How to Play

Craps, the whole felt.

New to the table?

Never rolled dice before? Start with the how-to-play guide — this page is the reference.

The layout

The craps layout: pass line along the bottom edge, point boxes across the top, take-odds strip beside the pass line.
1Pass Line — your main bet. Wins on 7 or 11 on the come-out, loses on 2, 3, or 12.
2Point boxes — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. Any other number on the come-out sets the point here.
3Take odds — the strip behind the pass line where free odds live. No edge. Zero.

Come-out to point

Every new round starts with a come-out roll. Bet the pass line — the shooter rolls. A 7 or 11 wins immediately (even money, 1:1). A 2, 3, or 12 loses immediately. Any other number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 — becomes the point. The point marker goes on that number, and the game shifts: roll the point again before a 7 and you win; roll a 7 first and the pass line loses. That's the whole game — everything else on the felt is optional.

Come bets work the same way but travel with you: place a come bet during a point round and the next roll is your personal come-out, following the same 7/11 win, 2/3/12 lose, any-other-number-is-your-point logic.

Free odds — the one bet with no edge

Once the point is set, you can back your pass (or come) bet with free odds. The engine defaults to 3-4-5x: up to 3× on the 4 or 10, 4× on the 5 or 9, and 5× on the 6 or 8. Odds pay at true probability — 2:1 on the 4/10, 3:2 on the 5/9, and 6:5 on the 6/8 — so the house takes nothing on this portion of your bet.

Place, buy, and lay

These three bet types let you target a specific number without waiting for a come-out.

Place bets pay at slightly worse than true odds — 9:5 on the 4/10, 7:5 on the 5/9, and 7:6 on the 6/8. The 6 and 8 are the best place bets on the felt (1.52% edge); the 4 and 10 are the worst (6.67%).

Buy bets pay true odds but charge a 5% commission on the win. That commission makes buy bets better than place bets on the 4 and 10 (1.67% vs 6.67%) but slightly worse on the 6 and 8 (2.27% vs 1.52%). Buy the 4 or 10; place the 6 or 8.

Lay betsare the mirror of buy — you're betting a 7 comes before the number. Same 5% vig on the win, same true-odds structure.

Field, hardways, and props

Field is a one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Most pay 1:1 — but 2 pays 2:1 and 12 pays 3:1. The house edge is 2.78%.

Hardways win only if the number rolls as a pair (hard 6 = 3+3, not 2+4) before a 7 or an easy version of the same number. Hard 6 and 8 pay 9:1; hard 4 and 10 pay 7:1. Edge: 9.09% and 11.11% respectively.

Proposition bets— any seven (4:1), yo/eleven (15:1), aces/boxcars (30:1), any craps (7:1), horn, C&E — are one-roll bets with edges ranging from 11% to nearly 17%. They're the fun tax: high edge, small bets, big numbers when they hit. Keep them small.

Full odds table

BetPaysTrue oddsHouse edge
Don't Pass Odds1:2 on 4 & 10, 2:3 on 5 & 9, 5:6 on 6 & 80% — free!
Pass Line Odds2:1 on 4 & 10, 3:2 on 5 & 9, 6:5 on 6 & 80% — free!
Don't Pass1:11.36%
Don't Come1:11.36%
Pass Line1:11.41%
Come1:11.41%
Place 67:66:51.52%
Place 87:66:51.52%
Buy 42:1 minus 5% vig on the win2:11.67%
Buy 102:1 minus 5% vig on the win2:11.67%
Lay 41:2 minus 5% vig on the win1.67%
Lay 101:2 minus 5% vig on the win1.67%
Buy 53:2 minus 5% vig on the win3:22.00%
Buy 93:2 minus 5% vig on the win3:22.00%
Lay 52:3 minus 5% vig on the win2.00%
Lay 92:3 minus 5% vig on the win2.00%
Buy 66:5 minus 5% vig on the win6:52.27%
Buy 86:5 minus 5% vig on the win6:52.27%
Lay 65:6 minus 5% vig on the win2.27%
Lay 85:6 minus 5% vig on the win2.27%
Field1:1 (2 pays 2:1, 12 pays 3:1)2.78%
Place 57:53:24.00%
Place 97:53:24.00%
Place 49:52:16.67%
Place 109:52:16.67%
All (Make 'Em All)175:17.46%
All Small34:17.76%
All Tall34:17.76%
Big 61:16:59.09%
Big 81:16:59.09%
Hard 69:110:19.09%
Hard 89:110:19.09%
Hard 47:18:111.11%
Hard 107:18:111.11%
Any Craps7:18:111.11%
Yo (Eleven)15:117:111.11%
Ace-Deuce (3)15:117:111.11%
Hop 2-515:117:111.11%
C & E7:1 on craps, 15:1 on 11 (half the bet each)11.11%
Horn30:1 on 2/12, 15:1 on 3/11 (¼ of the bet each)12.50%
Aces (Snake Eyes)30:135:113.89%
Twelve (Midnight)30:135:113.89%
Hop 3-330:135:113.89%
Any Seven4:15:116.67%

Every edge above is computed from the live game engine — the same code that settles your bets — except All Small, All Tall, and Make 'Em All, which use their published house edges.

Crapless craps

Want to eliminate the come-out loss? Crapless Crapsturns 2, 3, 11, and 12 into point numbers instead — you can't crap out, but the pass-line edge rises from 1.41% to 5.38%. A worthwhile trade-off for some; the full breakdown is on the Crapless rules page.