The shooter, or anyone wishing to bet that the shooter will win, places his bet "on the line" (in the area marked "Does Pass," "Line," or "Win" on various layouts) Anyone betting against the shooter places his bet in the area marked "Don't Pass." Anyone wishing to bet on a special contingency, such as that craps (2, 3, or 12) will or will not be thrown on the next roll, places his bet in the appropriate space on the layout; such bets are called proposition bets. The house maintains a mathematical advantage on all bets of about 1.4 percent, higher on certain layouts and special bets.

The game of Craps revolves around dice. Wagers are made upon the result of a single roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Craps is a game of probabilities and odds, so any discussion of Craps will benefit by a brief explanation of the probabilities involved. Since the game uses two dice, a shooter (the person rolling the dice) can roll any number between 2 and 12. It is important to understand that some numbers are more likely to appear than others on a single roll of the dice.

Don't Pass Line Bet - The reverse of the Pass Line bet. You are betting that the first role of the dice will not add up to 7 or 11. A 2 or 3 wins. A 12 causes a "Push" or "Standoff" where no one wins. If a "Point" is established, you are betting that the shooter will not "Make" or role his or her "Point" again before rolling a 7. Come Bets - This bet is made after the "Point" has been established and is exactly like the "Pass Line" bet. You win if the "Shooter" roles a "Natural" 7 or 11 and lose on 2, 3, or 11, called "Craps." You place your wager in the area marked "Come" on the craps table. Your wager remains here unless a "Point" number is rolled. The dealer then moves your wager to the number that was rolled on the table. This same number must be rolled again before a 7 comes for you to win.

Place Bets - You are betting on single numbers. You win if your selected number from 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 comes up before a role of 7. When betting for a number, your wager is placed in front of the number on the craps table. You can bet that your selected number will not come up before a role of 7. In this case, you wager is placed behind the number on the table.