle the chips, keep hands off the layout while the dice are in play, and, at most tables, use one hand when shooting. If a bet or term is unclear, ask a dealer before betting.

Set a budget before the first roll and stop when it is gone. Stay with the Pass or Don’t Pass bet plus free odds if the aim is to keep the average cost low, and treat even those as the price of entertainment. No pattern or system turns craps into a way to make money.

What to Learn Next

Once the come-out roll and the point make sense, the natural next step is to learn how Come and Don’t Come bets work, since they follow the Pass logic after the point is set. Craps bets can be compared directly by house edge, which makes the table above a useful reference.

To see how these numbers compare with another game, how roulette bets and payouts work shows a wheel where every standard bet carries the same edge. From there, a side-by-side comparison of casino games puts the low edge of the Pass Line in context.