Core craps bet · 1.41% house edge · Even-money payout
The Pass Line is the first craps bet most players should learn. It wins immediately on a come-out 7 or 11, loses immediately on 2, 3, or 12, and otherwise follows an established point until that number or a 7 appears.
Sam’s verdict
The Pass Line is a sensible default for learning a live game: it is easy to place, easy to follow, and carries a relatively low 1.41% house edge. Adding Odds after a point is established reduces the expected cost as a percentage of your total action, but it also puts more money at risk. “No house edge” applies only to the Odds portion—not to the combined wager.
Pass Line rules at a glance
| Stage | Dice result | Pass Line result |
|---|---|---|
| Come-out roll | 7 or 11 | Wins |
| Come-out roll | 2, 3, or 12 | Loses |
| Come-out roll | 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 | That number becomes the point |
| After a point | The point repeats before 7 | Wins |
| After a point | 7 appears before the point | Loses; this is a seven-out |
| After a point | Any other number | No decision; roll again |
A winning Pass Line bet pays even money. A $10 bet wins $10 in profit, and the original $10 remains yours.
How to make the bet at a live table
Place your own chip or chips in the area marked PASS LINE directly in front of your position. This is a self-service bet; you normally do not hand it to a dealer. Make the wager while the stickperson holds the dice in the center of the table and before the shooter begins the come-out roll.
The Pass Line runs around the outside edge of both end sections, close enough for players to reach without leaning into the layout. Crews sometimes call it the front line. A stickperson announcing “front line winner” is referring to the same bet. Betting the Pass Line is also called betting with the dice or the right way; those are traditional labels, not a claim that other legal bets are improper.
If you need change, get the dealer’s attention before putting a larger chip in the Come area and clearly state the amount you want “on the line.” Never assume a busy dealer has seen a silent request. Procedures and minimums vary, so ask when unsure.
Example: turning one $25 chip into a $10 Pass Line bet
Suppose you have a $25 green chip but want only $10 on the line. Between rolls, place the chip where your base dealer can clearly see it—commonly in the Come area in front of you—and say, “Ten on the line, please.” The dealer can exchange it for five $5 chips, place two on your Pass Line, and return the remaining $15 to the apron in front of you.
Pick up the returned chips before the dice move to the shooter. If a dealer has not acknowledged you, do not leave a chip sitting silently in a betting area: its position could be interpreted as a different wager. Get eye contact, repeat the amount, and let the crew finish the transaction before the roll.
Once a point is established, leave the flat Pass Line bet in place. It is a contract bet and generally cannot be removed or reduced until the point or 7 decides it. The additional Odds bet can normally be added, reduced, or removed before a roll.
If the point repeats, the dice are said to have passed and the line wins. If 7 appears after a point, that is a seven-out, not “craps.” In this context, “craps” means 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll.
Why the house edge is 1.41%
The come-out roll looks favorable because eight combinations win immediately—six ways to roll 7 and two ways to roll 11—while only four combinations lose immediately. But whenever a point is established, 7 has at least as many combinations as the point and usually more.
| Point | Ways to roll point | Ways to roll 7 | Chance point wins the race |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 6 | 3/9 = 33.33% |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 6 | 4/10 = 40.00% |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 6 | 5/11 = 45.45% |
Across the complete Pass Line cycle, the player wins 244 times and loses 251 times per 495 resolved bets in the mathematical model. That is a 49.29% chance of winning and a 50.71% chance of losing. At an even-money payout, the expected loss is 7/495 of the flat wager, or about 1.414%.
Probability of consecutive completed Pass Line wins
A completed Pass Line wager wins with probability 244/495, about 49.293%. If completed cycles are modeled as independent, the chance of winning n consecutive cycles is (244/495)n.
| Wins in a row | Probability | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49.293% | 2.03 |
| 2 | 24.298% | 4.12 |
| 3 | 11.977% | 8.35 |
| 4 | 5.903% | 16.94 |
| 5 | 2.910% | 34.36 |
| 6 | 1.434% | 69.71 |
| 7 | 0.707% | 141.42 |
| 8 | 0.348% | 286.89 |
| 9 | 0.172% | 582.01 |
| 10 | 0.0847% | 1,180 |
| 11 | 0.0418% | 2,395 |
This preserves and corrects the old Pass Line Probability table. A streak named after it starts does not change the next independent cycle’s 244/495 probability.
Taking Odds behind the Pass Line
After the dealer marks a point, you can usually place an additional wager directly behind your Pass Line chips. This is called taking Odds. It pays at the true probability of making that point before 7.
There is usually no printed Odds box. Put the chips in the blank apron roughly an inch or two behind your flat bet—close enough that the dealer can associate the two wagers, but not touching the Pass Line. At a crowded table, ask the dealer to confirm the position rather than guessing.
How to stack mixed-denomination Odds chips
When an Odds wager uses more than one denomination, place higher-value chips on the bottom and lower-value chips on top. Alternating denominations is known as a barber pole; dealers normally restack it so the amount is readable to the crew and surveillance.
| Point | Odds payout | Dealer-friendly amount | Example profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | Any whole-dollar amount allowed by the table | $10 wins $20 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | Multiples of $2 | $10 wins $15 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | Multiples of $5 | $10 wins $12 |
Calculating the Odds payout yourself
- Point 4 or 10: multiply the Odds bet by 2. A $17 wager wins $34.
- Point 5 or 9: divide by 2, then multiply by 3. An $8 wager wins $12; a $50 wager wins $75. Use an even amount to avoid a fractional payout.
- Point 6 or 8: divide by 5, then multiply by 6. A $10 wager wins $12. Use a multiple of $5.
These are the inverse of the point-versus-7 probabilities. A 5 has four combinations and 7 has six, so the true odds against making 5 first are 6 to 4, reduced to 3 to 2. That is why a $2 unit wins $3.
The casino may allow single, double, 3-4-5×, 5×, 10×, or another maximum. “3-4-5× Odds” normally means up to 3× the flat bet on 4/10, 4× on 5/9, and 5× on 6/8; those amounts are designed so a maximum Odds win is six times the flat wager for every point.
Read the placard or ask the dealer for that table’s limit; the permitted minimum and maximum are house-specific. For example, with a $10 flat bet at a table allowing up to 3× Odds, the stated maximum would be $30. Do not assume that a rule seen in one casino applies at the next.
“Free odds” does not mean free money. It means the Odds portion has zero mathematical house edge. You must still make the negative-expectation flat bet, and taking Odds increases the dollars that can be lost on a seven-out.
Worked round: $10 Pass Line with $20 Odds
- You place $10 on the Pass Line before the come-out roll.
- The shooter rolls 5, so 5 becomes the point.
- You place $20 in Odds behind the line. Your total amount at risk is now $30.
- If 5 appears before 7, the flat bet wins $10 and the Odds bet wins $30 at 3 to 2. Total profit: $40.
- If 7 appears first, both wagers lose. Total loss: $30.
- If any other number appears, neither wager is decided and the shooter rolls again.
Adding or removing Odds between rolls
Unlike the flat Pass Line bet, Odds can normally be added, reduced, or removed before a decision. Make the change while the stickperson controls the dice, not after the shooter has begun the throwing motion.
Suppose you bet $10 Pass Line, the point becomes 6, and you add $20 Odds. If you later decide that $30 of total exposure is too much for your session budget, you can remove some or all of the $20 before a roll while leaving the $10 contract bet in place. That is bankroll control—not a prediction that 7 is “due.” The probability of the next legal roll does not change because the shooter has rolled for a long time.
Common Pass Line mistakes
- Calling every losing 7 “craps.” A 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out is craps. A 7 after a point is a seven-out.
- Trying to remove the flat bet after a point. The flat Pass Line wager is generally locked in; Odds are removable.
- Using awkward Odds amounts. Multiples of $2 on 5/9 and $5 on 6/8 prevent rounded-down payouts.
- Thinking more Odds makes the outcome safer. It improves the blended expected return but increases variance and the amount exposed.
- Making a late bet with dice in the air. Keep hands out of the layout once the shooter has the dice.
Pass Line FAQ
Is the Pass Line the best bet in craps?
It is one of the lower-edge standard bets and the clearest place for a beginner to start. Don’t Pass is slightly lower at about 1.36%, but neither bet has positive expectation.
Can I bet the Pass Line after a point is set?
House procedure varies. When a casino accepts a line wager after the point is established, it is effectively a Put bet: you skip the favorable come-out roll and begin with the point-versus-7 race. A flat late wager by itself is expensive; enough permitted Odds can make a Put construction competitive with a Place bet. For a normal Pass Line wager with its 1.41% edge, wait for the next come-out roll.
Does the shooter have to bet Pass Line?
The shooter must normally have an eligible line wager to receive the dice, but a casino may permit Pass or Don’t Pass according to its house rules. Other players are not required to follow the shooter.
Next, compare every common wager in the craps payout table or use the free craps game to practice the sequence with virtual chips.
I was told that if you play the odds in craps you should never bet less than five times odds because you will get paid more on a place bet of the same amount. for example i was told that a place bet of 30 dollars on a 6 or 8 pays 35 while an odds bet of 25 dollars pays 35 dollars also including the flat bet. I understand that you get the added benefit of winning on the come bet while making the bet through the come this way so my question is this… since i have to hit the 6 or 8 twice to get the same payoff as a place bet which one should i make?? I do like the added benefit of hitting a seven or eleven while going up but is it really a benefit when the 7 wipes you out??? The 4 10 5 and 9 also payoff the same on a place bet of the same amount as an odds bet as well including the flat bet at five times odds as well. am i missing something????
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