How to Play Craps on 9Wickets

Learning how to play craps takes one paragraph. The come-out roll sets a number called the point, and from then on the shooter is trying to roll that point again before a 7 shows up. That is the entire game.

What actually decides whether a craps session lasts an hour or ten minutes is which of the table’s many bets you use. This guide on how to play craps ignores the crowded centre of the layout and focuses on the six bets that carry the lowest cost.

The 9Wickets platform runs standard craps rules used in casinos worldwide. If you have read our roulette walkthrough, the difference here is that a single round can stretch across many rolls, and the bet you place before the come-out matters more than anything you do afterwards.

The six bets in short:

• Pass line – bet with the shooter, pays 1 to 1, edge 1.41%
• Don’t pass – bet against the shooter, pays 1 to 1, edge 1.36%
• Come – a pass line bet started mid-round
• Don’t come – a don’t pass bet started mid-round
• Free odds – added behind the line, no house edge
• Place 6 and Place 8 – pay 7 to 6, edge 1.52%

How to Play Craps Bet 1: The Pass Line

Everyone learning how to play craps starts here. You place a chip on the pass line before the come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins even money, a 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes the point.

Once the point is set, your bet stays in place until the shooter either rolls the point again – you win – or rolls a 7, which ends it. You cannot take a pass line bet down once a point is established, so only stake what you are comfortable leaving in play.

How to Play Craps Bet 2: Don’t Pass

Don’t pass is the mirror image. You win on a come-out 2 or 3, tie on 12, and lose on 7 or 11. After a point is set, you now want the 7 to come before the point repeats.

Its house edge is 1.36%, a fraction lower than the pass line. Some players find betting against the shooter uncomfortable at a live table, but the maths is very slightly in its favour and the pace is identical.

How to Play Craps Bet 3: The Come Bet

A come bet works exactly like a pass line bet, except you place it after the point is already set. The next roll becomes its own personal come-out: 7 or 11 wins it, 2, 3 or 12 loses it, and any other number becomes that bet’s own point.

This lets you have two or three numbers working at once without touching the high-edge centre bets. The same “add a position while the round is still running” idea shows up in other games – our poker walkthrough covers the card-game version.

How to Play Craps Bet 4: Don’t Come

Don’t come is to the come bet what don’t pass is to the pass line. Placed after the point, it wins on the next roll being 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, and otherwise takes the opposite side of a new number.

Pairing don’t pass with one or two don’t come bets is the quietest way to play craps – low edge, slow bleed, and no dependence on the shooter getting hot.

How to Play Craps Bet 5: Free Odds

This is the bet that makes craps mathematically unusual. After a point is set, you can put an extra wager behind your pass, don’t pass, come or don’t come bet, and that portion is paid at true odds with no house edge.

Point	Odds bet pays (behind pass)
6 or 8	6 to 5
5 or 9	3 to 2
4 or 10	2 to 1

Because the odds are priced fairly, they drag down the average edge on your combined stake. A minimum pass line bet with full odds behind it is close to the best value in the casino – Wizard of Odds publishes the exact house-edge figure for each odds multiple.

How to Play Craps Bet 6: Place 6 and Place 8

If you want a number working without waiting for the come-out, Place 6 and Place 8 are the only place bets worth making. They pay 7 to 6 and cost about 1.52%.

The other place numbers are worse: Place 5 and Place 9 cost 4%, and Place 4 and Place 10 cost 6.67%. Stick to the 6 and the 8, bet them in multiples of 6, and take them down whenever you like – unlike the pass line, place bets can be removed at any time.

Conclusion

Knowing how to play craps means knowing that six bets cover almost everything worth doing, and every one of them sits at the low-cost end of the table. Start on the pass line, add a come bet or two, always back your points with odds, and never drift into the centre of the layout.

Knowing how to play craps does not change that it is a game of chance with a fixed house edge, and no bet on this page removes it. Play within a budget decided before you sit down, and treat the session as entertainment rather than income.

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New players can start from our account setup walkthrough, and more explainers are collected in the full guide library.

FAQ

1. How do I learn how to play craps quickly?

Start with a single pass line bet. Watch a few rounds go by: the come-out sets a point, then the shooter tries to roll that point again before a 7. Once that rhythm is familiar, add a come bet and back your points with odds.

2. What is the safest bet in craps?

The safest bet while you learn how to play craps is don’t pass, which has the lowest house edge at 1.36%, with the pass line just behind at 1.41%. Adding a free odds bet behind either one lowers the combined cost further because the odds portion has no house edge.

3. What is the difference between a pass line bet and a come bet?

They are identical bets. The pass line is placed before the come-out roll; the come bet is placed after a point is already set, and the next roll acts as its own come-out.

4. Can I take my craps bet back after placing it?

One rule of how to play craps that surprises beginners: a pass line or don’t pass bet cannot be removed once a point is set. Place bets and the odds portion can be taken down at any time.

5. Which place bet should a beginner make in craps?

When learning how to play craps, use only Place 6 or Place 8. They pay 7 to 6 for a house edge of about 1.52%. The other place numbers cost between 4% and 6.67% and are best avoided.