Pass Line Bet in Craps

The pass line is the single most important bet on the craps table. If you learn one thing before you play, make it this.

This guide breaks down exactly how the pass line bet works, what it pays, why the house edge is low, and how to squeeze even more value out of it with odds. No fluff, just the rules you actually need.

What is the pass line bet?

The pass line bet is a wager that the shooter will win. That's it. You're betting on the person rolling the dice to hit their number.

It's the default bet in craps. The one almost everyone at the table places. The one dealers expect you to know. If craps has a front door, the pass line is it.

Players who bet the pass line are sometimes called "right bettors" because they're betting with the shooter and with the crowd. When the table erupts, pass line bettors are the ones cheering.

You place this bet before the come-out roll (the first roll of a new round). Chips go on the flat area of the table marked "PASS LINE." Simple.

How the pass line bet works

The pass line plays out in two possible phases. Sometimes it ends in one roll. Sometimes it takes a few more.

The come-out roll

This is where every round starts.

• Roll a 7 or 11: You win instantly. This is called a "natural." Money hits your stack, round resets.
• Roll a 2, 3, or 12: You lose instantly. This is called "craps." Tough break, but the round resets.
• Roll anything else (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10): That number becomes the "point." The dealer flips a black-and-white puck to the ON side and drops it on that number.

Now we're in phase two.

After the point is established

Once the point is set, the rules shift.

• Shooter rolls the point number again before a 7: You win.
• Shooter rolls a 7 before hitting the point: You lose. This is called a "seven-out," and it ends the shooter's turn.
• Every other number? Doesn't matter. The dice keep rolling until you get the point or a 7.

One thing to know: once the point is set, your pass line bet is locked in. You can't pull it back or reduce it. You're riding it out.

Pass line payouts

This part is clean and simple.

• Come-out win (natural 7 or 11): pays 1:1
• Point phase win (point hit before 7): pays 1:1

No multipliers. No bonuses. No variation based on which number the point was. The pass line always pays even money.

Bet $10, win $10. Every time.

House edge on the pass line

The pass line carries a house edge of about 1.41%.

What does that mean in practice? For every $100 you wager over time, the casino expects to keep roughly $1.41. The rest comes back to you in wins.

That's low. Really low compared to most casino games.

• Single-zero roulette sits around 2.7%.
• American roulette (double zero) hits 5.26%.
• Slots? Often 5% or higher.

The pass line is one of the best standard bets you'll find on any casino floor, online or off. If you're playing crypto craps, this edge stays the same. The math doesn't change just because you're wagering in Bitcoin.

This 1.41% accounts for the entire lifecycle of the bet, both the come-out roll and the point phase combined.

Taking odds on the pass line

Here's where craps gets really interesting.

After the point is established, you can place an additional bet directly behind your pass line chips. This is called "taking odds" or placing a "free odds" bet. And it's the single best wager in the casino.

Why? Because the odds bet pays at true odds. Zero house edge. The casino makes nothing on it.

Payout ratios based on the point:

• Point is 4 or 10: odds pay 2:1
• Point is 5 or 9: odds pay 3:2
• Point is 6 or 8: odds pay 6:5

These ratios reflect the actual probability of rolling each number before a 7. No markup. No vig. Just math.

How much can you bet on odds?

Every table sets a maximum, expressed as a multiple of your pass line bet. Common limits:

• 1x odds
• 2x odds
• 3x-4x-5x odds (3x on 4/10, 4x on 5/9, 5x on 6/8)
• 10x odds
• 100x odds (rare, but they exist)

The higher the odds multiple you take, the lower your combined house edge drops. With 3x-4x-5x odds, the effective edge falls to about 0.37%. At 10x odds, it drops below 0.2%.

Quick example:

You bet $10 on the pass line. The point lands on 6. You take 5x odds, placing $50 behind your pass line bet. The shooter hits the 6.

• Pass line pays $10 (1:1)
• Odds pay $60 (6:5 on $50)
• Total profit: $70

That $50 odds bet earned you $60 with no house edge attached. This is free value sitting right there on the felt.

If you're playing crypto craps at a site like JB, check the table rules for odds multiples. They vary, and higher limits mean more opportunity.

Pass line vs. don't pass: quick comparison

The don't pass bet is the mirror image of the pass line. Same game, opposite outcomes.

The don't pass has a slightly lower house edge. But there's a social trade-off. Pass line bettors cheer together when the shooter is rolling well. Don't pass bettors win when everyone else loses. At a physical table, that can feel awkward. Online or on a crypto craps table, nobody's watching you, so it matters less.

We cover the don't pass bet in full in a separate guide.

When to place a pass line bet

Timing matters here.

The pass line bet goes down before the come-out roll. That's the standard play, and it's the one that gives you the full mathematical picture, including those favorable come-out odds where 7 and 11 both win for you.

Some casinos let you place a pass line bet after a point is already set. But doing that means you missed the come-out phase, where you had an 8-out-of-36 chance of winning instantly (six ways to roll 7, two ways to roll 11) versus only a 4-out-of-36 chance of losing. Skipping that is leaving value behind.

Even if you plan to focus on other bets at the craps table, you need to understand the pass line. It's the foundation everything else builds on.

Common mistakes with the pass line

Not taking odds. This is the big one. If you have the bankroll for it and you're skipping the odds bet, you're ignoring the lowest-edge wager in the building. Always take odds when you can afford to.

Trying to remove the bet after the point is set. It's not allowed. And here's the thing: you wouldn't want to anyway. During the come-out roll, the pass line actually has a slight edge in your favor (more ways to win than lose). Once the point is set, the math shifts toward the house. The casino locks you in at the moment the bet becomes less favorable for you. That's by design.

Confusing the pass line with the come bet. They work the same way mechanically, but the come bet is placed after the come-out roll, during the point phase. Different timing, same logic.

Minimizing the pass line while loading up on proposition bets. Prop bets (hardways, any craps, yo) carry house edges of 5% to 16%. Putting $5 on the pass line and then dropping $25 on proposition bets is backwards math.

Believing in streaks. A hot shooter doesn't change the probability of the next roll. Each throw is independent. The dice don't remember what happened two rolls ago.

Tips for beginners

• Start with the pass line only. Get comfortable with how rounds play out. Feel the rhythm of come-out rolls, points being set, and seven-outs. No need to add complexity on day one.
• Add odds as soon as you understand the flow. Once the two-phase structure clicks, start backing your pass line bet with odds. Even 1x odds makes a difference.
• Watch a few rounds first. At a live table or a live online craps game, hang back and observe. The pace will make more sense after watching three or four shooters.
• Ask the dealers. Seriously. Dealers at craps tables deal with new players constantly. They'll tell you where to put your chips and what's happening. At a crypto casino with live dealers, the chat works the same way.
• Set a session bankroll and stick to it. Decide what you're comfortable spending before you start. The pass line's low house edge keeps losses manageable over time, but discipline still matters.

Final thoughts

The pass line is the backbone of craps. Every other bet on the table orbits around it. It's straightforward, it carries a low house edge, and when you pair it with free odds, the combined edge drops to levels almost no other casino bet can touch.

Learn this one first. Get it down cold. Then branch out.

No other bet in the casino gives you this combination: simplicity, low edge, and a built-in upgrade path through odds.

That's the pass line. Now go roll.