How does online craps work and what are the basic bets a beginner should understand first?

The craps table looks genuinely intimidating the first time you see it — a dense grid of boxes, abbreviations, and numbers that seems designed to confuse. That's the real anxiety behind this question, and it's completely reasonable. The good news is that you can sit down and play a full session of online craps while only understanding three or four bets. Everything else on that layout can wait.

What's actually happening in the game

Craps is a game of chance that requires no skill to play. The goal is to correctly predict the outcome of the roll of two dice, and players place bets on what dice combination they think will appear each time the dice are rolled.

Every round starts with what's called the come-out roll. Every player gets a turn to be the "shooter" — the one rolling the dice — as long as they have an active Pass or Don't Pass wager. When you're not the shooter, you're betting on the results of the shooter's roll. In an online version, a random number generator handles the dice, and in a live dealer game, a real dealer rolls on camera — but the rules are identical either way.

The bets a beginner should actually learn first

Pass Line — this is the foundation of the game. It's the most straightforward bet you can make in craps, placed before the come-out roll. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, it's a "natural" and you win. If 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, it's "craps" and you lose. Any other number — 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 — becomes your "point." If that point number is rolled again before a 7, you win.

Don't Pass — essentially the opposite side of the Pass Line. This bet loses on a "natural" (7 or 11) and wins if craps (2 or 3) is rolled. A roll of 12 is a "push" — no one wins or loses. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, it becomes the point; you win if 7 is rolled before that point is repeated, and lose if the point comes first.

Come and Don't Come — these bets work exactly like Pass and Don't Pass, except they are placed after the point has already been established. They let you create additional "mini-rounds" within the same game, following the same win/loss logic as the Pass Line from that moment forward.

Odds bets — once a point is set, you can place an additional wager behind your Pass or Come bet called "taking odds." These are among the best bets in craps because they pay out at true odds, meaning there is no house edge on this portion of your wager — the house takes its edge only on your Pass Line and Come bets. The maximum odds allowed vary by operator and table, so check the specific table rules before you play.

Place bets — you can make these on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 at any time after the come-out roll. If the number you've placed is rolled before a 7, you win; if not, you lose.

The one thing that matters more than any specific bet

With so many possible bets, it's easy to get overwhelmed. A useful rule of thumb: bets on the outer portion of the table generally carry better odds than those in the middle. That centre section — the proposition bets — tends to carry a much steeper house edge. The house edge in craps varies significantly based on the different bets available, and some bets carry no house edge at all. Sticking to Pass Line, Odds, and Come bets keeps you in the most favourable territory the game offers.

That said — craps is a game of chance. There is no skill required and therefore no strategy that will help you win. Each outcome is completely independent of the last. Betting systems don't work in craps. Anyone can win at any time, but the odds over the long term favour the casino, and playing based on a "system" can lead you to lose far more than you budgeted.

Playing online in Ontario

Online craps — both RNG (random number generator) and live dealer formats — is available through operators registered in Ontario's regulated market. Being a fully registered and authorized operator in Ontario's igaming market means the organization has successfully received registration by the AGCO and executed an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario, having met rigorous standards of game integrity, fairness, and player protections. You can verify any site's status at the iGaming Ontario operator directory, which lists all igaming sites offered by regulated operators contracted by iGaming Ontario. Only play on sites listed there — offshore or unregistered sites offer none of those protections.

Set a budget and stick to it. Don't chase your losses. Craps moves fast, and it's easy for a session to escalate quickly. If gambling ever stops feeling like entertainment, ConnexOntario is available 24/7 at 1-866-531-2600. You must be 19+ to play at any Ontario-registered online casino.