Basic Craps Rules Explained

Every round of craps starts with one player throwing two dice. That player is the shooter. The dice add up to a number between 2 and 12, and that number, and the order it shows up in the round, is the entire game.

The whole round is built around one comparison: will the shooter roll a specific number before they roll a 7? Sometimes that specific number is whatever they happen to roll first, sometimes it's a number you chose, but the question is always the same. Some target number versus a 7. Whichever shows up first wins or loses your bet, depending on which side you took. That's the core mechanic, and everything else is just variations on that theme.

A round of craps has two phases. They aren't always called this in the casino, but it helps to think of them as two separate things.

If you've only ever played online craps you can skip this, since online there's no crew, just software. But if you play live, knowing who's who makes the whole thing feel less chaotic. A standard live table is staffed by four employees, sometimes three on a slow table.

For a roll to count, the dice have to leave the shooter's hand together, hit the back wall on the far side of the table (the foam-covered rail with the pyramid bumps), and land flat on the felt. If they don't hit the back wall, the roll can technically be ruled invalid. Most casinos give you some slack on your first throw or two, but if you keep short-rolling, the boxman will say something.

If a die flies off the table, that's also not a valid roll. Most casinos reuse the same die unless it's damaged, though some superstitious players ask for a new one. If a die lands leaning on a chip stack, that's a cocked die, and the boxman rules what number it would be. The shooter is supposed to throw with one hand: you can pick the dice up with one or two hands, but only one hand can be on them when you throw. This prevents palming or switching dice, an old cheating method the casino still cares about.

Two dice can land in 36 different combinations, and some totals come up more often because there are more ways to make them. A 7 can be rolled six different ways; a 2 can only be rolled one way, with two ones. We have a whole article on dice probability for beginners that breaks this down with a chart, but the rough version is that 7 is the most common roll, followed by 6 and 8, then 5 and 9, then 4 and 10, then 3 and 11, and finally 2 and 12.

This matters more than it might seem. The whole game is built around the fact that 7 is the most likely roll. Every bet on the table is priced based on how likely a given number is compared to 7. Once you understand why 7 shows up so often, the rest of the game's quirks start making sense.

A few specific rules cause more confusion than anything else. Worth covering up front.

• A 12 on the come out is a loss for pass line but a push for don't pass. A push means you neither win nor lose. This keeps the math working in the casino's favor for both sides. Some casinos bar the 2 instead of the 12, and the layout will say "Bar 12" or "Bar 2" in the don't pass area.
• Place bets are normally "off" for the next come out roll. Off means they don't win or lose, they just sit there. You can ask your dealer to turn them on. The default is off because most place bettors don't want to lose to a 7 on the come out, even though that same 7 wins their pass line bet.
• You can't remove or reduce a pass line bet once a point is established. It's a contract bet, committed until the point hits or the shooter sevens out. Don't pass bets work in reverse: you can pull them down any time after a point is set, because the don't pass bettor has the mathematical edge once a point is on.
• Handle the dice with one hand and keep them on the table. Drop one on the floor and the boxman will want to inspect it. Throw too softly and the stickman will remind you to hit the back wall.
• Don't say the word "seven" during a point cycle. Pure superstition, but the other players will glare and the dealers will pretend they didn't hear you. More on this in our craps etiquette article.

The puck is off and a new shooter has the dice. You put $10 on the pass line. The stickman pushes the dice over, the shooter throws, and it lands on 8. The stickman calls "eight, easy eight, the point is eight," and the puck flips to on atop the 8.

The shooter throws again: a 5, no effect on the pass line. Then a 9, again no effect. Then a 7. That's sevening out. Pass line bets lose, the dealers sweep the chips, and the dice pass to the next shooter. Or the shooter could have thrown an 8 on that fourth roll instead, in which case the pass line wins, you get paid even money, the puck flips back to off, and the same shooter starts a new come out.

That's what every round looks like. Some last one roll, some last 30 minutes. There's no time limit and no maximum number of rolls. The shooter keeps going until they make their point and start over, or seven out and pass the dice.

A live table moves slower than people expect. After each roll, the dealers settle every bet that won or lost: paying winners, taking losers, moving come bets to their numbers, turning place bets on or off. On a busy table you might wait a minute or more between rolls. This is when you make new bets, change existing ones, or just watch. The stickman calls "last bets" when the dealers are nearly done, and once the dice are pushed back to the shooter, no more bets. Online craps moves faster because the software settles instantly, one of the bigger differences covered in online vs live craps.

Two dice. A shooter. A come out. A point. Make the point or roll a 7. Repeat. The complications come from the bets, not the rules. Once you have these mechanics down, the rest of learning craps is just learning what bets to make and what to avoid. Start with the pass line, add free odds when you're comfortable, and branch out from there. The next article takes you on a tour of the craps table layout, so you can read the felt without feeling like you're looking at a foreign language.