If you've ever been in a casino you've probably noticed all the commotion surrounding the craps table. Many gamblers are shunned away from craps by it's apparent complexity. In reality, craps is an easy game to learn and can be one of the most enjoyable to play. Craps basically involves predicting what numbers will be rolled on a pair of dice.

The first roll of the dice in a craps round is called the "come out roll". The opening bet in craps is placed just before the come out roll, is called the "pass line bet." Pass line bets are instant winners when the shooter's (person throwing the dice) come out roll is 7 or 11, and lose when the come out roll is 2, 3 or 12. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled on the come out roll, that number becomes "the point". Once the point has been established a plastic disc labeled "ON" is placed on the table over the box for the number rolled as the point

Types of Bets
Before the dice are rolled, bets can be placed in various fields of the craps table (layout below).

Pass Line Bets
A pass line bet is placed on the field labeled "PASS LINE" on the craps table before the come out roll. A wager on the pass line wins if the come out roll is 7 or 11, and loses if 2, 3 or 12 is rolled. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled, that number becomes "the point." To win the pass line bet, the shooter must roll the point again before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, your pass line bet loses. A winning pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1). Once the point has been established, unresolved pass line bets may not be removed or reduced. They must be resolved by a roll of the point or 7.

Don't Pass Line Bets
A don't pass line bet is essentially the reverse of a pass line bet, and is placed on the craps table in the "DON'T PASS BAR" before the come out roll. If the shooter rolls 2 or 3 on the come out roll, a don't pass line bet wins. However, if the come out roll is 7 or 11, don't pass line bets lose. If the come out roll is 12, a don't pass line bet is returned to the player in a push. If the come out roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. Once the point has been established, don't pass line bets win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again. If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7, don't pass line bets lose. A winning don't pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1).

Come Bets
A come bet is placed in the "COME" bar on the craps table before any roll of the dice, once the point has been established by the come out roll. The rules for come bets are essentially the same as pass line bets. Come bets win if the shooter's next roll is 7 or 11, and lose if the roll is 2, 3, or 12. If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point," and the dealer will move the come bet from the "COME" bar on the craps table to the box corresponding to the come point: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". If the shooter rolls the come point again before rolling a 7, the come bet pays even money. The come bet will stay in place until the come point or a 7 is rolled. Similarly to the pass line bet, unresolved come bets may not be removed or reduced. They must be resolved by a roll of the come point or 7.

Don't Come Bets
A don't come bet is essentially the opposite of a come bet, which is placed after the come out roll in the "DON'T COME" bar on the craps table. Don't come bets win when the shooter's next roll is 2 or 3, and lose if the roll is 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 12, the bet will be returned to the player in a push. If the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point," and the dealer will move the don't come bet from the "Don't Come Bar" to the left corner of the narrow, uppermost bar over the box corresponding to the come point: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". After the come point is established, don't come bets win even money if 7 is rolled and lose if the come point is rolled. Don't come bets will stay in place until the come point or a 7 is rolled. However, unresolved don't come bets may be removed.

Odds Bets
An "odds" bet is a "back up" bet on an original pass line bet, don't pass line bet, come bet, or don't come bet. The maximum odds bet is 3 times your original bet.

Pass Line Odds Bets
After the point has been established, a pass line odds bet is placed by placing a bet near the "PASS LINE" bar, under your original pass line bet. A winning pass line odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original pass line bet, an unresolved pass line odds bet may be removed.

Don't Pass Line Odds Bets
Once the point has been established, a don't pass line odds bet is placed on the "DON'T PASS BAR" area next to your don't pass line bet. A winning don't pass line odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't pass line odds bet may be removed.

Come Odds Bets
Once the come point has been established, a come odds bet can be placed directly under your come bet within the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". A winning come odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original come bet, an unresolved come odds bet may be removed.

Don't Come Odds Bets
Once the come point has been established, an odds bet can be placed under your don't come bet within the narrow, uppermost bar. This bar is above the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". A winning don't come odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't come odds bet may be removed.

Field Bets
A field bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. It is placed in the "FIELD" bar on the craps table before any roll of the dice. If the next roll is 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11, the field bet wins even money. If 2 is rolled, the field bet wins 2 to 1. If 12 is rolled, the field bet wins 3 to 1. If 5, 6, 7, or 8 is rolled, the field bet is lost.

Big 6 and Big 8 Bets
A big 6 bet is a bet that 6 will be rolled before 7. Equally, a big 8 bet is a bet that 8 will be rolled before 7. A big 6 or a big 8 bet is placed in either the "6" or "8" box which is located in the left corner of the craps table. A big 6 or big 8 bet wins even money if the shooter rolls a 6 or 8 before rolling 7. Unresolved Big 6 and big 8 bets may be removed.

Place Bets
There are two types of place bets:
A place win bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a 7. A place win bet is placed in the narrow, unlabeled bar located just under the box with the corresponding number on the craps table: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". Winning place win bets are paid according to the following ratios: 7 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 7 to 5 on numbers 5 and 9, and 9 to 5 on numbers 4 and 10.
A place lose bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. A place lose bet is placed in the right-hand side of the narrow, unlabeled bar located just above the box with the corresponding number on the craps table: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". Winning place lose bets are paid according to the following ratios: 4 to 5 on numbers 6 and 8, 5 to 8 on numbers 5 and 9, and 5 to 11 on numbers 4 and 10.

Buy Bets
A buy bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before 7. A buy bet is placed in the box (labeled "BUY") corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged on your profit from this bet. Buy bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 6 to 5 on numbers 6 and 8, 3 to 2 on numbers 5 and 9, and 2 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10.

Lay Bets
A lay bet is essentially the reverse of a buy bet. A lay bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The lay bet is placed in the top bar (labeled "LAY") above the box corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, six, 8, nine, or 10". A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged on your profit from this bet. Lay bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 5 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 2 to 3 on numbers 5 and 9, and 1 to 2 on numbers 4 and 10. Unresolved lay bets may be removed.

Any 7 Bets
An "any 7" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be a 7. It is placed on any roll of the dice in the "SEVEN" field on the craps table. If 7 is rolled, you win 4 times your bet.

Any Craps Bets
An "any craps" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, or 12. It is placed on any roll of the dice in the "ANY CRAPS" field on the craps table. If 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, you win 7 times your bet.

Horn Bets
A horn bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be either 2, 3, 11, or 12. It is placed on any roll of the dice in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice that add up to either 2, 3, 11, or 12. A winning horn bet pays 15 to 1 on numbers 3 and 11 and 30 to 1 on numbers 2 and 12.

Hardway Bets
A hardway bet is a bet that the shooter will roll either a 4, 6, 8, or 10 as doubles (2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5) before rolling a 7. The hardway bet is placed in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice corresponding to the number. Rolling a number by doubles is said to be rolling the number "the hard way." For example, a roll of 4+4 is a called a "hard 8," while a roll of 5+3 or 6+2 is called an "easy 8." A winning hardway bet pays 7 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10 and 9 to 1 on numbers 6 and 8. If you roll an "easy" before rolling a "hard" you lose your bet. Unresolved hardway bets may be removed.