The objective and the dice
Craps is a casino game played with two dice. Players do not compete against one another: they bet on the same rolls and follow the shooter, the person throwing the dice. For a first game, the clearest starting point is the Pass Line bet and the sequence of a round; players do not need to predict or control the dice.
A round has two stages. First comes the come-out roll, the opening roll. If it establishes a point, the shooter keeps rolling until that point repeats or a 7 appears. The stage matters because the Pass Line wins and loses on different results before and after a point is established.
The come-out roll
Before the come-out roll, a player betting on the Pass Line places chips in that area of the table. The shooter rolls both dice. A total of 7 or 11 wins the Pass Line immediately. A total of 2, 3, or 12 loses it. In either case, the round ends without a point being set.
Any other possible total—4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10—becomes the point. The dealer marks that number with a disc, commonly called the puck, and turns it to show that the table is in the point stage. From then on, a Pass Line bet wins if the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7.
Once a point is set
The shooter keeps rolling. If the point repeats before a 7, the Pass Line wins. If a 7 appears first, it is called a seven-out: the Pass Line loses and the round ends. For example, if the come-out roll totals 6, then 6 is the point. A 5 does not settle the bet, so the shooter continues. A 6 before a 7 wins for the Pass Line; a 7 before the 6 loses.
This sequence clears up a common beginner mistake: after a point has been set, a 7 is no longer a Pass Line win. Check the puck to see whether the table is still on the come-out roll or is playing toward the point.
Starting bets and table limits
The Pass Line is a common starting bet because it backs the shooter. The Don't Pass Line bets the other way and has a different rule on the opening roll: 2 or 3 wins, while 12 returns the bet. Once a point is set, Don't Pass wins if a 7 appears before the point. Because the rule for 12 differs between the two lines, check the bet area before placing chips.
After a point is established, some tables allow an additional odds bet behind the Pass Line. It pays according to the point's true odds and carries no house edge, but the table sets a limit on how much can be added. The minimum and maximum bets are also posted on a sign by the rail. No technique changes the dice; a player's choice is where to bet and how much to risk. To learn the game, follow the sequence—come-out, point, then a repeat or seven-out—before adding other bets.