Craps FAQ
The questions people ask most about craps - the bets, the odds, the history, and how this site works. Here's the short answer to each; click through for the full explanation with examples. Looking for the rules of a specific table? Head to the Rules hub.
Common craps questions
Where does craps come from?
Craps descends from Hazard, an English dice game played since the 14th century - Chaucer mentions it. Bernard de Marigny brought the game to New Orleans around 1805 and simplified it, and John H. Winn added the don't pass option and the modern layout around 1907.
Is craps luck or skill?
Each roll of the dice is pure luck - nothing you do changes what lands. The skill is in which bets you make: the gap between the pass line at a 1.41% house edge and Any 7 at 16.67% is enormous, and choosing well is what separates players who last from players who bust.
What are the odds in craps?
It depends entirely on the bet. Odds bets have zero house edge, the pass line gives up just 1.41% and don't pass 1.36%, while one-roll props like Any 7 cost 16.67%. Knowing this table is the single most useful piece of craps knowledge.
What are the best craps bets for beginners?
Start with the pass line - one chip, even money, a house edge of just 1.41%. Back it with an odds bet, which has zero house edge, and if you want more action, place the 6 or 8 at a 1.52% edge. Ignore the shiny proposition bets in the middle of the table.
Is Craps.now free?
Completely. Every table, the daily challenge, multiplayer races and the leaderboards are free to play in your browser, with no download and no signup. You play with free virtual chips that refill automatically - real money is never involved.
Does craps work on mobile?
Yes. Every table is built for touch - tap a bet spot to place chips, tap again to press, and roll with a single button. There's no app to download; it runs in your mobile browser, and you can add it to your home screen to play like an app.
What is the Daily Challenge?
The daily challenge is a shared dice sequence that every player in the world gets on a given day, generated from the date. The dice are the same for everyone - only the betting differs - and the fastest player to double $500 into $1,000 tops the daily board. It resets at midnight UTC.
How does multiplayer craps work?
Both players get the identical seeded dice sequence and $500 in free chips, then race on their own tables - first to double up to $1,000 wins. Since the dice are the same for both of you, the race is decided by betting, not luck. Create a room, share the link, and play - no account needed.
How is craps scored?
Every session starts with $500 in free chips, and reaching $1,000 - doubling up - is a win. Losing all your chips is a bust, which ends the session and resets your streak. Your score is your final bankroll, and the leaderboards rank winning sessions by the fastest time to double.
What is the hardest craps variant?
Hazard is the hardest to learn - the winning and losing numbers change depending on which main you call. Crapless Craps is the sneakiest: it feels safer because you can't crap out, but the pass edge rises to about 5.38%. Full bank craps is the deepest, with the most bets to master.
Can you beat craps?
Not in the long run - every craps bet except the free odds bet carries a house edge, and no betting system changes that. But craps is beatable in the short run all the time, which is the whole fun: smart bet selection keeps the house's take tiny while variance does the rest.
Do I need an account to play?
No. Everything is playable as a guest - your stats and sessions save in your browser automatically. A free account is optional: it syncs your records across devices and keeps a permanent name on the leaderboards, but you never need one to play.
How do you play craps?
Place a bet on the pass line and roll two dice. On that first roll a 7 or 11 wins, a 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other total becomes your point. Then keep rolling: make the point before a 7 and you win; roll a 7 first and the round is lost.
What is the goal of craps?
Round by round, the goal is to win your bet - for pass line players, that means the shooter rolling a 7 or 11 on the come-out, or making the point before a 7. On Craps.now there's also a session goal: double your $500 in free chips to $1,000.
How many dice are used in craps?
Craps uses two standard six-sided dice, giving totals from 2 to 12. The 7 is the most common total - 6 of the 36 combinations - which is why the whole game revolves around it. One variant, Die Rich, plays with just a single die.
Why is it called craps?
Two explanations compete, both from the game's New Orleans days. 'Craps' may come from the French 'crapaud,' meaning toad - a nod to players crouching over street games - or from 'crabs,' the old English name for the losing throw in Hazard, the game craps descends from.
What is the come-out roll?
The come-out roll is the first roll of a new craps round. For pass line bettors, a 7 or 11 wins instantly, a 2, 3 or 12 (craps) loses, and any other total - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 - becomes the point that the shooter then tries to repeat before rolling a 7.
What is the point in craps?
The point is the number set when the come-out roll lands on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The puck flips to ON, and the shooter tries to roll that number again before a 7 - make it and the pass line wins, seven-out and it loses.
What is the pass line?
The pass line is the main bet in craps - the one the whole table plays together. It wins even money on a come-out 7 or 11, loses on 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise wins if the point is rolled before a 7. Its 1.41% house edge is among the best in any casino.
What is don't pass?
Don't pass is the mirror of the pass line - a bet that the shooter loses. It wins even money on a come-out 2 or 3, pushes on 12, loses to 7 or 11, and after a point is set it wins if the 7 arrives first. At a 1.36% house edge, it's slightly better than the pass line.
What are come bets?
A come bet is a pass line bet you make after a point is already set. The next roll acts as its personal come-out - 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes that bet's own point, which it must repeat before a 7. Same rules, same low 1.41% edge.
What are odds bets?
Odds bets are extra chips placed behind your pass, come or don't bet after a point is set. They pay true odds - 2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, 6:5 on the 6 and 8 - so the house edge on them is exactly zero. It's the only bet like it in the casino.
What is the field bet?
The field is a one-roll bet that wins if the next roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and loses on 5, 6, 7 or 8. Winners pay even money, except the 2 pays 2:1 and the 12 pays 3:1 on our table - making the house edge a modest 2.78%.
What are place bets?
A place bet backs one of the box numbers - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 - to be rolled before a 7, and it only works while a point is on. Placing the 6 or 8 pays 7:6 at just a 1.52% house edge; the 5 and 9 pay 7:5 (4.00%) and the 4 and 10 pay 9:5 (6.67%).
What are hardways?
A hardway bets that an even number - 4, 6, 8 or 10 - will roll as a perfect pair (both dice matching) before either a 7 or the 'easy' version of the number. The hard 6 and 8 pay 9:1 at a 9.09% edge; the hard 4 and 10 pay 7:1 at 11.11%.
What is snake eyes?
Snake eyes is the roll of double 1s - a total of 2, named for the two single pips staring up like eyes. It's one of the craps numbers, so it loses the pass line on the come-out, and the one-roll Aces bet on it pays 30:1 against true odds of 35:1.
What is boxcars?
Boxcars is the roll of double 6s - a total of 12, also called midnight - named after the boxy freight cars the two dice resemble. On the come-out it craps out the pass line but only pushes don't pass (bar 12). The one-roll Boxcars prop pays 30:1, and the field pays 3:1 on it here.
What is a seven-out?
A seven-out is when the shooter rolls a 7 while trying to make a point. It loses the pass line, wins don't pass, sweeps most working bets off the table and passes the dice to the next shooter. It's the single most consequential roll in craps.
What is Crapless Craps?
Crapless Craps is a variant where you can't lose the come-out roll: a 7 still wins, but 2, 3, 11 and 12 become points instead of instant wins or losses. The comfort has a price - giving up the automatic 11 win raises the pass edge to about 5.38%.
What is High Point Craps?
High Point Craps is a simplified variant: on the come-out, 2 and 3 are ignored, 11 or 12 wins instantly, a first-roll 7 loses, and any other total becomes your point - which you must beat with a strictly higher roll before a 7. One even-money bet; about 2.35% under casino rules, friendlier on our free-chip table.
What is street craps?
Street craps is craps with everything stripped away except the dice: just pass or don't pass at even money, using the classic rules - 7 or 11 wins the come-out, 2, 3 or 12 loses, then point before 7. No table, no layout, no props. Pass wins about 49.3% of decisions.
What is Hazard, the dice game?
Hazard is the medieval English dice game that craps descends from, played in taverns since the 14th century and mentioned by Chaucer. You call a 'main' from 5 to 9, then roll: hitting the main wins instantly, 2 or 3 loses, and other totals set a 'chance' you must repeat before the main.
What is Die Rich Craps?
Die Rich is craps played with one die instead of two. On the come-out a 6 wins even money and a 1 loses; anything else - 2, 3, 4 or 5 - becomes your point, which you must roll again before a 1 shows. It's the fastest, simplest table on the site.
What is New York Craps?
New York Craps is the no-frills East Coast variant with no pass line, no come bets and no place bets. You bet directly on the box numbers - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 - to roll before a 7, paid at true odds minus a 5% commission on wins.
How many craps variants are there?
Dozens have existed across 700 years of dice history. Craps.now offers 8 playable variants in three families: the casino classics (Craps, Crapless, New York), modern simplifications (High Point, Simplified, Die Rich) and the street and historical games (Street Craps and medieval Hazard).
How long does a craps session take?
A session ends when you double $500 into $1,000 or lose the stack, and most take 5 to 10 minutes. A hot streak with confident betting can finish in under 3 minutes, while a careful grind of small bets can stretch past 15.
What is a good craps time?
On Craps.now, 'time' means how fast you double the $500 bankroll to $1,000. Under 3 minutes is a genuinely hot streak, 5 to 10 minutes is a typical winning session, and over 15 is a grind. The leaderboards show exactly what fast looks like for each table.
How do you get better at craps?
Learn the house edge of every bet and let that table make your decisions: pass or don't pass backed by full odds, place the 6 and 8, skip the props. Then work on bet sizing, and practice on the daily challenge, where everyone faces identical dice.
Can I play craps offline?
Yes, for solo play. Once a table page has loaded, the game runs entirely in your browser, so you can keep rolling with no connection and your stats save locally. Only the live features - multiplayer races and the daily challenge - need the internet.
How are my stats and progress saved?
As a guest, your stats and unfinished sessions save automatically in your browser's local storage, no signup needed. A free account adds cross-device syncing, so your double-ups, best times and streaks follow you between phone, tablet and computer.