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How to Play Craps: Rules, Bets & Odds for Beginners (2026)
You step up to a craps table, the stickman slides the dice to a shooter, and the whole crowd leans in. He rolls a 7. Half the table cheers, the other half groans, and you have no idea which half you were supposed to be on. That confusion is the only thing standing between you and one of the most entertaining bets in the casino, and it clears up in about ten minutes.
Good news for 2026: craps looks chaotic but runs on one simple loop and a short list of bets. Learn the Pass Line and the free Odds behind it, skip the loud stuff in the center of the table, and you are already playing smarter than most people standing around you. This guide walks you through one full round in plain English, then ranks every bet by what it actually costs you.
Craps in 60 seconds
If you only read one section, make it this one. The entire game, in a table.
| Thing | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dice | Two six-sided dice, 36 possible combinations |
| Come-out roll | First roll of a round. 7 or 11 wins Pass, 2/3/12 loses |
| The point | Any 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 rolled on the come-out |
| Point phase | Roll again until the point repeats (win) or a 7 shows (lose) |
| Best bet | Pass or Come plus free Odds (Odds edge is 0%) |
| Worst bet | Any Seven, 16.67% house edge |
| The key number | 7 rolls 16.67% of the time, more than any other total |
The one bet to start with
Put your chips on the Pass Line. That is it. You are now betting with the shooter, the house edge is a friendly 1.41%, and if the table allows it, you can add a free Odds bet behind your Pass Line that pays true odds with a 0% house edge. Nothing else in the casino gives you a fair bet like that. To see what any bet returns before you risk a chip, our craps payout calculator does the math instantly.
How a craps round works
A round of craps is a loop. Two stages, and the dice decide which one you are in. Once you see the loop, the rest of the table is decoration.
The come-out roll
Every round starts with the come-out roll. The shooter throws the two dice for the first time and one of three things happens.
- 7 or 11: a "natural." Your Pass Line bet wins even money, 1:1. Round over.
- 2, 3 or 12: "craps." Your Pass Line bet loses. Round over.
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: this number becomes "the point." The dealer places a marker on top of it and the round moves to stage two.
On that very first roll, a 7 is your friend. That flips a moment later, which is exactly what trips up almost every beginner.
The point phase and seven-out
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. Now you need the point number to appear before a 7 does.
- If the point repeats (say the point was 6 and a 6 rolls), your Pass Line wins 1:1.
- If a 7 rolls first, that is a "seven-out." Your Pass Line loses, the dice pass to the next shooter, and a new round begins.
Notice the twist. On the come-out, the 7 paid you. In the point phase, the 7 wipes you out. Same number, opposite meaning, that single flip is the heartbeat of the whole game.
Who is the shooter
The shooter is just a player throwing the dice, and everyone gets a turn going clockwise around the table. You do not have to shoot when it is your turn; you can wave it off. When you do shoot, you have to bet the Pass Line or Don't Pass, and the dice must reach the back wall for the roll to count. You can also bet on other people's rolls, which is what most players at the table are doing.
The main craps bets explained
The table looks like a spaceship dashboard, but you only need a handful of these. Below they run from the bets worth your money to the ones that quietly drain it.
Pass and Don't Pass
The Pass Line bets with the shooter, wins on a come-out 7 or 11, and carries a 1.41% house edge. The Don't Pass bets against the shooter, wins when a 7 beats the point, and is actually a touch cheaper at 1.36%. Don't Pass feels antisocial because you are rooting against the table, but the math likes it. Both are solid starting bets.
Come and Don't Come
Come and Don't Come work exactly like Pass and Don't Pass, except you place them after the point is already set. A Come bet treats the very next roll as a fresh come-out roll just for you. Same 1.41% edge, same rules, and it lets you put more money to work during a hot roll.
Free Odds: the only 0% house-edge bet
This is the real weapon. After a point is established, you can place an extra bet "behind" your Pass Line called Odds. It pays the true mathematical odds, meaning the casino has no edge on it at all. On a point of 4 or 10 it pays 2:1, on 5 or 9 it pays 3:2, and on 6 or 8 it pays 6:5. Take the maximum Odds your table allows and you drag your overall cost per bet way down. The free Odds sub-calculator inside the craps tool shows the exact payout for any point and any multiple.
Place, Buy and Lay bets
Place bets let you bet that a specific number rolls before a 7. Placing the 6 or 8 is a solid pick at a 1.52% edge. Placing the 5 or 9 jumps to 4.00%, and the 4 or 10 climbs to a rough 6.67%. Buy bets pay true odds on the 4 or 10 but charge a 5% commission, landing near 4.76%. Lay bets go the other direction, betting that a 7 beats a number, and carry their own vig. These edges assume standard commission rules and can shift from table to table.
Field, Big 6/8 and proposition bets
The Field is a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. It looks like it covers half the board, but the common Vegas version pays 2:1 on the 2 and 12 and still hides a 5.56% edge. A high hit rate paired with a real edge is a volatility trap: it feels safe and still costs you. Big 6 and Big 8 pay even money for a number that should pay more, so avoid them, the edge sits at a nasty 9.09%. The proposition bets in the center of the table (hardways, Any Craps, Any Seven) are where casinos make their real money.
Why big payouts hide a worse edge
A 30:1 payout feels like a jackpot, so players hammer the 2 and 12. The true odds of rolling a 2 are 35:1, so the casino pockets the gap, and that gap is a 13.89% house edge. The rule across craps, and honestly the whole casino, is consistent: the flashier the payout, the worse the bet. Small, boring payouts protect your bankroll.
Craps odds and payouts (full table)
Every common craps bet, its payout, the true odds behind it, and the house edge, standard Wizard of Odds figures. Bookmark this table. To run these numbers against your own stake, drop them into the payout calculator.
| Bet | Payout | True odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass / Come | 1:1 | even | 1.41% |
| Don't Pass / Don't Come | 1:1 | even | 1.36% |
| Free Odds (4/10 · 5/9 · 6/8) | 2:1 · 3:2 · 6:5 | = true | 0% |
| Place 6 / 8 | 7:6 | 6:5 | 1.52% |
| Place 5 / 9 | 7:5 | 3:2 | 4.00% |
| Place 4 / 10 | 9:5 | 2:1 | 6.67% |
| Buy 4 / 10 (5% vig) | 2:1 | 2:1 | ~4.76% |
| Field (2 and 12 pay 2:1) | 1:1 | even | 5.56% |
| Big 6 / Big 8 | 1:1 | 6:5 | 9.09% |
| Hard 6 / 8 | 9:1 | 10:1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 / 10 | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% |
| Any Craps | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% |
| 3 or 11 | 15:1 | 17:1 | 11.11% |
| 2 or 12 | 30:1 | 35:1 | 13.89% |
| Any Seven | 4:1 | 5:1 | 16.67% |
Buy, Lay and Field edges depend on the exact commission and payout rules at your table, so treat those as standard defaults, not gospel.
How the 36 dice combinations work
Two dice have exactly 36 possible outcomes, and every probability in craps flows from counting them. There is one way to roll a 2 (1 and 1) and six ways to roll a 7 (1-6, 2-5, 3-4, and their mirrors). More ways to make a number means it shows more often. Here is the full spread.
| Total | Ways to roll | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 | 2.78% |
| 3 or 11 | 2 | 5.56% |
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 8.33% |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 11.11% |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 13.89% |
| 7 | 6 | 16.67% |
The formula is dead simple:
Count how many dice combos produce a number and divide by 36. That is the entire probability engine of craps, and it never changes because a number is "due."
How often a 7 rolls
The 7 has six combinations, so it comes up 16.67% of the time, roughly once every six rolls on average. Every point number has fewer ways to make it than the 7 does, which is why the house has an edge on Pass Line bets and why grinding toward a specific point can feel like swimming upstream. The 7 is the gravity of the craps table.
Best and worst craps bets for beginners
You do not need a system. You need to know which bets to make and which ones to walk past.
The smart bets
Keep your chips here and you are playing craps about as well as it can be played.
- Pass or Come plus max Odds: 1.41% on the line, 0% on the Odds. The best combination on the table.
- Don't Pass or Don't Come plus Lay Odds: even cheaper at 1.36%, if you do not mind rooting against the crowd.
- Place the 6 and 8: 1.52%, the best of the Place bets and easy to leave working.
The sucker bets to skip
These look exciting and pay handsomely on paper, but they bleed your bankroll fast.
- Any Seven: 16.67%, the single worst bet in the entire casino.
- Hardways: 9.09% to 11.11%, a bad deal dressed up as a fun one.
- 2, 3, 11, 12 props and the Field: double-digit or near-double-digit edges for a shot of adrenaline.
For the full picture, our house edge calculator puts craps side by side with blackjack, roulette and every other game in the casino.
Calculate any craps bet on ToolsGambling
Reading a table is one thing; seeing your own numbers is another. Open the ToolsGambling craps payout calculator, pick any of the 25 bets, enter your stake, and it instantly shows the payout, the true odds, the house edge and your win probability. There is also a free Odds sub-calculator that works out the exact Odds payout for a given point and multiple. That is the one thing the big craps guides in the search results never give you: a working tool, not a wall of text.
Common craps mistakes and myths
Craps has more folklore than almost any casino game. Two myths cost beginners real money.
Chasing prop bets
The bets in the center of the table, with their 15:1 and 30:1 payouts, are magnets for new players. They hit rarely and pay less than they should, exactly how the house builds an 11% to 17% edge on them. One lucky hit feels great, and then the math grinds it back over the next hour. Keep your money on the rail, not the center.
Dice control is not an edge
You will hear stories about "dice setting" and controlled throws. There is no proven, repeatable edge from either in a real casino. The dice have to hit the back wall, bounce off pyramid-studded rubber, and every roll is an independent 36-outcome event. The dice have no memory. No number is ever overdue. If you catch yourself thinking a 7 "has to come," that is the gambler's fallacy talking, and it is the most expensive belief in the building.
Craps terms glossary
A quick cheat sheet for the table lingo you will hear on your first night.
- Come-out roll: the first roll of a new round.
- The point: the number the shooter has to repeat before a 7.
- Seven-out: a 7 rolled during the point phase, ending the round.
- Natural: a 7 or 11 on the come-out, an instant Pass win.
- Craps: a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out, an instant Pass loss.
- Shooter: the player currently throwing the dice.
- Snake eyes: a rolled 2. Boxcars: a rolled 12.
- Free Odds: the true-odds bet behind the line with a 0% edge.
Want to see one played out on video? This short beginner walkthrough shows a real table in action.
That is the whole game. Learn the loop, live on the Pass Line with Odds, skip the center of the table, and craps goes from intimidating to genuinely fun. To compare it against other casino games, the Crazy Time probability tool and our RTP hub are good next stops. Curious how game-show titles like Monopoly Big Baller stack up on the same house-edge math? The house edge explainer breaks it down.
How to play craps FAQ
Common questions from people learning craps for the first time, answered plainly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Evgeniy Volkov
Verified ExpertFullstack developer with a background in mathematics. I build the calculators and game-style tools on ToolsGambling with Pixi.js and modern web tech, and every result uses transparent probability formulas you can verify yourself.