Key facts
- Craps is a dice game: you bet on the totals two dice will show. The main bet, called the pass line in the US and the win line in Australian rule books, is decided by a come-out roll and then a point.
- On the come-out, 7 or 11 wins the win line and 2, 3 or 12 loses. Any other total becomes the point, and you win if it is rolled again before a 7.
- The Queensland and Victorian rule books pay hard 6 and hard 8 at 9.5 to 1, any craps at 7.5 to 1 and 2 or 12 at 33 to 1. Those centre bets still cost about 4.5% to 5.6%, in our calculation.
- For a beginner the cheapest plan is the win line plus odds. The win line alone has a 1.41% house edge in our calculation, and the odds bet has none.
- Craps is offered in person at some Australian casinos. Online craps, including live dealer craps, cannot legally be offered to people in Australia.
How to play craps in six steps
Craps is a dice game where everyone at the table bets on the outcome of the same throws. One player, the shooter, rolls two dice; the rest of the table bets with or against them. You do not have to shoot to play, and you can join between rounds.
- Wait for a new round. Line bets go down before a come-out roll, the first roll of each round.
- Bet the win line (called the pass line in American casinos; the Queensland and Victorian rule books say "win bet" and "Win Line"). Place chips on the line before the come-out roll.
- The come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins your line bet at 1 to 1. A 2, 3 or 12 ("craps") loses it. Any other total, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, becomes the point.
- The point is set. The dealer marks the point. From now on, the shooter keeps rolling.
- Point again before 7. If the shooter repeats the point before rolling a 7, the win line wins. If a 7 comes first ("seven out"), it loses and the dice pass to the next shooter.
- Add odds if you want. Once a point is set you can put an extra bet behind your line bet. It pays at true odds, so it carries no house edge.
Everything else on the layout is optional. You can play for hours on step 2 and step 6 alone.
A worked round
Here is one round with a $10 win line bet and $10 odds:
| Roll | Total | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Come-out | 6 | 6 becomes the point. You add $10 odds behind your line bet. |
| Second | 9 | Nothing happens to your bets. Only 6 or 7 matter now. |
| Third | 4 | Nothing again. |
| Fourth | 6 | Point made. Line bet pays $10 (1 to 1); odds pay $12 (6 to 5). |
You collected $22 on $20 at risk. Had a 7 come before the 6, both bets would have lost: $20. In our calculation a point of 6 is made 5 times in 11 (45.5%), which is exactly why the odds pay 6 to 5.
Craps rules for the don't side
Every line bet has an opposite. The don't win line (don't pass) wins if the come-out roll is 3 or 12, loses on 7 or 11, and once a point is set it wins if a 7 arrives before the point. In both the Queensland Casino Gaming Rule and the Victorian craps rules a come-out 2 does not count for don't bets: the bet stands off. That stand-off is what gives the house its edge on the don't side; without it the bet would favour you.
Betting the don't side means cheering for the seven out while most of the table groans. It is slightly cheaper than the win line, 1.36% against 1.41% in our calculation.
Craps bets and what they pay
The pay table below comes from schedule 4 of the Queensland Casino Gaming Rule (effective 24 December 2025) and the VGCCC-approved Victorian craps rules, which pay the same on every bet they share. The odds prices are from the Victorian rules.
| Bet | How it wins | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Win line / come | 7 or 11 first roll, or point before 7 | 1 to 1 |
| Don't win line / don't come | 3 or 12 first roll, or 7 before point (2 stands off) | 1 to 1 |
| Odds behind the line | Point before 7 | 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on 5 or 9, 6 to 5 on 6 or 8 |
| Place 4 or 10 | Number before 7 | 9 to 5 |
| Place 5 or 9 | Number before 7 | 7 to 5 |
| Place 6 or 8 | Number before 7 | 7 to 6 |
| Buy bets | Number before 7, true odds, up to 5% commission on the bet | 2 to 1, 3 to 2, 6 to 5 |
| Field (one roll) | 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11; 2 or 12 pay double | 1 to 1; 2 to 1 on 2 and 12 |
| Big 6 or big 8 | That number before 7 | 1 to 1 |
| Hard 4 or hard 10 | 2+2 or 5+5 before the easy way or 7 | 7.5 to 1 |
| Hard 6 or hard 8 | 3+3 or 4+4 before the easy way or 7 | 9.5 to 1 |
| Any craps (one roll) | 2, 3 or 12 | 7.5 to 1 |
| 2 or 12 (one roll) | That exact total | 33 to 1 |
| 3 or 11 (one roll) | That exact total | 16 to 1 |
| Any 7 (one roll) | A 7 | 4 to 1 |
Come and don't come bets work exactly like the line bets, except you make them after a point is set; the next roll acts as their own come-out. Place, buy, come odds and hardway bets are "off" on a come-out roll under both rule books unless you call them on.
Notice the hardway and one-roll bets. Australian rule books pay 7.5 to 1 and 9.5 to 1 on hardways and 33 to 1 on 2 or 12, which our craps odds page shows works out to about a 4.5% to 5.6% edge. Those prices are the best the centre of the table offers, and still three to four times the cost of a line bet.
The bets to start with, and the ones to skip
| Start with | Why |
|---|---|
| Win line or don't win line | About 1.4% house edge, simple rules |
| Odds behind your line bet | No house edge at all |
| Place 6 or 8 | 1.52% edge, a good way to get more action |
| Skip | Why |
|---|---|
| Any 7 | 16.67% house edge in our calculation, the worst bet on the table |
| Big 6 and big 8 | 9.09%, when place 6 and 8 pay more for the same outcome |
| Field and centre one-roll bets | 5.56% each, and they settle every roll |
Pundit tip: big 6 and place 6 win on exactly the same rolls. One pays 1 to 1, the other 7 to 6. Always place the 6 instead.
Table rules that protect your money
- You own your chip placement. The Queensland rule book makes the player responsible for the correct position of their wagers, even when a dealer helps place them. Check your bet is where you wanted it.
- Call bets off. In the Victorian rules, place, buy, come odds and hardway bets can be called "off" at any time, and they sit out each come-out roll unless you call them on.
- Read the limit sign. The Victorian rules leave the maximum odds multiple to the casino and require it on the table limit sign. A bigger multiple lets you put more money on the zero-edge bet.
- One bet at a time is fine. Nothing obliges you to bet every roll; a single line bet stays working until it is decided.
Craps in Australia
Craps appears in the VGCCC's list of approved table games for Melbourne's casino and has its own schedule in the Queensland Casino Gaming Rule. Online craps is a different story. Evolution streams a live craps table and an animated First Person version, but online casino games cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and ACMA blocks illegal gambling sites. You do not commit an offence by playing, yet you are outside any Australian complaint process.
Every bet's full cost is on the odds page linked above. The house edge explainer and best odds casino games show how craps compares, and sic bo covers the other big dice game. If dice are becoming more than a night out, the gambling help page lists free support.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you play craps for beginners?
Put a bet on the win line (pass line) before the come-out roll. A 7 or 11 wins straight away, 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes the point. Then you win if the point is rolled again before a 7. Add an odds bet behind it once a point is set.
What are the basic craps rules?
Two dice are thrown. The first roll of a round is the come-out roll; if it sets a point, the shooter keeps rolling until the point repeats (line bets win) or a 7 appears (line bets lose). Other bets, such as place, field and hardway bets, have their own rules and payouts.
What is the difference between the win line and don't win line?
They are opposites. The win line wins on 7 or 11 on the come-out and on the point repeating. The don't win line wins on 3 or 12 on the come-out and on a 7 before the point; in Queensland and Victoria a come-out 2 is a stand-off for don't win bets.
What are the best craps bets?
Win line or don't win line with odds, come or don't come with odds, and place bets on 6 and 8. In our calculation the line bets cost about 1.4%, place 6 and 8 about 1.52%, and the odds bets nothing.
Can you play craps in Australia?
Yes, in person where a licensed casino offers it; both the Victorian and Queensland casino rule books include craps. Online craps is a casino game that cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act.
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