What is boxcars?

Twelve is the rarest total alongside snake eyes, and it wears two nicknames - boxcars for the freight-car look of two 6s, midnight for the hour. It also does something no other number does: it splits the two main bets.

Quick answer: 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.

Boxcars on the come-out

A 12 on the come-out is craps: the pass line loses. But don't pass doesn't win - it pushes, the famous 'bar 12.' That one carve-out is how the casino keeps an edge over wrong bettors; without it, don't pass would actually favor the player. One number, doing all the house's bookkeeping.

Boxcars as a bet

The Boxcars prop is a one-roll bet on the next throw being 12, paying 30:1. With true odds of 35:1 (one combination in 36), the edge is 13.89%. A gentler way to root for the 12 is the field, where our table pays 3:1 on boxcars as part of a bet that wins on seven different numbers at a 2.78% edge overall.

Rare, but never due

The 12 shows up once per 36 rolls on average, but the dice have no memory - after ten boxcar-free minutes, the next roll is still exactly 1-in-36. 'Midnight is due' has emptied more racks than any cold streak ever did. Enjoy the 30:1 sweat occasionally, with the free chips doing the sweating.

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Related questions

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 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 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%.