Craps: Pass Bets, Come Bets, 2 and 3 Ways Craps

• Mastering craps rules is important when learning how to play the game.
• Understanding craps lingo and wagering options can help you to learn craps game rules.
• Pass bets, come bets, and place bets are the most popular wagers in craps. 
• Point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
• A field bet is a one-roll bet covering 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. 
• You can simultaneously place a wager for yourself and the dealer by making a 2-way bet.
• A 3-way bet wins when the shooter throws a 2, 3, or 12.

Craps is a fun game that will have you on the edge of your seat when playing. The game plays out very fast, making it an excellent choice if you love fast-paced games. However, most beginners find craps complicated because of the many terminologies used and the huge variety of betting options on offer.

The secret to learning how to play craps is to start by learning the rules of the game. These include terms like come-out roll, point numbers, inside numbers, and outside numbers. It’s also important to learn craps table rules and the different types of bets you can place such as come bets, place bets, and field bets. Moreover, you should know how to place these wagers and when to make them.

In this guide, we'll break down craps rules and explain some of the popular bets to help you grasp the basics of the game. We recommend that you read it before visiting our Live Casino lobby to try out any of our Live Craps titles.

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The first step to learning the game rules of craps is understanding the pass bet. This is the most basic wager in craps, and you’re required to make it before the first roll or come-out roll. The bet allows you to predict whether the shooter will roll a 7 or 11 in the initial roll or not. There are two types of pass bets - the pass line bet and don’t pass line bet. Let’s look at each of them in detail.

The Pass Line Bet

The pass line bet is the wager you use to predict that the first roll will be a 7 or 11, which is a natural win in craps. You can place this wager yourself by putting your chips in the Pass Line area on the table. Your bet wins if the outcome is a 7 or 11. You lose a pass line bet if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, and if the outcome is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 the bet neither wins nor loses.

At Betfair Casino we use the following craps rules when settling pass line bets:

• Payout: 1:1
• House edge: 1.41%.

The Don’t Pass Line Bet

The don't pass line bet is the opposite of the pass line bet. By placing this wager, you're betting against the dice or predicting that the shooter will roll a 2, 3, or 12, also known as craps. The bet wins if a 2 or 3 is rolled and loses if the outcome is 7 or 11. You also win if a 7 is rolled before a point. A 12 is considered a push in don't pass line bets meaning that you neither win nor lose your wager.

Now let's look at the payout rate for craps don't pass line bets and the house advantage.  

• Payout: 1:1
• House edge: 1.36% to 1.40%.

Craps come bets are placed after the first roll. If you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 in the come out roll, the number becomes a point and you're required to roll that number again before a 7. Making a come bet means you're predicting whether the point number will be rolled before a 7. Next, we look at the two types of come bets available and the craps rules governing them.

The Come Craps Bet

The craps come bet is a wager predicting that a point number will be thrown before a 7. You can place this wager by putting your chips inside the Come box on the table. Your bet wins if the point number is rolled before a 7 and loses if the point number appears first. The payout and house edge for this bet are as follows:

• Payout ratio: 1:1
• House edge: 1.41%

The Don’t Come Craps Bet

Making a don't come craps bet means that you're predicting that a 7 will come up before the point number. The stake for this bet is placed inside the Don't Come area. You win the don't come bet if the shooter rolls a 7 before the point number established in the come out roll. Below is the payout and house edge for the don't come craps bet.

• Payout ratio: 1:1
• House edge: 1.36%

The field bet is another popular betting option in craps. The wager covers a broad range of numbers, and you can place it easily by putting your chips inside the box or area marked field. Making this bet means that you’re backing the shooter to roll one of the field numbers in the next throw. Field bets are settled after each roll.

The following craps rules apply when determining winning and losing field bets.

• Field bet wins if the roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
• Bet loses if the outcome is 5, 6, 7, or 8.

How Much Does a Craps Field Bet Payout?

The field bet has a house edge of 5.56% and your odds of winning this wager is 5 to 4. The bet pays 2:1 if the roll is a 2 or 12. You receive a 1:1 payout if a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 is rolled. 

The big 6 and big 8 bets are wagers predicting that a 6 or 8 will be rolled before a 7. When making this bet, you’re required to place your chips inside the box marked 6 and 8 in large red numbers. Your bet wins if the corresponding number comes up before a 7. You can place a big 6 or big 8 wager at any point in the game, before or after the come-out roll. 

How Much Does the Big 6 Bet and Big 8 Bet Pay?

Despite being a common bet, the big 6 and big 8 wagers have a margin of 9.09%, which makes them less profitable when compared to other wagering options. Your payout for a winning big 6 or 8 bet is 1:1.

A place bet is one of the best bets you can make in craps. Placing this wager means you’re betting on the probability of the shooter rolling a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. You can make your place bet before or after the start of a round, and your wager can remain on the table for as long as you wish. Craps rules also allow you to withdraw your wager at any point in the game. Below are some advantages of this bet.

• You can bet on one or more numbers.
• The wager pays each time the number is rolled.
• Place bets pay better than other wagers such as pass bets and field bets.

Now let’s look at the two types of place bets available.

Craps Place Win Bet

A place win bet is a wager predicting that the shooter will throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. To make this bet, you must tell the dealer to put your chips on the specific box or place before the dice are thrown. The wager pays if the specified number is rolled before a 7. Your bet loses when the shooter sevens out. You can receive several payouts for your wager, as long as your chips remain on the table.

Here are the payouts and margins of winning place to win bets:

4 and 10

• Payout: 9:5
• House edge: 6.67%

5 and 9

• Payout: 7:5
• House edge: 4.00%

6 and 8

• Payout: 7:6
• House edge: 1.57%

Craps Place Lose Bet

Making a craps place-to-lose-bet means that you’re wagering on the shooter to roll a 7 before 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. You can place as many of these wagers as you wish. Your bet wins if the shooter sevens out and loses if the specified number is rolled first.

The payout and margin on the place to lose bet are as follows:

4 and 10

• Payout: 5:11
• House edge: 3.03%

5 and 9

• Payout: 5:8
• House edge: 2.50%

6 and 8

• Payout: 4:5
• House edge:1:82%

Besides the regular wagering options we’ve discussed above, craps offers lots of other interesting betting options. One of these is the 2-way wager, which allows you to make a bet for yourself and the dealer. When placing the bet, you have to state that it’s a two-way wager. For example, you can select two £5.00 chips and tell the dealer to make a two-way bet on the hard 8 for you.

In case you use different stake sizes, standard craps rules state that the lesser amount is for the dealer and the larger amount for yourself. Placing a two-way bet is considered as tipping the dealer.

A 3-way bet is a three-in-one single-roll wager in craps. When you place this bet, you’re wagering on the shooter to throw a  2, 3, or 12 in the next roll. Your stake for this bet is split into three equal parts, with each unit covering one of the numbers. A stake of £12.00, for example, is divided into three parts of £4.00. Your bet wins if any of the three numbers (2, 3, and 12) appear, and loses if any other number is rolled. The three numbers pay independently.

Most online casinos use the following craps rules when settling 3-way bets.

When the roll is 2 or 12

• Payout: Pays 30:1
• House edge: 13.9%

When the roll is a 3

• Payout: 15:1
• House edge: 11%

Hi-Lo and Hi-Lo-Yo are other examples of one-roll or single-roll bets in craps. This means that the wager Is settled after each roll. Both the Hi-Lo and Hi-Lo-Yo bets pay higher amounts when you win, but the margin on these wagers is also larger.

Let’s take a closer look at these bets.

Hi-Lo Bet Rules

A Hi-Lo bet is a wager on 2 or 12 coming up in the next roll. 2 and 12 are the lowest and highest dice combinations in craps hence the name. If you make this bet, you’ll receive a payout if the shooter throws a 2 or 12 and lose your wager if the outcome is any other combination.

Below is the payout and house advantage on this wager:

• Payout: 15:1
• House edge: 11.11%

Hi-Lo-Yo Bet Rules

The number 11 is known as Yo in craps to distinguish it from 7 since the two sound almost the same. Making a Hi-Lo-Yo bet means you’re predicting that the next roll will be a 2, 12, or 11. Since this is a three-in-one bet, your wager wins if a 2, 11, or 12 appears and loses if any other number shows up.

The following rules of craps are applied when awarding payouts for the Hi-Lo-Yo bet.

• Payout rate: 15:1
• House edge: 11.11%

Outside number bets is one of those terminologies you’re likely to hear when you’re playing craps. The term refers to place bets made on the numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10. As we’ve already mentioned, place bets allow you to predict the probability of a point number appearing before a 7. The payout for outside number bets depends on the odds of landing that dice combination. Outside number bets pay as follows:

• 4 and 10: Pays 9 to 5
• 5 and 9: Pays 7 to 5

The term inside number bet refers to place bets made on 5, 6, 8, and 9. Again, your payout for outside number bets depends on the selected number. The dealer follows standard craps rules when settling these wagers. Inside numbers pay as follows when you win:

• 5 or 9: Pays 7 to 5
• 6 or 8: Pays 7 to 6

You can’t talk about craps rules without mentioning point numbers. These are numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. When you throw, you neither lose nor win your pass or come bet when any of these numbers is thrown. Instead, the number becomes a point and it must roll before a 7 for you to win your bet.

• Place-to-win bets on 6 and 8 pay higher than the big 6 and big 8 bet.
• Each number pays independently in 3-way craps bets.
• Place bets are multi-roll wagers and they can win multiple times.
• Numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 become point numbers if they appear in the come out roll.
• Numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10 are known as outside numbers.
• A Hi-Lo bet is a wager on the highest and lowest dice combinations - 2 and 12.

At Betfair, we’re committed to providing you with all the information you need to enhance your online casino experience. From strategy articles to how-to-play guides, we have lots of resourceful articles crafted by our experts. If you liked this craps rules article and you’d like to read more about craps gambling, we recommend this how to play craps and strategy guide.

In addition to these articles, we have lots of other useful guides that you can read. These include game reviews, tipping articles, and detailed guides. Read them to learn how to play games such as slots, baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.

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