Craps Jargon and Slang

Below we’ve listed the most common Craps terms in alphabetical order.  Casinos and dealers will often use these phrases when taking bets, so it’s really important to understand what they all mean.   At first glance they can seem confusing, but once you read their description they’re not too bad!

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Craps Glossary of Terms

Any Craps – You can bet on craps for the next roll.  This means you win if a 2,3 or 12 comes (craps).  It pays out 7:1 and the house has a 11% edge.

Any Seven – Betting on the next roll being a 7 i.e. against the run of play.  It pays out 4:1 and the house has a 16.7% edge.

Back Line – Same thing as the “Pass Line”

Base Dealer – The base dealer is the man who you place most of your bets with.  Typically there are 2 base dealers per table, standing on each side.

Buy Bets – You can bet on a Point number after it is established.  Basically you are betting on 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 being rolled before the 7.  It pays out 1:1, however a commission charge is usually placed by most casinos in order to keep an edge.

Big 6 – Big 8 – This means you are betting on a 6 or 8 being rolled before a 7.  It pays out 1:1 even money.

Big Red – Betting on 7 to be thrown on the next roll.

Boxcars – Slang for a 12 being rolled.  Two 6s look like  “boxcar” which is where the name derives from.

Boxman – The dealer who stands in the middle of the Craps table and guards/handles the chips.

Come Bet /Come Box – A come bet is similar to a Pass Line bet but this is made after a come out roll.  The come box is the area on the table where you should place your chips.

Come Out Roll – The shooter’s first roll. It determines the Point and decides Pass Line/Don’t Pass bets.

Crap – Crap includes the numbers 2, 3 and 12.  Pass Line bets lose instantly when this is rolled on the Come Out.  In Crapless Craps these numbers don’t count.

Crap Out – When Craps is rolled in the Come out.

Don’t Come Bet – Opposite of the Come Bet. It is identical to a Don’t Pass Line bet except it is placed after the come out roll i.e. you win with a 7 or 11 and lose with a 2 or 3.  A 12 is a push.  Any other number becomes the Point, and you win if a 7 is rolled before that point number.

Don’t Pass Line – Physical area of the craps table where players can place don’t pass bets.

Don’t Pass Bet – Opposite of the Pass Line bet.  It involves betting against the run of play.  A 2, 3 or 12 means you win on the Come Out, a 7 or 11 means you lose.  If a Point is established you win if a 7 is rolled before the Point number.  It pays 0.01% better odds than a Pass Line bet.

Field Bet – You can bet on a single number rolled including 2,3,4,9,10,11 or 12.  A Field bet pays out 2:1 from 2-12 and 1:1 for everything else.

Free Odds Bet – These are the best bets in the casino.  By placing lots large free odds bets as you can reduce the house edge to virtual 0%.  Normally in casinos you can only wager these bets in multiples of your Pass/Don’t Pass Line bets e.g. 1x/2x/5x.

Front Line – Slang word for the pass line

Hard Way Bet -

A bet that a hard 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 is rolled before a 7 or soft number. For example, a Hard 4 would be 2,2, a Soft 4 would be 3,1.  

Horn Bet – This is a bet that the next roll of the dice will add up to Craps i.e. 2, 3, 11 or 12.

Lay Bet – The Opposite of a Buy Bet.  You can lay 4,5,6,8,9 or 10, and win if a 7 comes up before the number chosen.  Because it pays 1:1 even a 5% commission is paid to the house.

Lay Odds – The opposite of a Free Odds Bet.  It also pays out true odds, meaning there is no house edge.  It is one of the best bets in any casino game.

One Roll Bet – These are bets that expire after one roll of the dice e.g. betting the next roll is a 6.

Pass Line Bet – The most common bet in Craps. This can only be made before the Come Out roll and pays 1:1.  You win straight away if a 7 or 11 and lose for any Craps (2,3 or 12).  Any number outside this range becomes the Point and if the Point number is rolled again before a 7 you win. The house edge is 1.41%.

Place Bet – You can bet on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 at any time.  You can win if this number is rolled before a 7.

Press a Bet – This is a jargon term for “double or nothing” after you have won a previous bet.

Proposition Bets – These are one roll bets on the next outcome of the dice.  They have the worst odds as the House edge can be up to 14%.

Puck (Disk) – The puck is the market on the table that indicates “On/Off” when a Point has been established.

Shooter – Anyone who rolls the dice.

Seven Out – When a Point is established any 7 rolled will end the round.  This is known as “Seven Out”.

Stickman – The stickman is one of the four dealers at the table.  His duty involves collecting the dice after each roll, reading out the totals and collecting proposition or field bets.

Snake Eyes – Craps jargon for Hard 2 (two 1s).

Taking Odds – The act of making an odds bet.

Vigorish – Common jargon for the commission that must be paid to the house on buy bets, lay bets and other types of bets.

Working Bets – These are live bets currently in play.

Yo – Craps jargon for the number 11. If you are betting on “Yo”, then you would be wagering on rolling an 11.