CRAPS RULES

The online craps rules are surprisingly simple. It's not hard to learn how to play craps. Once you've got the dice down, all you need to understand are the craps bets, then you're ready to pursue a winning craps strategy. The craps rules dictate that each round is played in the same way. To begin, one player at the table is designated as the “shooter.” The shooter must establish a point. This is done in the “come out” roll which is the first roll of every online craps game round. In terms of craps bets, the shooter may only make a "pass line" or "don't pass line" bet, the craps rules for which are exactly opposite each other. We’ll go over how to play craps pass line bets first as they are the most basic and common type of wager.

On that first come out roll, a shooter with a pass line craps bet wins if he rolls a 7 or 11. If the roll is a 2, 3 or 12, the shooter "craps out" and loses that craps game. Any value on the dice other than the numbers previously mentioned secures the player a “point” (or the number he must now shoot for). To win now, the craps rules state that the shooter must roll their point again before rolling 7. If the player fails to do so, he loses. If the player rolls anything other than his point or a 7 then he keeps rolling until he does so.

With a don't pass line bet, the craps rules are reversed. Here, the come out roll loses on a 7 or 11 and wins on a 2 or 3. If the shooter rolls a 12, their bet is pushed to the next craps game; this keeps the house edge for pass and don't pass bets comparable. If the shooter secures a point and rolls that point again, he loses. On the other hand, if he rolls a 7 first he wins. Some craps players believe it is in poor taste to make a don't pass bet, because you are wagering against the shooter, but ultimately the craps rules allow you to bet as you please.

Side bets are extremely common when playing online craps, but learning how to play craps side bets can be a little more complex. These bets give the non-shooters at a table something to do while waiting for their turns (and of course bring in more dough for the house). "Come bets" are made only after the come out roll. They are the same as pass line bets: winning on a 7 or 11 and losing on a 2, 3 or 12. Any other number establishes a second point with craps rules similar to those for the first point. There are "don't come bets" as well, which are the same as don't pass bets but for non-shooters.

Single Roll Craps Bets

Players can also bet on specific numbers, and for the shooter to make certain numbers in single or multiple rolls. These propositions are risky because they only pertain to a single roll and have far worse craps odds. Below are the craps rules for single roll bets.

Snake Eyes: Shooter rolls a 2.
Ace-Deuce: Shooter rolls a 3.
Yo: Shooter rolls an 11.
Hi-Lo: Shooter rolls a 2 or 12.
Craps: Shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12.
Combined bet (“C&E”): A bet placing half on craps and half on yo (11).
Seven (“Big Red”): Shooter rolls 7.
Field: A wager that the shooter will roll 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 next. This bet has different payoffs depending on which number wins.
The Horn: This bet is actually four separate bets on the numbers 2, 3, 11 and 12. The payoff is on the winning number, minus three units for the losing numbers. Many players will make a "high horn" bet, saying for example, "high horn 2." This places a four way bet with an extra unit on the 2.

To learn the craps rules for multi-roll bets, see our craps strategy page.