Craps Rules Don't Come Bet

How to Play Craps

1. Craps Rules Don't Come Between Us
2. Craps Rules Don't Come Between Two

Craps is one of the most exciting Casino games around as it is high in Player involvement. You will regularly hear yelling and shouting at one of the tables in a land-based casino. It is played on a purpose-built table using two dice.

Like most Casino games, you play against the House (Casino) as opposed to other players and as there are lots of different betting options you can bet on when guessing what numbers will come up when the dice are rolled, there is plenty of choices to make too.

In this article we discuss how to play craps giving you a break down of craps rules and everything you need to win at the game. This is part 1 of a two part article. After learning the basics of craps rules, the second part is about more advanced strategies and tips.

• Each new game in craps begins with the come out roll. Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line Bet. If the players want the Pass line bets to succeed, he mustn’t roll two, three or twelve, but eleven or seven. The opposite of these are Don’t Pass Line bets, which succeed if the shooter rolls two, three or twelve.
• The Come Bet in Craps C ome bets work like Pass Line bets, but the key difference between the two is that you make a Pass Line bet before the shooter establishes a point; whereas, you make a Come bet after the shooter establishes a point.

Playing this bet isn't much different to the Pass Line bet with about the same House edge. However, many Craps players don't play this bet, either because they think it's '!unlucky' or because they think it has a greater House edge than it actually does. The House pays out at 1 to 1 (evens) and has an edge of 1.402%.

Craps Rules

Craps rules can be more difficult than in other casino games, but once learned this can be a very social and enjoyable game with some terrific betting odds.

The Objective of the game

Players need to guess the outcome of 2 standard, 6-sided dice being rolled and what the total of the 2 dice will be.

Dice Values

The game is played with a set of two perfectly balanced dice with each die having six white dots numbered 1 through 6. There is an equal chance of each number being rolled.

Possible Dice Combinations:

Names of Dice Rolls

Game Session Preparations:

Set your budget – As a general rule, you need enough for 50 bets when playing table games.

Choose your table – All will have a minimum and maximum amount you can place on all different bets, choose one where each of your favourites is no more than one-fiftieth of your budget. i.e. if you have a bankroll of $/€/£200, you should be looking at betting no more than $/€/£4 per time

Find a space at the table – Unlike many Casino games, players always stand and do not have a specific area where they place bets – there are many different types of bets that all players can use. This is irrelevant when playing online.

Decide how much you would like to change up and play with – You will be given chips, the sizes of which depend on how much you change up and the limits of the tables.

Game Progression

To begin, the Shooter (one of the Players) needs to bet at least the table minimum on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line

The game is played in Rounds, with the right to roll the dice by each player moving clockwise around the table at the end of each round. A player may choose not to roll but can continue to bet.

Once all players have made their desired bets, the Round begins. Each round has two phases: Come Out and Point. To start a round, the shooter makes one or more Come Out rolls.

Payouts are sometimes made after each roll, and sometimes made after several rolls; see the individual Bet descriptions for details.

Craps Table Layout

We will delve more into the table layout features below in the Placing Bets section. On the Craps table there are two Dealers, a Stickman, and a Boxman.

The Stickman uses a long flexible stick to push the dice around the table, gathering the dice after rolls and pushing them to the player.

The Boxman is the person in charge of the game and has final decision-making authority.

The Dealers cash chips and ensure that bets are placed on the table correctly.

Placing Bets in Craps

Out of 990 decisions at the craps table, you can expect to lose 14 decisions more than you win.

As with any Casino game, there will invariably be swings, both large and small, either way when it comes to winning or losing. In the relatively short time you will be playing, there will be fluctuations in this house edge, so at times things will be going in your favor.

You can place bets at any time, the best time to start doing this is when a new Shooter starts. The first thing he needs to do is Establish a Point.

If a Shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on his/her first roll, all other bets below can be made.

If a 2, 3 or 12 are rolled, all Players will win they are Come Out bets and the Shooter will continue rolling to establish a new Point.

If a 7 or 11 are rolled, all Players will lose their Come Out bets and a new Shooter will be designated.

Pass Line/Don’t Pass Line

When it is your turn to throw the dice, you must determine whether to bet the Pass line or the Don’t Pass line. Most Shooters, as well as most of the other players at the table, will bet the Pass line, as it is the basic bet in Craps.

The Pass line bet is an even-money bet that wins if you either roll a total of 7 or 11 on the Come-Out roll or if you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the Come-Out roll and repeat that number before you roll a 7. The Pass line bet loses if the Come-Out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as “craps”) or when a 7 is rolled before the established Point Number is repeated.

A Pass Line bet can be made at any time during a Shooter’s roll, even after he has established a Point. However, a bet placed on the Pass Line after a Point has been established is a very poor bet, since you have missed the opportunity to win on the Come-Out roll when the shooter throws a 7 or an 11. The only way you can now win is if the shooter repeats his point before he Sevens-Out.

Come Bets

A Come bet is identical to a Pass line bet, with one exception: A Come bet may be made on every throw of the dice once the Shooter has established a Point. A Come bet is made by placing the number of chips you wish to wager in the designated Come area of the table.

Once you place a Come bet, the very next roll of the dice becomes the Come-out roll for that bet. Therefore, if the Shooter rolls a 7, you will win even though Pass line betters will lose. If an 11 is rolled, you will win while the Line bets will not be affected. However, should one of the Craps numbers come up (2, 3 or 12) you will lose, but the Line bets will be unaffected.

If the Shooter throws one of the Box numbers on the first roll of the dice after you’ve made a Come bet, this number becomes an established Point for your Come bet. To win this bet, your Come point must be repeated before a 7 is rolled.

Once a Point has been established for your Come bet, the Dealer will move the chips you have bet to the corresponding numbered box on the layout to await a decision for that Point. When you win a Come bet, the Dealer will pay you off by placing your original bet, along with your winnings, in the Come section of the layout. If you do not immediately retrieve your chips, they will be in action on the next roll of the dice as a new Come bet (this is collected for you automatically when playing online).

The Don’t-Pass Line Bet

We know that a Pass line bet is simply a wager that the Shooter will win. But you also can bet that the shooter will fail to make a pass and thus lose.

The Don’t Pass line bet wins when the Shooter throws a Craps of 2 or 3, but not 12, on the Come-Out roll, or when he rolls a 7 before repeating his established Point number. This bet loses when the Come-Out roll is a 7 or 11, or when the Shooter repeats his Point number before rolling a 7.

The Don’t Pass line bet is the exact opposite of a pass line with one exception: Although a roll of 12 on the Come out loses for Pass line betters, it is not a winning number for Don’t Pass betters. It is a stand-off and neither wins nor loses. This is because if Don’t Pass betters were permitted to win in this situation, they would have an advantage over the house. So by barring (disallowing) the number 12 on the Come-Out roll, the casinos retain a small edge. Some casinos bar the number 2, but the effect is exactly the same.

Unlike a Pass line bet, a Don’t Pass bet can be removed after a Point number has been established on the Come-Out roll. Once a Point is established you have an advantage over the house, thus the casino has no objections to your taking down the bet. Of course, you should never do this. After going up against an 8 to 3 house edge on the Come-Out roll, you will have an overall average advantage of 18.8% after a Point has been established.

Laying the Odds

When the Shooter establishes a Point number on the Come-Out roll, players who have made Don’t Pass line bets are permitted to Lay the Odds. In the same way, Don’t Come bets are the exact opposite of Come bets (with the exception of a 12 is rolled on the Come bet), the Laying the Odds bet is the exact opposite of an Odds bet (which no exceptions).

Correct payoffs for Lay Odds bets are as follows:

Points 4 and 10 pay 1-to-2

Points 5 and 9 pay 2-to-3

Points 6 and 8 pay 5-to 6

Don’t Come Bets

Don’t Come bets can be placed on every throw of the dice after a Point has been established. After you have placed a Don’t Come bet, the very next throw of the dice becomes the Come-Out roll for that bet. If the Shooter rolls a Craps number of 2 or 3, you will win while Don’t Pass line betters will not be affected. If a 7 is rolled, you will lose and bets on the Don’t Pass will win. You also will lose if an 11 is thrown, although this number will not have a bearing on Don’t Pass bets. A roll of 12 is a stand-off.

Place bets on 6 and 8

A Place bet can be made on any of the Point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) at any time during a game and is simply a bet that one of these numbers will be rolled before the Shooter throws a 7. You cannot Take the Odds on Place bets.
Place bets on the 6 and 8 are paid off at 7-to-6 on correct odds of 6-to-5, which gives the casino an advantage of 1.51% on these numbers. To ensure that you receive the full 7-to-6 payoff on the 6 and 8, you must make your bet in multiples of six, such as $6, $12, $18, and so forth (this isn’t the case when playing online)
Place bets on the 5 and 9 carry a house advantage of 4%, and Place bets on 4 and 10 carry a house advantage of 6.6%.

Field Bets

This is a bet on the next number to be rolled. There are seven numbers inside the field area that if rolled, will result in a win. The numbers are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. If you make a wager in the field and any of the above numbers show on the next roll you will win. In many Casinos and some online sites, you win double or even treble your bet if a 2 or a 12 are rolled.

Proposition Bets

These bets can be made at any time and, they are all one roll bets.

Any Craps: Wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. Payoff 7:1

Any Seven: Wins if a 7 is rolled. Payoff 4:1

Eleven: Wins if a 11 is thrown. Payoff 15:1

Ace Duece: Wins if a 3 is rolled. Payoff 15:1

Horn Bet

: it acts as the bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 all at once. Wins if one of these numbers is rolled. The payoff is determined according to the number rolled. The other three bets are lost.

Hardways Bets

This is a bet on a specific double coming out on the next roll. For example, if a player is putting money on the hard 6 the player is betting that the shooter will roll a 3,3. You can only bet on 2:2, 3:3, 4:4 or 5:5, and you are betting on a specific double to appear and not covering all of them.

Best Craps Bets

The best craps bets are the following:

Taking the Odds

When the Shooter establishes a Point on the Come-Out roll, any player who has made a Pass line bet is allowed to “take the Odds.” A single Odds bet is an additional bet, up to the amount of your original bet, that the Point number will be repeated before a 7 is rolled.

*Important* The “Odds Bet” is the best one you can make in the game because the house has no built-in advantage.

The Odds bet not only hasn’t any house edge associated with it, but also has no official designated space on the table. Therefore, to take the Odds, you must place the appropriate amount of chips behind your Pass line bet in the open area of the Craps layout (this is also the same when playing online).

The correct payoff for Odds bets varies from Point number to Point number, depending on the odds of a 7 being rolled before a particular point is repeated. Correct odds payoffs are as follows:

Points 4 and 10 pay 2-to-1

Points 5 and 9 pay 3-to-2

Points 6 and 8 pay 6-to-5

Craps Payouts

You can find a bet summary here.

Continue to Part II – Advanced Craps Strategy & Tips

Related Articles:
Play Craps for Real Money

Most casino patrons tend to shy away from the craps table because of the many available bets, the unpredictability of a pair of dice, and the fast pace of the game. But this perceived complexity has the potential to pay off nicely to those players who take their time and learn the basics of the game. This includes understanding one of the best bets in craps, the Don’t Come wager, which has a low house edge and great chances of winning.

Casino craps or bank craps is a relatively simple game that originates from the traditional, street dice game variations. Unlike them, it has rules and payouts that remain the same in most land-based and online casinos, with only minor differences introduced sometimes to attract more players. Fans of the game know well that craps is easy to learn but very difficult to master and this is why there are so many unsuccessful players, while only a few seem to make consistent profits. The key to being successful, i.e. to win more than you lose, is to place the right bets at the right time.

The Don’t Come wager is one of these good bets that can cut the advantage all casinos have over their customers. Nevertheless, it is often ignored, especially by those who have little experience and low tolerance for risk, even though this type of bet reduces !!! the player’s being exposed to risk. In addition, this wager is undeservingly underestimated due to lack of knowledge and understanding.

Despite the simple rules of craps, betting properly is not obvious for many players who prefer sticking to the same bets for years. Those who dare to explore the Don’t Come bet and its opposite, the Come bet, may soon discover the game of craps is much more rewarding than they previously thought. In combination with other bets, it can also be used in successful betting strategies by expert-level players.

Basics of Come and Don’t Come Bets

The Come and Don’t Come bets are among the basic and most fundamental wagers in craps, along with the Pass and Don’t Pass bets. Most players would learn how to place them within their first several games, although they seem a bit confusing at first. Let us start with the Pass and Don’t Pass bets – these are when players are betting on or against the dice.

If a 7 or 11 is thrown after the initial roll, Pass bets win and Don’t Pass bets lose. When the numbers on two dice total 2, 3, or 12, the Pass bets automatically win. The Don’t Pass wagers, on the other hand, win if 2 or 3 is rolled, lose on 7 and 11, while the 12 is a push – neither a win nor a loss.

The Come and Don’t Come wagers are quite similar to these two with one major difference, namely the timing. While Pass/Don’t Pass bets can be placed before on the initial roll, called “come-out roll”, the Come/Don’t Come bets cannot be placed until a point has been established. Whenever the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, Pass/Don’t Pass wagers neither win, nor lose. Another roll of the dice follows, with the number thrown in the come-out becomes the point number.

It is this second time the dice are tossed across the craps table when players are given the option to place Come or Don’t Come bets. After the point has been established and a Come bet is placed, it wins in case 7 or 11 is rolled and loses if the dice show the craps numbers (2, 3, and 12). If any other number is thrown, it becomes the point for the following roll. Similarly, the Don’t Come bet wins if 2 or 3 is rolled and loses if 7 or 11 lands. The rest of the numbers would establish a point.

What is the Don’t Come Bet?

In theory, the Come and Don’t Come wagers are not so difficult to understand, as we have already seen – they are very similar to the Pass and Don’t Pass bets but instead of in the come-out roll, they are placed once the point number has been established. In practice, things become more complicated and many players are confused when the Don’t Come wager is actually available. The shooter tosses the dice, some players win, others lose and before you know it, the dice are being thrown on the table once again.

Compared to many casino games, craps is very fast and novices may find it hard to keep track of the rolls. Identifying a come-out roll may be particularly tricky but there is an easy way to know when you can place a Come/Don’t Come wager. Each time the shooter throws a point number in the come-out roll, the dealers move a small disk from one side of the betting layout to the box corresponding to the point number. This object is called a marker puck and before the point has been determined, it shows its black side that says “Off”.

They win if 2 or 3 is thrown in the first roll after the bet has been made. They lose if 7 or 11 is thrown, while 12 is considered a push – players neither win nor lose. This little detail has been introduced so that players do not gain an advantage over the casino. If any of the other numbers are rolled, a point is established on the Come/Don’t Come bets. When the roll determines the point on your Don’t Come bet, you need a 7 to be thrown before the point number in order to win. If the total on the dice shows the point, however, you lose.

If the come-out roll, for example, is 5, then you can place your Don’t Come wager. However, the point 5 is not relevant for your bet and you need 2 or 3 in the next roll in order to win. If the shooter throws 7 or 11, you lose, and if the dice show 8, this will be the point number for your bet. Your chips are moved to the area on the table corresponding for the 8. If the dice land on 8, you lose. You will win only if the shooter rolls a 7 before that.

Don’t Come Bet Payout and House Edge

Novices can often make the mistake to assume that the result of every throw of the dice depends on luck or chance. Experienced, knowledgeable players understand that luck is a wrong concept in craps, although every roll is completely random, indeed. It is important to remember that craps is a game of chance and is based on mathematical probability, which is fixed and can be easily calculated. The reason for this is that there are a fixed number of possible combinations of numbers that the dice can land on each time – they are exactly 36.

This is why the odds and the house edge of every bet are well-known. Just like the Don’t Pass bet, the Don’t Come pays evenly, which means the potential winnings from this bet are equal to it. One of the best things about making this wager is its low house edge, which increases the player’s chances of winning. The edge is 1.36%, slightly lower than the typical Pass Line wager. This means that, on average, players are expected to lose 1.36% of their bets over a long period of time. Of course, the house edge does not indicate that $1.36 of your every $100 bet will be lost. Rather, it shows the profits of the casino over time.

This makes the Don’t Come bet a great option for all players who are looking for a way to optimize their game and reduce their losses. Still, people rarely place this wager, as it suggests playing against the table. Those who make it are sometimes called “wrong” players because the majority of people around the craps table prefer betting on the dice to win. If you place a Don’t Come wager, know that you will be probably betting against everyone else. This does not apply to online craps, of course, so if you are playing a virtual version of the game, you will play on your own against the casino.

Free Odds on Don’t Come Bets

Craps players have the option to improve their chances of winning with the Don’t Come bet by laying odds on it. Odds bets, also known as Free Odds bets, are probably the most interesting wagers in this game because they are placed as separate, side bets, but they essentially work as multiples of your original bet. They can be added at any time once the point has been established on a Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers.

When you place a Don’t Come bet, you lay the Odds bet by asking the dealers for assistance since it is not marked on the table. When the point on your Don’t Come wager is determined, you place your chips near the Don’t Come area on the layout and with this Odds wager, you bet on whether the 7 or the point number will be rolled first. If your original bet wins, so does the Odds wager.

Usually, this bet can be one, two, or three times your original bet, but some land-based casinos may attract players by introducing odds up to 100 times the bet size. The Odds bets are typically referred to as 1x, 2x Odds, 3x Odds or 10x Odds. For instance, the point on your $10 Don’t Come wager is 8 and if you lay it with 3x Odds, you will need to put chips worth $30 on the table. If 7 rolls before 8 (the point number), you receive even payout for the Don’t Come wager, plus quite an attractive payout for the Free Odds bet.

The payouts for the Odds wagers vary, depending on the point number established in the roll. When the point is 4 or 10, the payout is 2 to 1 (2:1). On points 5 and 9, Odds pay 3 to 2 (3:2), while on points of 6 and 8, these bets pay 6 to 5 (6:5). This means that these wagers pay true odds, instead of the typical casino odds, which show that the risk is greater than the payout. The true odds here can be seen easily by comparing the probability of winning and losing.

The Free Odds bet wins if the dice roll 7 before the point, which in the example above was 8. There are six ways to roll a 7, compared to 5 ways to roll an 8, which means that this wager is more likely to win than to lose. The odds can be represented as 6 to 5, which is exactly the payout for Odds laid on a Don’t Come point of 8. As we can see the payouts for Odds bets are fair and therefore, the house edge is zero. In fact, the odds are in favor of the player, which is rarely found in other casino games. The higher the Odds bet, the better chances for the player.

Craps Rules Don't Come Between Us

Another very important thing to understand is that while with Pass/Come bets, players bet a small amount to win a bigger amount, with the Don’t Pass/Don’t Come bets, it is the other way round. You need to lay bigger Odds bet to win a smaller amount. The reason is that when you lay the Free Odds bet on the point, you become the favorite as 7 is more likely to win than the point. When the Don’t Come wager is $10 and you lay single Odds, you will win another $10 for the original bet when 7 is rolled. If the point number is 10, your $10 Free Odds bet will bring you a win of $5 and you will receive $15.

Craps Strategy Using the Don’t Come Bet

As explained above, craps can be played with a very low house edge, which makes it a better alternative to other casino games where the house have a huge advantage over players. It also has several bets that could be described as “sucker bets” – wagers where the house edge is significantly higher. The optimal strategy for craps includes placing one or more of the most basic bets – the Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers. The Don’t Come bet, in particular, is one of the best options because it comes with a low house edge (1.36%, although it is 1.40% on a resolved bet) and it can be made whenever you wish once the point has been established.

In order to optimize their game, players can combine the Don’t Come wager with other bets. The most obvious way to do that is laying odds on it, as explained in the previous section. However, there is one essential aspect of this strategy players need to understand – the largest amount of the total wager per round need to be placed on the Free Odds bet. The original bet, on the other hand, should be as small as possible. This is one of the most important tips in craps and it can be applied not only to the Don’t Come bet when it is laid with odds but to all wagers that would be supported with higher odds.

If, for example, you plan on wagering $10 per round, you should place $2 on the Don’t Come and boost it 4x Free Odds for $8. The reason for this is very simple – while the Don’t Come bet offers a 1.40% house edge when it is resolved, the Odds bet has no house edge. The expected loss when placing just a Don’t Come bet with no odds is larger.

Craps Rules Don't Come Between Two

Another good strategy where the Don’t Come bet can be incorporated successfully is a combination between a Don’t Pass, Don’t Come and a Field Bet. The Field box includes the three craps numbers – 2, 3, and 12, plus 4, 9, 10, and 11. A winning Field bet pays out differently, depending on the number that is rolled – it pays evenly if 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 is rolled; 2:1 if 2 is rolled and 3:1 is 12 rolled. Using this pattern, players can bet on even more numbers and increase their chances of winning.