May 15 2008
Craps: Betting Wrong: Don’t Pass and Don’t Come
Betting wrong in Craps is the common term for people who bet “against” the shooter. In reality, the shooter is also allowed to bet wrong, so this is not technically correct.
But, betting wrong is almost exactly opposite of betting right. One important phrase on the table is “Bar 12,” which means that a 12 on the Come Out is a push. That is, 7 or 11 lose on the Come Out, 2 and 3 win, and 12 is a push. This evens out the odds on a Don’t Pass bet on the come out roll.
After the Come Out roll, a player may “lay” odds behind their bet. The bet is actually a bet that a 7 does come up before the point repeats. Since 7 is the most common combination of dice, the odds are actually in your favor. However, the odds you lay reflect this. That is, the odds laid pay the following:
6 or 8 pay 5:6
5 or 9 pay 2:3
and 4 or 10 pay 1:2.
That’s right. You will win less than your original odds bet. This is okay, because you will win more times than you will lose.
The Don’t Come is exactly the same as the Don’t Pass, but it is bet once the game is on.
Craps is such an intimidating game at first but once you figure out all of the rules it is such a fun game!