Craps in Las Vegas

About

Craps is a dice game played on a large table where everyone bets on the outcome of rolls made by one player, the shooter. The table looks complicated because it holds dozens of possible bets, but the core of the game is a single wager, the pass line, and a two-stage round.

Each round begins with the come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins for pass line bettors, and a 2, 3 or 12 (craps) loses. Any other number, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point. The shooter then keeps rolling. If the point is rolled again before a 7, the pass line wins; if a 7 comes first, the pass line loses. That is called sevening out.

The don't pass bet is roughly the opposite. On the come-out roll a 2 or 3 wins and a 7 or 11 loses; a 12 is a push (the Wizard of Odds notes that in Reno and Lake Tahoe the 2 is the push instead). Once a point is set, don't pass wins if a 7 comes before the point. A come bet is mathematically the same as a pass bet, only made after the come-out roll, so each come bet gets its own point.

Once a point is set, pass and don't pass bettors can add an odds bet behind their original wager. The odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on 4 and 10, 3 to 2 on 5 and 9, and 6 to 5 on 6 and 8. How much odds you may take is set by each table; one common limit is 3-4-5X, which allows three times the pass bet on 4 or 10, four times on 5 or 9 and five times on 6 or 8.

What to expect

A craps table is run by a crew. Caesars describes the stickman as managing the dice and announcing each roll, the dealers as handling wagers and payouts, and the boxman as overseeing the game. To buy in, put cash flat on the layout rather than handing it to a dealer, and the dealers will change it into chips.

If you take your turn as shooter, handle the dice with one hand only and make sure they reach the back wall of the table. Wait until all payouts are complete before placing new bets, and say clearly to the dealers which bets you want.

Tipping dealers is a common practice. At craps you can tip directly, or place a bet for the dealers, depending on the table's procedures. Phone use is generally not allowed while you are at a table game.

Other casino games

• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Poker
• Slot Machines

Before you play

• Las Vegas casino guide for beginners
• How casino comps work

Good to know

• The lowest-cost bets are the pass line (1.41% per bet resolved) and don't pass (1.36%), plus come and don't come, which carry the same edges. The odds bet behind them has no house edge at all, so taking odds lowers the average cost of everything you have on the table.
• Place bets let you bet directly on a number. Place 6 or 8 pays 7 to 6 with a 1.52% house edge, place 5 or 9 pays 7 to 5 at 4.00%, and place 4 or 10 pays 9 to 5 at 6.67%. Big 6 and Big 8 cover the same outcomes as placing the 6 or 8 but pay even money, for a 9.09% edge; the Wizard of Odds says a player would be a fool to make them when the place bet is available.
• The center of the table holds the proposition bets, and they are the most expensive in the game. Per bet resolved, the Wizard of Odds puts any seven at 16.67%, a bet on 2 or 12 at 13.89%, the horn at 12.50%, any craps and a bet on 3 or 11 at 11.11%, hard 4 and hard 10 at 11.11%, and hard 6 and hard 8 at 9.09%.
• The field is a one-roll bet that the next roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. Most numbers pay even money and the 2 and 12 pay more. Where the 12 pays 2 to 1 the house edge is 5.56%; where it pays 3 to 1 it is 2.78%. The field pays on more numbers but the losing numbers, 5, 6, 7 and 8, come up more often.
• House-edge figures can be quoted per bet resolved or per roll, and the two are very different for bets that can stay up for several rolls. The Wizard of Odds' per-roll figure for the pass line, for example, is 0.42%. The per-bet-resolved figures used here are the ones to compare between bets.
• Nevada law gives players a route if a payout is disputed. Under NRS 463.362, a casino must immediately notify the Nevada Gaming Control Board of a dispute with a patron involving $500 or more; for smaller disputes it must tell the patron of the right to ask the Board to investigate.
• If gambling stops being fun, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling lists 1-800-GAMBLER and 1-800-522-4700 as its helpline numbers; the line is answered 24 hours a day, calls are confidential, and it connects callers to treatment and support resources in Nevada. Setting a spending limit before you sit down, and not raising bets to win back losses, is advice Caesars gives its own players.

Questions about Craps