Craps: Craps: How to Play, Rules & Betting Guide

Craps is one of the most social and fast-paced dice games in both land-based and online casinos. The objective is straightforward: predict the outcome of a dice roll across a range of bet types that each carry different odds and house edge percentages.

Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcome of a roll, or a series of rolls, of two six-sided dice. The player rolling the dice is called the shooter. All other players at the table can also place bets on the same outcome. 

The most common starting bet is the Pass Line. A Pass Line bet wins when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the opening roll, and loses when they roll a 2, 3, or 12. Any other number becomes the 'point', and the shooter keeps rolling until they hit the point again (Pass Line wins) or roll a 7 (Pass Line loses). 

Craps bets fall into three broad categories: Pass-side bets (you win when the shooter succeeds), Don't Pass bets (you win when the shooter fails), and side bets that resolve independently of the main game. 

A round of craps follows two phases. The first is the come-out roll, where the result is either an immediate win, an immediate loss, or the establishment of a point number. The second phase is the point phase, where the shooter rolls repeatedly until the round ends.

Craps offers a wider range of bets than most casino games, but the core bets are straightforward and easy to understand. The table below covers the main categories. Full payout rates and house edge figures for every bet are available on the craps odds and payouts page. 

The terms below appear throughout every craps guide. Understanding them before reading further makes the rules and strategy pages much clearer. 

Craps is available in several formats, both at land-based casinos and online. The format changes the experience, but the core rules and house edge remain consistent. 

Standard (Bank) Craps

The version found at virtually all casinos. Players bet against the house.

New York Craps and Simplified Craps

Regional and simplified variants with modified bet selections. 

Mini Craps

A faster, smaller-table version with lower minimum bets. 

Live craps

A real-time streamed version with a human dealer in a studio and physical dice rolled by a mechanical arm. The same rules and odds apply as standard craps.

Crapless Craps

A variant where 2, 3, 11, and 12 all become point numbers on the come-out roll, removing the immediate-win/loss mechanic.

The following steps are the most practical starting point for any new craps player, whether playing online or at a land-based casino. 

The questions below cover the most common entry-level queries about craps.