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We’ve talked about how a typical round of craps will flow and what to expect from basic bets. Now let’s explore the exciting and colorful (or sometimes to the newcomer, seemingly confusing and needlessly complicated) spectrum of craps bets.
As we’ve seen, the basic “line” bets are the “Pass” and “Don’t Pass” bets, which can (and usually should) be added to by “taking the odds”. The “Come” and “Don’t Come” bets are nearly identical, but come into play after the come-out roll. In both cases, the first (“right” bet) wins on 7 or 11 to win, or 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 to establish the point and then win if it comes up before the next 7. The second (the “don’t” or “wrong” bet) wins on a 2 or 3, or on the 7 that ends the round once the point is established.
Single-roll bets include bets on a single number (though there are different odds for each number, such as the “Any-Seven” /”Big Red” bet), and On the Hop, which specifies the number appearing on both dice (i.e., 6 and 2 on the hop means that the shooter rolls an 8 with 6 on one die and 2 on the other die).
Other single-roll bets include the Hi-lo bet (2 or 12), Any Craps (“Three-way“, 2, 3, or 12), C & E (half bet on craps and half on 11), and the Field bet (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12). The Horn is four individual bets at the same time, on 2, 3, 11, and 12; variations of this include Horn High, which is the Horn bet accompanied by an extra bet on one of those numbers, and World (or Whirl) which is a Horn bet plus an Any-Seven bet.
Multi roll bets include Hard way bets (“doubles”, each die showing the same number) and Easy way bets (4, 6, 8, or 10 rolled without doubles). Big 6 and Big 8 bets are common but not universal, requiring a 6 or 8 before the shooter throws a seven.
Place and buy bets are other ongoing bets that pay off every time the shooter rolls that number (until the 7 comes up and ends the round). Lay bets are the opposite; the player wins if a 7 is rolled before the “lay number”.
In some cases, the casino allows a “Fire Bet” which pays only on the fourth (24-to-1 odds), fifth (249-to-1 odds) and sixth (999-to-1 odds!) point made by the same shooter.