Live-table conduct · Bet timing · Dice and chip safety
Good craps etiquette is mostly good timing: make bets while the dice are centered, keep hands out of the layout during a throw, state requests clearly, and raise a payout question before the next roll. Your choice of legal bet matters less than how you treat the crew and other players.
Sam’s rule after 65+ casino floors
Do not make the table guess. Say the amount, bet, and number; wait for acknowledgment; then get your hands clear. That habit prevents more friction than memorizing every bit of casino folklore.
The essential etiquette checklist
- Buy in, color up, and change bets while the stickperson controls the dice.
- Place cash flat on the layout; never hand it directly to a dealer.
- Keep hands, drinks, phones, and loose items out of the layout when dice are moving.
- Use concise instructions and wait for the dealer to repeat or acknowledge the bet.
- Do not touch another player’s chips or dealer-controlled wagers.
- Raise a suspected error calmly and immediately, before the next roll if possible.
- Follow property rules on smoking, phones, photography, and recording.
- Do not criticize another player’s legal bet or blame a shooter for a random result.
Buy in at the right time
Wait until a roll is complete and the dice are in the center. Place currency flat in front of the base dealer and say the amount. Do not put cash on active bets or toss it onto the layout while the shooter is ready. Pick up the chips pushed to the apron and move them into your rail promptly.
If the table is in the middle of a point, you can buy in when the crew is ready, but a crowded table may ask you to wait. Watching one round first also gives you time to understand the minimum and pace.
Make bets before the dice go out
The clean betting window is after payouts finish and before the stickperson sends dice to the shooter. For dealer-controlled bets, put chips in the Come area in front of you and say something like, “$12 on 6, please.” Avoid vague calls such as “Give me the usual” unless the dealer has explicitly confirmed what that means.
A crew can refuse late or ambiguous action. If the dealer does not acknowledge you before the throw, assume the wager has not been booked and keep your hands clear. Do not reach in to “fix” it while the dice are moving.
Dice etiquette for the shooter
- Select two dice when the stickperson offers them and keep them over the table.
- Use one hand unless the crew instructs otherwise.
- Throw both dice together to the far end so they contact the back wall.
- Do not slide the dice, throw them excessively high, aim at chip stacks, or delay the game with a long ritual.
- If a die leaves the table, let the crew retrieve and inspect or replace it.
Some players set the dice before throwing. A brief setup may be tolerated, but the throw still has to meet house requirements. There is no reliable evidence that dice setting overcomes the house edge in ordinary casino conditions, and the crew can move the game along if a routine causes delays.
Table traditions versus actual rules
| Table custom | What is actually true |
|---|---|
| Avoid saying “seven” with a point ON | A widespread superstition; speaking the word cannot change the dice |
| Do not celebrate a Don’t-side win loudly | A courtesy because most of the table may have lost, not a rule against Don’t bets |
| Tip the crew | Customary in some jurisdictions and cultures, optional where permitted, and never a way to change odds or rulings |
| Keep the same dice after making a point | A tradition; changing dice does not alter future probabilities |
| Blow on the dice for luck | Unhygienic and unwelcome; it has no mathematical effect |
Betting Don’t Pass is allowed. You do not owe the table a Pass bet. The courteous approach is simply to avoid taunting or celebrating when a seven-out causes other players to lose.
Handling chips and space
- Keep your chips in the rail at your position and higher denominations easy to see.
- Do not build unstable towers or leave chips where they can be mistaken for a wager.
- Do not make a string bet by repeatedly adding chips after a wager appears complete; state the full amount first.
- Do not lean across the table or block the dealer’s working stacks and sight lines.
- Never move a dealer-positioned bet yourself. Ask the dealer to take it down, move it, press it, or turn it off.
How to question a payout or ruling
Get the base dealer’s attention and identify the exact wager: “I had $12 on 6; could you check that payout?” Do it before chips are mixed into your rail and before the next roll. The dealer can reconstruct the action or call the boxperson or floor supervisor.
Do not touch the bankroll, grab chips from the layout, or argue with another player about what happened. If the issue remains unresolved, ask politely for the next supervisor. Surveillance review and escalation procedures depend on the casino and jurisdiction.
Phones, photos, smoking, and drinks
Policies vary widely. Many casinos restrict phones or photography at live games, and smoking rules depend on the property and local law. Ask a floor supervisor before taking a photo or recording. Keep drinks in holders or off the rail, follow designated smoking areas, and never exhale smoke across players, staff, chips, or dice.
For the mechanics behind these customs, see the guides to the craps table crew, table layout, and playing your first round.
