How to play craps
Craps is the loudest, most social game on a casino floor — a dice game with dozens of possible bets where everyone at the table is rooting for the shooter. The shooter rolls two dice. The first roll of a hand is the come-out roll. If it's 7 or 11, Pass Line bets win. If it's 2, 3, or 12 (craps), Pass Line bets lose. Anything else (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) sets the point.
Once the point is set, the shooter keeps rolling until they either roll the point again (Pass Line wins) or roll a 7 (Pass Line loses, "seven out") — then the dice pass to the next shooter.
Key bets:
- Pass Line — 1:1, low house edge (1.41%). The default bet for most players.
- Don't Pass — 1:1, mathematically slightly better (1.36% edge). Bets against the shooter.
- Come / Don't Come — work like Pass / Don't Pass but placed after the point is established.
- Odds — placed behind Pass / Don't Pass once a point is set. Zero house edge. The best bet in any casino.
- Place bets — wager that a specific number rolls before a 7. House edge varies by number (best on 6 and 8 at 1.52%).
- Field bet — single-roll on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Looks tempting but 5.56% edge.
Tips & strategy
- Pass + max Odds is the lowest combined edge. Backing your Pass Line with maximum allowed Odds dilutes the overall house edge to roughly 0.2–0.5%, depending on table rules.
- Don't Pass beats Pass by the math. 1.36% vs. 1.41%. Marginal but real. The tradeoff: you're rooting against everyone else at the table.
- Avoid the center proposition bets. Hardways, Any Seven, Horn, World, Hi-Lo — these are sucker bets with 9–17% house edges. Stay on the line.
- Don't chase losses. Variance is brutal. A long roll feels great; a quick seven-out can wipe a session.
- The dice don't have memory. "Hot" and "cold" tables are pattern-finding after the fact.
About craps
Craps evolved from Hazard, an English dice game played as far back as the Crusades. American slang turned the snake-eyes outcome (rolling 2) into "crabs," eventually giving the game its modern name. New Orleans gambling halls in the early 1800s shaped the game we know today, and craps became a staple of mid-century Vegas, where it remains one of the most action-packed games on the floor.
Frequently asked questions
Is this craps game free?
Yes. No downloads, no real money. Bankroll and stats save in your browser.
What does "seven out" mean?
After a point is set, rolling a 7 ends the shooter's roll — Pass Line loses, dice change hands.
Why is Pass Line so popular?
Low house edge (1.41%), simple to understand, and you can back it with zero-edge Odds bets.
What are Odds bets?
After the point is set, you can place an Odds bet behind your Pass Line. Odds pay true odds with zero house edge — the single best bet in any casino.
Are the dice random?
Yes. Every roll uses two independent random dice. No memory, no patterns.