Craps Table Flow — How It Actually Works

The Table Crew

A standard craps table runs with four employees. Understanding their roles before you sit down will save you from asking basic questions mid-roll.

Some smaller or lower-limit tables run with three crew members — one dealer covering both sides — but four is standard at busy tables. The boxman doesn't participate in deal flow; they're there to make sure the money is right and the rules are followed.

When You Can Bet

There is a hard rule on timing: once the dice are in the shooter's hand, the betting window is closed. The stickman signals this with a verbal "no more bets" or simply by pushing the dice to the shooter. Any bet placed after that call is technically void, though dealers use judgment on bets placed in the split second before the throw.

The betting window opens as soon as the dice land and the result is called. Dealers process payouts and collections, then chips change hands, and new bets can go down. In practice this whole cycle takes 15–30 seconds between rolls at a busy table.

Who Handles Which Bets

Craps divides bets into two categories: ones you place yourself, and ones the dealer places for you. This distinction matters because touching the layout in the wrong place at the wrong time is considered bad form and can confuse the crew.

Bets You Place Yourself

These sit in areas you can reach from your spot at the rail: the Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, Don't Come, Field, and Big 6/Big 8 (where they still exist). Drop your chips directly in the appropriate area. For Pass Odds, put the chips directly behind your Pass Line bet.

Bets You Toss to the Dealer

For number boxes (Place 6, Place 5, etc.), you don't reach over the layout. Instead, toss your chips toward the dealer and say what you want: "Place the six for ten" or "forty-four inside." The dealer places them in the correct position.

Proposition bets in the centre (hardways, horn, any craps) go to the stickman. Toss chips toward the centre and call your bet — "hard eight" or "two-dollar horn" — and the stickman positions them. This takes a bit of confidence at first but becomes second nature quickly.

Come Bet Placement by the Dealer

When your Come bet travels to a number, the dealer moves it from the Come area to the correct box and positions it in a spot that corresponds to your rail position. This is how they track which chips belong to which player — there's no name tag, just consistent positioning.

The Come-Out Sequence

Every new shooter starts with a come-out roll. Here's what happens step by step:

1. The puck is on the OFF position (a black disc, sometimes labelled "Don't Come"). This signals a new come-out is happening.

2. The stickman pushes several dice toward the new shooter, who selects two. The extras go back to the stickman.

3. Bets go down. Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, Field, and proposition bets can all be placed now.

4. Shooter throws. If the result is 7 or 11, Pass Line wins, Don't Pass loses, and we go back to step 3 with another come-out. If the result is 2, 3, or 12: Pass Line loses, Don't Pass wins (or pushes on 12), and another come-out follows.

5. If the result is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. The puck flips to ON and moves to the number box. Place bets and Come bets can now be added. The point phase begins.

The Point Phase

Once the point is set, the table stays in the point phase until one of two things happens: the shooter makes the point (hits that number before a 7), or the shooter sevens out (rolls a 7 before the point).

Point made: Pass Line wins. Don't Pass loses. The puck goes back to OFF. The same shooter gets another come-out. All Come bets that have traveled to numbers stay active through the new come-out by default — the Pass Line resets but Come bets don't.

Seven-out: Pass Line and all active Come bets lose. Don't Pass and traveled Don't Come bets win. The stickman calls "seven out, pay the Don'ts." The puck goes to OFF. The dice pass to the next player.

Come bets behave differently from Pass Line through this sequence in one important way: a Come bet still sitting in the Come area (not yet traveled) wins on that 7. A traveled Come bet loses. This is the distinction that catches new players — see our Come bet guide for the full explanation.

Payout Order After a Roll

After every roll, the crew pays winners and collects from losers in a specific sequence. This order is maintained to keep the table organised and to prevent disputes about whether chips were present before or after the roll.

1. Centre proposition bets first. The stickman pays hardways, horn, any craps, and other centre bets. These resolve on every single roll, so they go first. The stickman calls out winners and slides chips to the appropriate rail positions.

2. Field bets. The base dealers pay or collect the Field bet — it also resolves on every roll, so it's handled immediately after propositions.

3. Number box bets. Dealers work through Place bets, Come bets in the number boxes, and Buy/Lay bets. This is the most complex section because of multi-player positioning and press requests.

4. Come and Don't Come bar. Any unresolved Come bets in the Come area travel to their numbers (and new ones travel on this roll's number). The dealer repositions chips.

5. Line bets last. Pass Line and Don't Pass are paid or collected. On a seven-out, this includes all the Pass Line chips in a single sweep.

Players are expected to wait for their section of the table to be resolved before touching chips or asking questions. Reaching for chips while the dealer is mid-payout is disruptive and will earn you a look — or a polite word from the boxman.

The Shooter's Role

The shooter is just any player who is offered the dice. You don't have to shoot — it's always optional. If you decline, the stickman passes to the next player clockwise. Shooting is generally expected only when you have at least the table minimum on the Pass Line or Don't Pass.

Dice Handling Rules

Casinos are strict about dice handling because of cheating history. The main rules:

One hand only. The dice must be thrown with one hand. No two-hand grip, no cupping.

Hit the back wall. The dice should bounce off the far wall of the table. Short rolls that don't reach the wall are considered "no roll" and must be thrown again. The stickman will call this.

Don't take them off the table. If a die leaves the table, call out "same dice" if you want them back (some superstitious players do). The boxman will inspect them before returning. Requesting new dice ("new dice") is also fine.

Don't delay. Taking too long to set or throw the dice holds up the table. Most casinos have a time limit before the stickman will push you to throw.

Table Customs & Conventions

These aren't written rules — they're the accumulated etiquette of a game with a long live-casino history. Ignoring them doesn't get you ejected, but following them makes the table run better and makes you look like you know what you're doing.

Have Your Bets Ready Before the Dice Move

Fumbling with chips while the stickman is pushing dice to the shooter stalls the table. Get your bet decisions made during the previous roll's payout cycle so you're ready to act quickly when the window opens.

Colour Up Before Leaving

If you're walking away with a lot of small chips, ask the dealer to "colour up" — exchange them for larger denominations before cashing out at the cage. This is expected, not optional, at busy tables where small chips back up the game.

Don't Announce Your Wins Loudly on a Seven-Out

If you're a Don't bettor and the shooter just sevened out, the rest of the table likely just lost money. A quiet nod to the dealer is the convention. Full celebration is within your rights, but the room notices.

Pass Line vs Don't Pass at the Same Table

Both bets are always available — the casino doesn't restrict either. At crowded tables with high energy, Don't bettors can sometimes get cold looks from Pass Line regulars. This is social friction, not a rule. The Doey-Don't strategy, which plays both simultaneously, was partly designed to sidestep this awkwardness.

Say "Working" or "Off" for Your Bets

You can tell the dealer whether your bets are "working" (active) or "off" (inactive but still on the table) for the next roll. This matters most for Place bets on the come-out — by default, Place bets are off on come-out rolls and working in the point phase. If you want them working on the come-out, say so explicitly.

Tips (Tokes)

Tipping at craps is common and appreciated. The standard method is betting "for the crew" — placing a small bet with a comment like "two dollars for the boys." If it wins, the dealers collect it. If it loses, you shared the experience. Direct chip tips to individual dealers also happen but are less common at the table itself.

Handling Disputes

If you think a payout was wrong or your bet was misplaced, say "check" or "wait" before touching any chips. Once you pick up chips off the layout, the bet's position is considered agreed. The boxman is the final authority on disputes at the table — they watch every roll precisely for this reason.

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