A Practical Glossary Of Craps Terms For Australian Players

Craps is a dice game built around changing wagers, table calls and a short sequence known as a roll cycle. The shooter throws two dice, and players bet on whether particular totals or outcomes will appear. Because several wagers can remain active at once, the vocabulary can seem more complicated than the basic dice action.

Terms such as come, don’t come and place bets describe different ways of predicting what happens after a point has been established. Some bets favour a particular number, while others depend on combinations, the next roll or whether a seven appears before the target total.

For Australians browsing casino terminology, it is useful to treat this as reference material rather than a recommendation to gamble. Craps is less familiar locally than blackjack, roulette or pokies, and its availability can vary between venues. A clear glossary helps explain table layouts, dealer announcements and the way bets are settled.

The Basic Roll And Point

The person throwing the dice is called the shooter. Before a point exists, the opening throw is the come-out roll. A seven or 11 wins for a Pass Line bet, while a two, three or 12 loses; these losing totals are often called craps. Any other total from four through 10 becomes the point.

Once a point is set, the dealer places a puck beside that number and turns it to “ON”. The shooter continues rolling until the point is repeated, which wins Pass Line wagers, or a seven appears, known as seven-out. A new come-out roll then begins with the puck switched off.

The Pass Line is the standard entry bet for players backing the shooter. The Don’t Pass line takes the opposite general position: it usually wins when the shooter sevens out, loses when the point is made, and pushes on a come-out 12 in many rule sets. Exact rules should always be checked at the table.

Come And Don’t Come Bets

A Come bet is placed after the come-out roll and works in a similar way to the Pass Line. If the next roll is seven or 11, it wins immediately. A two, three or 12 loses immediately. If the roll is four, five, six, eight, nine or 10, the dealer moves the wager to that number, creating a separate come point.

After the Come bet travels to a number, it wins if that number appears before seven. A Don’t Come bet follows the reverse pattern. It generally wins when seven appears before the assigned number, loses if the number is rolled, and may push on 12 depending on the casino’s rules.

These bets can be useful for understanding how craps creates several active points at once. A player might have one Come bet sitting on eight while another player has a Pass Line wager connected to a point of five. Each is settled independently, even though the same dice roll affects both.

Place Bets And Number Wagers

A place bet backs one of the box numbers: four, five, six, eight, nine or 10. The wager wins when its chosen number appears before a seven. Place bets on six and eight are particularly common because those totals have several dice combinations, although the payout is lower than the true mathematical odds.

Place bets can usually be turned off during the come-out roll, then switched back on when a new point is established. Players should tell the dealer clearly if they want a wager working or inactive. If no instruction is given, casino procedures may determine how the bet is treated.

A buy bet also targets a box number but pays closer to the true odds, usually with a commission called vig or vigorish. A lay bet takes the opposite view, backing seven to appear before a chosen number. The commission and payout calculation vary, so the felt and house rules matter.

For readers comparing casino game terminology with wider digital gambling language, this game history guide shows how other casino formats developed, although slot mechanics and craps betting are fundamentally different.

Common Table Calls

Craps dealers use compact phrases to keep the action moving. “The field” refers to a one-roll bet on two, three, four, nine, 10, 11 or 12, with some totals paying extra. “Any seven” covers a single-roll wager that the next throw will be seven, while “any craps” backs two, three or 12.

Hardways are bets on a pair making a total, such as two fours for hard eight or two sixes for hard 12. They lose if the number appears in an “easy” combination, such as a six and two for eight, or if seven arrives first. The phrase “horn” generally refers to a one-roll combination bet on two, three, 11 and 12.

• Natural: A two, three or 12 on the come-out roll, depending on the bet being discussed.
• Point: The box number established by a come-out roll of four, five, six, eight, nine or 10.
• Seven-out: A seven rolled before the established point, ending that shooter’s hand.
• Inside numbers: Six, eight, five and nine, commonly grouped for place-bet discussion.
• Outside numbers: Four, 10 and sometimes five and nine, depending on the player’s terminology.

“Inside” and “outside” are informal table descriptions rather than separate wagers. Dealers may also say “come-out winner”, “point made” or “off” to signal how the puck and active bets should be handled.

Odds, Payouts And House Edge

Odds bets are additional wagers placed behind a Pass Line or Come bet after a point has been established. They pay true odds, meaning the casino does not build a further mathematical advantage into the payout. However, the underlying line bet still has its own house edge, and casino limits may restrict the amount that can be placed behind it.

Don’t Odds sit behind Don’t Pass or Don’t Come wagers and support the expectation that seven will arrive before the number. These wagers can have different minimums, maximums and rules from one venue to another. A dealer can explain the permitted combination before chips are placed.

A player may hear “lay the odds” or “take the odds”. Taking odds usually means backing the point to repeat; laying odds means backing seven to appear first. The phrase “true odds” describes the probability relationship between dice outcomes, not a guarantee of profit.

Craps In Australian Casinos

Craps is available in selected Australian casino environments, but it is not as widespread as electronic gaming machines or table games such as baccarat and roulette. Visitors in Melbourne may encounter a broader table-game selection at Crown Melbourne, while Sydney’s casino market has its own venue rules and operating conditions. Availability, opening hours and minimum bets can change.

Australian casino play is conducted in Australian dollars, and table minimums may feel more substantial than those shown in overseas examples. State and territory regulators oversee casino activity through different frameworks, so the experience in Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria is not necessarily identical. Venue signage and staff instructions take precedence over general glossary definitions.

Local conversation may also use “arvo”, “mate” or “pokies” in a relaxed way, but craps dealers generally use internationally recognised English terms. Online references can create confusion because some Australian-facing sites discuss casino games without offering a physical table. The reference site provides background material and terminology rather than representing a casino operator.

A Quick Guide To Bet Categories

Understanding whether a wager lasts one roll, follows a number or remains active until a seven is helpful when reading a table layout. One-roll bets settle quickly, while line, Come and place bets can remain in action over several throws. The dealer controls the chips and confirms unclear instructions before the dice are released.

• Line bets: Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come wagers connected to the shooter’s roll.
• Number bets: Place, buy, lay and odds bets associated with four, five, six, eight, nine or 10.
• One-roll bets: Field, Any Seven, Any Craps, horn and selected hardway wagers.
• Combination bets: Wagers covering specific dice pairs or several totals at once.

Software terminology can also appear in online casino discussions, where game suppliers and platform operators are separate parts of the product chain. This provider comparison explains that distinction in another casino context; it should not be read as a description of craps rules or an endorsement of any operator.

The most practical habit is to identify the wager’s timing: does it settle on the next roll, move to a number, or wait for a point and seven? Once that distinction is clear, terms such as Come, Don’t Come, place, odds, hardway and seven-out become easier to follow. Check the posted payout schedule, ask the dealer to confirm an unfamiliar bet, and keep each wager within a clearly defined Australian-dollar budget.