Make Sense of Craps Bets Before You Play

Updated October 2026

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See how come-out rolls and points settle line bets, and how odds, side wagers, apps and variants fit into online craps.

How Craps Bets Resolve: Come-Out Rolls and Points

Craps line bets are settled in stages. The opening stage is the come-out roll; if that roll establishes a point, the game moves into a point phase. The number shown by the dice therefore matters in relation to the stage of the game, not just as a result on its own. A seven, for instance, has one effect on the come-out roll and a different role once a point is in play.

The shooter is required to wager on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line to take part as the shooter. These are opposing line bets, so the same come-out result can benefit one and lose for the other. The roll that starts a new round is the come-out roll. Its immediate outcomes determine whether a line bet is settled at once or the game continues with a point.

The come-out roll

A seven or eleven on the come-out roll wins for Pass Line wagers. Those same results lose for Don’t Pass Line wagers. These are immediate decisions: no point is set, and the round does not continue into a point phase on either result.

A come-out roll of two or three has the opposite effect. Pass Line wagers lose, while Don’t Pass Line wagers win. A roll of twelve also loses for the Pass Line and wins for the Don’t Pass Line under the basic outcome description. However, some online casino rulesets used in New Zealand treat twelve as a tie for the Don’t Pass Line. Under such a rule, that wager is returned rather than settled as a win or loss. The ruleset in use therefore matters when interpreting this particular result.

These outcomes are often grouped by what happens to each line bet, but keeping the numbers distinct helps avoid a common confusion: seven and eleven are favourable to the Pass Line on the opening roll, while two, three and twelve are unfavourable to it. The Don’t Pass Line reverses those outcomes, subject to the possible tie treatment of twelve. The word “craps” is also used for the opening results of two, three and twelve, but their effect on the two line bets is not identical in every ruleset because of the twelve exception.

When a point is established

The other possible come-out results that matter to the line-bet sequence are four, five, six, eight, nine and ten. When one of these numbers appears, it becomes the point. The roll does not settle the Pass Line wager immediately; instead, it changes the condition that must be met for that bet to win.

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Once a point has been established, the relevant question for a Pass Line bet is whether that same point appears again before a seven. If the shooter rolls the point first, the Pass Line bet wins. If a seven appears first, the stated winning condition has not been met. The distinction is between matching the point and rolling seven: a different number does not complete the Pass Line win condition.

For example, if the come-out roll establishes six as the point, a later six resolves the Pass Line as a win if it occurs before seven. The same pattern applies if the point is four, five, eight, nine or ten. The specific point changes, but the sequence remains the same: the point must recur before seven for the Pass Line bet to win. This is why the opening roll and subsequent rolls cannot be assessed as isolated outcomes.

Reading the sequence correctly

A useful way to follow a round is to identify its phase first. On the come-out roll, seven or eleven wins for the Pass Line, while two, three or twelve loses for it; the Don’t Pass Line has the opposing result, with the stated possible tie on twelve. A roll of four, five, six, eight, nine or ten establishes the point instead. During the point phase, the Pass Line wins if that number returns before seven.

This sequence explains why the question of the best bet in craps cannot be answered from a single roll alone. The line bets have different outcomes on the come-out roll, and a point changes how the Pass Line is resolved. The rules describe those conditions; they do not, by themselves, establish a universally best choice for every player or situation. In particular, the exception for twelve means that the precise treatment of a Don’t Pass wager can depend on the ruleset.

Pass Line Sequence

1. 1

   The Come-Out Roll

   The shooter rolls the dice. A 7 or 11 results in an immediate win, while 2, 3, or 12 results in an immediate loss.

2. 2

   Establishing the Point

   If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, that number becomes the point, and the game enters the point phase.

3. 3

   Resolving the Point

   The shooter continues to roll. The Pass Line bet wins if the point number is rolled again before a 7 appears.

For a basic reading of a craps table, the essential distinction is therefore between an immediate decision and a continuing one. Some come-out results settle the line bets at once. A point number instead carries the Pass Line wager into a second stage, where the point must return before seven for that bet to win. That structure is the foundation for understanding how the main line bets resolve, without confusing an opening result with a later point-phase roll.

Craps Odds, House Edge, and the Cost of Side Bets

A house edge is a measure of the casino’s mathematical advantage in a wager, expressed as a share of the amount bet over time. It is not a prediction of the result of an individual roll, nor does it mean that a particular player will lose that share in a single session. The measure is useful for comparing the built-in cost of different bets when their rules and conditions are known.

In Bank Craps, the Pass Line has a house edge of approximately 1.41%. This makes it a relatively low-cost wager by that measure: its expected cost is smaller than that of a bet with a higher house edge, considered over repeated play. The figure describes the bet’s mathematical structure, not a guaranteed outcome or a promise about short-term results.

The Any 7 bet in Bank Craps has a substantially higher house edge, approximately 16.67%. The gap between these figures is meaningful when assessing the cost of choosing one wager over another. A bet can appear attractive because it concerns a familiar outcome, but that does not make its underlying price competitive. The house edge provides a more useful basis for comparison than the apparent simplicity or excitement of a wager.

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Comparing the cost of wagers

The Pass Line and Any 7 figures show why bet type matters in craps. The Pass Line’s edge is much lower than the Any 7 edge, so the two wagers should not be treated as equivalent choices. A higher house edge means a greater mathematical cost relative to the amount wagered over time. It does not establish that the higher-edge wager will lose on the next roll, or that the lower-edge wager will produce a profit.

Side bets and bonus bets typically carry higher house edges than regular bets. That general distinction is relevant when considering the cost of a craps table’s additional wagers: their extra features do not, by themselves, indicate better value. The precise edge can depend on the bet’s rules, so the general pattern should not be mistaken for a numerical assessment of every side or bonus bet.

This also limits what can be concluded about the best craps odds. The Pass Line figure supports a comparison with the stated Any 7 figure, but it does not establish that craps has the best odds of any casino game. That broader judgment would require comparable house-edge information across other games and their wagers. Without such a comparison, “best” is not a conclusion that can be drawn from the Pass Line percentage alone.

The same distinction applies to claims about the best odds on craps. A low edge on one wager does not mean that every bet available within craps has an equally low cost. The Bank Craps figures demonstrate substantial variation between the Pass Line and Any 7. Assessing a wager therefore requires attention to the specific bet, rather than relying on the reputation of craps as a whole.

House edge is consequently a comparative measure, not a strategy or a forecast. It can identify which of the stated wagers is mathematically less costly, while leaving individual outcomes uncertain. On the available comparison, the Pass Line is markedly less costly than Any 7, and side and bonus bets should not be presumed to match the edge of regular bets. That is a narrower and more defensible conclusion than declaring craps the best-odds casino game overall.

A Strategy Built Around Pass, Come, and Odds Bets

A rules-based approach to craps is less a method for predicting the dice than a way to keep wagers within the sequence the game permits. Pass Line, Come, and odds bets are not all available at the same stage. Their timing determines what can be added and when, so a strategy built around them needs to distinguish the initial wager from later decisions.

A Come bet is available only after a point has been established. It then wins if that point is rolled before a seven. This makes it a later-stage wager, not an alternative that can be placed at any moment. A plan that includes Come bets therefore depends on the game reaching the point phase first. Until then, there is no eligible Come bet to make.

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That restriction matters when setting a consistent approach. A player may choose to rely on a Pass Line wager, or to consider a Come bet once the game permits one, but the latter cannot be treated as an automatic opening action. The distinction is procedural: the rules establish when a bet may be placed, while the player’s chosen plan determines whether to use that opportunity. Keeping those two questions separate avoids treating a preferred betting sequence as though it changes the game’s conditions.

Odds bets add another layer, but their availability is also conditional. A specialist review describes taking odds as an additional wager placed only after a Pass or Come bet, with the amount capped at a multiple of the original wager. The review does not establish a single cap applicable across all games or operators. Accordingly, an approach that relies on odds cannot assume the same permitted amount in every ruleset; the applicable terms determine the ceiling.

The order of decisions can be stated without turning it into a prediction system: establish an eligible Pass or Come bet, then consider whether the rules permit an odds wager against it. For Come bets, eligibility begins only after a point has been established. Odds are not a standalone opening bet under the described arrangement, and the cap is linked to the initial wager rather than being an independent amount. These conditions make the initial bet the reference point for later choices.

A practical mathematical approach is therefore defined partly by restraint. It does not require adding a wager merely because one becomes available. A player can decide in advance whether the plan includes Come bets and whether it includes odds, while recognising that the rules may limit when those choices can be made and how large an odds wager may be. This creates a repeatable procedure, but not a way to control which number appears.

The phrase “best craps strategy” can suggest a universal sequence that guarantees a favourable result. The available rules support a narrower conclusion: a coherent strategy can follow the game’s eligibility conditions and avoid confusing optional wagers with required ones. A craps trainer may help practise that sequence, but the label alone does not establish that a tool reflects a particular table’s terms. Likewise, a mathematical approach can organise choices without making the dice predictable.

A system centred on Pass, Come, and odds bets is thus best understood as a framework for timing and wager selection. Come bets depend on an established point; odds follow an eligible Pass or Come bet; and the permitted odds amount is bounded under the terms described by the specialist review. Those constraints can make decisions more orderly, but they do not remove the uncertainty of the roll or establish one strategy as universally superior.

What Craps Apps for iPad Can Be Assessed Against

An iPad craps app can be assessed by whether it represents the basic sequence of Bank Craps clearly and accurately. In this form of craps, one player rolls two dice, and the central objective is to roll a point number before a seven appears. That sequence provides a practical reference for examining how an app presents a round, even without judging its graphics, controls or other features.

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The distinction between a genuine representation of the game and a loose dice-themed format depends on the rules shown during play. A digital version should make the two-dice roll visible and distinguish the point from the later rolls that determine the outcome. If an app presents repeated rolls without making that sequence understandable, its resemblance to Bank Craps is limited. Conversely, an interface that makes the point and the appearance of a seven legible gives a clearer account of the basic game.

This standard applies to craps apps designed for an iPad as well as versions intended for an iPhone. Screen size and layout may differ, but they do not change the underlying sequence. A useful assessment therefore begins with the rules represented, rather than the device label or the visual style. A tablet adaptation does not become a more faithful craps game simply because it uses a larger display.

The same distinction matters when assessing a craps game for iPad. Product descriptions can use broad labels, while the in-app rules determine whether the central Bank Craps sequence is actually represented. The relevant point is not whether an app looks like a casino table, but whether its play communicates that one person rolls two dice and must reach a point before a seven appears. That is a narrow criterion, but it is grounded in the game’s defining structure.

Clarity also affects how the sequence can be evaluated. The point should be identifiable as a game state, not merely one result among other dice outcomes. The appearance of seven must be shown in relation to the point, so that the player’s objective is intelligible. These features concern the presentation of rules; they do not establish that an app is reliable, fair or suitable for wagering. Those broader judgements require evidence beyond the basic mechanics.

Accordingly, the phrase “best craps app for iPad” cannot be settled by screen compatibility alone. A meaningful comparison would require information about individual products and how they implement the rules. Without such product-level evidence, the defensible assessment remains general: the app should represent two-dice play and preserve the point-before-seven sequence associated with Bank Craps. This supplies a rules-based benchmark, not a ranking of available apps or a claim about their quality.

Comparing Pass-Line Bets with Other Craps Wagers

Comparing craps wagers by house edge provides a concrete way to distinguish bets that are less costly on average from those that carry a larger mathematical disadvantage. In Bank Craps, the Pass Line has an approximately 1.41% house edge, while the Any 7 wager has an approximately 16.67% edge. The difference is substantial: on this measure, the Pass Line is less costly than Any 7.

House edge describes the casino’s theoretical advantage across repeated wagering, not the result of an individual bet. A lower edge does not mean a Pass Line wager will win on a particular roll, nor does a higher edge mean an Any 7 wager must lose. Short sequences can produce outcomes in either direction. The figures instead allow the two wagers to be compared on a consistent mathematical basis.

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For someone asking what the best bets in craps are, “best” therefore needs a criterion. If the criterion is a lower house edge, the Pass Line is the clearer choice between these two Bank Craps options. That conclusion is limited to the stated comparison; it does not establish that the Pass Line is best for every aim or every version of craps. Nor does a lower edge remove the possibility of losing the wager.

Any 7 provides a useful contrast because its house edge is much higher than the Pass Line’s. Its name describes the outcome associated with the bet, but the label alone does not reveal its cost. The house-edge comparison does: a wager can appear straightforward while still giving the casino a substantially larger theoretical advantage. Evaluating a bet by its name or apparent simplicity, without considering its edge, can therefore obscure an important difference.

The figures also help clarify what “best bets” can reasonably mean in this context. They support a comparison of expected mathematical cost, rather than a promise about which wager will produce a win in a particular session. The Pass Line has the lower stated edge of the two, so it is the less costly option by that measure. Nothing in that comparison guarantees a favourable outcome or establishes a way to predict the dice.

Other wager categories should not be treated as equivalent to regular bets without checking their costs. Side bets and bonus bets typically carry higher house edges than regular bets. That general distinction is relevant when comparing a standard line wager with additional betting options, although it does not assign a specific edge to every such wager.

Accordingly, the Pass Line offers a defensible answer when “best” means lower house edge among the two stated Bank Craps bets. Any 7 is markedly less favourable under that same criterion. This is a narrow, measurable comparison, not a ranking of every craps wager or a claim that one bet will reliably win.

Dice Sets, Rolls, and the Limits of Prediction

A craps wager is resolved by the roll sequence defined by the rules, not by a named dice set. In Bank Craps, the relevant point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. A Pass Line bet wins if the established point is rolled again before a 7. Those conditions identify the outcomes that matter to the wager; they do not establish that a particular arrangement of dice can make one of those outcomes more likely.

The distinction matters when assessing claims about a preferred set or a “best” roll. A result can be favourable to a Pass Line bettor in a specific situation: once a point is established, rolling that point before a 7 wins the bet. But that does not make one point universally best, nor does it show that a chosen dice set can produce it. The result required depends on the point already in play.

The available rules therefore support a limited conclusion. They specify which numbers can serve as points and the order of outcomes needed for a Pass Line win. They do not verify that any particular dice set produces a preferred roll. Assertions of a reliable set-based method would go beyond what these rules establish.

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This also separates a betting objective from a prediction. A bettor can know which result would settle a Pass Line wager favourably, but knowing the target is not evidence that the next roll can be controlled or forecast. The rules describe how the bet is resolved; they do not supply a basis for choosing dice on the assumption that they will favour a particular outcome.

The numbers listed as points are not interchangeable with a prediction about what will appear next. Their relevance is conditional: a point must already have been established, and that same point must arrive before a 7 for the Pass Line bet to win. Without that sequence, naming a point or selecting a dice set does not demonstrate that the desired result will occur.

Accordingly, a claim that one set is the best choice for craps would require evidence beyond the basic betting rules. The rule-defined facts can clarify what counts as a winning Pass Line outcome, but they cannot substantiate a dice-set advantage. In this context, “best roll” has a clear meaning only relative to the point and wager already in play; it is not a general prediction of the next result.

Craps Variants and Online Play in New Zealand

Craps can refer to different formats, so the name alone does not establish how a game works. Bank Craps is played with one shooter rolling two dice against the game’s point-and-seven structure. Street Craps instead has players wagering against one another, rather than against a casino. These differences affect who takes the opposing side of a wager, even though both formats use dice and betting outcomes.

The described Simplified Craps version has a narrower set of stated outcomes: a roll of 2, 3 or 12 loses, while 7 or 11 wins. That makes it distinct from Bank Craps, where a point number must be rolled before a seven appears. The label “simplified” should therefore be read as a description of this particular rules format, not as a guarantee that every game using the label follows identical rules.

For someone comparing online craps, the relevant distinction is between a game’s rules and the status of the service providing it. A version may resemble Bank Craps or use a simplified outcome table, but that does not by itself establish which sites are suitable for players in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s regulatory position changed with the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, which took effect on 1 May 2026 and established the country’s first domestic licensing framework for online casino gambling. The change does not mean that all online casinos became locally licensed on that date. Services that were already operating for people in New Zealand before the Act took effect may continue during the transition, subject to the Act’s provisions, until 1 December 2026. The full licensed regime is not expected to be operational until 2027.

The Department of Internal Affairs is the primary gambling regulator and oversees the online casino licensing framework. The Gambling Commission hears and determines licence applications, issues online casino licences, and approves changes to licence conditions. These responsibilities belong to separate bodies within the regulatory structure.

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Before the new Act, online casino gambling supplied from outside New Zealand was not licensed or supervised by a New Zealand regulator, and customers had no domestic government recourse in disputes with offshore services. The transition is therefore a significant change in oversight, but it should not be confused with a settled market of fully licensed providers. In this period, online casino advertising to people in New Zealand is prohibited. The regulatory context matters when assessing claims about a site, independently of whether its craps rules match a familiar variant.

The Shooter’s Role and the Basic Way a Pass Bet Wins

In craps, the shooter is the player who rolls the dice. The role is tied to a line wager: a player must bet on either the pass line or the don’t-pass line to act as shooter. Rolling the dice does not, by itself, determine the result of a pass bet; the outcome depends on whether the required number appears before a seven.

For a pass-line wager, the basic objective after a point has been established is to roll that point again before rolling seven. The possible point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. If the shooter repeats the established point first, the pass bet wins. If seven appears first, that pass bet loses. The shooter’s task is therefore not simply to produce a particular number, but to reach the point before the competing outcome.

This distinction helps separate the shooter’s physical role from the wager’s conditions. The shooter handles the dice, while the line bet sets the outcome being judged. A player can take the shooter’s role only with a pass-line or don’t-pass-line bet in place; the pass bet, specifically, succeeds when the point comes up again before seven.

The phrase “best way to play craps” can imply a method for controlling the dice or ensuring a favourable result. The rules described here establish no such guarantee. They define a straightforward objective for a pass-line bet: after a point is set, that number must be rolled before seven. Identifying the best craps player in the world would likewise require a measure of skill or success that these basic rules do not supply. A player’s title as shooter describes participation, not a demonstrated ability to predict the dice.

Accordingly, the shooter’s role is best understood as procedural rather than predictive. The player makes the required line wager and rolls; the pass bet’s result follows the order in which the point and seven appear. That is the central distinction needed to understand how a pass bet wins, without treating the shooter as able to determine the roll.

Free Craps Apps and Simplified Rules

A free-play craps app can be assessed by the rules it presents, rather than by assuming that every digital version follows the same format. In the described Simplified Craps version, a roll of 7 or 11 is a win, while 2, 3 or 12 is a loss. These outcomes provide a concise reference for identifying this simplified ruleset.

That reference should not be confused with a complete account of Bank Craps. Simplified Craps, as described here, specifies outcomes for those listed rolls; it does not establish how every other roll is treated. The distinction matters when a game presents itself as simplified: the listed results can be checked against the stated rules, but they do not support conclusions about unlisted outcomes or other versions of craps.

The same limitation applies when considering a free craps game as a way to learn. A version that uses the stated Simplified Craps outcomes can demonstrate that particular win-and-loss pattern. It cannot, on that basis alone, be treated as a guide to every craps format. The rules shown within the game determine what the displayed outcomes mean, and the label “simplified” is not a substitute for reading those rules.

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A comparison of free craps apps therefore has to begin with the rules each one actually describes. The outcomes above offer a narrow point of reference, not a measure of overall quality. They do not establish that a particular app is available in New Zealand, nor do they show that one free-play version is better than another. Claims of superiority would require evidence about the products and their features, rather than the rules of Simplified Craps alone.

For a rules-based comparison, the most defensible question is whether a game clearly identifies its version and explains the outcomes it uses. Where its description follows the simplified pattern, 7 and 11 are winning rolls, and 2, 3 and 12 are losing rolls. Beyond that pattern, conclusions should remain limited to what the game itself states.

Online Casino Licensing and the Limits of Provider Comparisons

A reliable comparison of casinos for online craps in New Zealand depends on more than whether a site displays the game.

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The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 took effect on 1 May 2026, creating New Zealand’s first domestic licensing system for online casino gambling. The Department of Internal Affairs oversees the framework. The Gambling Commission handles licence applications, issues licences and approves changes to licence conditions.

The transition runs from 1 May to 1 December 2026. Online casinos that were already serving people in New Zealand before the transition began may continue operating until its end under the transitional provisions. The full licensing regime is not expected to be operational until 2027. Before the new Act, offshore online casino gambling was not licensed or supervised by a New Zealand regulator, and customers had no domestic government recourse.

Domestic online casinos remain prohibited under the Gambling Act 2003; the new regime concerns licensing providers rather than establishing casino operations based in New Zealand. During the transition, providers are prohibited from advertising online casino gambling to people in New Zealand. These conditions make a promotional ranking inappropriate: a game listing alone does not establish that a provider is licensed, or that a comparison of its services is sound.

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