Craps Rules: Come-Out Roll, Point and Table Basics

Beginner rules · Pass and Don’t Pass · Casino table variations

Casino craps begins with a come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins the Pass Line, 2, 3, or 12 loses it, and any other total establishes a point. Once a point exists, Pass wins if that number repeats before 7 and loses if 7 appears first.

The basic craps round

1. The puck is OFF. The shooter makes a come-out roll to begin a new round.
2. A natural or craps decides the line immediately. On Pass, 7 or 11 wins; 2, 3, or 12 loses. Don’t Pass has the opposite result except that 12 normally pushes, called bar 12.
3. A point may be established. If the total is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the dealer turns the puck ON and places it on that number.
4. The shooter keeps rolling. The point repeating before 7 wins Pass and loses Don’t Pass. A 7 before the point loses Pass, wins Don’t Pass, and ends that shooter’s turn.
5. Other totals do not decide the line. They may settle other wagers, but the point-versus-7 race continues.

Stage	Roll	Pass Line	Don’t Pass
Come-out	7 or 11	Wins	Loses
Come-out	2 or 3	Loses	Wins
Come-out	12	Loses	Pushes at a standard bar-12 table
Come-out	4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10	Becomes the point
Point ON	Point repeats before 7	Wins	Loses
Point ON	7 before the point	Loses	Wins

Some tables bar 2 instead of 12 on Don’t Pass. That changes which come-out craps number pushes, not the bet’s basic structure. Read the layout and posted rules.

What happens to the dice?

A shooter can complete several rounds during one turn. Rolling a come-out 7 or 11, rolling come-out craps, or making a point ends that round but does not automatically end the turn. The shooter normally keeps the dice until a seven-out—7 after a point is ON—or until the shooter chooses to pass them.

To make a valid casino throw, the shooter generally must send both dice to the opposite end of the table and hit the back wall. The crew can call no roll when a throw is invalid or interfered with. Exact enforcement is a house decision.

The main types of craps bets

Bet family	What decides it	Examples
Line bets	A come-out result, then point versus 7	Pass Line, Don’t Pass
Come bets	The same basic sequence beginning after the table’s come-out	Come, Don’t Come
Number-versus-7 bets	A chosen number or 7 appears first	Place, Buy, Lay, Big 6/8
One-roll bets	The very next valid roll	Field, Any 7, Any Craps, Horn
Multi-roll propositions	A specific combination before an easy way or 7	Hardways
Odds	The established number versus 7	Taking or laying Odds behind a flat bet

Each wager has its own rules. A number that does nothing to a Pass Line bet can win or lose another bet on the same roll. Use the craps payout and house-edge table before placing a wager you do not understand.

Rules for placing and settling bets

• Self-service bets: Players normally place their own Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, Field, and Big 6/8 wagers in the marked areas they can reach.
• Dealer-placed bets: Give the dealer a clear verbal instruction for Place, Buy, Lay, Odds in some positions, and center proposition bets. Procedures vary by table.
• Contract bets: A Pass or Come flat bet generally cannot be removed or reduced after its point is established. Don’t-side flat bets can generally be removed but not increased after a point.
• Working or off: Some multi-roll bets are off by default on the come-out; others keep working. Tell the dealer before the roll if you want an allowed change.
• Late action: The crew may refuse a wager once the dice are out or when it cannot be booked clearly before the throw.

Rules that can change by casino

The point sequence is standardized, but the complete game is not identical everywhere. Check the table placard and layout for:

• minimum and maximum bets;
• maximum Odds, such as 2×, 3-4-5×, 5×, or 10×;
• whether Buy and Lay commission is collected when placed, only when won, or under another approved method;
• Field payouts on 2 and 12;
• whether a bet is working on the come-out roll;
• bonus bets, electronic features, and crapless-craps variations;
• dice-throw, device, photography, and player-conduct rules.

A simple first round

Suppose you place $10 on Pass before the come-out. The shooter rolls 6, so 6 becomes the point. Rolls of 4, 9, and 11 do not decide your line bet. If 6 appears next, you win $10. If 7 appears first, you lose $10 and the dice pass to the next willing shooter. Nothing about the previous rolls makes either result “due.”

For the physical sequence—buying in, reading the puck, placing chips, and cashing out—continue with how to play craps step by step. You can also rehearse the round without money in the free craps game.

Rule source

The core sequence and wager restrictions were checked against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s approved Craps and Mini-Craps rules. Individual jurisdictions and casinos may approve different table options.