If the shooter is winning, the dice are not passed on. The dice are only passed to the next player if the shooter sevens-out (rolls a seven) or decides not to continue rolling. In the Internet version of Craps, the player loses if there is a seven-out and can end the game at any time provided there are no bets placed. Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets are made on the shooter's "Come Out" roll. All other bets are placed after the come out, once a "point" has been determined, and work independent of the "pass line" and "don't pass" bets.

Basic craps terminology: Shooter: the current dice thrower. Come-out roll: The shooter's first roll. Pass: If the shooter wins his game, by any means, he is said to "Pass". Don't Pass: The term used if the shooter loses. The following illustration depicts the left half of a craps table. The bets to the bottom right, therefore, are referred to as the center bets, as they are actually in the center of a full sized table.

According to Richard Epstein, craps is descended from an earlier game known as Hazard, that dates to the Middle Ages. The formal rules for Hazard were established by Montmort early in the 1700s. The origin of the name craps is shrouded in doubt, but it may have come from the English crabs, or from the French Crapeaud (for toad)