Craps Glossary of Terms

The following glossary is a listing of commonly used craps terms:

3-Way Craps	A bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12. This is a horn bet without the bet on 11.
Advantage	The edge a casino has over a player on a particular bet.
Any Craps	A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and has a house edge of 11.1%.
Any Seven	A bet that the next roll will be 7. This bet pays 4:1 and has a house edge of 16.7%.
Bar the 12	Shown on the craps layout in the Don’t Pass Line and Don’t Come Box areas. A 12 is a standoff in these areas to ensure the casino has an advantage over the wrong bettors.
Behind the Line	A bet on the free-odds after a point has been established on the come out roll.
Betting Right	Betting that the dice will pass – with the dice.
Betting Wrong	Betting that the dice won’t pass – against the dice.
Big 6	A bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 6 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%.
Big 8	A bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 8 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%.
Box Numbers	The box areas around the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10, which is used to mark the point, and to put place, come and buy bets.
Boxcars	A slang term for the roll of the 12.
Boxman	A casino employee who supervises the game of craps, and remains seated behind all the casino chips during the play.
Bring Out	A term used by dealers and players when betting on the hardway of a point, to “bring out” the point.
Buy Bet	Giving the house a 5% commission in order to be paid correct odds for a place bet. The buy bets on 4 and 10 allow the player to reduce the house edge from 6.67% to 4% on these bets. Some casinos collect the commission only on winning bets, while others collect it at the time the bet is made.
Center Bets	The bets located in the center of the layout; also called Proposition Bets.
Chips	The common term for tokens, issued by a casino in place of money, and having the equivalent of cash.
Cold Dice	Dice which consistently don’t pass.
Color Change	The changing of chips to a higher or lower denomination.
Come Bet	A “virtual pass line bet”; a bet made after the come out roll but in other respects exactly like a pass line bet.
Come Box	The area on the layout where a come bet is made.
Come Out Roll	The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the “come out” roll. Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don’t bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don’t bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don’t bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the “bar” roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).
Coming Out	A term to designate that a new come out roll is about to happen.
Correct Odds	The mathematical likelihood, or probability, that a bet will be made a winner (usually the odds a point will be made prior to a 7 rolled).
Craps	The term for a roll of a 2, 3 or 12. Also the name of the game.
Craps Out	To throw a craps on the come out roll, an automatic loser for Pass Line bettors.
Crew	Four casino employees that staff a craps table, includes a boxman, a stickman, and two dealers.
Dealer	A casino employee who works directly with the player and handles the monetary transactions, bets and payoffs.
Dice Pass	The dice are said to “pass” when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll. The dice “don’t pass” when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out. If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll sets the “point”, and the shooter continues to roll until the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled (see “seven out”). If the shooter rolls the point before rolling a seven, the dice pass. If the shooter sevens out, the dice don’t pass and the shooter loses control of the dice.
Don’t Come Bet	A “virtual don’t pass bet”; a bet made after the come out roll but in other respects exactly like a don’t pass bet.
Don’t Come Box	The area on the layout where a Don’t Come bet is made.
Don’t Pass Bet	A bet that the dice will not pass. This bet can be placed only immediately before a “come out” roll. One result (either the 2 or the 12, depending on the casino) will result in a push. House edge on these bets is 1.40%. A don’t pass bet can be taken down, but not increased, after the come-out roll.
Don’t Pass Line	The area on the layout where a Don’t Pass bet is made.
Double Odds	An odds bet that is about twice as large as the original pass/come bet. Some casinos offer higher odds, such as 5X or even 10X odds.
Easy Way	The roll of a 4, 6, 8 or 10 where the dice are not matched as a pair (i.e. the hardway), such as 5-5, but other combinations.
Even-Money	A payoff at 1 to 1.
Field Bet	A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. This bet pays even money for 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, and usually pays 2:1 for 2 or 12. Some casinos pay 3:1 for either the 2 or 12 (but not both), and some casinos may make the 5 instead of the 9 a field roll.
Floorman	A casino employee who stands behind the craps table, checking on the players and authorizing credit for players.
Free-Odds Bet	Another term for any odds bet where the house has no advantage. Either taken (or laid) on a Pass, Don’t Pass, Come or Don’t Come bet after the point is established.
Front Line	Refers to the Pass Line
Hard Way	A bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice show the same face; e.g., “hard 8” occurs when each die shows a four.
High Roller	A player (bettor) who wages large sums of money at a craps table.
Hop Bet	A bet that the next roll will result in one particular combination of the dice, such as 2-2 (called a “hopping hardway”) or 3-5. 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5 are paid the same as a one-roll 2; other hop bets are paid the same as a one-roll 11.
Horn High Bet	A bet made in multiples of 5 with one unit on 3 of the horn numbers, and two units on the “high” number; e.g., “$5 horn high eleven”: $1 each on 2, 3, 12, and $2 on the 11.
Hot Roll	Dice that are continually passing, and that are held by a shooter for a long time before a seven-out.
House Edge	The advantage a casino has over a player on a particular bet.
Inside Numbers	The numbers 5, 6, 8 and 9. Usually designated as inside numbers when making a place bet on these numbers.
Lay Bet	A bet that a particular number (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) will NOT be rolled before a 7 comes up. The casino takes 5% of the winnings on these bets. The 5% commission is usually taken up front, but some casinos take the commission after the bet wins.
Lay Odds	After a point has been established, the don’t pass bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original don’t pass bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge. This also applies to a don’t come bet. Making this bets is referred to “laying the odds” for your don’t bet.
Line Bet	A bet on the “pass line” or the “don’t pass line” is called a “line” bet. These bets are placed at the beginning of the game, before the “come out” roll. The shooter is required to make a line bet in order to shoot the dice.
Loaded Dice	Dice that have been weighted to tamper with their roll.
Marker Buck (Puck)	Plastic round disk used to mark either the point or to indicate that no point is yet established; “OFF” on one side, “ON” on the other side.
Natural	Another term for a 7 or 11 rolled on the come out roll.
Odds Off	Odds bets that are “not working”. Odds bets can be called “off” by the player at any time, but are left on the felt until the bet is resolved. Also, come odds bets are usually “off” during the come out roll, unless the bettor asks to have the odds bets “working”. Come odd bets that are “off” will be returned to the player if the line bet loses on the come out roll. Don’t come odds generally work on the come-out roll.
On Base	The term for a standing dealers who is not the stickman.
On the Stick	The term to signify that a dealers is now working the stick, and is the stickman for a designated time.
Outside Numbers	The numbers 4, 5, 9 and 10. Usually designated as outside numbers when making a place bet on these numbers.
Parlay	To increase a bet, usually by double; same as “Press”.
Pass Bet	A bet that the dice will pass, also known as a “pass line” bet. This bet is generally placed immediately before a “come out” roll, although you can make or increase this bet at any time. House edge on this bets is 1.41%.
Payoff	The casino pays and the player collects a winning bet.
Pit Boss	A casino employee in charge of all the craps tables in one area of the casino.
Place Bet (To Lose)	A bet that a 7 will be rolled before the number you are placing (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) comes up. The casino requires you to lay slightly more than the correct odds, giving the house an edge of 3.03% on 4/10, 2.5% on 5/9, and 1.82% on 6/8.
Place Bet (To Win)	A bet that a particular number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled before a 7 comes up. These bets are paid at slightly less than correct odds, giving the house an edge of 1.52% on 6/8, 4% on 5/9, and 6.67% on 4/10.
Point	If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, then this number becomes the “point”. The shooter must roll the point again, before rolling a seven, in order for the dice to “pass”. A “come point” is just the number that is serving as a point for a come bet.
Press	To increase a bet, usually by doubling; same as “Parlay”.
Put Bet	A bet made on the pass line after the come out roller a bet made directly onto a come point number.
Rails	A grooved area at the craps table where players place their chips when they aren’t being bet.
Right Bettor	A player who bets that the dice will pass.
Roll	A single throw of the dice. Also, a complete series of throws until the shooter sevens-out.
Sequence Bet	A bet whose outcome is not necessarily determined on the following roll but may take a succession of rolls to be determined.
Seven Out	When the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. Another term for this is “miss out.” This is often incorrectly called “crap out.”
Shooter	The player who is rolling the dice. The shooter must place a “line” bet (“pass” or “don’t pass”) in order to be eligible to roll the dice.
Snake Eyes	A slang term for the number 2.
Standoff	A situation where no decision results from a throw of the dice on certain bets.
Stickman	A casino employee who calls the game and handles the stick at a craps table.
Take Odds	After a point has been established, the pass/come bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original pass/come bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge.
True Odds	The odds a particular number will be rolled on any single roll of the dice.
Two Ways	A phrase appended to a hardway or proposition bet to indicate that the player is betting one chip for the dealers along with his own bet.
Working	Bets that are “live” (i.e., can be resolved with the next roll) are said to be working. Generally, place bets, buy/lay bets, and come odds bets do not work on the come-out unless you tell the dealers to “make them work.” All other bets (e.g., hardways) work unless you call them “off” (i.e., tell the dealers you do not want them to “work”).
World Bet	A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, made in multiples of 5, with one unit on each of the numbers.
Wrong Bettor	A player who bets that the dice will not pass.
Yo-leven	A slang term for the 11.