Las Vegas is the best place in the world to play craps. The game is everywhere, the energy at a hot table is unlike anything else on the casino floor, and — if you know what you’re doing — the odds are among the most favorable in the building. But walking up to a craps table for the first time is genuinely intimidating. The layout looks like a circuit board, the dealers speak in shorthand, and everyone else seems to know something you don’t.
They don’t. Here’s everything you need to know before you place your first bet.
What You’re Walking Into
A standard craps table seats up to 12 players and is run by a crew of four: two dealers on either side handling bets and payouts, a stickman in the middle who controls the dice and calls the action, and a boxman seated at the center who supervises the game and manages the chips.
The table itself is felt-covered with the same layout mirrored on both sides — Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, Field, Place bets, and the proposition bet area in the center. Don’t let the visual complexity fool you. You can play an entire session making only one or two types of bets and be completely fine. The other 35 bet types exist largely to separate tourists from their money.
One player is designated the shooter and physically throws the dice. The dice must hit the back wall of the table on every throw — dealers will remind you of this. Everyone at the table can bet on each throw regardless of who’s shooting.
Finding a Table in Las Vegas
This is the first practical decision, and where you play matters more than most people realize.
The Strip
Most Strip casinos start craps at $10 minimum, with a few hybrid electronic tables offering $5 minimums. The odds offered are generally less generous here. Most Vegas Strip casinos only offer 3-4-5x odds. The Strat is the only Strip casino that offers 10x odds, with a minimum bet that’s typically $15.
The 3-4-5x odds structure means you can bet 3x your Pass Line bet when the point is 4 or 10, 4x when it’s 5 or 9, and 5x when it’s 6 or 8. It’s the standard across most major Strip properties.
Downtown
Downtown Las Vegas is significantly more player-friendly for craps. Main Street Station has $5 craps games and 20x odds — the highest in the city. Sam’s Town also offers 20x maximum odds. If you’re serious about minimizing the house edge, getting off the Strip is worth the short drive or ride.
Locals Casinos
Throughout the Las Vegas Valley, locals and off-Strip casinos have traditional craps tables with minimums ranging from $5 to $15. These properties see fewer tourists, tend to have better odds, and are generally more relaxed environments for learning the game.
Electronic and Hybrid Tables
If you want to learn without the social pressure of a live table, Roll to Win Craps is a hybrid game with one dealer and real dice, where bets are placed on a screen — available with $5 or $10 minimums and typically double odds. The experience is quieter and lower-stakes, which makes it a reasonable training ground before stepping up to a full table.
Before You Sit Down: Buying In
Walk up to the table between rolls — never interrupt a throw. When the dice are in the middle and the stickman is moving bets around, that’s the right time to approach.
Place your cash on the table felt in front of you. Don’t hand it directly to the dealer — casino rules require cash transactions to happen on the felt where cameras can see them. Say “Change, please” and the dealer will convert it to chips.
Common buy-in amounts for a $10 table: $100–$200 puts you in the game without too much exposure. For a $25 table, $300–$500 is more appropriate. The goal is having enough chips to survive a cold stretch while staying for a hot one.
The Game Flow
Every craps sequence starts with a come-out roll.
Before the come-out, place your Pass Line bet. The puck on the table will be black side up and marked “Off,” indicating a new sequence is starting.
On the come-out roll:
- Shooter rolls 7 or 11: Pass Line wins, sequence restarts
- Shooter rolls 2, 3, or 12: Pass Line loses (these are called craps), sequence restarts
- Shooter rolls any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10): That number becomes the point
Once a point is established, the dealer flips the puck to white side up and places it on the point number. Now the shooter keeps rolling until one of two things happens:
- They roll the point again: Pass Line wins, sequence restarts with same shooter
- They roll a 7: Pass Line loses (called “sevening out”), dice pass to the next player
That’s the entire game loop. Everything else is a side bet layered on top of it.
The Bets That Actually Matter
Pass Line (House Edge: 1.41%)
Your foundational bet. Place it before the come-out roll. Wins on 7 or 11 on the come-out; loses on 2, 3, or 12; wins if the point is made before a 7. Pays even money.
Free Odds (House Edge: 0%)
After a point is established, you can place additional chips directly behind your Pass Line bet in the area marked on the felt. This is the odds bet — the only wager in the casino with zero house edge, paid at true mathematical odds.
At a Strip casino with 3-4-5x odds, you can bet:
- 3x your Pass Line bet when the point is 4 or 10
- 4x when the point is 5 or 9
- 5x when the point is 6 or 8
Simply place your chips behind the line and the dealer will confirm the amount. Always take the maximum odds offered. It’s the single best decision you can make at the craps table.
Come Bets (House Edge: 1.41%)
Once a point is set, a Come bet works exactly like a new Pass Line bet for the very next roll. Roll 7 or 11 and it wins immediately. Roll craps and it loses. Any other number becomes your personal come point, and you can take odds on it just like the Pass Line.
Come bets let you get action on multiple numbers simultaneously without chasing the high-edge bets in the center of the table.
Don’t Pass / Don’t Come (House Edge: 1.36%)
The mathematical inverse of Pass and Come bets — you’re betting against the shooter making the point. Slightly better odds, identical mechanics in reverse. You win when the shooter sevens out, lose when they make the point. You can lay odds behind Don’t Pass bets, which also carry zero house edge.
The social dynamic is different: you’re winning when the rest of the table is losing. Most players avoid this on principle; some prefer the marginally better math. Either approach is correct.
Place Bets on 6 and 8 (House Edge: 1.52%)
If you want to bet on specific numbers without going through the Come bet process, Place bets on the 6 and 8 are the only ones worth making. Tell the dealer “Place the 6” and put your chips on the table. Pays 7:6, so bet in multiples of $6. You can take these bets down at any time, unlike Come bets which stay up until resolved.
Don’t Place any other numbers. The 5 and 9 jump to 4% house edge; the 4 and 10 go to 6.67%.
Table Etiquette
These aren’t arbitrary rules — they keep the game moving and maintain your standing with the crew.
Handle chips before the roll, not during. Once the stickman pushes the dice to the shooter, keep your hands above the felt or away from the layout entirely. Dealers will remind you; it’s embarrassing to be reminded twice.
Throw the dice to the back wall. Both dice must reach the far end of the table. A short roll will get you a look from the stickman. Just throw them — you don’t need perfect aim, just enough force.
Know what you want before the dealer looks at you. “Pass Line with odds” and “Come bet” are complete sentences. If you’re unsure, watch one sequence before betting.
Tip the crew. The standard approach is to make a bet for the dealers — place a chip on the Pass Line and say “For the boys” (or dealers). When it wins, they keep the payout. Dealers at a good craps table are doing real work managing payouts on every roll, and tipping keeps the atmosphere warm.
Don’t blow on the dice. It’s been done so many times that it’s a mild eye-roll at most tables. Not forbidden, just tired.
Call your bets. When the dice are in motion, verbal bets are binding. Dealers confirm action by repeating it back. If you hear confirmation, your bet is live.
Comps and Casino Rewards
Las Vegas casinos rate craps players based on average bet size and time played. Give the floor person your players card before you start and ask to be rated.
One important note: Las Vegas casinos do not reward comp points for odds bets. Your free odds bet — the best bet on the table — is invisible to the comp system. Casinos have no financial incentive to reward you for a bet they don’t profit from. Take the full odds anyway. The math is far more valuable than the marginal comp credit you’d earn.
Most Vegas casinos offer free drinks while you’re playing craps — it’s one of the perks of parking yourself at the table. Lower-limit tables won’t have servers sprinting to your side, however. Flag someone down when you see them; don’t expect proactive service at a $10 table.
Session Bankroll: What to Bring
A practical session bankroll for different table minimums:
| Table Minimum | Suggested Buy-In | Unit Size (Pass + Odds) |
| $5 | $100–$150 | $5 Pass + $25 odds (5x) |
| $10 | $200–$300 | $10 Pass + $50 odds (5x) |
| $15 | $300–$400 | $15 Pass + $75 odds (5x) |
| $25 | $500–$750 | $25 Pass + $125 odds (5x) |
Bring enough to survive a rough patch of 15–20 rolls without sevening out. Craps is streaky by nature and the goal is to still have chips when a hot shooter shows up.
Never reach back into your wallet at the table. Decide your session budget beforehand and treat it as your entertainment cost for the evening. When it’s gone, walk away. When you’re significantly up, consider pocketing a portion and playing with the rest.
A Quick-Reference Betting Guide
Always bet:
- Pass Line
- Free Odds behind every point (maximum available)
- Come bets with odds (optional, for more action)
- Place 6 and 8 in multiples of $6 (optional)
Never bet:
- Any 7 or Any Craps (16.67% and 11% house edge)
- Hardways (9–11% house edge)
- Big 6 / Big 8 (9.09% house edge — same as Place 6/8 but at worse odds)
- Horn bets and proposition bets generally
- Field bets (2.78–5.56% depending on the table)
- Place bets on 4, 5, 9, or 10
Where to Learn Before You Go
If reading about craps and actually playing craps still feel like two different things, there are options. Casino Quest at the Fashion Show Mall offers craps instruction for $20 an hour at a realistic table with an experienced dealer. An hour there will do more than any article to make you comfortable with the flow of the game.
YouTube is also genuinely useful for craps specifically — watching a few come-out sequences with commentary makes the game click in a way that text descriptions can’t fully replicate.
The craps table is loud, social, and occasionally chaotic — and that’s entirely the point. When a shooter gets hot and the whole table is winning together, it’s the best atmosphere in any casino. You just need to know which bets to make, where to play, and how much to bring. Now you do.
