Craps has a reputation for being loud, fast, and confusing. The crowd cheers, chips fly, and the language sounds like a foreign tongue. Yet the core of the game is surprisingly simple, and learning a few terms makes watching much easier. This guide explains the vocabulary without encouraging anyone to play. The history of the game, with its roots in older dice games, is touched on in our look at dice through the ages.

The people at the table

A craps table has a small crew:

The shooter: the player who rolls the dice. The role passes around the table.
The stickman: uses a long stick to move the dice and calls the results.
The dealers: handle bets and payouts on each side.
The boxman: sits in the middle, supervises the table, and manages the chips.

Betting happens on a large felt layout, with different areas for different bets.

The come-out roll

Every round begins with a come-out roll, using two dice. The total decides what happens next:

A total of 7 or 11 is a natural, and pass line bets win.
A total of 2, 3, or 12 is craps, and pass line bets lose.
Any other total, meaning 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, becomes the point.

Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point number appears again before a 7, pass line bets win. If a 7 appears first, they lose, and the round ends. This is called a seven-out, and the dice move to the next shooter.

Pass and don't pass

The two basic bets are:

Pass line: bets with the shooter. It wins on a natural and loses on craps on the come-out roll.
Don't pass: bets against the shooter, with roughly the opposite results. A come-out roll of 12 is typically a tie for the bettor in many casinos.

Both bets pay even money and carry a house edge of roughly 1.4 percent, which is among the lowest on the casino floor. A low edge, though, is still an edge, and it means the average result is a loss.

Odds bets

After a point is established, players can add an odds bet behind the pass line. These bets are paid at true odds, meaning the payout matches the actual probability, so they carry no house edge by themselves. Casinos limit how large they can be compared with the original wager, and the original bet still carries its edge. The overall cost is therefore lower than the pass line alone, but never zero.

Other bets and why they matter

The center of the layout has proposition bets, such as bets on a specific total on the next roll or on hard-way combinations. These pay large multiples, but they cost considerably more per dollar than the pass line. They are a good example of how a high payout can hide a high cost.

Single-roll bets resolve quickly and can eat through a budget fast.
Bets on rare totals such as 2 or 12 look exciting because they pay a lot, yet their chance of winning is small.

The probabilities of each dice total are worth learning, and our article on expected value helps put them in context. For instance, a total of 7 is the most common, appearing in 6 of 36 combinations, or one in six.

A few practical notes

The pace of craps can be quick, and many wagers can be active at once. That makes it easy to lose track of how much is at stake. If you ever try the game, set a budget before you begin and stop when it is reached. The dice have no memory, and a run of sevens does not make the next roll any different.

Gambling is for adults only, and rules vary by location. If you are only watching, enjoy the atmosphere and remember that the excitement comes from risk, not from skill.

Frequently asked questions

What does the point mean in craps? It is the number established on the come-out roll when it is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The shooter then tries to roll it again before rolling a 7.

Why is the pass line considered a low-cost bet? Its house edge is roughly 1.4 percent, lower than many other casino bets, though it still means a negative average result.

Do hot shooters exist? Streaks happen by chance, but each roll is independent. The dice cannot remember previous results.

Steps

Understand the come-out roll: The first roll of a round decides whether the pass line wins immediately, loses immediately, or establishes a point number.
Follow the point: Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling until the point repeats, which wins the pass line, or a seven appears, which loses it.