Understanding The Dice Chart

Craps, Jargon, Slang, Dialect, Lingo 

You know, all the stuff dealers say and what it means.

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Craps is a game where wagers are placed dependent on the outcome of the roll of two dice. Each die has 6 sides marked with 1 through 6 dots to represent numbers. The face-up values of both rolled dice add together to form one number. There are 36 possible combinations of the dice with numbers ranging from 2 to 12. The number 7 as it turns out, can be rolled more ways than any other number. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the game in large part hinges on the number 7.


Take a moment to look at the table of dice combinations  Notice how the number 7 marks the center point of all the numbers, that it has the greatest number of combinations, and that the further away a number is from 7, the fewer combinations it has. Also notice how the table forms a symmetrical triangle with each set of numbers on opposite sides of the 7 (such as the 6/8 or 3/11) having equal numbers of combinations.

All the 36 possible combinations of 2 dice are organized in the table below:

#2    1-1 
#3    1-2, 2-1 
#4    1-3, 2-2, 3-1 
#5    1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 
#6    1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1 
#7    1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1 
#8    2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2 
#9    3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 
#10  4-6, 5-5, 6-4 
#11  5-6, 6-5 
#12  6-6 

Again, as you can see, the number 7 plays a predominate roll.

2 & 12 each roll one way

3 & 11 each roll two ways

4 & 10 each roll three ways

5 & 9 each roll four ways

6 & 8 each roll five ways

7 rolls six different ways

Any number of possible wagers can be devised using this table, and certainly no craps layout could ever include them all. But by using the number 7 as the focal point and by basing bets and payoffs versus the 7, the symmetry of the dice combinations is put to use. Bets that do this are called the Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, and Don't Come bets. They are in essence the heart of the craps game and among the best bets you can make in any casino since the house has only a very small advantage on them. Place, Buy, and Lay bets as you'll see also hinge on the 7 but give the house a larger advantage. There are some bets however, which are not hinged on the 7. They are one-roll or proposition bets. They give the house the largest advantage of all, and therefore are among the worst bets you can make. But regardless of the bet type, the game is a simple matter of comparing the number of possible winning and losing dice combinations. These are called the odds.


For instance, let's devise a bet where the number 8 versus the number 7, such that if an 8 is rolled the player wins, and if a 7 is rolled the player loses. Any other roll we'll ignore. Looking at the dice combinations we see that there are 5 possible ways to roll a winning 8, and 6 possible ways to roll a losing 7. We call this the true odds and we say they're 5 to 6 (annotated as 5:6). Well you wouldn't want to make a wager where you have more chances of losing than winning would you? Not unless you're offered some higher payoff to compensate you for your greater risk. In a true system we do this by paying you what the odds are against winning - in this case that means paying you 6 to 5 (6 won for every 5 bet). This keeps the system in balance. Thus, if we were to have a perfect distribution of 36 rolls of the dice and we bet $5 on each roll, we would win $6 on 5 of the rolls (total $30) and lose $5 on 6 of the rolls (total $30).


But what are the chances of having a perfect distribution of rolls? In the short run - very small. And therein lies the only reason our customers want to play craps at all - the hope that the distribution of rolls is unbalanced and favors their bets for the amount of time that they are playing. Note that time is the critical element here. For as time and the number of rolls increases, the actual ratios of numbers rolled will likely approach a perfect distribution.


Well, so what? In a true system your losses equal your wins, right? Right. But you don't imagine that the house stays in business watching you break even do you? The true system has been altered! The house takes a percentage or cut out of every bet on the table using a variety of different methods. In some instances you are simply paid odds that are less than true. For example, if you make a straight wager on the number 8 (called a Place bet), instead of paying true odds of 6 to 5 (or 1.2 to 1), the house pays adjusted odds of 7 to 6 (or 1.167 to 1), for a calculated 1.52% advantage. In other instances, the house pays true odds but only after an up-front commission (called vig) has been paid. For example, you may buy a bet for a 5% vig. In still other instances you must first make what's called a flat bet that pays even-money before you may place what's called an odds bet that pays true odds. Rest assured that the house has figured their percentage into each bet one way or another.


The interesting thing however, is that the house percentage is not the same on all bets It can range from less than 1% to over 16%. In some case, it can even go over 33% - that's a whopping difference! Granted, you can win any bet, but when you're bucking the higher percentages it's a lot tougher. So, if you're going to stand any real chance of winning, it would behoove you to learn which bets have the lowest percentages and how to play them. Read on! Come-Out Roll / Establishing a Point

Every game has to start somewhere.

With craps it's the come-out roll!
 

Rolling the dice generates series of numbers that may be thought of as having beginnings and endings. A series

On the come-out roll the dealer turns the marker puck to display OFF and usually places it to the side of the table. The shooter then rolls the dice. If the number rolled is a natural (2, 3, 7, 11, or 12)  then a decision is reached immediately and the next roll will be another come-out roll. On the other hand, if the number rolled is a point number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) then a point is said to be established. The dealer marks the point by turning the marker buck over to display ON and placing it on or next to the appropriately numbered point box - this is known as the shooter's point.
Once the shooter's point has been established, the shooter continues rolling until the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled. That is to say the shooter either passes or sevens-out. Another way of saying it is, the dice pass or the dice don't pass. Rolling either one results in a decision and the next roll will be another come-out roll. Don't get confused by the term "pass". When the shooter passes, he does not pass the dice to the next player. He retains control of them and continues his hand until he sevens-out. Once his hand is ended, then the stickperson passes the dice clockwise to the next shooter. Note that a shooter who is betting that the dice will not pass (as with a Don't Pass bet) still retains and loses control of the dice in the same manner even though his bets win on a seven-out and lose on a pass.


Through time-honored tradition, Place, Buy, and Come Odds bets are automatically considered to be OFF during the come-out roll. In other words, they are out of action and will not win or lose. Once a shooter's point is established, they are considered to be back ON again. The reason for this is because the majority of players bet the Pass Line where a come-out roll of 7 is a winner. But since 7 is a loser on these other bets, they feel that turning them OFF de-conflicts them. However, you can call any of them ON if you'd like, especially the odds since they lower the house's advantage.

Here's an example of a sequence of rolls that shows come-out rolls and points established:


Come out  Roll 
Game begins / Dealer announces "come-out roll"

4   Point established / Dealer marks the 4 with the marker puck turned to display ON

11   No decision / Shooter keeps rolling  

6  No decision / Shooter keeps rolling

12   No decision / Shooter keeps rolling

4   Shooter passes / Pass Line wins / Don't Pass loses / Same shooter rolls / Next roll is a new come-out roll

11   Natural / Pass Line wins / Don't Pass loses / Same shooter rolls / Next roll is still a come-out roll

3   Natural / Pass Line loses / Don't Pass wins / Same shooter rolls / Next roll is still a come-out roll

10   Point established / Dealer marks the 10 with the marker buck turned to display ON

2   No decision / Shooter keeps rolling
9   No decision / Shooter keeps rolling

7   Seven-out / Pass Line loses / Don't Pass wins / Shooter's hand ends / Next roll is a new shooter and come-out roll / Dealer turns the marker buck to display OFF