How to Play Craps in Pennsylvania

The game of craps is available at Pennsylvania’s land-based and online casinos. It’s a dice game where the players place bets on the outcome of rolling the dice.Craps often seems like a complex game to beginners. It can take them a while to master all the different bets and rules.

It is worth mastering the game because it is fast-paced and exciting, and it has the option of using different strategies. Picking up the terminology is probably one of the hardest aspects. Once you pick it up, you won’t think twice about betting the pass line, playing the field, or taking the odds.

Play real money craps online

When you play craps at a Pennsylvania online casino, you will receive a welcome bonus when you sign up. You can download the casino app and play using your mobile device. Bonuses extend your bankroll, which gives you a chance to play for small stakes and become familiar with the rules of the game.

You can try the game out and become familiar with the different bet types without eating up your whole bankroll. Some casinos offer live dealer craps while others don’t. When playing craps online, players can usually see an explanation of the different types of bets.

How to play craps

Players receive the dice in a clockwise direction around the table. The ‘shooter’ rolls the dice, and the first roll is the start of the ‘come-out’ round. Another phase is the ‘points’ round.

In the ‘come-out’ round, players have two main options. They can make a ‘Pass Line’ bet. In a ‘Pass Line’ bet, the 7 or 11 wins and the 2, 3, or 12 loses. Any other number is the ‘point’ which is the combined score from rolling the two dice. Players can also make a ‘Don’t Pass Line’ bet. In this type of bet, the 7 or 11 loses. The 2 or 3 wins, and 12 is a push or tie. 

The shooter must repeat the point before rolling a 7 to win a Pass Line bet.If a 7 rolls before the point, the Pass Line bet loses, and the next shooter receives the dice. 

Types of craps bets

  • Pass Line bet – the shooter must roll a 7 or 11 in the Come-Out roll or establish a point and roll it again before a 7.
  • Don’t Pass Line bet – the shooter will roll a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll, or roll a 7 before the point.
  • Come bet – like a Pass Line bet but the player places it after establishment of the point.
  • Don’t Come bet – like a Don’t Pass Line bet, but the player places it after the establishment of the point.
  • Odds bets are side bets players place after the establishment of a point number of a Pass Line or Come bet. 
  • Field bet – is a single roll of the dice that wins if it’s a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
  • Any Crap bet is a bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, or 12.
  • Any 7 bet is a bet that the next roll will be a 7.
  • HardWays bets – on specific numbers being rolled as the sum of two dice.

The Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board (PGCB) sets the odds rules for craps games. Just like people can develop a look that suits them, craps players can develop strategies to minimize the house edge. Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line bets have a relatively low house edge. Odds bets can significantly reduce the house edge. Any Craps and Any Numbers bets have a high house edge.

Rules

Just like when betting on trending sports in 2025, betting on craps involves abiding by a number of rules.All players must place their bets before the come-out roll. The shooter must throw the dice toward the far end of the table and aim to hit the back wall. The shooter must also throw both dice in one throw.

Players need to find out whether a casino has specific rules regarding hitting the back wall with the dice. The contact with the wall increases the forces that act on the dice and makes rolls more random.

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