The inside walls of the table are covered with a serrated egg-carton like foam, designed to make the dice bounce around to assure randomness. Each throw of the dice is called a "roll". Players take turn rolling the dice, clockwise around the table, and the player rolling at any given time is called the "shooter". When a new shooter is given the dice, his or her first roll is called the ""Come Out"" roll. This begins a new series of rolls by that shooter and lasts for as long as that shooter continues to make winning rolls.

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.

Think about it. When you toss a coin fairly you will get an even number of heads and tails in the long run. Every now and then you will get a run of four or five heads or tails, just by chance. After all, every time you toss there is a 50:50 chance of a head or tail coming down – and this doesn’t change depending on what the tosses before have been. If runs of 4 or 5 heads happen, it means that runs of 10 or even 20 can and will happen. Not very often at all, but they will happen. winning and losing streaks are what you can expect occasionally, just by chance. They do not need to be explained by ESP, magic or superior betting skill.

Don't Come Bets - Your wager is placed in the "Don't Come" area of the craps table. The reverse of "Come Bets," you lose on the 7 or 11 role. 2 or 3 are winners and 12, once again, is a "Standoff" or "Push" meaning no money is won or lost. If a "Point" number is rolled, you win if a 7 is rolled in subsequent roles before the "Come-Point" is rolled again. Field Bets - This is a "One Role" bet. Your wager is placed in the "Field" area of the craps table. You win even money or 1:1 odds if the role shows a 3,4,9,10,11. Rolling a 2 or 12 pays 2:1. Rolling a 5, 6, 7 or 8 loses the bet.