How to Play Craps: A Complete Beginner's Guide To Craps

Craps is the loudest game in the casino. It is also one of the friendliest to a new player who knows what to do. The first part you can hear from across the floor. The second part is the secret that most new players never figure out. Almost everybody walks past a craps table their first few visits because the table looks like a foreign language and the noise is intimidating. They go play slots instead, where the math is much, much worse for them.

That is a shame, because the game of craps is not nearly as hard as it looks. The basic rules can be explained in five minutes. The smart bets are simple to make. And the house edge on those smart bets is one of the lowest you will find anywhere in the building. Better than slots. Better than roulette. As good as or better than blackjack without the work of counting cards.

This guide is everything you need to play craps as a beginner. It covers the rules, the bets you should make, the bets you should avoid, the etiquette, and the math. Read it straight through if you have never played before. Bookmark it and come back if you want to drill into a specific topic. Links throughout the page lead to deeper articles on each subject if you want more.

What craps is, in 60 seconds

Craps is a dice game. Two dice. Players bet on what is going to happen when those dice land. The bets are made on a big table covered in betting boxes, but the dice themselves are what decide everything. There is no dealer playing against you, no machine working in the background, no cards. Just two dice and the math.

One player at the table is the shooter. The shooter throws the dice. Everyone else, including the shooter, bets on the outcome. When the shooter wins, most of the table usually wins together. When the shooter loses, most of the table usually loses together. That is why the noise is what it is. People are cheering or groaning at the same time because they all have the same bet.

If you want a fuller introduction with some history and feel for the game, our article on what craps is goes deeper. The rest of this page is the practical version.

How a round of craps works

Every round of craps follows the same pattern. Once you see it, the rest of the game gets a lot easier to follow.
A round starts with what is called the come out roll. The shooter throws the dice for the first time. Three things can happen.
If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, that is a natural and the round wins for most bettors. The same shooter throws another come out roll right after.
If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12, that is craps. The round loses for most bettors. The shooter still keeps the dice and throws another come out.
If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, that number becomes the point. A puck on the table flips to the on side and gets placed on top of that number. The round is now in its second phase.
In the second phase, the rules change. The shooter keeps throwing, but now the goal is different. The shooter is trying to roll the point number again before rolling a 7. If the point hits first, the round wins. If a 7 comes first, the round loses and the shooter has to give up the dice. The dice pass to the next player at the table and a new round starts with a new shooter.

That is the whole rhythm of craps. Come out roll. Possibly establish a point. Try to make the point before the 7. Repeat. We have a full breakdown of the come out roll and the point and the deeper basic rules of craps in their own articles if you want more detail.

The bets you actually need to know

Here is where craps starts to look complicated. The table is covered in betting boxes, and each box is a different bet with a different payout and a different house edge. New players see all that and panic.

Do not panic. You do not need to know all of those bets. Most of them are bad. The middle of the table, where the dealers and stickman work the proposition bets, is mostly traps for tourists. You can play craps for the rest of your life and never touch any of it.

What you actually need is a small handful of bets. Three of them, really, with a few more you can add as you get comfortable.

The pass line bet

This is the bet you start with. It is the bet almost everyone at the table is making. You put your chips on the pass line on the layout, and you are betting that the shooter is going to win the round.

If the come out is a 7 or 11, you win. If the come out is craps, you lose. If a point gets established, you win if the point hits before a 7 and lose if the 7 comes first. The pass line pays even money, meaning if you bet $10 you win $10 plus your original bet back.

The house edge on the pass line is around 1.4 percent. That means for every $100 you put through the bet, the casino expects to keep about $1.40 over the long run. Compare that to slots, which often run 5 to 10 percent or worse, and you can see why craps has the reputation it has. Our full article on the pass line bet goes into the math and the strategy.

Free odds

Once a point has been established, you can put a second bet down behind your pass line bet. This is called taking odds. The odds bet is the only bet in the casino with zero house edge. None. The casino pays it at true odds, meaning the math is exactly fair.

This sounds too good to be true and it is the kind of thing that gets buried in the noise of a craps table. The casino does not put a label on the table for it because they would rather you not make it. They do not want to advertise a bet they cannot win money on. But it exists, and the only condition is that you have to make a pass line bet first to qualify.

Most casinos let you put up to 3x to 5x your pass line bet on free odds. So if you have a $10 pass line bet, you can usually back it with $30 to $50 in odds. Some places allow more. The combined bet has a much lower overall house edge than the pass line alone, because part of your money is now riding on a zero-edge bet. We get into the full breakdown in the free odds article.

If you remember nothing else from this page, remember this. Pass line plus full odds is one of the best bets in the casino. Period. Make this bet and you are playing smart craps.

The come bet

Once you understand the pass line, the come bet is easy. It works exactly the same way, except it can be made any time during a round, not just on the come out roll. So if you want a second bet running on a different number, you put your chips in the come box, the next roll becomes a mini come out roll for that bet, and it follows the same rules from there. You can also take odds on a come bet just like you can on a pass line. We have a full article on come bets.

The bets to be careful with

A few other bets are worth knowing about even if you do not always make them.

The don't pass bet is the opposite of the pass line. You are betting against the shooter. The math is slightly better than the pass line, technically the lowest house edge of any flat bet on the table, but it comes at a social cost. You are rooting for the table to lose, which puts you on the opposite side of everyone else. Some players love it for this reason. Some hate it. The same applies to the don't come bet, which is the come-bet version of the same idea.

The place bets let you bet directly on a number to come up before a 7. The 6 and 8 are decent. The 4, 5, 9 and 10 are worse. We get into the math in the article.

The field bet looks fun because it covers seven different numbers and the box is right in front of you. It is mostly a trap. The math does not work out. We talk about why in the field bet article.

And the proposition bets in the middle of the table, things like any seven, hardways, and the prop bets that pay out 30 to 1 on a single roll? Skip them. The house edge on those bets is brutal. Some of them run double-digit edges. Even hot players burn money on those bets faster than they can earn it back.

A real round, played out

Let me walk you through what an actual round looks like with bets running, so you can see how this all fits together.

You step up to a $10 minimum table. You put $10 cash on the felt during a moment between rolls and ask for change. The dealer slides you ten $1 chips and a few $5 chips. You put a $5 chip on the pass line.

The shooter throws. It comes up 5. The stickman calls out "five, no field five" and the puck flips to on, sitting on the 5 on the layout. The point is now 5.

The dealer asks if you want odds. You hand the dealer a $10 chip and tell them you want odds on your pass line. They place the $10 just behind your pass line bet. You now have $5 on the pass line and $10 in odds, for $15 total in action on this round.

The shooter throws a 9. Nothing happens to your bets, the 9 is meaningless to a pass line bettor during a point cycle. The shooter throws an 11. Same thing, no effect. The shooter throws a 5. The point hits.

You win. The dealer pays your pass line at even money, $5. They pay your odds at true odds, which on a 5 is 3 to 2, so your $10 odds bet pays $15. You collect $20 in winnings plus your original $15 stays where it is. The puck flips back to off, the shooter throws another come out, and the round starts over.

Or, the shooter could have thrown a 7 instead of a 5 on that last roll. In that case the dealer sweeps your pass line and odds bet off the layout. You lose $15. The shooter gives up the dice and the dice pass to the next player.

That is a normal round. Some last one roll. Some go on for 20 minutes. There is no time limit and no maximum number of rolls. The shooter just keeps going until the point hits or a 7 ends the round.

How to actually start playing

Here is the process from walking up to a live table for the first time.

First, find a table with an open spot and a minimum you can afford. The minimum is on a placard at one end of the table. Five and ten dollar minimums are common in most casinos. Higher in places like Vegas Strip casinos on busy nights.

Wait for a moment between rolls. Step up to the rail. Put your cash on the felt and say "change please." Do not hand cash directly to the dealer. They cannot take it from your hand. Lay it down. The dealer will count it out, push you the equivalent in chips and the boxman will drop your cash in the slot.

Now wait for the next come out roll. You can tell because the puck is on the off side. Put a chip on the pass line. The shooter throws and you are playing.

From there, the only thing you really need to do for a while is watch and bet the pass line. Add free odds when you are comfortable with it. Add a come bet when you want a second bet going. The rest of the game can wait. You do not need to learn place bets or hardways or anything else for your first session. You can play smart craps with just the pass line and odds, and you will outlast most of the players who are betting all over the layout.

If you are starting online instead of live, the process is even simpler. Pick a table, click the chip denomination you want, click the pass line. The software handles everything else. We compare the two formats in our article on online vs live craps.

The mistakes to avoid

A few things will save you money if you keep them in mind from the start.

Do not bet the proposition bets in the middle. Hardways, any seven, the field, the horn bets. They look exciting because the payouts are bigger, but the house edge on those bets is much higher than on the pass line and place bets. They will eat your bankroll.

Do not chase losses. If you came in with $200 and you have lost $150, do not pull out another $200 and try to win it back. The dice do not care. They have no memory. The next roll is just as likely to be a 7 as any other roll. Walk away when you are out of your budget.

Do not skip free odds. The pass line alone is a fine bet. The pass line with full odds is a much better bet. The casino does not advertise odds because they cannot win money on it. They do not want you to know about it. Now you know.

Do not say the word seven during a point cycle. It will not actually change the outcome of the dice, but you will be the most hated person at the table. Just trust me on this one.

Do not bet money you cannot afford to lose. We have a full article on bankroll management for craps players and it is genuinely worth reading before you put real money on a table. The dice do not care about your rent. Set a budget. Stick to it. We have a longer article on common craps mistakes that gets into the rest.

Etiquette and the social side

If you are playing live, knowing how to behave at the table matters almost as much as knowing the bets. Handle the dice with one hand if you are the shooter. Do not throw too softly. Tip the dealers when you are winning. Do not put your drink on the rail. Do not say seven. Do not slow down the game. Be friendly to other players, who will be friendly back. We get into all of this in our craps etiquette article, which is short and worth reading before your first session.

If you end up being the shooter yourself, there are a few specific rules and rituals that come with that role. Our article on being the shooter covers everything from how to handle the dice to what to do when the table is cheering you on for a long roll.

Online vs live

You can play craps two ways now. Live, at a physical table in a casino. Or online, on a website or an app, against software that simulates the dice. Both have the same rules. Both have the same odds. They feel completely different in practice. If you want to know more about the regulated US sites that offer the game, check out our legal craps homepage for casino reviews and bonuses.

Online is faster, quieter and more private. You can play for $1 a hand at most online sites, which is way below the live table minimum. You can take your time, look up bets, and not worry about looking dumb in front of strangers. The downside is no social atmosphere, no free drinks, and no real dice in your hand.

Live is the full experience. The noise, the crew, the cheering, the dice in your hand when it is your turn to shoot. It is more expensive in terms of minimums and drinks. It also moves slower, which can be good or bad depending on what you want.

For a complete beginner, online is probably the better place to start. The pace is slower, the stakes are lower, and you can learn the bets without an audience. Move to a live table once you are comfortable with the basics. Our article on online vs live craps goes deeper.

What to read next

This page covers the entire game at a high level. If you want to drill into anything, the deeper articles are linked throughout. Here is the order I would read them in if you were starting from zero.

Start with what is craps if you want a fuller intro. Then read the basic rules in detail. After that, walk through the table layout so you can read the felt without getting lost. Then read up on the come out roll and the point, and the dice probability article so you understand why the math works the way it does.

From there, the bets. Read the pass line first. Then free odds. Then the come bet. Save the don't pass and don't come articles for after you have played a few sessions. The articles on place bets and field bets tell you what is worth your money and what is not.

Then read the practical articles. Being the shooter, etiquette, online vs live, and common mistakes. Read bankroll management before you put real money down. Bookmark the glossary so you can look up any term you hear at a table.

That sounds like a lot. It is not. Most of the articles take 10 minutes or less to read. The whole guide will take you about an hour to get through, and once you are done you will know more than maybe 80 percent of the people you will see at any craps table. The rest comes from playing.