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Glossary of Craps Terms

Below is a list of terms and expressions frequently encountered at craps games. It includes explanations of the various bets you can make in craps.

• Aces - Betting that the next roll will be the total sum of 2.
• Any Craps - A type of Proposition Bet. You can bet this bet on any roll. Ifa 2, 3 or 12 rolls, you win. If any other number is rolled, you lose. Payout is 8-1.
• Any Seven - A type of Proposition Bet. You bet that the next roll will be 7. Payout is 5-1.
• Back Line - Another term for the Don't Pass Line.
• Betting Right - Betting the throw will win on Pass Line and Come bets.
• Betting Wrong - Betting the throw will not pass on Don't Pass Line and Don't Come bets.
• Big Six, Big Eight Bets - You may bet one or both and win even money on the number when thrown before 7. Big Six and Big Eight are even bets and are paid at evens (1-1). You should ignore this bet as you can get better bets by placing a six or an eight.
• Boxman – A casino employee who sits between the two dealers at the Craps table, and is responsible for the chips.
• Buy Bet (Buy and Lay bet) - Buy and lay bets are made the same way as a place bet, but at corrected odds. The house has a 5% commission.
• Chips - This is the equivalent of money. Before playing, players need to exchange cash for chips.
• Cold Table - A table, which at a particular moment shooters aren't winning, i.e. a table in which very few shooters are making The Point.
• Come Bet - It has the same rules as the Pass Line bet, except that you must bet after the point has been determined. After you place your bet the first dice roll will set the Come Point. You win if it is a natural (7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). Other rolls will make you a winner if the Come Point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. If a 7 is rolled first you lose.
• Come Out Roll - a new game in craps begins with the Come Out roll. It is the first roll of the dice in a betting round. A Come Out roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is, fails to make the Point or sevens out.
• Craps - The shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12, known as "rolling craps"
• Don't Come - Making a bet against the dice after the come out roll. A 7 will appear before the point is rolled again.
• Don't Come Bet - The reversed Come Bet. After the come point has been established you win if it is a 2 or 3, and lose for 7 or 11. 12 is a standoff (tie) and other dice rolls will make you win only if a 7 appears before them on the following throws.
• Don’t pass line - If you place a bet on the Don't Pass Line, you are betting that the shooter will "Seven Out."
• Don't Pass Line Bet - This is the reversed Pass Line bet. If the first roll of a dice is a natural (7, 11) you lose and if it is a 2 or a 3 you win. A dice roll of 12 means you have a tie or push with the casino. If the roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) a 7 must come out before that point is repeated to make you a winner. If the point is rolled again before the 7 you lose.
• Double Odds - Doubles the initial Pass Line, Don't Pass Line, Come, Don't Come bets.
• Edge - The advantage the casino has on player on any given bet.
• Even money - Winning even money means that the player has neither lost nor gained any money, i.e. they have as many chips as they did prior to the game.
• Field Bets - Here you're betting that 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 are rolled before the 5, 6, 7 or 8. This is also a one-roll bet. Field Bets have the following different payouts: 2 and 12 pays double (2-1) while other winning dice rolls pays even (1-1).
• Front Line - Another term for the Pass Line.
• Hardway Bet - A type of Proposition Bet. The bet on a Hardway number wins if it's thrown hard (i.e. the sum of its pairs), before it’s thrown easy and/or a 7 is thrown. For example:
  • 2 is thrown as pair of 1s
  • 4 is thrown as pair of 2s
  • 6 is thrown as pair of 3s
  • 8 is thrown as pair of 4s
  • 10 is thrown as pair of 5s
  • 12 is thrown as pair of 6s
  See table in Hints and Tips section for the different payouts.
• Hi-Lo - A bet that the next roll of the dice will be a 2 or 12.
• Horn Bet - A type of Proposition Bet. It is a bet on each of the following numbers, 2, 3, 11, or 12. So if you bet £4, then you will have £1 on 2, £1 on 3, £1 on 11 and £1 on 12.
• Horn High Bet – A wager that has an extra amount on one of the four numbers. For example, a £5 Horn High Twelve means that £1 is bet on each of 2, 3 and 11 with £2 on the twelve. See table in Hints and Tips section for the different payouts.
• Hot Table - A table in which at a particular time most shooters are making the Point.
• Insurance Bet - Two or more bets made to partially cover one another.
• Internet Craps - An online gambling room where craps can be played, usually by downloading some gaming software.
• Lay Bet - Betting that a point number will not be rolled before a 7 is thrown.
• Lay Odds - Additional odds bet against the dice.
• Marker Puck - A Plastic disk that the dealers use to mark the point on the Craps table.
• Miss - If the shooter throws a losing combination the dice are said to miss.
• Natural - Another term for a throw of 7 or 11 on the come out roll. (Natural seven or natural eleven.)
• Odds on Come Bet - Exactly the same thing as the Odds on Pass Line bet except you take odds on the Come bet not the Pass Line bet. The Odds bet are placed to the side of your bet and offset the chips toward the dealer.
• Odds on Pass Line Bet - After a point is rolled you can make this additional bet by taking odds and win if the point or the come point is made before a 7. There are different payouts for each point. The Odds are place behind your bet on the Pass Line. See table in Hints and Tips section for the different payouts.
• One Roll Bets - The next dice roll establishes outcome of these bets. Depending on the next roll, the bet either wins or loses.
• Pass - If the shooter throws a winning combination the dice are said to pass.
• Pass Line - If you place a bet on the pass line, you are betting that the shooter will make their point.
• Pass Line Bet - An even-money bet. If the first roll of the dice adds up to 7 or 11 (“natural”), you win. 2, 3, or 12 (“craps”) loses the bet. If a point is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), the point must be repeated before a 7 is thrown in order to win. If 7 is rolled before the point you lose.
• Payout - The return or payback the player receives for his or her bet.
• Place Bets - Once a shooter makes a "point", you may take a Place Bet on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. If your number comes up before 7, you win. You can cancel this bet anytime you want to. See table in Hints and Tips section for the different payouts.
• Place Numbers - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10.
• Playing the Field - Is a common and popular bet. Placing a Field Bet means you are betting that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
• Point Number - If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, they have established that number as the Point and the shooter must roll this same number again to win before rolling the number 7.
• Proposition Bets -These bets can be made at any time and, except for the Hardways, they are all one roll bets. Proposition bets include Horn Bets, Hard Way bets, bets on the 7 and Any Craps Bets. See table in Hints and Tips section for the different payouts
• Rail - The grooved area along the top of the craps table perimeter where players keep their chips
• Roll - Each throw of the dice is called a roll. Players take turns rolling the dice, passing clockwise around the table.
• Sevens Out (also known as “not making the point”) - occurs when the shooter fails to make a winning roll, and instead rolls a 7.
• Shooter - The player rolling the dice is called the "shooter". You do not have to shoot the dice when it is your turn, you may be inclined to "pass".
• Snake Eyes - When you roll a two in craps, it is called 'Snake Eyes' – because the two dots on the die looks like eyes.
• Stickman - A casino employee who calls out the dice rolls and returns the dice to the shooter, also responsible for the placing and paying the proposition bets.
• Vigorish - (Also abbreviated Vig.) The casino edge or commission taken by the house.

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