Craps: Betting the Passline

Betting the Passline

THE PASS LINE BETS - DO AND DON'T

When betting right (Do, DEWEY or With the Shooter), the player makes a bet before the first roll of the dice (Coming Out) that the shooter will either roll a 7 or 11, or roll any number but a 2, 3, or 12.

If he rolls a number, called the Point, he must roll that number again before he rolls a 7. If he does this successfully, he'll win that roll. It's known as "Making the point. If you bet the Pass Line, and the shooter makes his point, you win your bet. The Pass Line bet is always paid off at even money. It's a good wager.

When betting wrong (Don't or Against the Shooter) the player takes the opposite position from a right bettor. He's wagering that the shooter will either roll a 2, or a 3 on his come out, or roll a number and 7-out before he repeats that number on subsequent rolls. It's also a good bet and is paid at even money.

If you're a wrong bettor, understand that certain rules and etiquette apply to you. Craps is a social game and more often than not, wrong bettors are considered unlucky by the of right bettors at the table. So, my advice is to keep your hands off the rails, so you don't touch the dice when the shooter is rolling, when it's your turn to shoot, pass the rubies to the next guy, and be understated when the shooter sevens out and you win your bet.

On both of these bets, the house advantage is 1.4%, one of the lowest advantages in the casino. When the player takes odds, which are paid at correct, or true payoffs, the house advantage shrinks to .8% at single odds and .6% on double odds. Understand that I do not usually recommend players lay or give odds to the house on Don't or wrong play, so this discussion of odds applies (as far as I'm concerned) to the right bettor.

TAKING THE ODDS ON THE PASS LINE

Taking odds on the pass line number is a very good bet, as it lowers the house advantage. But know that even though the house edge is lower, you're still wagering additional chips. That's real money. If the table's cold, all the odds in the world won't save you.

Numbers 10 and 4 payoff on odds bet (Behind the Line) at 2 to 1, so any amount free odds the house allows you will always be paid at 2 to 1. This contrasts with a place bet on the 4 or 10 paid at 9 to 5. With a $10 dollar pass line and a $20 dollar odds bet, you'd be paid at even money, $10 for the pass and $40 for your odds.

Numbers 5 and 9 as a pass line number will be paid at true odds of 3 to 2. For example, if pass line bet is $10 dollars and you bet $20 dollars odds (Double Odds or 2X Odds), the house pays you $30 dollars for your $20 dollars odds bet and $10 dollars for your original pass line wager. On a placed 5 or 9, you'd be paid $ 28 dollars for that wager.

On numbers 6 and 8, if your bet on the pass line is $ 10 dollars, the house will pay you 6 to 5 on your odds bet. Therefore, your $20 dollars behind the line will return $24 dollars.

You MUST KNOW the odds, both true odds and the payoff odds for all bets. Whether you wager as a Positive (Dewey) player, or a Don't player, and you take or lay odds, it's your responsibility to understand this part of the game.