To play craps, you bet on the roll of two dice. Each round starts with a come-out roll: a 7 or 11 wins the pass line, a 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes the point. The shooter then keeps rolling until the point comes up again, which wins, or a 7 appears, which loses.
Learning how to play craps looks like the most intimidating job in the casino lobby, but it is one of the simplest games to start playing. The crowded layout and the running commentary hide a game built on a single, easy loop, and you only need one bet, the pass line, to join in. Learn that loop, add the one smart bet that sits behind it, and the rest of the table is optional; the round you can play further down lets you try it before you bet a dollar.
- The pass line is the main bet. Backing the pass line and adding a free odds bet behind it is the simplest and cheapest way to play.
- The come-out roll sets the round. A 7 or 11 wins, a 2, 3 or 12 loses, and anything else becomes the point you then chase.
- Not all bets are equal. The pass, come and odds bets have the lowest house edge, while the flashy center bets are the worst value.
- No system beats the dice. Each roll is independent, so bankroll discipline matters far more than any betting pattern.
What is craps?
Craps is a casino dice game where you bet on the outcome of two dice thrown by the shooter. It looks chaotic, with a busy layout and a running commentary, but the heart of the game is simple, and you only need one bet to start. It is the best known of several casino dice games, and the quickest to pick up once the core round makes sense.
In RNG craps you are the shooter every round; at a live dealer table the dealer throws for everyone. Either way, players bet on what those dice will do. The most popular bet, and the one everything else is built around, is the pass line, which follows the shooter and wins when they win. Get the pass line and the come-out roll clear in your head and the rest of the table stops looking intimidating.
How to play craps, step by step
To play a round of craps, you place a pass line bet, then the shooter makes the come-out roll. If that first roll is a 7 or 11, you win even money right away. If it is a 2, 3 or 12, called craps, you lose. Any other number, one of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point, and the round moves into its second phase.
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point number comes up again before a 7, the pass line wins. If a 7 comes first, that is a seven out, the pass line loses, and the dice pass to the next shooter. That single loop, come out and then chase the point, is the whole spine of the game. For the full menu of other bets you can add on top of it, see our guide to craps bets.
The pass line and free odds
The pass line is the bet to learn first, because it is simple and carries one of the lowest house edges on the table at about 1.4 percent. You place it before the come-out roll, and from there it follows the rules above. Almost every craps session, for a beginner or a veteran, is built around this one wager. Its mirror image, the don’t pass bet, backs the shooter to lose, with a come-out 12 barred to a push so the casino keeps a small edge of about 1.36 percent; it is just as cheap, but most players prefer to win with the table rather than against it.
Once a point is set, you can add an odds bet behind your pass line. This is the single best bet in the casino: it is paid at true odds with no house edge at all, so it lowers your average cost the more of it you take. We break down every payout and edge in the craps odds guide, but the short version is simple: bet the pass line, then back it with as much odds as you can.
The craps table and how it works online
The craps layout is mirrored, two identical halves so a crowd could once play from both ends, which is why it looks twice as complicated as it is. Online you only ever use one half, and you do not need to know every box to place a pass line bet. At a live dealer table a single dealer runs the game and throws the dice for everyone; you place chips by tapping the layout, and the interface sizes the bet, flags which boxes are open, and pays out automatically.
RNG craps strips it back further: you tap to roll, every bet is a labelled button, and nothing can be placed late or in the wrong spot. There is no crew, no reaching across a table and no hand signals to learn, so the only etiquette that survives is knowing the rhythm of a round, which is exactly what the walkthrough in the next section teaches.
Try a craps round
The quickest way to understand the come-out roll and the point is to step through a round yourself. Pick a come-out roll to see what happens to the pass line, and if a point is set, choose the next roll to see how the round resolves.
Other bets, odds and strategy
Once the pass line feels natural, the rest of the table opens up. The come bet works just like the pass line but starts on any roll, place bets let you back a specific number, the field is a one-roll bet on a group of numbers, and the center proposition bets are flashy long shots. They vary widely in cost, from the low-edge come bet to the expensive props, which is why knowing the house edge on each one matters so much.
As for winning, no strategy changes the house edge, because the dice have no memory. The smart approach is bet selection and discipline: stick to the low-edge bets, back them with odds, set a budget, and treat any session as entertainment with a price. Our craps strategy guide goes deeper on which systems to ignore and why.
Live dealer and RNG craps online
Online craps comes in two formats. Live dealer craps streams a studio table and dealer to your phone or computer, with physical dice thrown on camera and the social commentary intact. RNG craps is the software version: instant rolls, any stake down to a few cents, and often a free-play mode, which makes it the better place to learn the come-out and point loop.
For Canadian players, the online route is usually the easiest place to start, and you can practise the come-out and point flow at your own pace on our free online craps table before betting real money. Our guide to online craps in Canada covers which licensed sites offer it, the table limits to expect, and how live dealer craps works.
Playing craps for real
The best way to lock in the rules is to play. Start with just the pass line and a free odds bet, keep your stakes small, and add the other bets only as you get comfortable. Choose a licensed site that takes Canadian dollars so you can begin at low stakes; in the regulated markets, AGCO-registered Ontario casinos and AGLC-registered Alberta casinos list which of them carry live or RNG craps.
