Atlassino Academy · Craps · Lesson 5 of 12
Come bets
A come bet starts a fresh pass line bet in the middle of a hand. Here is what its first roll does, where the chip goes after that, and what the bet costs.
The shooter already has a point, and you have just reached the craps table. How do you get a bet that works like the pass line?
The short answer
Put a chip in the come box. A come bet is a pass line bet that starts on the next roll: that roll is the come bet’s own come-out roll, a 7 or an 11 pays the come bet, a 2, 3 or 12 takes the come bet, and any other total becomes the come bet’s own point. From there the come bet waits for its own number before a 7, and it costs exactly what the pass line costs.
The point is 5 · the dice show 3 and 5
- A$10 on the pass line
- B$10 come bet in the come box, moving onto the 8 (dashed circle)
The point is 5, chip A is on the pass line, and chip B went into the come box after the point was set. The roll of 8 does nothing to chip A and gives chip B a point of its own, so chip B moves onto the 8.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
People who walk up in the middle of a hand often stand with their chips in their pocket, waiting for the shooter to finish. They do not have to wait.
The come box opens once a point is set
The come box is the wide strip between the numbers and the pass line. A come bet can go down only after the shooter has a point: on a come-out roll the come box waits.
Once a point is set, the come box is one of the spots you put chips on yourself, the same as the pass line.
- Pass lineYour own chip, put down before a come-out roll.
- Come boxYour own chip, put down on any roll once a point is set.
- Odds behind a come betAsk the base dealer: by then the come bet sits on its number, out of your reach.
The first roll of a come bet
The roll after a come bet goes down is that come bet’s own come-out roll. A come bet is handled the same way as a pass line bet on the come-out roll, and the pass line on a come-out roll is paid even money on a 7 or an 11.
- 7 or 11The come bet is paid even money8 of the 36 ways
- 2, 3 or 12The come bet is lost4 of the 36 ways
- 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10The total becomes the come bet’s own point, and the chip moves onto that number24 of the 36 ways
Two dice fall 36 ways. Each tile counts how many of those ways end the come bet’s first roll that way.
None of this has anything to do with the shooter’s point. If the pass line point is 5 and the come bet’s first roll is a 5, the pass line bet is paid and the come bet moves onto the 5 with a point of its own: one roll, two different answers.
After the move: waiting for its own number
Once the come bet has its point, the come bet waits like a pass line bet: its number before a 7 pays even money, and a 7 before its number loses.
A come bet with a point stays on the table until the come bet is settled: neither you nor the dealer takes a come bet down once its point is set.
| Total | Ways in 36 | Pass line, point 5 | Come bet on its first roll | Come bet already on the 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | No change | Lost | No change |
| 3 | 2 | No change | Lost | No change |
| 4 | 3 | No change | Moves onto the 4 | No change |
| 5 | 4 | Paid even money | Moves onto the 5 | No change |
| 6 | 5 | No change | Moves onto the 6 | No change |
| 7 | 6 | Lost | Paid even money | Lost |
| 8 | 5 | No change | Moves onto the 8 | Paid even money |
| 9 | 4 | No change | Moves onto the 9 | No change |
| 10 | 3 | No change | Moves onto the 10 | No change |
| 11 | 2 | No change | Paid even money | No change |
| 12 | 1 | No change | Lost | No change |
The same total gives the three bets three different answers, because each bet answers to its own state.
Read the 7 row across: the roll that pays a come bet on its first roll takes every bet that already has a point, the pass line bet included.
Several come bets at once
You can put a new come bet down on roll after roll; each one is settled by its own number.
The point is 5 · the dice show 3 and 4
- A$10 on the pass line
- B$10 come bet on the 6
- C$10 come bet on the 9
- D$10 come bet in the come box
One 7 settles all four bets at once. Chip A on the pass line, chip B on the 6 and chip C on the 9 all have points, and a 7 takes all three; chip D, on its first roll, is paid even money.
Two habits keep the count straight at a busy table. Say each come bet’s number to yourself when the chip moves onto that number, and read every roll against each of your chips in turn: first any chip still on its first roll, then the chips on numbers.
Odds behind a come bet
Once a come bet has a point, odds can go behind the come bet, the same as behind the pass line, up to a maximum that depends on the come bet’s number. The odds are paid at the true odds of the come bet’s own number, never of the shooter’s point.
| Come bet’s number | Odds pay | Most odds behind an example $10 come bet | Those odds, paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 3 times · $30 | $60 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 4 times · $40 | $60 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 5 times · $50 | $60 |
Every amount here is worked out from an example come bet of $10, only an example and not a suggested bet. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.
On a come-out roll the rule changes for the odds and for nothing else: players may ask for the odds behind their come bets to work on that roll.
- During a pointThe odds behind a come bet are working: the come bet’s number pays the odds, a 7 takes the odds with the come bet.
- On a come-out roll, after you askWorking, the same as during a point.
- On a come-out roll, without askingNot working, on our reading of the rule book: if the come bet is settled on that roll, the odds come back with nothing added.
The come bet itself is settled on every roll, come-out or not. How much odds to take is lesson 5.4.
What a come bet costs
A come bet’s price is the pass line’s price, because a come bet is the pass line started later: the same outcomes, in the same proportions, paid at the same even money. The house keeps 1.41% of every come bet on average.
Out of every 495 come bets, 244 are paid and 251 are lost, on average over many bets.
- The pass line alone$10one bet in play; on average about $0.14 lost each time the bet is settled
- Plus one come bet$20two bets in play; on average about $0.28 lost between the two bets
- Plus two come bets$30three bets in play; on average about $0.42 lost between the three bets
The amounts are example bets only.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Each come bet is another bet in play: count them against the limit. A pass line bet and two come bets are three bets riding on the same dice, and the money at risk on each roll is three bets, not one.
Decide at home how much the evening gets, and do not chase a 7 that took your numbers with fresh chips in the come box: a new come bet after a loss is a new bet at the same price, not a way back. If the money on the table starts to feel like money you need, the lines below are there for exactly that.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. 19+ in most of Canada; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. More on responsible gaming.
Practice: track the come bets
The point is set, your come bets are on the table, and the dice have landed. Level 1 is one come bet: say what the roll does to chip B. Level 2 puts two come bets on the table at once, one of them often still on its first roll. Level 3 adds odds behind the come bet: how much the roll pays, and what happens to the odds on a come-out roll.
Nothing is bet here, and nothing is random. Each roll is a set picture, and the answer is worked out by the same dice engine as every table on this page, from the bets drawn in the picture.
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Level 1 · One come bet
The point is 5 · the dice show 3 and 5
- A$10 on the pass line
- B$10 come bet in the come box
The dice show 3 and 5. What happens to chip B, your come bet, on this roll?
- Chip B is paid even money An 8 is not a 7 or an 11, and on its first roll a come bet is paid only on those two totals.
- Chip B is lost Only a 2, a 3 or a 12 takes a come bet on its first roll, and an 8 is none of those.
- Chip B moves onto the 8 An 8 on the come bet’s first roll becomes the come bet’s own point, and chip B moves onto the 8 to wait for that number.
- Chip B stays in the come box A come bet does not sit in the come box past its first roll: that roll either settles the bet or gives the bet a point of its own.
On the same roll the pass line bet, chip A, stays on the line. Each bet answers to its own state: a come bet on its first roll answers to 7, 11, 2, 3 and 12 like a come-out roll, and a come bet with a point waits for that number before a 7.
Level 2 · Two come bets
The point is 5 · the dice show 3 and 4
- A$10 on the pass line
- B$10 come bet on the 8
- C$10 come bet in the come box
The dice show 3 and 4. What happens to your two come bets, chip B and chip C, on this roll?
- Chip B is lost; chip C is lost That treats chip C as if chip C already had a point. Chip C is on its first roll, and on a come bet’s first roll a 7 pays.
- Chip B is paid even money; chip C is paid even money That pays chip B as if chip B were on its first roll. Chip B already has its point, the 8, and a 7 before the 8 takes chip B.
- Chip B is lost; chip C is paid even money Chip B has its point on the 8, and a 7 before the 8 takes the bet. Chip C is on its first roll, and a 7 on a come bet’s first roll pays even money.
On the same roll the pass line bet, chip A, is lost. Each bet answers to its own state: a come bet on its first roll answers to 7, 11, 2, 3 and 12 like a come-out roll, and a come bet with a point waits for that number before a 7.
Level 3 · With odds
The point is 8 · the dice show 1 and 4
- A$10 on the pass line
- B$10 come bet on the 5, with $20 odds behind chip B
The point is 8, chip B is a come bet on the 5 with odds behind chip B, and the dice show 1 and 4. How much is paid on chip B and its odds together? Count the payout only, not the chips that come back to you.
- $40 Chip B is paid even money, $10, and the odds are paid 3 to 2 by the 5, the come bet’s own number: $30.
- $30 That pays the odds even money. Odds are paid at the true odds of the come bet’s number, 3 to 2 on the 5.
- $34 That pays the odds by the shooter’s point, the 8, at 6 to 5. The odds behind a come bet are paid by the come bet’s own number, the 5.
- $70 That counts chip B and the odds chips into the payout. Those chips come back to you beside the payout; the payout is only what the dealer adds.
Odds behind a come bet are paid by the come bet’s own number, at the true odds of that number, and go with the come bet when a 7 comes first. On a come-out roll they work only if the player has asked; without the request, on our reading of the rule book, they come back with nothing added when the come bet is settled.
Every roll in the practice run is worked out the same way: each bet in the picture is settled by the dice engine, and the answer is what the engine says the roll does to each bet.
How the practice run works
Where the rolls come from. Every chip in the practice run is a bet the dice engine knows, and what the roll does to each chip is decided by the same engine. The wrong answers are worked out from the same chips, and each wrong answer is one named mistake: a come bet on its first roll treated as a come bet with a point, or the other way round, the shooter’s point taken for the come bet’s point, odds paid even money or by the shooter’s point, the chips counted into the payout, or the odds treated as working on a come-out roll when nobody asked.
The odds on a come-out roll. Each picture says whether you asked for the odds to work on the come-out roll. Where you did not ask, the odds are not working, which is our reading of a rule book that prints only the request.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one roll of this lesson, and all of the squares are there from the start. Your first answer fills the square it belongs to; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself, with no button in between. Practising a roll you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count, because only first answers count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Five quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. A chip in the come box is the pass line bet you came for: the next roll is its own come-out roll, and from there the come bet waits for its own number, at the pass line’s price.
Where to play, and further reading
19+ (18+ in AB, MB, QC) · Play responsibly · the helplines are further up this page
Further reading
- Rules of Play for Table Games — Craps · BCLCThe full B.C. rules: the line, odds and lay limits, place and buy, the centre of the table and the Fire Bet, with every pay table.
- Craps — leaflet · Loto-QuébecThe most popular bets and the whole payout chart on two pages, with the odds and lay limits.
- How to play craps · OLG PlaySmartThe crew, the puck, the come-out roll and the turn to shoot, in plain words.
- Craps · GameSense by AGLCHow the game runs in Alberta, the Full Double odds and the terms you hear at the table.
How it’s worked out
Rules, numbers, sources and hosts
Where this happens. Every table on this page is a live craps table standing in a room you can walk into. The rules on this page are the rules BCLC publishes for the casinos in its province: a set of rules for a province, not a description of any one room, and tables run under other rules may differ.
Numbers. Every outcome in the tables and in the practice run is settled by the dice engine this site uses for craps, which works in exact fractions of the 36 ways two dice fall. The price of a come bet is the pass line’s price, worked out from those ways and checked against a second calculation. The odds payouts come from the odds paytable of the same rule book, and the engine checks that each one is the true odds of its number. Every amount is worked out from an example bet of $10, only an example and not a suggested bet.
Two readings. The rule book prints that players may ask for the odds behind their come bets to work on a come-out roll, and does not print the case without the request. Our reading is that without the request the odds are not working on a come-out roll and come back unpaid when the come bet is settled; the practice run uses that reading and says in each picture whether you asked. The rule book also handles a come bet like a pass line bet once the come bet has a number, without saying who moves the chips or where; the drawings put the chip in the box of its number.
What is deliberately absent. There is no pace and no price of an hour on this page: those belong to lesson 5.3 for the pass line and lesson 5.11 for a whole evening. How much odds to take and why odds add swing is lesson 5.4; the don’t come bet and laying odds are lesson 5.6; place bets, and whether a place bet on the 6 or a come bet with odds is the cheaper way to cover a number, are lesson 5.7. The areas of the table and the crew are lesson 5.1, the come-out roll and the point are lesson 5.2, the field and Big 6 / Big 8 are lesson 5.8, the centre bets are lesson 5.9, shooting the dice is lesson 5.10, and long hands and streaks are lesson 5.12. The rule book we could read prints no put bet, so there is none here.
Sources. Every rule and every claim on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. Craps is played against the house. Following your come bets tells you what each roll does to them; nothing on this page makes a come bet cheaper, and nothing here says how an evening at the table would end.
Adding odds to a come bet
In order to take or give odds bet, you must have a corresponding Pass/Don’t Pass or Come/Don’t Come bet in place.
To make an odds bet, place it behind one of your previous line bets or tell the base dealer you’d like to add odds to one of your Come or Don’t Come bets.
What odds pay
PASS LINE AND COME ODDS WAGER
6 or 8 6 to 5
5 or 9 3 to 2
4 or 10 2 to 1
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
How much odds a come bet takes
The Player's Odds wager may be up to a maximum of 3 times the amount of the Pass Line and Come wager if the point is 4 or 10;
The Player's Odds wager may be up to a maximum of 4 times the amount of the Pass Line and Come wager if the point is 5 or 9.
The Player's Odds wager may be up to a maximum of 5 times the amount of the Pass Line and Come wager if the point is either 6 or 8.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
Odds on a come-out roll
Players may request their Come bet Odds to be working on the Come out roll.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
A come bet and the pass line
Come bets are like the “Pass Line”, except that “Come” bets are made any time after the come-out roll.
the Come bet, which may be made anytime after the Come Out roll, is similar to the Pass bet.
A come bet is handled like a pass line bet
A Come and Don't Come wager may only be placed after a Point has been established.
A Come and Don't Come wager will be handled in the same manner as a Pass or Don't Pass wager on the Come Out roll.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
Point made, or a 7 first
If the Player achieves their point their original wager is paid and the game returns to the Come Out roll and the dice are retained by the Player.
If the Player rolls a total 7 before achieving their point, their wager is lost and the dice are passed to the next Player.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
If 7 appears before a point is established, players betting with the shooter lose; if the point appears first, the players betting with the shooter win.
The shooter keeps rolling until they roll a 7, or “seven out” at which time, the dice move to the next player and the round begins again.
The round ends when a shooter “seven out” – when they roll a 7 after having established the point.
Seven Out: A rolled 7 after the point has been established.
GameSense by AGLC · Craps · read
A contract bet
A Pass line and Come wager is a contract bet and cannot be removed, once a point has been established.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
Once a Pass line bet is made, the bet can’t be picked up until a win or lose decision is reached.
Contract Bet: A wager that may not be reduced or removed once the point is established until it wins or loses. The Pass Line and the Come bets are contract bets.
GameSense by AGLC · Craps · read
The price of the pass line and the come bet
Pass Line/Come Bet Actual or “True” Odds: 251 to 244 Odds Paid or Payout: 1 to 1 House Edge: 1.41%
OLG PlaySmart · Craps — odds · read
When a come bet can be made
A Come and Don't Come wager may only be placed after a Point has been established.
A Come and Don't Come wager will be handled in the same manner as a Pass or Don't Pass wager on the Come Out roll.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
The bets you put down yourself
Players may self-place wagers on the following bets for the Come Out roll.
Pass and Don't Pass Line
Big Six and Eight
The Field
Players may self-place wagers on the following bets once a Point has been established.
Come and Don't Come
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
A come bet and the pass line
Come bets are like the “Pass Line”, except that “Come” bets are made any time after the come-out roll.
the Come bet, which may be made anytime after the Come Out roll, is similar to the Pass bet.
The pass line on the come-out roll
The Player attempts to roll a total of 7 or 11 with the two dice to get paid even money on their wager, on the Come Out roll.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, it is a “natural” and you win. If 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, it is “craps,” and you lose.
Thirty-six ways for two dice
Since each die has six sides there are six possible outcomes. Two dice makes 6×6 and therefore there are 36 possible combinations on each roll.
OLG PlaySmart · Craps — odds · read
Point made, or a 7 first
If the Player achieves their point their original wager is paid and the game returns to the Come Out roll and the dice are retained by the Player.
If the Player rolls a total 7 before achieving their point, their wager is lost and the dice are passed to the next Player.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
If 7 appears before a point is established, players betting with the shooter lose; if the point appears first, the players betting with the shooter win.
The shooter keeps rolling until they roll a 7, or “seven out” at which time, the dice move to the next player and the round begins again.
The round ends when a shooter “seven out” – when they roll a 7 after having established the point.
Seven Out: A rolled 7 after the point has been established.
GameSense by AGLC · Craps · read
A contract bet
A Pass line and Come wager is a contract bet and cannot be removed, once a point has been established.
Section 1.0 Craps; 2.0 Fire Bet
Once a Pass line bet is made, the bet can’t be picked up until a win or lose decision is reached.
Contract Bet: A wager that may not be reduced or removed once the point is established until it wins or loses. The Pass Line and the Come bets are contract bets.
GameSense by AGLC · Craps · read
The price of the pass line and the come bet
Pass Line/Come Bet Actual or “True” Odds: 251 to 244 Odds Paid or Payout: 1 to 1 House Edge: 1.41%
OLG PlaySmart · Craps — odds · read
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