How to Play: Live Craps Tutorial

Different live casino software developers had different ideas about how to adapt Craps for online play. That’s why online craps tables may have slight differences in gameplay. With that in mind, we’ll start how craps works in general.

Craps is a casino game in which the players try to predict the outcome of rolling a pair of dice. When playing at a casino, you’ll be wagering against the house. In each round, one player is designated as the “shooter.” That’s the player who is throwing the dice.

Every round of craps starts with a Come-Out roll. It’s a simple roll that has 3 possible outcomes:

• Natural – this means that the shooter rolled a 7 or 11. It’s an instant win for them, and the player wins a 1:1 payout and tries another Come-Out roll.
• Craps – conversely, rolling 2 (also called Snake Eyes), 3, or 12 means that the shooter loses. However, the round is not over yet and there is more dice shooting, as described below.
• Point – if any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) shows on the dice, the round proceeds to the second phase, often called the “point phase.” The dealer will mark the rolled number as the Point.

In the Point phase, the shooter continues rolling the dice until they get the same number as in the Come-Out roll. It doesn’t have to be the same combination of dice as in the first roll, though. As long as the sum total is identical, the shooter wins.

However, if one of these subsequent rolls shows a 7, the round ends and the shooter loses.

Live Craps Bets and Payouts

What we just explained is not that hard, is it? Well, this game is notorious for its wide range of betting options. If you want to play craps online or otherwise, you’ll need to know what these bets do. It’s essential to understand how craps betting works before playing.

Also, it’s important to understand that craps is a “community” game, so to speak. In a land-based casino, everyone at a craps table is playing and not just the shooter. However, the outcomes for one player directly affect everyone else. This aspect may or may not work differently in live online craps games.

Pass Line/Don’t Pass Line

The Pass Line bet in craps is a wager placed on whether the shooter will win the round or not. It’s arguably the most basic bet in craps. The Pass craps bet wins if the shooter wins by rolling a Natural or winning the Point phase.

On the flip side, the Don’t Pass bet wins if the shooter loses by rolling 2 or 3 in the Come-out phase or a 7 in the Point phase.

However, if the shooter rolls a 12, both Pass and Don’t Pass bets push. This means that the full stake for the bet is returned to the players who placed them.

The Pass Line bet can only be placed before the Come-Out roll. Once a Point has been established, you can no longer bet on Pass and Don’t Pass.

Both Pass and Don’t Pass typically pay 1:1.

Come / Don’t Come Bets

The Come bet is similar to Pass Line in many ways. However, it can only be made after the Point has been determined.

• Come bets in craps win if the shooter rolls a natural (7 or 11) on the next roll. It loses if Craps is shown instead (2, 3, or 12). However, if it is not immediately resolved, the rolled number becomes the Come bet point. If that number is rolled again before a 7, the Come bet wins. If not, it loses.
• Don’t Come bets are the exact opposite. They win if the next roll shows 2 or 3, lose if the roll shows 7 or 11, and push on 12. If not immediately resolved, Don’t Come wins if a 7 shows up before the number from the first roll.

Come and Don’t Come bets also pay 1:1.

Other Craps Bets

The live dealer craps table also contains a number of other multi-roll wagers.

• Take Odds is placed on any unresolved Pass Line or Come bets. If the relevant bet wins, Take Odds also wins. The payout depends on the Point for the bet – 2:1 on 4,10; 3:2 on 5,9; 6:5 on 6,8.
• Lay Odds is similar, only placed on Don’t Pass or Don’t Come wagers. Pays 1:2 against 4, 10; 2:3 against 5, 9; 5:6 against 6, 8.
• Place to Win predicts that one number total will appear before a 7. Different options come with different payouts. 4 or 10 pays 9:5, 5 or 9 pays 7:5, 6 or 8 pays 7:6.
• Place to Lose wins if 7 appears before the selected numbers. 4 or 10 pays 5:11, 5 or 9 pays 5:8, and 6 or 8 pays 4:5.
• Hardways predict an exact combination of numbers. For example, a Hard 6 can be made for 3, 3 or 4, 2 or 5, 1. This risky bet wins if the exact pair of dice shows before a 7 or the same total with a different combination. Hard 4 and Hard 10 pay 7:1, while Hard 6 and Hard 8 pay 9:1.

One-Roll Bets in Live Craps

The bets we covered above are all multi-roll wagers. This means they stick around until they are resolved, no matter how many rolls are required. However, the following bets are all single-roll. This means that the next roll of the dice always resolves them.

• Field wins if the next roll shows 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Otherwise, it loses. Field bets pay 1:1 unless the winning number is 2 or 12. In these cases, it pays 2:1.
• Seven predicts that the next rolled number is a 7. Pays 4:1
• Craps wins if the shooter rolls 2, 3, or 12 on the next roll. Pays 7:1.
• Aces or Crap 2 wins if the next number is 2, paying 30:1.
• Any Deuce or Crap 3 wins if the next roll is a 3 and pays 15:1
• Boxcars or Crap 12 pays out if the following roll is a 12 at odds of 30:1.
• Elevens predicts that the next roll will be 11, paying 15:1
• C & E or Horn combines the last 4 bets into one, winning on 2, 3, 11, or 12. Pays 3:1, except if the winning roll is an 11, in which case it pays 7:1.

Please note that while the above craps bet list is comprehensive, it’s not absolute. Different casinos sometimes implement other additional bets that are usually explained in the rules.

Also, craps boasts a huge number of game-specific terms and lingo. Some of these are quite fun, and understanding them can be a great way to step up your craps game. Check out our Craps glossary page to catch up on all the terminology.