When a shooter sevens out and a new come-out roll begins, something happens that most new players don't notice: the dealer flips the puck to OFF, and your place bets quietly go with it. They're still on the table — your chips haven't moved — but they're no longer at risk, and no longer collecting. The casino does this automatically, and it's actually doing you a small favor. Experienced players, though, sometimes choose to override it. This page explains why the default exists, when calling bets "on" makes sense, and what the tradeoff actually is.
Why Place Bets Are Off by Default on the Come-Out
During a come-out roll, a 7 is the best possible outcome for pass line bettors — it's an immediate winner. But a 7 on the come-out would also wipe out every working place bet on the layout. Most players at a craps table have a pass line bet, so the casino defaults place bets to OFF on the come-out as a practical accommodation.
Without this default, you'd regularly face the awkward situation of winning your pass line bet while simultaneously losing all your place bets on the same roll. That's a mixed outcome that feels like a loss even when it technically isn't. The default prevents it.
Once a new point is established — once a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 rolls on the come-out — your place bets automatically flip back ON without you doing anything. The dealer updates the puck, and your bets are live again.
What "Working" and "Off" Mean
These two terms describe the status of a bet, not its physical location on the table:
- Working — the bet is active. It will be paid if your number hits, or lost if a 7 rolls.
- Off — the bet is suspended. Your chips stay exactly where they are, but the bet won't be paid or lost on the next roll. It's temporarily inert.
You can call your bets on or off at any time by telling the dealer. The dealer will mark bets that are working during an off period — typically with a small round button labeled ON placed directly on or near your chips. That marker tells the dealers and boxperson that your specific bets are live even when others at the table have their bets off.
You can also call individual bets off independently. "Six and eight off" turns just those two bets off while leaving others working. "Everything off" suspends all of them.
The Come-Out Roll Math
Understanding the probabilities on any given roll clarifies what you're actually risking when you call bets working through a come-out:
| Outcome | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 7 (pass line wins) | 6 of 36 | 16.67% |
| 11 (pass line wins) | 2 of 36 | 5.56% |
| 2, 3, or 12 (craps) | 4 of 36 | 11.11% |
| Point number established | 24 of 36 | 66.67% |
If your place bets are working on the come-out, here's how each outcome plays out:
- 7 rolls (16.67% chance) — your pass line bet wins, but all working place bets lose. Net result: one win, multiple losses on the same roll.
- 11 rolls (5.56%) — pass line wins, place bets are unresolved (11 doesn't affect them), everything stays on the table.
- Craps rolls (11.11%) — pass line loses, place bets are unresolved, everything stays.
- Your place number rolls (varies) — that place bet wins and comes down, pass line is unresolved, the rest stay.
- Other point number established (66.67% total) — no place bets resolve, the come-out is over, everything goes back to live automatically.
The most impactful scenario is the first one: a come-out 7. At just under 1-in-6 odds, it happens regularly. That's the event the default is protecting you from.
When Keeping Bets Working Makes Sense
There are a few situations where calling bets on through the come-out is a reasonable choice:
You have no pass line bet. If you're playing place bets only — no pass line, no come bets — there's no conflicting interest. A 7 on the come-out is just a loss, same as a 7 on any other roll. In this case, the default is protecting something you don't have. Many pure place bettors keep their bets working on every roll.
You're on the don't side. Don't pass bettors want the 7 on the come-out — it's a winner for them. If you're laying bets on numbers, you may want those lay bets working during the come-out to collect on the same roll your don't pass wins. The math aligns differently on the don't side.
You've been sitting through a lot of come-out rolls. If the table has been establishing points quickly but then sevening out before your numbers hit, you might watch several come-out rolls go by with your bets sitting idle. Keeping bets working means those rolls count. This is more of a psychological reason than a mathematical one — the odds don't change — but it's a real consideration for players who don't want rolls going by with nothing happening.
When Keeping Bets Off Makes More Sense
You have a pass line bet. This is the core case for the default. A come-out 7 wins your pass line but would simultaneously wipe your place bets. Keeping bets off prevents the split outcome. Most players in this situation are better served by the default.
You just placed your bets. If you put place bets down right before a come-out roll, you haven't collected a single win from them yet. Taking the full 7 exposure immediately, before you've even established a session rhythm, is a fast way to end things early.
The table has been choppy on come-outs. If the last two or three shooters have thrown a come-out 7 quickly and handed the dice off, keeping bets working means you're absorbing repeated wipe-outs between hands. That's a high-variance pattern that can drain a session bankroll fast.
How to Tell the Dealer
The phrasing is simple and the dealers know exactly what you mean:
- "My bets are working" or "working on the come-out" — the standard call; dealer will acknowledge and mark your bets.
- "All my bets working" — explicitly covers everything you have on the layout.
- "Six and eight working" — keeps only those two bets on; others stay off.
- "Off on everything" — turns all bets off, including after a point is established if you want to sit out a particular roll.
Always confirm the dealer acknowledged your call. Look for the ON lammer placed on or near your chips — that's the visual confirmation your bets are live. If you're not sure, ask. "Are my bets working?" is a completely normal question and the dealer will tell you their current status.
Come Bets During the Come-Out: A Different Story
Come bets don't follow the same on/off logic as place bets, and this is a common source of confusion at the table.
A come bet placed during a come-out roll uses that roll as its own come-out. If a 7 rolls while a fresh come bet is still sitting in the COME box, the come bet wins — it's still in its personal come-out phase, and 7 is a winner there.
But come bets that have already traveled to a number box are in a different position. They've established their own point. A 7 that rolls — whether it's a come-out 7 for the table or any other 7 — loses those established come bets, the same as it would a place bet.
So if you have a come bet in the COME box and another come bet already on the 9:
- A come-out 7 wins the bet in the COME box and loses the bet on the 9.
- Your pass line bet also wins on that same 7.
That's three simultaneous outcomes from one roll — one win on the pass line, one win in the COME box, one loss on the established come bet. Come bets in transit are not marked off during the come-out the way place bets are, and there's no "off" option for them. They're always working.
The Honest Bottom Line
The default exists for good reason. Turning place bets off on the come-out protects pass line players from a split-result scenario — winning one bet while losing several others on the same roll feels bad and often leads to net losses on what should have been a winning roll.
Calling bets working through the come-out is a personal choice with no mathematical advantage either way. You're not improving your odds or reducing the house edge — you're simply keeping more action live across more rolls. That means more chances to win on a come-out hit, and more exposure to the come-out 7. Variance goes up in both directions.
If you have a pass line bet, the default is usually right. If you're playing place bets only, keeping them working on every roll is a reasonable approach. And if the table has been throwing early 7s, the default is doing you a favor — let it.