01 · Snapshot
A communal game built around one shooter.
One participant, the shooter, rolls two dice for the table. The dice must usually strike the far wall. The shooter's series continues until a deciding seven ends the point cycle, after which dice eventually pass to another eligible player.
Multiple dealer positions supervise wagers: a stickperson manages the dice and proposition bets, dealers handle common wagers and a boxperson oversees the game. Smaller or electronic variants may use different staffing.
02 · The dice
Totals are not equally likely.
Two fair dice create 36 equally likely ordered combinations. Only one combination totals 2 (1–1), while six total 7 (1–6, 2–5, 3–4 and their reverses). Payouts that look large often correspond to rare totals.
| Total | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 each | 1/36 ≈ 2.78% |
| 3 or 11 | 2 each | 2/36 ≈ 5.56% |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 3/36 ≈ 8.33% |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 4/36 ≈ 11.11% |
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 5/36 ≈ 13.89% |
| 7 | 6 | 6/36 ≈ 16.67% |
The dice have no memory. A seven after a long absence is not due; its probability remains six combinations out of 36 on the next fair roll.
03 · Core sequence
The Pass Line in two phases.
Come-out roll
A new cycle begins with the come-out roll. A Pass Line wager wins immediately on 7 or 11, loses immediately on 2, 3 or 12, and establishes a point if the result is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.
Point phase
A puck marked “ON” shows the point. The shooter continues rolling. The Pass Line wins if the point repeats before a 7, and loses if 7 arrives first. Other totals do not settle the Pass Line and the cycle continues.
Across the complete sequence, the standard Pass Line house edge is about 1.41%. That percentage is not the chance of losing one decision; it is the long-run average cost relative to initial amounts wagered.
04 · The other side
Don't Pass is not an exact mirror.
On the come-out roll, Don't Pass normally wins on 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, and pushes on 12. Once a point is set, it wins if 7 appears before the point. The push on 12 keeps the wager from being a perfect opposite and results in a house edge of about 1.36%.
Don't Come applies a similar sequence to a wager made after a point exists; each bet establishes its own number. Socially, some players call these “wrong-way” bets because they tend to win when the shooter and Pass Line players lose. They are legitimate wagers, but courteous, low-key conduct helps avoid friction.
05 · The rest of the layout
Similar names can hide very different prices.
| Wager family | Basic idea | Representative edge |
|---|---|---|
| Come / Don't Come | Pass-style sequence beginning after the come-out | About 1.41% / 1.36% |
| Place 6 or 8 | Chosen number before 7 | About 1.52% with common payout |
| Place 5 or 9 | Chosen number before 7 | About 4.00% |
| Field | One-roll set of totals | Often 2.78% or 5.56%, paytable-dependent |
| Any seven | 7 on next roll | About 16.67% at 4:1 |
| Hardways | Even total as a matching pair before 7 or easy form | Often 9.09%–11.11% |
Proposition bets in the centre of the layout usually resolve in one roll or against an uncommon pattern. Their visible payouts do not necessarily compensate fairly for rarity. The paytable, not the dealer's description or crowd reaction, determines value.
06 · Odds
“Free odds” have no embedded house advantage—but context matters.
After a Pass Line point is established, a player may usually place an additional odds wager. It pays at true mathematical odds: 2:1 behind 4 or 10, 3:2 behind 5 or 9, and 6:5 behind 6 or 8. Don't Pass odds reverse the proposition and use corresponding true payouts.
Because the odds portion pays fairly, it reduces the blended house edge measured against total money committed. It does not improve the expected value of the original line wager, does not make the combined bet positive, and increases the amount at risk on the point cycle. Venues limit odds multiples in various ways.
“No house edge” on the supplemental odds wager does not mean “no risk”. One side still loses, and the odds wager cannot normally be made without the negative-expectation base wager.
07 · History
From Hazard to the modern double layout.
Craps is descended from Hazard, an old English dice game with rules more elaborate than the modern point cycle. Versions travelled to North America, where the name likely evolved through French-language influence around a losing roll known as “crabs”.
In the nineteenth century, simplified street and banking forms developed. Dice maker John H. Winn is often credited with a major late-nineteenth-century innovation: allowing wagers both with and against the shooter. This made crooked dice less useful to an operator because customers could select opposing sides. The mirrored modern layout and formal crew developed as casino craps became standardised.
Street craps remains culturally visible but differs from a regulated casino game in rules, oversight and protections. Modern casinos also offer crapless craps, card-based adaptations, bubble machines and stadium terminals. “Crapless” removes immediate losses on some come-out totals but changes other terms and typically produces a higher house edge on the line bet.
08 · At the table
Language, crew and clear hands.
- Keep both dice over the table and throw them together so they reach the far wall.
- Do not place hands in the landing area while the shooter has dice.
- Put cash or chips on the layout for a dealer to handle; do not reach into working areas.
- State non-self-service bets clearly and give the crew time to book them.
- Use standard chip increments so payouts can be calculated accurately.
- Avoid blaming the shooter, dice or staff for random results.
Terms such as yo (eleven), ace-deuce (three), snake eyes (two) and boxcars (twelve) are table shorthand, not separate mathematical concepts.
09 · Risk
Energy can conceal total turnover.
A lively group, frequent side wagers and several unresolved bets can make it difficult to track cumulative exposure. The same chips may be redeployed rapidly. Watch the amount risked per hour and the number of simultaneous positions, not merely the balance after a lucky roll.
Set a total loss limit and time limit before the first roll. Never increase wagers to “get even”. If play feels difficult to stop, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858—free, confidential and available 24/7 throughout Australia.