Craps
Game Guide

C

Capped Dice

craps jargon for crooked dice.

Center Field

betting that the next roll will total 9.

Change Color

converting chips to smaller or bigger denominations.

Choppy

uneven table action where craps shooters are sevening out early and not many numbers are thrown.

Cold Dice

this craps table has gone cold and the dice ain't passing. Also cold table.

Come

bet the pass line after the craps shooter has established a point. The next number rolled becomes your point.

Come Box

area where come bets are placed.

Come Out Roll

first roll of the dice in a betting round is the come out roll.

Craps

dice rolled showing the numbers 2, 3 and 12.

Craps Out

dice rolled showing the numbers 2, 3 or 12 on the come out roll.

Crew

casino employees managing the craps table.

D

Dealer(s)

monitors all bets made. Players allow the dealer to make free odds, place or lay bets for them.

Dept. of the Interior

craps lingo for player who makes an inside bet.

Dice

each cube is marked with numbers 1-6. A pair of die provides the action and win-loss decisions for the game of craps.

Dice Pass

occurs when craps shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on come out roll, however the dice does not pass when shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on the come out. Third, if the roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll sets the ‘point'. The craps shooter continues until the point is rolled again, at which time the dice pass or a 7 is rolled at which time the dice doesn't pass. A new craps shooter is given the dice only when a previous shooter ‘sevens out'.

Die in the Wood, Roll No Good

whoa, that dice has hit a player's chip rack.

Disk or Puck

is white on one side and black on the opposite side. Showing white indicates a come out roll has taken place and point is established. If you notice the puck with the black side off in the don't come area, the next roll is a come out.

Disputes

In the case of a dispute, the player's first appeal would be to the boxman, who could overrule the dealer. If he doesn't, you can ask for the pit boss. Generally, it won't get that far. The boxman knows that it is more important to keep the players at his table than it is to pay off a few hundred disputed dollars.

Don't Come Bet

opposite of come. Betting against the dice-that a 7 will roll before the craps shooter makes the point from the come out roll.

Don't Come Box

make your 'don't come' bet here.

Don't Pass Bet

betting on the come out roll that the craps shooter will not roll a 7 or 11. Depending on the casino rules, a 2 or 12 can be a push. Casino advantage is a low 1.4%.

Don't Pass Line

make your 'don't pass' bet here.

Double Odds Bet

betting after the come out roll at double for pass line, don't pass line, come or don't come.

Double Saw on Boxcars

craps jargon for bet that the next roll will total 12.

E

Easyway

numbers 4, 6, 8 or 10 rolled that are not pairs. Opposite of hardways.

Edge

casino advantage over betting players.

Eighter from Decatur

craps lingo for betting that the next roll will total 8.

End of the Race

betting that the next roll will total 7.

Even-money

bet with a payoff of 1 to 1.

F

Fade

craps game term for the bet against a shooter's stake. In turn, the craps shooter takes away any part of his/her stake that is not faded. Should the shooter lose, the betting players double their faded bet.

Field Bet

betting on one roll that the next number up will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Pays even money, except 2 or 12 that pays 2 to 1. .

Free Odds Bet

betting additionally on pass line, don't pass line, come and don't come wagers that are paid at true odds. Known as ‘wagering behind', this bet can decrease the casino edge.

Front Line

craps jargon for pass line.

Front Line Winner

wagering that the next roll will be a 7.

H

Hardways Bet

betting that numbers 4, 6, 8 and 10 will be rolled as pairs, 2x2, 2x3, 2x4 and 2x5 respectively before a 7 or your number is rolled but not as a pair. Therefore, if you have a bet on a hard 4=2x2 and a 3 and 1 is rolled before your two 2's, you lose your hard way bet.

Hi-Lo

craps lingo for a bet that the next roll will be a 2 or 12.

Hook

imaginary line that separates players 3 and 4 OR on larger tables, players 4 and 5. It dictates where the dealer will place the players' Come, Don't Come, Place, Buy or Lay Bets and eliminates misunderstandings. The words SIX and NINE are used instead of 6 and 9 for the same reason.

Hop Bet

betting that a specific combination will appear on the next roll. Hopping hardways examples: 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5. Pays 30 to 1.

Hoping Hardway

term for a 2-2 bet.

Horn Bet

betting that the four number combinations of 2, 3, 11 and 12 are rolled.

Horn High Bet

bet consisting of 5 parts. 2 parts for number 12 and 3 parts for numbers 2, 3 and 11.

Hot Hand

craps shooter is hot-connecting with points and numbers.

Hot Roller

craps jargon for a hot shooter.

Hot Table

action at this table is red hot.

I - J

Inside Numbers Bet

place betting on 5, 6, 8, and 9.

Insurance Bet

at least two bets to insure a win at one or the other.

Jimmy Hicks

craps lingo for number 6.

Juice

see vig or vigorish. Term for house commission.

L

Lay Bet

betting that a roll of 7 appears before the number you are placing comes up. Example=4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The player lays more than the correct odds, allowing a casino advantage of 3.03% on 4/10, 2.5% on 5/9, and 1.82% on 6/8. Lay is opposite of buy bets.

Lay Odds

betting additional odds after a point is established for a win if the original don't pass bet wins.

Layout

craps table design on the felt table displaying the various betting options.

Line Away

wagering that the next roll will be a 7.

Line Bet

betting on the pass line or don't pass line placed before the come out roll.

Little Joe from Kokomo

craps jargon for betting that the next roll will be a 4.

Long and Strong

got to hit that backboard if you want it to count.

M - N

Marker Puck

disk for marking point of on or off at craps table.

Midnight

number 12 or wagering that the next roll will be a 12.

Miss

rolling a seven after the point has been established. Alternate terms are seven out or miss out.

Natural

tossing a 7 or 11 on the come out roll.

Nina from Pasadena

craps lingo for betting that the next roll will total 9.

Numbers

refers to numbers, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

O

Odds Bets

after the come out roll, an additional bet on, come, don't come, place, and don't place bets. At 2x odds, you bet $20 to win $40.

Odds Off

come odds bets are ‘off' during the come out roll, unless requested to be ‘working'. Players can request odds off for the next roll of the dice.

One Roll Bets

betting on the next roll only. Examples are any craps, horn and field wagers.

Outside Numbers

craps jargon for place numbers: 4, 5, 9, and 10.

Outstanding in your Field

wagering that the next roll will total 12.

P - Q

Pair of Aces in the Wrong Places

number 2.

Parlay

keep those winnings in play.

Pass Line Bet

betting made before the come out roll that a 7 or 11 would be thrown. Pays even money. 2, 3 or 12 on the same roll will lose.

Pit

players are not allowed to walk through this area behind the tables. In the pit are floor persons, who are one step above the boxmen. Their primary functions are to watch out for cheaters and to keep track of rated players. When you first check in and ask for a marker, or when you leave and ask for a comp, or if you switch tables, this will all be handled by a floor person. Supervising all of this is the pit boss. He is in charge of the casino personnel at all of the tables. You will rarely see him.If you have a dispute regarding ratings or table play you will be speaking with a floor person, not the pit boss.

Place Bet

betting on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 or combinations that your pick will repeat before a 7 is rolled.

Place Numbers

4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. If rolled on the come out, that number then becomes the point number.

Playing the Field

craps bet placed at the ‘field box' that the next number rolled will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.

Point Number

determined on the come out roll, the point number will be one of these numbers - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. Once established, the craps shooter tries to again throw the point number before a 7 to win.

Press a Bet

craps lingo for double your bet.

Proposition Bet

wagers made in the center of the craps table.

Puck or Disk

is white on one side and black on the opposite side. Showing white indicates a come out roll has taken place and point is established. Conversely, if you notice the puck with the black side off in the don't come area, the next roll is a come out.

Put Bet

player selects a point number with a put bet after the come out roll. The downside is that sevens and elevens mean a losing bet.

Quarters

craps jargon for $25 chips.

R

Rails

area surrounding the craps table where players hold their chips.

Rhythmic Rollers

players who have learned to ‘grip' the dice to determine the outcome of a roll. This is a craps strategy that is growing in popularity.

Right Bettor

craps player who bets pass and come to win.

Roll

is either a single roll of the dice or a set of dice rolls until the craps shooter sevens out.

Rounding

term for payout amount rounded up or down.

S

Seven Out

rolling a seven after the point has been established. Also, miss or miss out.

Shoot

series of dice rolls until the craps shooter sevens out.

Shooter

craps player who rolls the dice.

Single Odds

betting odds for the same amount of money as the original pass or come bet.

Six-Ace

craps lingo for bet that the next roll will be a 7.

Six Five, No Jive

wagering that the next roll will total 11.

Snake Eyes

the number 2 or wagering that the next roll will be a 2.

Square Pair

craps jargon for wagering that the next roll will be a hard 8 (4+4).

Stickman

the person with a stick and technically one of the three dealers who take turns with the stick. The stickman retrieves the dice and pushes them to the shooter, taking care not to display the dreadful seven that is considered bad luck. Also, takes care of the proposition bets, helps the other two dealers and handles all of the players' bets.

T

Table

at land-based casinos, there are signs on both sides of the table announcing what the minimum and maximum bets are. For example=$10 to $1,000, 2X odds means that the minimum flat bet is $10, the maximum flat bet is $1,000 and the casino offers two times odds.

There are usually several tables in the pit area, with different stated limits. It is not uncommon to see four tables, each with different minimums. Usually on weekdays, the minimums are lower, and on weekend evenings, the minimums are as high as the traffic will allow. In the evenings, when all the tables are in use, the house usually raises all of the minimum bets. If you are a low dollar player, your best time is the daytime.

Those minimum and maximum bets apply to flat bets only, not proposition bets. If you want to bet higher than usual on the 2, 3, 11, 12 or hardways you better ask the dealer what the upper limits are as they are never posted.

On the table, there are grooved chip holders in the sides to hold your chips. Use one of these racks to track the table. Just use a red chip for pass-line winners and a white one for don't pass winners. This way you can see which way the table is going.

For example if you have four red chips and only one white, you've got a hot table, and you might want to increase your bets and odds. If you have more white chips than red ones, you might want to switch to the don't side.

he dealer will never make hand-to-hand contact with you, your money or your chips. If you want your cash turned into chips, drop it on the table and say change. He will take your money, convert and push the chips back to you. Even when you win a bet, he will either place your winnings next to your bet, or push them toward you. Never try to hand anything directly to a dealer.

Take the Odds

added bet on come, don't come, place and don't place after come out roll.

Taken Down

bet returned to player, as per their request to have it removed.

Three-way Craps

bet of 3 units where 1 unit=number 2, 1 unit=number 3 and 1 unit=number 12.

Toke

tip for casino craps employees.

Two Aces

craps lingo for number 2.

Two Ways

player uses this term when betting for the dealer and for his/her own bet. Usually a hardways or proposition bet where a $10 two ways bet divides as $5 for the dealer and $5 for the player.

U - Z

Up Pops the Devil

wagering that the next roll will be a 7.

Vigorish

also known as vig, this is the casino commission.

Whirl Bet

betting that the next toss is 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12. Wagers are in multiples of 5 and each unit=one number. For $5 bet=$1 on numbers 2, 3, 7 and $2 on 11 or 12. Also known as a world bet.

Winner on the Dark Side

craps lingo for wagering that the next roll will be a 3.

Working

refers to some bets that will be at risk on the next roll.

Wrong Bettor

craps player who bets don't pass and don't come to win.

Yo

craps lingo for the number 11.

Yo eleven

wagering that the next roll will total 11.