Craps Terminology: A Complete Glossary

A

Ace Deuce – A roll with a value of three, Ace meaning one and Deuce meaning two.

Action – The bets that are currently active on the round.

Against The Dice – To bet that the number seven will be rolled before the required point number.

Any Craps – A bet that the next roll will be either a 2, 3, or 12.

Any Seven – A bet that the next roll will be a seven regardless of how it is achieved, whether a three and a four or a five and a two.

B

Back Line – Another name for the ‘don’t pass’ line.

Base Dealer – There are two Base dealers, one on either side of the boxman. They collect and payout bets for their respective ends of the table.

Big Eight – A bet that the number eight will be rolled before the shooter ‘craps out’ and rolls a seven. The craps table layout usually has a large 6 and 8 in two corners, hence the name.

Big Red – It is considered unlucky to say the number seven at the craps table so players instead call it big red.

Big Six – A bet that the number six will be rolled before the shooter ‘craps out’ and rolls a seven.

Bones – A slang term for dice

Bowl – The container that holds the unused dice placed next to the stickman.

Box numbers – The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

Boxcars – Also known as Midnight, this is a roll of two sixes.

Boxman – One of the casino employees who manages the game. Their job is managing the chips, supervising the dealers and ‘colouring up’ players.

C

Chips – Also known as tokens or plaques, these are small disks used to represent money in a casino. They are usually colour coded to show the different amounts they are worth.

Colour Up – To exchange your chips for larger denominations, it is also known as to colour in.

Come Bet – A bet on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 made after the come out roll has been made.

Come Out Roll – The first roll of the dice in a round of craps.

Crapping Out – If the first roll of a round is 2, 3 or 12 this is known as ‘craps’ or ‘crapping out’. Bets on the pass line will lose whereas bets on the don’t pass line will win on 2 or 3 and tie or ‘pass’ on a 12.

Craps Table – In a casino craps is played on a special table shaped like a bathtub. The players stand around the U shaped ends with the Boxman and Stickman in the middle.

D

Don’t Come Bet – A bet similar to a don’t pass bet but made after the come out roll.

Don’t Pass Bet – A bet which wins if the come out roll is 2 or 3 and is pushed if it is a 12.

E

Easy Way – To roll a 4, 6, 8 or 10 without using doubles. To roll a 10 for example you could throw 2 & 8, 3 & 7, and 4 & 6. This is 3 times more likely to happen than throwing it the ‘hard way’ (5 & 5).

Even Money – A bet that pays out at a ratio of 1:1 so that the player wins exactly the same amount they bet.

F

Field Bet – Also known as a Garden bet, this is a bet placed by the player on the part of the table marked as the field. This is the only bet that a player can place without interacting with the stickman or dealers.

Fire Bet – Only offered by some casinos, this is a small bet placed before the shooter rolls wagering that the shooter will have a streak of getting and setting several points.

Flea – A player who consistently bets small amounts at or near the table minimum.

Front Line Bet – Another name for a Pass line bet.

H

Hard Way – To roll a 4, 6, 8 or 10 with the same numbers on each dice, rolling two fives for example.

Hazard – Also known as hasard and dating back to at least the 14th century, this is the English dice game from which craps originated.

Hi–Lo – A single roll bet on 2 or 12.

Hi–Lo–Yo – A single roll bet on either a 2, 11 or 12.

Hop Bet – A one-time roll bet on a specific combination of the dice.

Horn Bet – A one-time roll bet that the next roll will be either a 2, 3, 11 or 12.

House Edge – The adjustment made to the true mathematical probability of a result ensuring that the casino makes a profit. A low ‘house edge’ means better returns to the players.

I

Inside Numbers – The numbers 5, 6, 8 and 9.

Insurance Bet – A simultaneous bet made to cover another one so that if one bet loses the other one wins.

J

Juice – A slang term for the commission taken by the casino on some bets.

L

Late Bet – When a player tries to place a bet whilst the dice are still in the air after being thrown. Whether it is accepted or not will be up to the dealers or boxman.

Lay Bet – A bet that the seven will be rolled before a specific point number.

Little Joe – A slang term for rolling a four.

M

Midnight – A roll of two sixes. Also known as Boxcars.

Multi–roll Bet – A bet which is reliant on the outcome of several different rolls of the dice.

N

Natural – To roll a 7 or 11 on the come out roll.

Nina – A slang term for a roll or bet of Nine.

No Roll – If the dice do not hit the back wall of the table when thrown then the throw is invalid and the dealer or stickman will call no–roll.

I

Off Bet – A bet that is on the table but not reliant on the next throw of the dice.

On Bet  – A bet that is reliant on the next throw of the dice.

Outside Numbers – The numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10.

P

Parley – This is to place all of the winnings from the previous bet directly onto the next bet.

Pass Bet – A pass bet wins if the come out roll is 7 or 11 but loses if it is 2, 3, or 12. If it is any other number this establishes a point and the bet will payout if it is rolled again before the number 7.

Place Bet – A bet that one of the place numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) will be rolled before a seven.

Point – If the come out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 then the number rolled is the point number. If that number is rolled before the number seven in subsequent throws then a player who has placed a ‘right way’ bet will win.

Press A Bet – To increase the amount of a wager, often by doubling it.

Proposition Bet – A one roll bet placed on a specific result on the next throw such as Boxcars (two sixes).

Push – A tie.

R

Rack – Also known as the rail this is where the players store their chips on the edge of the craps table.

Right Way Bet – A bet that the point number will be rolled before the number seven.

S

Same Bet – If a player wishes to repeat the previous bet they will call out “same bet”.

Seven Out – When a seven is rolled before the point number, ending the round.

Shooter – The player who is throwing the dice.

Snake Eyes – A roll of two, the two spots on the dice indicating the numbers are said to look like ‘snake eyes’

Stickman – Standing opposite the boxman, the stickmans task it to collect and payout bets in the centre of the table, call the results of each roll and to move the dice across the table with a long wooden stick.

Street Craps – Street craps is when the game is played in an informal setting without a dealer as opposed to casino craps.

T

Take It Down – A phrase used to indicate to the dealer that you wish for your bet to be removed.

True Odds – The real mathematical probability of a particular result with no house edge.

V

Vigorish – The commission taken by the casino on some bets.

W

Whirl – Also known as ‘world’, this is a five unit bet on the numbers 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12.

Working Bet – A bet that is reliant on the next throw of the dice. Also known as an ‘on bet’.

Wrong Way Bet – A bet that the shooter won’t roll the required point number before throwing a seven.

Y

Yo – A slang way of referring to the number eleven. Some players will say “yo-leven”.