Craps has a reputation for being complicated and loud and intimidating, and walking up to a table for the first time does nothing to dispel that. There are chips everywhere, multiple people shouting numbers, a stickman calling things out in shorthand, and a layout covered in betting areas you haven't learned yet. None of that should stop you. This page covers exactly what you're walking into, what to do first, and what to ignore until you're more comfortable.
What You're Walking Into
A craps table runs loud. The stickman narrates every roll with established calls — "seven, front line winner," "five, no field five," "yo-eleven" — and players react to each one. The pace is continuous. Multiple players are placing bets simultaneously, often talking over each other, and dealers are tracking several things at once. It can feel like chaos from the outside.
It isn't, once you understand what's happening. The game has a clear structure: a come-out roll establishes a point, and then subsequent rolls either make that point (pass line wins) or seven out (pass line loses). Everything happening at the table is built around that loop. The noise is just people reacting to it.
Most regulars were beginners once, and dealers handle new players constantly. You are not going to slow the table down by asking a question or taking a moment to figure out where to put your chip. The crew expects it. Don't let the pace of the table pressure you into betting faster than you're comfortable with.
Finding the Right Table
Before you sit down, look at the minimum bet sign at each table. Most casinos post $10 or $15 minimums, though $5 tables still exist at some properties — they're less common on weekends and at busy casinos, but worth looking for when you're learning. A lower minimum lets you play longer on the same bankroll and make more mistakes at lower cost.
If you're new, a quieter table is easier to learn on. A packed table with twelve players is louder, moves faster, and gives you less time to think between rolls. A half-empty table lets you watch more, ask questions more easily, and get a feel for the flow without the pressure of a crowd behind every decision.
Check the sign posted at the table for the odds multiplier. You'll see something like "3x-4x-5x Odds" or "10x Odds." This tells you how much you're allowed to bet in free odds behind your pass line bet. Standard Las Vegas tables run 3x-4x-5x. Higher odds multipliers are better for you, but don't let that drive your table selection on a first visit — just be aware of what the number means.
How to Buy In
Don't hand cash to the dealer. It won't be accepted. Instead, wait for a pause in the action (between rolls is fine), then place your bills flat on the layout outside the betting areas — not on top of any existing bets. Say "change please" if you want to say something, or just set the cash down. The dealer will handle it from there.
The dealer will pick up the bills, spread them on the felt so the camera can see the denomination clearly, and count them out loud for the pit boss. You'll hear something like "changing two hundred." Then they'll push your chips to the rail in front of you.
Wait until the chips are pushed to you before you pick them up. Don't reach over to grab them while the dealer is still counting. Once the chips are in your section of the rail, they're yours.
Stack your chips in the grooved rail in front of you. Don't leave them scattered on the felt — that's where bets go.
What to Bet First
Bet the pass line. That's it. One bet, the table minimum, nothing else.
The pass line is the long curved strip running along the bottom edge of the layout closest to you. Put your chip on it before the come-out roll. If the puck sitting on the table is black and says "OFF," you're at the start of a new sequence — that's the come-out roll. If the puck is white and says "ON," a point has already been established and the pass line is technically past its best entry point. Wait a moment and a new come-out will come soon enough.
After a come-out roll establishes a point (the dealer moves the puck to one of the number boxes on the layout), you can place a free odds bet directly behind your pass line chip. Push the chips behind the pass line betting area — there's no marked spot, just place them directly behind your original bet. Free odds are the best bet on a craps table because the house has zero edge on them. Start with single odds — the same amount as your pass line bet — until you're comfortable.
Don't make proposition bets, field bets, hardway bets, place bets, or anything else on your first session. Those bets exist and some of them are fine with experience, but none of them are where you want to put your money while you're still figuring out how the game flows. Pass line and odds only.
Following the Action
The ON/OFF puck tells you where you are in the game at any moment. Black side up and sitting in the corner means you're in a come-out phase — a new sequence hasn't started yet. White side up, sitting on a number, means that number is the point and the game is in the point phase.
The stickman announces every roll. Listen for a few minutes and the cadence will start to make sense. On the come-out roll: a 7 or 11 wins immediately for pass line bettors. A 2, 3, or 12 loses immediately (these are craps numbers). Any other number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 — becomes the point and the puck moves to that number.
Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling until they either roll the point number again (pass line wins, new come-out starts) or roll a 7 (called a seven-out — pass line loses, the dice pass to the next shooter). A 7 during the point phase is bad for pass line bettors. That's why the table groans when it happens.
Everything else — other numbers that aren't the point and aren't a 7 — is just a neutral roll during the point phase. Nothing happens to your pass line bet. The game continues.
Things You Don't Need to Do
You don't have to shoot the dice. When the dice come to your spot, you can wave them off and pass them to the next player. No explanation required. Some people prefer not to shoot — it's completely fine.
If you do shoot, don't touch the dice until after all bets are placed and the stickman pushes them to you. Use one hand only when you pick them up, and throw them hard enough to hit the far wall of the table. The dice need to bounce off the wall for the roll to count as valid.
Don't touch the dice when it's someone else's turn. Don't reach over the layout while a roll is in progress — if your hands are over the playing area and the dice hit them, it creates a problem. Keep your hands on the rail until the roll is complete and the stickman has retrieved the dice.
Don't put your drink on the rail. The grooved rail is for chips. There are cup holders built into the table — use those.
Don't put cash directly on the layout as a bet. Cash plays differently at different tables and in different situations, and it's not how a beginner should be operating. Get your chips and bet with those.
Asking Questions
Ask questions between rolls, not during them. When the stickman is pushing dice to a shooter or when a roll has just been settled and chips are being paid out, the table is briefly in motion and it's not a good time to interrupt. Between rolls, when things calm for a moment, you can easily get a dealer's attention.
"Can you help me with this bet?" is completely fine to say. "Where does this go?" is fine. "What just happened?" is fine. Dealers field beginner questions constantly and most of them are good at giving a quick, useful answer without making you feel like you've asked something stupid.
The floor supervisor — sometimes called the pit boss — is standing in the pit in the center of the table. For bigger questions about the game, comp rating, or anything that requires more than a quick explanation, you can ask them. They're not just there to watch for cheaters; they're also available for player questions.
If you're not sure whether a bet you placed is correct, ask before the next roll. It's much easier to fix a bet that's in the wrong place before the dice go than to sort it out afterward.
A Simple First-Session Plan
Buy in for 20 to 30 times the table minimum. At a $10 table, that means $200 to $300. This gives you enough chips to survive a cold stretch, take free odds, and still have something to work with when the table turns.
Bet the pass line only. After a point is set, put single odds behind it — the same amount as your pass line bet. Don't add more bets. Don't chase losses with bigger bets. Don't get pulled into prop bets because the table is excited about hardways.
Before you sit down, decide two numbers: the amount you're willing to lose (your stop-loss) and the amount at which you'd walk away happy (your walk-away number). A common framework is to stop if you lose your full buy-in, and walk away if you double it. Write them down if it helps. The point is to have a plan before the table's energy affects your judgment, because a hot table will make you want to stay longer and bet bigger than you planned, and a cold table will make you want to chase losses to get back to even. Neither instinct is a strategy.
Play until you hit one of those two numbers. Then leave. That's a complete first session.