LiveHow to play craps — explained simply.
Craps looks like the loudest, most confusing table in the room. It isn't. Strip away the noise and it's one shooter, two dice, and a handful of bets sitting on a fixed set of odds. This guide walks you through the whole thing — the come-out roll, the point, and every core bet — then shows you which bets are actually smart and which are tourist traps.
1 · What craps actually is
Two dice, 36 combinations, one fixed table of oddsCraps is a dice game. One player — the shooter — throws two six-sided dice across a felt table, and everyone at the table bets on what those dice will do. That's the entire game. The intimidating part is just the vocabulary and the speed, not the rules.
Everything in craps rests on one unchangeable fact: two dice produce 36 equally likely combinations, which roll up into totals from 2 to 12. A 7 is the most common total (six ways to make it); 2 and 12 are the rarest (one way each). That distribution never changes — and every bet on the table is just a different slice of it. Learn the distribution once and the whole game opens up.
2 · The table & the people
You only need to know your side of itA craps table is symmetric — the same betting layout is mirrored on both ends so a crowd can play at once. As a beginner you only ever interact with the area right in front of you: the Pass Line, the Don't Pass bar, the Come box, and the numbered Place boxes. Ignore the busy proposition area in the center for now — we'll get to why you should keep ignoring it.
The roles
The shooter throws the dice (players take turns). The stickman pushes the dice around with a stick and calls the rolls. The boxman sits over the chips and supervises. Two dealers pay and collect bets on each half of the table. None of them are your opponent — the math is. When you play LiveRoll, the software handles every one of these roles; you just place bets.
3 · How a round works
Come-out roll → point → repeat or seven-outEvery craps round has two phases. It always starts in the first one.
Phase 1 — the come-out roll. The shooter's first throw of a new round. If you've bet the Pass Line, this roll can settle it instantly:
• 7 or 11 → Pass Line wins. The round ends; a new come-out begins.
• 2, 3, or 12 ("craps") → Pass Line loses. New come-out begins.
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 → that number becomes the point. Move to Phase 2.
Phase 2 — the point is on. A marker ("the puck") flips to ON over the point number. Now the shooter rolls again and again with one question on the table: does the point come back before a 7?
• Point repeats → Pass Line wins. Round ends.
• 7 rolls first ("seven-out") → Pass Line loses, the dice pass to a new shooter, new round.
• Any other number → nothing happens to the line bet; roll again.
That's the whole engine of craps. Every other bet is just a side wager layered on top of this loop.
4 · A full round, step by step
One realistic Pass Line round, start to finishYou bet the Pass Line
Before the come-out roll you put a chip on the Pass Line. You're betting with the shooter. House edge: a low 1.41% — one of the two best standalone bets on the table.
Come-out roll: shooter throws a 6
6 isn't 7/11 (instant win) and isn't 2/3/12 (instant loss). So 6 becomes the point. The puck flips to ON over the 6. Now you want a 6 to show again before any 7.
You back it with free odds
With the point set, you put an additional wager behind your Pass Line bet — the free odds bet. This one is special: it pays true odds with a 0% house edge. More on this in section 6.
Rolls happen: 8, 4, 11, 5…
None of these is the point (6) or a 7, so the line bet just rides. The round simply continues. (Some of those numbers would matter for Place or Come bets — see section 5.)
Shooter rolls a 6 — point made
The point repeats before a 7. Your Pass Line wins even money, and your free odds win at true odds (a 6 point pays 6:5 on the odds). The round ends and a fresh come-out begins.
The alternative: a 7 comes first
If a 7 had shown before the second 6, that's a seven-out: Pass Line and odds both lose, the dice move to the next shooter, and a new round starts. Same loop, every time.
5 · The core bets, explained
Master these six — ignore the restPass Line
The default beginner bet. You bet before the come-out that the shooter will succeed: win on a come-out 7 or 11, lose on 2/3/12, and if a point is set you win when it repeats before a 7. Pays even money. House edge 1.41%. If you only ever learn one bet, learn this one.
Don't Pass
The mirror image — you bet against the shooter. You win on a come-out 2 or 3, it's a push (tie) on 12, you lose on 7/11, and once a point is set you win if a 7 comes before the point repeats. Pays even money. House edge 1.36% — fractionally the best line bet on the table, though you're betting against the table's energy.
Come
Exactly like a Pass Line bet, but you make it after a point is already established. The very next roll acts as your personal "come-out": 7/11 wins it, 2/3/12 loses it, anything else becomes your come-point. It lets you get more low-edge action working. House edge 1.41%, same as Pass.
Don't Come
The mirror of Come, made after the point is set — the Don't Pass logic applied to a fresh number. House edge 1.36%.
Free Odds
The best bet in the building — an extra wager behind a Pass / Don't Pass / Come / Don't Come bet once a point exists. It pays true mathematical odds, so the house edge is 0%. It gets its own section below because it's that important.
Place bets (the 6 and 8)
You bet that a specific number rolls before a 7, any time you like. Most numbers carry a steep edge, but Place 6 and Place 8 are the exception — at 7:6 payout they're only a 1.52% edge, the only proposition-style numbers worth a beginner's chips. Place 5/9 (4.0%) and Place 4/10 (6.67%) are much worse — skip them.
| Bet | When you bet it | Pays | House edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Odds | Behind the line, after a point | True odds | 0.00% | Elite |
| Don't Pass / Don't Come | Before come-out / after point | 1 : 1 | 1.36% | Smart |
| Pass Line / Come | Before come-out / after point | 1 : 1 | 1.41% | Smart |
| Place 6 / Place 8 | Any time | 7 : 6 | 1.52% | Smart |
| Place 5 / Place 9 | Any time | 7 : 5 | 4.00% | Marginal |
| Place 4 / Place 10 | Any time | 9 : 5 | 6.67% | Marginal |
| Field | Any time (one roll) | 1:1 (2:1 on 2 / 3:1 on 12) | 2.78% | Skip |
| Hard 6 / Hard 8 | Any time | 9 : 1 | 9.09% | Skip |
| Hard 4 / Hard 10 | Any time | 7 : 1 | 11.1% | Skip |
| Any 7 | Any time (one roll) | 4 : 1 | 16.67% | Worst bet |
6 · Free Odds — the only 0% bet
The single most important thing a beginner can learnOnce a point is established, you're allowed to put an extra wager behind your line bet. This is the free odds bet, and it is unlike everything else on the table: it is paid at true mathematical odds, which means its house edge is exactly 0%. The casino makes nothing on it.
It pays by point, because each point is a different probability:
• Point 4 or 10 → odds pay 2 : 1
• Point 5 or 9 → odds pay 3 : 2
• Point 6 or 8 → odds pay 6 : 5
Why it matters so much: your Pass Line bet alone is a 1.41% edge. By loading the maximum free odds behind it, you blend that 1.41% down toward a fraction of a percent — because you're adding a big chunk of action the house earns nothing on. Same dice, same table, dramatically less money lost over time. Always take max odds. Always.
7 · The sucker bets to skip
The loud center of the table is where bankrolls go to dieThe proposition bets in the middle of the table are designed to be tempting and pay "big." They are also where the house makes most of its money. As a beginner, treat the entire center as off-limits:
Any 7 — the worst common bet (16.67%)
A one-roll bet that the next total is 7. It pays 4:1 but should pay 5:1 — that gap is a 16.67% house edge, the steepest you'll routinely be offered. Avoid completely.
The hardways (9–11%)
"Hard 8" means rolling 4-4 specifically (not 6-2 or 5-3). Hard 6 / Hard 8 carry a 9.09% edge; Hard 4 / Hard 10 a 11.1% edge. Fun to say, expensive to make.
The Field (2.78%–5.56%)
Looks friendly — it covers seven numbers (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12). But it excludes 5, 6, 7, and 8, which are the most common totals. The edge is 2.78% at best (with 2 and 12 boosted) and worse on many layouts. It's a trap dressed as a bargain.
Horn, C&E, Big 6/8, props
All high-edge, all skippable. The rule of thumb that never fails: if a bet lives in the center of the table, a beginner shouldn't make it.
8 · Why craps is a skill
The edge is the knowledge, not a trickYou cannot control the dice. Every individual roll is pure chance. So where is the skill? It's the bet you choose. Bet selection alone is the difference between giving the house 16.67% of every dollar (Any 7) and giving it 0% (free odds behind the line). Same table, same dice — a ~17-point swing decided entirely by reading the math correctly.
This is not a system to beat the house. Negative-expectation bets stay negative no matter how you stack them, and no betting pattern changes the dice. It's the opposite of a system: it's seeing clearly which bets are structurally smart and which are tourist traps — the way a DFS player reads a slate or a poker player reads pot odds. The edge is the knowledge.
9 · Quick glossary
Every term you'll hear at the table- Come-out roll
- The first roll of a new round, when the Pass Line can win or lose instantly.
- Point
- The number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) set on the come-out that must repeat before a 7.
- Seven-out
- Rolling a 7 after a point is set — the line loses and the round ends.
- Shooter
- The player throwing the dice. The role rotates around the table.
- Craps
- A roll of 2, 3, or 12 — an instant Pass Line loss on the come-out.
- Natural
- A come-out 7 or 11 — an instant Pass Line win.
- Free odds
- The 0% house-edge bet placed behind a line bet after a point is set.
- House edge
- The long-run share of every wagered dollar the house keeps.
10 · Frequently asked questions
The things every beginner asksWhat's the easiest bet in craps for a beginner?
What does the come-out roll mean?
What is the best bet in craps?
What are the worst bets to avoid?
Is craps skill or luck?
Where can I practice craps for free?
You know the rules. Now play where the dice are real.
You just learned standard craps — the come-out, the point, the smart bets. Here's the twist: on LiveRoll the dice aren't an RNG. Every roll comes from a live MLB pitch. Same craps bets, same structure you just studied, but the events are real baseball and the outcomes are deterministic, not a black box. Free, no signup, no real money.
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