How to play craps: pass line and odds

Before the first roll

One player at the table throws the dice, and that player is the shooter. Everyone else can bet on the same rolls.

The shooter throws two six-sided dice. Add the numbers on their upper faces to find the total.

For the pass line and odds bets covered here, use that total to follow the rules below.

The bet in this guide is the pass line, placed on the pass line area of the table before the first roll of a new sequence. Other bets exist, and this guide does not explain them all.

A small marker on the table shows which phase the game is in. When it reads OFF, the next throw starts a fresh pass line decision.

What happens on the come-out roll?

The first throw of a new sequence is the come-out roll. Your pass line bet is already in place when it happens.

A total of 7 or 11 wins the bet immediately. A total of 2, 3 or 12 loses it immediately.

Any other total, meaning 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point. Nothing is won or lost yet, and the marker is turned to its ON side and placed on that number.

Only these three outcomes are possible on a come-out roll, so a come-out 7 is a winner rather than a loser.

What happens after a point is set?

Once a point exists, the shooter keeps throwing and only two totals settle your bet.

Throwing the point again before a 7 appears wins the bet. A 7 before the point loses it.

Every other total leaves the bet exactly as it stands: nothing is paid, nothing is collected, and your stake stays on the table for the next throw.

Your original pass line bet cannot be taken down or reduced once its point is established, so you stay in until one of those two totals arrives.

When the bet is settled, the next throw is a new come-out roll. That is separate from whose turn it is to throw.

A shooter who makes the point may carry on throwing. A shooter who throws a losing 7 after a point must hand the dice on.

A complete pass line example

Suppose you bet 10 units on the pass line and the sequence below follows. It is a constructed teaching example, not a prediction about real rolls.

1. 1. Come-out roll

   2 and 4, total 6

   Point becomes 6, and the wager stays active

2. 2. Next roll

   3 and 5, total 8

   No change to this wager

3. 3. Next roll

   1 and 2, total 3

   No change to this wager

4. 4. Final roll

   1 and 5, total 6

   The point repeats, so the pass line wins

The third roll is the one beginners misread. A total of 3 loses a pass line bet only on a come-out roll, and by then a point already exists, so the roll changes nothing.

The 8 on the second roll is the same story. It is neither the point nor a 7, so the bet simply stays active.

The final 6 repeats the point before any 7, so the bet wins and is paid at 1:1. Your stake was 10, the net winnings are 10, and 20 units in total come back to you.

Alternative ending: if that last throw had been 3 and 4, a total of 7, the 7 would have arrived before the point and the 10-unit bet would have been lost.

How the odds bet works

Odds here is the name of a wager, not a statement about probability. It is an optional extra bet you may add behind an existing pass line bet once its point is set.

The odds bet wins if the point comes before a 7 and loses if a 7 comes first, so it settles at the same moment as the pass line bet it supports.

What it pays depends on which number the point is:

Point	Net odds payout	Net winnings on 10 units	Total returned on that odds bet
4 or 10	2:1	20	30
5 or 9	3:2	15	25
6 or 8	6:5	12	22

Take the example above and add 10 units of odds once the point of 6 is set. The example table is assumed to allow that amount.

If the 6 repeats first, 20 units are staked in total. The pass line pays 10 and the odds pay 12, so the net winnings are 22 and 42 units come back to you.

If a 7 arrives first, both bets lose and the 20 units are gone.

How much odds you are allowed to take depends on the table you are at, so there is no single maximum that applies everywhere.

These payouts belong to the odds bet only. Place bets on the same numbers are different wagers and pay differently.

What the house edge means

The calculations assume two fair, independent six-sided dice.

Each roll is independent of earlier rolls.

The house edge is measured against one completed pass line wager, not against each throw. Most throws in the point phase decide nothing at all.

For a pass line bet placed before the come-out roll, the chance of eventually winning is 244/495 and the chance of eventually losing is 251/495.

The expected result per unit staked is therefore 244/495 − 251/495 = −7/495, which is about 1.41% of the original stake lost per completed wager.

The win and loss probabilities cover a whole pass line wager, including its come-out roll.

The expected loss is a long-run average, not a prediction for one wager or session.

For odds on a point of 6, the chance of the 6 preceding a 7 is 5/11 and the chance of a 7 preceding the 6 is 6/11. At 6:5 the expected result per unit is (5/11 × 6/5) − 6/11 = 0.

A fair odds bet does not cancel the negative expectation of the pass line bet underneath it. It also puts more money at risk on the same decision.

What to check at the table

Look at the sign before you buy in. It states the minimum bet, which sets the smallest pass line wager allowed.

It also states how much odds you may take behind that wager, which varies from table to table.

The house rules on display govern anything else, so read them if a detail is unclear, and ask the dealer rather than guessing.