Craps Terminology and Slang

2-way is a pair of bets placed by a player where one is for themselves and the other is for the dealer. If they win, then the dealer receives the second bet and winnings as a tip.

A 3-way Craps is a betting strategy where a player bets three units, with one going on the number 2, one on 3, and one on 12.

When players make a bet that the following number rolled will total 2, which is two ones, it’s known as aces. The reason is that in many card games, an ace has a low value of 1.

It’s a roll of 3.

If the next roll equals 2, 3, or 12, it is called Any Craps. If these numbers appear on the come-out roll, it’s known as crapping out.

An Any Seven is a bet a player can make on the number 7.

The amount of money a player plans on wagering in a given session is known as the Action they will give the game. Sometimes it also means the total amount of money on a craps table at a given time in the game. When a shooter runs hot, thousands of dollars can be on the table, even at a low-limit game.

Beyond the craps table layout, there is a blank felt known as the Apron. The apron is where players make their odds bet, directly behind their pass line or don’t pass line bet.

And Arm is a player who is skilled at shooting or rolling the dice.

The backline is another name for the don’t pass line.

Technically in casinos, the actual name for craps is bank craps.

The Base Dealers are responsible for paying, taking, and booking all bets at the end of the craps table.

A Betting Right is when you make a wager on the pass line and bet with the shooter or the person rolling the dice.

Betting wrong happens when a player bets against the shooter.

Big 6 or Big 8 is when players can wager on a 6 or 8 rolled before the 7 comes up. The Big 6 or Big 8 is generally known as a sucker bet due to the high house edge compared to the same bet a player can make on the exact numbers with a place bet.

A Big Red is a bet placed on any seven.

Black is the term for $100 in craps. Black chips are usually the one-hundred-dollar chips in craps.

Bones is slang terminology for the dice.

Usually located near the Stickman, the bowl is where they keep the extra dice. Shooters always have the option of picking two dice, usually from a selection of four. If a die lands in the bowl when a shooter rolls, it will not count and will be deemed a no-roll by the dealer.

Placing a bet on the number 12 is known as a Box Cars bet. It is called a box cars bet due to the resemblance between the six pips on the dice and the box cars on a freight train.

The place bet numbers in craps are known as Box Numbers. They are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

The boxman is the dealer who sits. They handle chips and money exchanges and give orders to the base dealers. The boxman is in charge of holding the box of chips and money.

“The Boys” is a term for craps dealers.

A Buffalo is a five-unit bet on all the hard ways and the number 11. It can also mean a bet on all hard ways and the number 7. The definition differs depending on where you’re playing. This type of bet is generally not a good bet based on the odds.

The Buy Bet is a 5% commission you pay to the casino so that you may receive the correct odds on a place bet. A buy bet on a 4 or 10 means the house edge is lowered on that bet by a few percent. Depending on the rules of the casino you’re playing at, you’ll pay a commission when you initially place the bet. You may only pay the commission if you win on that bet.

Players can make a one-roll bet on the following number being a craps number or the 11. That is a 2, 3, 12, or 11. C and E is generally considered a sucker bet due to the significant house edge.

A center field is a 9. It’s often called a Center Field Nine.

A Change Only is when a player buys into a game with cash.

It is the action of breaking down a chip into smaller denomination chips.

When dice land up against the wall of the craps table, they won’t be lying flat and displaying a number. This action is known as cocked dice. When this happens at a craps table, the dealer will decide what the resultant number would’ve been if the wall was taken away instantly and the dice were allowed to fall flat.

A Cold Dice is when the shooter keeps losing.

You color up when you exchange chips of a smaller denomination for chips of a higher denomination. Usually, a sign you’ve been winning. The boxman handlers color ups.

After players establish the point, they can make a come bet, a virtual pass line bet with the same payout and house edge.

The first roll by a shooter in a new round in craps is called the Come Out Roll. Players that bet on the pass line will win if they roll a 7 or 11 and lose if they roll a 2, 3, or 12. Don’t pass line bets are the opposite, except if they roll a 12, it’s a tie. If they roll any other number, then the point is established as that number.

“Comps” refers to Freebies. It includes free drinks, meals, hotel rooms, and show tickets offered as incentives to gamble. Some casinos provide cashback for high-volume players.

Craps Check is betting on any craps during the come-out roll to hedge your pass-line bet.

Crap or Crap Number refers to the numbers 2, 3, and 12.

It means losing on the come-out roll by rolling a 2, 3, or 12.

If you’re playing craps online or at a Shoot to Win craps table in a casino, you’ll have a certain number of credits to use. These credits are just a different way of representing the cash you have placed into the machine. Quite often, you’ll have the option on a game to change the credits display back to cash so you can keep track of what you’re wagering in cash instead of those mysterious credits.

Croupier is a French term for a dealer, which is sometimes used at the craps table as the dealer doesn’t deal cards. They are there to control betting, award wins, and take losses. 

Craps tables in live casinos generally have three to four croupiers and a stickman. The reason is the extensive range of bets available and the massive amount of cash that can be in play on a particular table.

The dark side approach is playing a betting method focused on the lowest possible house edge. It refers to a player betting on the don’t pass line or come and on the shooter not making the point when they establish it.

It is a technique some writers believe can be used to control how the dice lands. Dice control is still a controversial topic with respected authors on both sides. Dice control in street settings, such as the “Army blanket roll” in World War II, has existed.

This bet is the virtual don’t pass line bet after establishing the point. It allows players to make this bet immediately upon joining the game. It also allows other players to hedge their bets against the current pass line and odds bets they have in play.

The don’t pass bar is the actual section on the table layout where the player makes a don’t pass line bet.

The don’t pass line bet is a bet that a player can make before the come-out roll. This bet pays out even if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3; it ties if 12 rolls. If 7 or 11 rolls, this bet loses. The house edge on this bet is the best a player can get at 1.36%.

After establishing the point, a player can make an odds bet. If the table allows a double odds maximum, then the most a player can wager is double their pass line bet. Some casinos have double odds, and some go up to 1000x odds. The higher the allowable odds bet, the better for the player, as this bet has no house edge.

A double pitch is when the dice stay on the axis, but one turns two faces more than the other.

It refers to reducing or moving a bet. Players can also say, “take it down.”

When the dice equal 4, 6, 8, or 10 and the values on each die are different, it’s an easy way. An easy way 6 would consist of a 4 and a 2.

It’s the surveillance department or cameras installed in the ceiling to watch dealers and players.

It is any bet that pays out a 1:1.

It’s a roll of 5, which can also be called five fever.

A Field Bet is a single roll bet on 2,3,4,9,10,11, or 12. Field bets pay out at even money for all numbers except 2 and 12, which pay out at 2 to 1 or 3 to 1.

“Free odds” refers to odds that can be taken or laid behind the pass/come or don’t pass/don’t come.

It is an imaginary line in the middle of the table that dice must pass for the dealer to classify the roll as fair. If the dice don’t pass this point, the dealer will call no roll, no roll will be in play, and the shooter must throw the dice again.

It refers to a player at the table minimum for an extended period.

It’s a term for a pass-line bet.

It is yet another term for a field bet.

It refers to a good tipper.

It refers to the $25 chips. Most casinos have them in green.

A Hard Way is a statistically more complex way to roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10, where the value on both dice must be the same. The table layout has corresponding bets on hard-way numbers on the craps table layout. These bets pay off quite well but have a higher house edge than other bet options. A hard way 8 would consist of a 4 and a 4.

It’s a simple one-roll bet on the following number 2 or 12.

It is a single-roll bet for 2, 11, or 12.

A High is a bet on or roll bet for a 2 or a 12.

A hop is a single-roll bet for a specific combination of dice to come out. It pays 15:1 for easy ways and 30:1 for hard ways.

A horn high bet is a horn bet with additional units going to a specific number.

A horn high bet is a horn bet with additional units going to a specific number.

When the shooter is on a roll (keeps winning), it’s called a Hot Dice.

A hot table has similar connotations to hot dice, except that good luck is imparted to the entire table instead of one shooter alone.

The very existence of a casino as a profitable business is built upon the house edge it implements in every game. This house edge is the theoretical percentage of how much money the casino will retain from what a player wagers.

A house edge of 3% means that for every $100 that is bet on that game, $3 will be kept by the casino, and the remainder will be paid back out. Of course, there will be swings and variations on this. Still, on a long enough timeline, the practical house edge will match the theoretical house edge.

These are the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 9.

A Lay Bet is a bet that a 7 will come up before the number you make a lay bet on. The options for players are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. This bet requires a commission from casinos due to the better payout odds.

Laying the odds is making the odds bet when establishing a point.

Betting options presented on the table felt are known as the layout. The layout is where all bets are placed and paid in the game of craps.

It’s simply a bet on the pass line or don’t pass line.

It’s a slang term used for a hard way 4.

It’s slang for rolling a 5.

A Low Bet is a single roll bet for a 2.

A Marker Puck is a large white, and black disc used to indicate when establishing a point and what that point is. One side is black and says off. You use the puck before setting a point; one side is white, and it says on, indicating what the point number is on the table.

To Mark the Point is to put the Puck on the layout to indicate the point number. The dealer does this.

“Mechanic” is a term for a shooter who allegedly implements dice control.

When players make a single roll bet on the number 12, it’s known as midnight.

If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, it’s referred to as a Natural. When this occurs, everyone betting on the pass line wins.

Nina refers to rolling or betting on a 9.

Sometimes at a craps table, something will occur to the dice that isn’t permitted, and the dealer will deem it a No Roll. This can happen if dice shoot off the table, land in the bowl with the spare dice, land in a player’s rack, or land in the table bank of chips. A dealer can also deem it a No Roll if a player tries to slide the dice instead of rolling, throws the dice too high, or if another player tries to roll when they aren’t the shooter.

An Odds Bet is a bet a player can make behind their pass line bet once the point has been established. The odds bet is the best bet to make in craps due to the 0% house edge. If the shooter rolls the point, the odds bet is paid out at 2 to 1 for 4 and 10, 3 to 2 for 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 for 6 or 8. After this, a player will remove their winnings, and the round starts again with the same shooter making another come-out roll.

The off or on button is a marker displaying on or off that is placed on a player’s bet to indicate whether that particular bet is in play for the next roll. It’s also known as a lammer.

Any bet made by a player active for the next roll only is considered a one-roll bet.

4, 5, 9, and 10 are Outside Numbers.

The most common bet in craps is the Pass Line Bet, which you place before the come-out roll and will be paid out at even money if a 7 or 11 is rolled. The player loses if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled. This action is known as crapping out.

If any other number is rolled and becomes the point, then the bet stays in place and is paid out at even money if the point is rolled again. If a seven is rolled, the player loses this bet, and the round is over.

To parley a bet is to take all the previous bet’s winnings and add them to the next bet.

A place bet is a bet on a certain number rolled before the 7. The numbers players can put a place bet on are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

These are the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 on the craps table.

To Press is to double a bet.

The Point is the number that is established on the come-out roll. Any place number, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, can be the point. The aim in craps, at least for those playing pass line and odds bets, is for the shooter to roll the point again before rolling a 7. This action would result in a win and the round being restarted with another come-out roll.

A Push is

A Proposition Bet is statistically one of the worst bets in craps due to the high house edge. Proposition bets are single-roll bets placed by players on a particular dice outcome for that roll. These also include hard-way bets. Players should avoid these bets, even when hedging other bets.

Each player in craps will have a wooden rack at the table where they keep their chips. The rack is sometimes also referred to as the rail.

A Right Bettor is a term for all who bet on the shooter.

It refers to keeping the previous winning bet as it is.

Seven Out indicates that a shooter has rolled the seven and ended the round before making the point. This results in pass line and odds bets being lost by all those betting on these at the table.

The player currently rolling the dice is known in craps as the shooter.

The Skinny Dugan is the number 7. It’s poor etiquette to say the number loudly when playing at a craps table after the point has been established. Therefore, several slang terms have been developed to avoid the number being spoken, and Skinny Dugan is one of these.

For obvious reasons, it’s known as Snake Eyes when a 2 is rolled in craps.

The dealer that wields the stick in craps and collects the dice for the shooter after each roll is known as the Stickman.

A Stroker is a player who makes too complicated bets and usually gives dealers unnecessary work.

A Square Pair is slang used for a hard 8.

A Sucker Bet is when the house edge on a wager is so high that no experienced gambler would make a bet. Craps online has several of these.

It means betting odds behind a pass or come.

A Toke is a slang term for tipping the dealer. To toke the dealer is to tip them.

The Vig is another term for the casino edge on the game, or the house edge, and also the commission that the casino will take on specific bets.

A Working Bet is a bet which is in play and can be won or lost.

The same bet on 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 is known as a whirl bet.

When players use the dark side approach to craps, they’re betting against the shooter, making the point. Players are then known as wrong bettors.

These are slang terms used when the shooter rolls an eleven.