Craps foundation
Start with one contract: the Pass Line.
Once you understand the come-out roll and point cycle, the rest of the table becomes easier to classify.
Pass Line on the come-out roll
- 7 or 11: Pass wins.
- 2, 3 or 12: Pass loses.
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: that number becomes the point.
After a point is set
The shooter continues rolling. If the point repeats before 7, Pass wins. If 7 appears first, Pass loses and the round resets.
Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass mostly takes the opposite side: 2 or 3 wins on the come-out, 7 or 11 loses, and 12 commonly pushes. After a point is established, 7 before the point wins the Don’t Pass wager.
Odds are separate
After a point, casinos commonly allow an additional odds wager behind Pass or against Don’t Pass. That portion is paid at true mathematical odds, which is why its house edge is zero even though the required line bet still carries an edge.