How craps works
Craps is played with two dice. One player, the shooter, rolls for the whole table. Each round starts with a come-out roll:
- 7 or 11: a natural. Pass line bets win.
- 2, 3 or 12: craps. Pass line bets lose (and Don't Pass wins on 2 or 3).
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: that number becomes the point.
With a point set, the shooter keeps rolling. Hitting the point again wins for the pass line; rolling a 7 first is a seven-out and the pass line loses.
Probability of each roll
| Total | Ways | Odds against |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 of 36 | 35 to 1 |
| 3 | 2 of 36 | 17 to 1 |
| 4 | 3 of 36 | 11 to 1 |
| 5 | 4 of 36 | 8 to 1 |
| 6 | 5 of 36 | 6.2 to 1 |
| 7 | 6 of 36 | 5 to 1 |
| 8 | 5 of 36 | 6.2 to 1 |
| 9 | 4 of 36 | 8 to 1 |
| 10 | 3 of 36 | 11 to 1 |
| 11 | 2 of 36 | 17 to 1 |
| 12 | 1 of 36 | 35 to 1 |
Craps strategy articles
- Should you always place the max odds bet?
- Betting against the table: the Don't Pass bet
- Betting on the 6 and 8 in craps
- Dice setting and controlled throws