Craps rules come down to this: players bet on two dice, a round opens with a come-out roll, and a Pass Line bet wins on 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3, or 12, or sets a point. Once a point is set, the Pass Line wins if the point repeats before a 7 shows.
That’s the spine of the game. Below is the full reference, bet by bet, so you can look up any situation. If you’ve never played, read the beginner walkthrough first, then come back here when you need to check a rule mid-round.
The core sequence
A round of craps runs in two phases.
Come-out roll. The opening throw of a new round. The marker (called the puck) sits OFF. A 7 or 11 wins the Pass Line, a 2, 3, or 12 loses it, and any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 becomes the point.
Point phase. The puck flips to ON and marks the point number. The shooter rolls repeatedly. The point repeating wins the Pass Line. A 7 loses it and ends the round. Everything else is just another roll.
That loop repeats until the shooter sevens-out. Then the dice move clockwise to the next player.
Pass Line and Don’t Pass
These two bets mirror each other, and you’ll almost never bet both.
Pass Line. Bet before the come-out. Wins on 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3, or 12, otherwise sets a point and then wins if the point comes before a 7. Pays even money. House edge 1.41%.
Don’t Pass. The reverse. Loses on a come-out 7 or 11, wins on 2 or 3, and ties (pushes) on 12 in most casinos. This 12 push is called the “bar.” After a point is set, Don’t Pass wins if a 7 comes before the point. Pays even money. House edge 1.36%.
Don’t Pass carries a slightly lower edge because of the 12 push, but you’re betting against most of the table, so it draws a quieter crowd.
Come and Don’t Come
Come and Don’t Come work like Pass and Don’t Pass, except you make them after the point is already set.
Come. Place it during the point phase. The next roll acts as a personal come-out for that bet: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses, any box number becomes your Come point. House edge 1.41%.
Don’t Come. The reverse of Come, same push-on-12 rule. House edge 1.36%.
The value of Come bets: they let you keep money working on multiple numbers at the Pass Line’s low edge, instead of paying the higher edge of a Place bet.
Odds bets
After a point exists, a Pass Line or Come bet can be backed with an odds bet. This is the only wager with no house edge, 0%, because it pays true odds. On a 4 or 10 point, odds pay true odds. Tables cap how much you can put behind the line, commonly 3x, 5x, or 10x the original bet. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come can lay odds, which is the same idea reversed.
How the other bets resolve
Place bets. Bet that a chosen box number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) rolls before a 7. Place 6 or 8 has an edge of 1.52%, place 5 or 9 sits at 4.00%, and place 4 or 10 at 6.67%. These stay up roll to roll and can be turned off on the come-out.
Buy and Lay bets. A Buy bet is a Place bet that pays true odds for a small commission (vig), useful on the 4 and 10. Edge 1.67%. A Lay bet is the opposite: you bet a 7 comes before a chosen number. Edge 1.67% to 2.27%.
Field. A one-roll bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Wins or loses on the very next throw. Edge 5.56%.
Big 6 and Big 8. A bet that the 6 or 8 rolls before a 7, paying even money. Worse than placing the same number. Edge 9.09%.
Hardways. A bet that a number rolls as a pair (like 4 and 4 for a hard 8) before it rolls any other way or a 7 shows. Edge 9.09% to 11.11%.
Proposition and one-roll bets. These live in the center of the table and resolve on a single roll. Any Seven has an edge of 16.67%, Any Craps 11.11%, the Yo (eleven) 11.11%, snake eyes (2) 13.89%, boxcars (12) 13.89%, the Horn 12.50%, a Hop bet 11.11%, and C and E 11.11%.
Dice rules
Two six-sided dice. The shooter must throw both, and they need to hit the far wall of the table on the roll. That bounce off the wall is a fairness rule, since it makes controlled throws far harder.
Handle the dice with one hand only. You can’t switch hands or take the dice off the table. If a die flies off the table or lands cocked against a chip, the stickman inspects it, and a die may be replaced from the bowl. A roll only counts once both dice come to rest flat on the felt.
Table roles
A live craps game runs with a four-person crew.
Boxman. Sits at the center of the table, watches the money, settles disputes, and supervises the game.
Two base dealers. One on each side of the boxman. They take buy-ins, pay winning bets, and place your Place and prop bets for you.
Stickman. Stands opposite the boxman, controls the dice with a long stick, calls the rolls, and books the proposition bets in the center.
In the game on this site, all of that is handled for you. No crew, no waiting, no minimum. You make bets and the round resolves instantly, which is a clean way to learn what each rule means before you sit at a real table.
Frequently asked questions
What happens on a 12 for the Don’t Pass bet?
In most casinos the come-out 12 is “barred” for Don’t Pass, meaning the bet pushes: you neither win nor lose, and your chip stays. Some tables bar the 2 instead. Barring one of these numbers is what gives the house its small edge on an otherwise favorable bet.
What is the difference between a Come bet and a Pass Line bet?
They follow identical rules. The only difference is timing. A Pass Line bet must go down before the come-out roll of a round. A Come bet is placed after a point is already set, and the next roll becomes its personal come-out. Both carry a house edge of about 1.41%.
Do the dice have to hit the wall in craps?
Yes, at a live table. The shooter must throw both dice hard enough to reach and bounce off the far wall. This rule exists to keep throws random and prevent controlled tosses. A roll where the dice don’t reach the wall may be called back and thrown again by the stickman.
What does the boxman do?
The boxman sits at the center of the table and supervises the entire game. They watch the bankroll, oversee the dealers, resolve disputes over bets or payouts, and inspect the dice when needed. Think of them as the referee and banker combined, keeping the game honest and moving.
Can you bet both Pass and Don’t Pass at once?
You physically can, but there’s no point. The two bets cancel each other on almost every outcome, and because of the barred 12 the Don’t Pass side can only push where the Pass side wins. You’d slowly lose to the house edge for no upside. Pick one side.