The Pass Line

Chapter 2: The core game · Lesson 4 of 21 · 6 min read

Place your first bet, follow it through a full round and learn why it is a contract.

The Pass Line is the classic craps bet, often called betting "with the shooter" or "right". You put chips on the Pass Line before a come-out roll, and lesson 3 told you what happens next:

• Come-out 7 or 11: win.
• Come-out 2, 3 or 12: lose.
• Come-out 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: that's the point. Then you win if the point comes again before a 7, and lose if 7 comes first.

A win pays even money: bet $10, win $10, and you keep your original $10.

Once a point is set, your Pass bet is locked in. It's a contract bet: you can't pick it up until it wins or loses. (That's because you already enjoyed the come-out, where you were the favourite.)

How good is it? Out of every 495 Pass bets, on average you win 244 and lose 251. That's 49.3% wins, a hair under a coin flip. The small gap is how the casino makes its money, and lesson 5 puts a number on it.