Understanding the Pass Line & Don't Pass Line Bets

This article is especially important if you are new to the game of craps. You cannot expect to play a game without knowing its rules first, let alone play a good game. So beginner craps players are well advised to read this article and familiarize themselves with the rules of craps. In this section you will find information on the craps table, information on who is doing what at the craps table, information on the dice and information on the pass line and don't pass line bets.

The first thing that you must know is that craps is a dice game. When playing craps you are playing against the casino and not against other craps players at the craps table. The craps table itself is similar to a blackjack table. It is covered with felt, each end is a mirror image of the opposite and it is really long. It does not need to be so long, but the casinos made it so long in order to let more craps players gamble at the same time.

Since there are so many craps players at the table the atmosphere can get pretty frantic. There are so many craps players all gambling at the same time that it is very easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and keep on betting. This is a plus for both the casino and the craps players. The casino has people gambling at the table and the craps players have an exciting and fun game. Regardless of how many people are at a craps table at a certain time the rules of the game are the same for all of them. It does not matter if there is just one player or several of them gambling at a craps table.

Craps is a very fast paced game. For a beginner player the fast pace of the game and all the people at the table can be very intimidating. Not to mention the sheer size of the craps table or the craps vocabulary. Beginner craps players can always practice in an online craps game. They can play for free and familiarize themselves with the game and the rules. When they feel confident they can go to a land based casino and play at a real craps table. But before you decide to go to a land based casino and play craps first take the time to read about what is everybody doing around the craps table, the craps dice, some rules and the outcome of the dice roll.

The "crew" is the official name for all the people standing around the craps table. On each side of the table you will see two dealers. They are responsible for their half of the table. Their responsibilities include exchanging cash to chips and collecting or paying off bets. The seated boxman is found in between the two dealers. He will keep an eye on the crew and all the betting. If any problem arises he will solve it.

Across the table from the seated boxman you will see the stickman. He is called this way because he has a big, curved stick which he uses to push and pull the dice. He is responsible for setting the pace of the game, announcing the outcome of a roll and keeping track of the center bets. Some craps players are attracted by their calls while others are intimidated and avoid the craps table because of this.

20 years ago craps was the most popular casino games. Unfortunately, since then its popularity has continuously declined. The main reason for this is the difficult rules of the game. And the fact that the stickman uses a vocabulary that not many craps players understand has not helped at all. Not to worry, just keep on reading and all your uncertainties will be cleared up.

If you are a beginner player you can find craps tables that have a $5 minimum bet very easy in Vegas. As a matter of fact you can find such tables just about anywhere. If you play at such a table you can get used to playing in a land based casino without taking the risk of losing a lot of money. But before we talk about the game itself let's take a moment to talk bout the dice. Information about the craps dice is essential to anyone that wants to play craps.

When playing craps the rules dictate that you use two six sided dice. Two dice with six sides make for 6x6=36 possible dice combinations. This is actually similar to roulette. The main difference is in the odds. Different numbers have better odds than others of coming up. For example if you want to get a 12 there is only one dice combination that adds up to a 12: a pair of 6's. This means that your chances of getting a 12 are 1 in 36. but if you want to get a 7 there are 6 possible dice combinations that add up to a 7: 1 and 6; 2 and 5; 3 and 4; 4 and 3; 5 and 2; 6 and 1. This means that your chances of getting a 7 are 1 in 6.

The chart below shows the probabilities of getting a certain dice combination:

Dice Chart
Roll	Combination	Probability
2	1-1	1/36
3	1-2, 2-1	2/36
4	1-3, 3-1, 2-2	3/36
5	1-4, 4-1, 2-3, 3-2	4/36
6	1-5, 5-1, 2-4, 4-2, 3-3	5/36
7	1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3	6/36
8	2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, 4-4	5/36
9	3-6, 6-3, 4-5, 5-4	4/36
10	4-6, 6-4, 5-5	3/36
11	5-6, 6-5	2/36
12	6-6	1/36

If you want to get an idea of what dice combination may come up next when playing craps then you should familiarize yourself with this chart. It provides all the information you need about dice combinations. So study it until you are able to predict what dice combination will come up next.

Remember that the last roll has no influence on the next one. The dice do not remember that they rolled out a 9 for example in the last roll. The chances of a certain number coming up are the same on each roll, regardless of the previous one.

For example if you flip a coin the chances of getting heads or tails are 50/50. This probability will not change even if you got heads in the last 5 flips. You may be tempted to think that the outcome of the 6th flip will be tails. The truth is that the probability of this happening is still 50%, regardless of the previous flips.

You may have already noticed that the 7 is at the center of the chart. It has the highest probability of occurring and the probabilities of all the other numbers rolling out decrease symmetrically. 6 has the same probability as 8, 5 the same as 9 and so on. If you want to calculate the odds of a certain number rolling out there is a simple mathematical way that you can do yourself. All you have to do is divide the number of dice combinations that do no add up to a certain number to the number of dice combinations that add up to that number.

Let's take the number 10 for example. There are a total of 3 dice combinations that add up to a 10, but there are 33 dice combinations that do no add up to a ten. So the odds of you rolling out a 10 are 33:3 or 11:1. The ability to calculate your odds of getting a certain number before a 7 is even more important. Let us calculate your odds of getting a 5 before a 7. There are 6 dice combinations that add up to a 7 and 4 dice combinations that add up to a 5. This means that you odds of getting a 5 before a 7 are 6 to 4 or 3 to 2.

Remember the difference between probability and odds. Let's take 10 for example. The probability of 10 being rolled out is 3 in 36 or 1 in 12. But the odds of 10 being rolled out are 1 to 11. For every 12 rolls 10 has the chance of rolling out once. This means that 11 rolls will not be a dice combination that adds up to 10, but one roll will be a dice combination that adds up to a 10. Another thing to keep in mind is that most of the times when people talk about the odds of rolling out a number they actually talk about the odds of not getting that number. That is why you will hear people say that your odds of getting a 10 are 11 to 1, instead of 1 to 11.

Before playing craps yourself take a few minutes to watch the game. You will learn faster by watching someone else play the game, and you do not risk losing any money either. You will notice that a new round begins when the stickman offers a player approximately five dice. If he wants to play he will choose two dice that he will use.

The player becomes what is known as "the shooter". If the shooter wants to roll the dice he must first place a line bet. There are two kinds of line bets: pass the line and do not pass the line. Usually the shooter places a pass the line bet. In the meanwhile the other people at the table can place bets. These bets are placed on the table layout. You can place the same bet as the shooter and if he wins you will also win. You can also place a bet against the shooter.

In this case make sure to keep your enthusiasm for yourself. There's nothing worse than cheering against the shooter and the people that have played "with the dice" or in the shooter's favor. You will ruin the atmosphere and all the other people at the table will not look kindly at you. If you win a pass the line or do not pass the line bet you will be paid even money.

The act of throwing the dice is known as the "dice roll". The shooter must throw the dice simultaneously and they must bounce off the opposite wall of the craps table.

The "come-out roll" is the first throw of the dice and there are bets that you can place on it. There are several rules that apply to the "come-out roll". "Natural" means that the shooter has rolled a 7 or 11. In this case the pass line bet wins. "Craps" means that the shooter has rolled a 2, 3 or 12. In this case the do not pass line bet wins. The do not pass bet ties if the shooter rolled a 12.

If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 as his come-out roll then this number becomes his "point". The stickman will place a puck on the table layout, on the number that the shooter has rolled. The puck has the word "on" written on it and serves as a reminder of the shooter's point.

The outcome of pass line or do not pass line bets will not be decided at this time. The shooter will continue to roll the dice. Pass line bets will win if he will roll the same number as his "point". But if he rolls a 7 before the point number then all pass line bets will be lost. The round will end, losing bets will be collected and winning bets will be paid.

The same player will be the shooter for the next round. He will continue to be the shooter until he sevens out. This means that as long as he rolls naturals or as long as he makes the point he will continue to be the shooter. But if he rolls a 7 before the point number, then he sevens out. Another player will be asked to be the shooter. This is done in a clockwise manner.

In conclusion, you should remember these things:

• You will win a pass line bet if your come-out roll is a 7.
• If your come-out roll is different form 7 and on your next roll you will get a 7 you will lose you pass line bet.
• Getting a 2, 3, 11 and 12 only influences the come-out roll. Pass line or do not pass line bets are only influenced by these numbers on the come-out roll.

If you have understood how pass line and do not pass line bets work then you are ready to play craps. You will pick up on any other rule variations or subtleties as you play along. As long as you area familiar with the information presented here you should not have any problems.