Craps: The “Come” Bet

Last update: May 2021

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In the How to Play Craps article, we learned how to make the Pass Line and Odds bets, which, truthfully, are the only bets you really need to know.  But if you get bored of making those bets and want to learn a new one the Come bet is a good one, because it has the same low house edge as the Pass Line bet.

Here's how the Come bet works:  Once a point is established (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), you make a Come bet placing your bet in the area marked COME.  (See the picture.)  At that point, the Come bet works similar to the Pass Line bet:  You win the Come bet if a 7 or 11 is rolled, and lose if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled.  If any other number is rolled, you've set a Come Point, and your bet is moved to that number to mark it.  (So then there will be two points: the Point with the On/Off marker that will win for the Pass Line bet, and the Come point that will win for your Come bet.)

Here's a summary of the Come Bet:

• You can place a Come Bet only after a Point is made on a Come Out roll.  (But, you don't have to place a Pass Line bet.)
• You Win if the next roll is 7 or 11, or if the Come Point is repeated before a 7.
• You Lose if the next roll is 2, 3, or 12, or if a 7 is rolled before the Come Point is repeated.

Just like you can back your Pass Line bet with an Odds bet, you can back your Come Bet with an Odds bet.  And just as with the Pass Line bet, you just have to wait for a (Come) Point to be set before you make your Odds bet.  But instead of placing the chips yourself, you toss them towards the dealer and ask him/her to place them for you.

Let's go through a sequence.  Use a printout of the picture above and some "chips" (coins) and a marker to follow along. Assume that you'll play according to the following strategy:

• We'll always make a Pass Line bet.  (Make a new one when you lose one.)  It's not required that you make a Pass Line bet before you make a Come bet, that's just the style we're using for our play.
• When a Point is set, make the maximum Odds bet allowed on the Pass Line.  Assume 3-4-5 odds.
• When a Point is set, make Come Bets until you have one Come Point established.
• When a Come Point is set, make the maximum Odds bet allowed.

Here's how a sequence of rolls might play out:

Note also that you don't have to stop with at just two points established; you could keep placing Come Bets and establishing new Come Points, but you then have the potential to lose money a lot faster.  Here's how that might work. Assume you've started out by placing a Pass Line bet.  And to keep it simple, we won't make odds bets.

1. Roll = 6.  Point is established. You make a Come Bet
2. Roll = 10.  Come Point is established. You make another Come Bet.
3. Roll = 4.  Second Come Point is established. You make another Come Bet.
4. Roll = 9.  Third Come Point is established. You make another Come Bet.
5. Roll = 5.  Fourth Come Point is established. You make another Come Bet.
6. Roll = 4.  You win on the 2nd Come Point. You place another Come Bet
7. Roll = 8.  Yet another Come Point is established.
8. Roll = 7.  You lose all bets on the table—your Pass Line bet and the four Come bets!

Having your Come odds "working"

Come odds are normally "off" on come-out roll, but you can ask the dealer to keep them on, which is called having your Come odds "working".  Let's look at an example.

1. On the come-out roll, the shooter rolls a 10, which becomes the point.
2. You make a Come bet.
3. The shooter rolls a 6, establishing your Come point.
4. You place a Come Odds bet on that point.
5. The shooter rolls a 10, winning the Pass Line bet.  Everyone cheers.
6. Time for another come-out roll.  The shooter rolls a 6, which is the same as the Come Point you had established.  What happens now?

The Come bet itself is always in action, so that 6 on the Come-out roll gives you a win on the Come bet.  But the Come odds bet was turned off by default, so you don't win that one.  You won just the Come bet, but not the Come odds that went with it.

However, before the shooter rolled the dice, you could have told the dealer that you wanted your Come odds "working".  If you'd done that, then the 6 on the Come-out roll would have made you win both your Come bet and the Come odds bet.

Don't Come

We learned that the Don't Pass is the opposite of the Pass Line in How to Play Craps.  There's also an opposite for the Come bet, called (wait for it) Don't Come.  After the Come-out Point is set, a Don't Come bet loses on a 7 or 11 wins on a 2 or 3, and pushes (ties) on 12.  After a Come Point is set, then Don't Come loses if the point is repeated, and wins if a 7 kills the point.

You can make the Odds bet on the Don't Come, but it's backwards:  For example, instead of being paid 2 to 1 when winning on a point of 4 or 10, you're paid 1 to 2.  That means that a $10 Odds bet wins $5.  You also get paid on your original Don't Come bet, whatever that was.

Most players bet Pass/Come instead of Don't Pass/Don't Come.  Someone who bets Don't Pass/Don't Come is called a "Wrong Bettor".  That doesn't mean they're betting incorrectly, it just means they're betting contrary to the way most people at the table are betting.  As a Don't Pass/Don't Come player, you'll be losing when everyone else is winning, and winning when everyone else is losing—and the other players may be hostile towards you as a result of the latter.  At the very best, there won't be any camaraderie.

Practice craps with fake money or real money at Bovada

Practice Online

While you can get a general understanding of the rules from the lesson above, you really won't get a feel for the game until you've played it a few times.  You can practice craps at Bovada with fake money.  Their game is well done, and gives you a feel for what it's like playing in a casino.

Related stuff

• How to Play Craps.  Covers all the basics.
• Practice craps.  Bovada's game lets you play with fake money so you can learn the game without risk.
• Parody instructions for How to Play Craps.  If you thought the above was confusing, try to follow along on this one.
• The Don't Pass bet.  This is an interesting craps bet, but people who play it are sometimes considered pariahs.
• Craps Rolls Generator.  For those who want to test their betting systems, get random craps rolls on demand.