Most craps players bet on the pass line and come while placing numbers and prop bets. This is a way to make hot rolls more fun and profitable. However, a 7 can wipe it all out in one roll.
Don’t pass and don’t come players cannot lose all bets on a single roll. Don’t bets can only lose one at a time. A 7 makes all with established points win.
The house edge on a don’t pass and don’t come bet is 1.36% before taking odds. That is 0.05% lower than the pass line and come.
Other players at the table may not like don’t bettors, but I find it to be more fun than playing from the pass line. This way of betting is sometimes referred to as the dark side or playing with the house.
Note that don’t pass and don’t come bets are only available at traditional craps games. There are no don’t bets on a crapless craps table.
US Casino Advantage is supported through advertisements and sponsors. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
How to bet the don’t pass at craps
The don’t pass bet is only available on the come out roll. The don’t come bet is not available on the come out. Once a point is established, the don’t pass bet stays until it wins or loses. New bets must be placed on the don’t come.
A don’t pass or don’t come bet may be removed by the player before it is resolved. That is because the player has an advantage over the house on those bets once a number is established. I recommend never removing a don’t bet because it defeats the entire purpose of surviving the come out roll.
The don’t pass bet is the opposite of a pass line bet at craps. It wins on 2 and 3 when coming out. It pushes on 12. You may find a craps table where 2 pushes on the don’t bets as opposed to 12 being the push. The odds are identical. Don’t bets lose on a 7 or 11. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, it becomes the point.
Mixing don’t pass and don’t come bets
The don’t come bet is like don’t pass, except that it is a side bet on a new roll.
For example, the craps shooter is coming out. A 4 is rolled. The don’t pass bet wants a 7 to come before a 4. If a 4 comes first, the don’t bet loses. If the 7 comes, it wins.
While waiting, the player may put a bet on don’t come to get an additional number. If the next roll in this example is a 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, the don’t bettor has two numbers that win if a 7 is rolled next. When a 4 is rolled here, it replaces the don’t pass bet and the table comes out again.
If the next roll is a 2 or 3, the don’t come wins. When a 7 is rolled, the don’t come bet loses while the don’t pass bet wins. If it is an 11, the don’t come bet loses. It pushes on a 12.
Players may take as many don’t come bets as they wish. Odds are permitted on all once a number is established.
Betting odds on don’t pass and don’t come bets
Don’t pass and don’t come odds work in the opposite manner as pass line and come bets.
- 4 and 10: $2 for every $1 to win
- 5 and 9: $3 for every $2 to win
- 6 and 8: $6 for every $5 to win
These are true mathematical odds. Like the pass line and come, the return on don’t pass and don’t come odds is 100%. It lowers the expected loss per total dollar wagered, sometimes to as low as 0.2% at 20 times tables like the ones at Sam’s Town and Main Street Station. See our Las Vegas Craps Survey for all odds in that market.
How I bet the don’t pass and don’t come at craps
No craps strategy makes the game beatable. The goal is to have fun and increase your chances of winning by decreasing the house edge.
The way I do that at craps is typically from the don’t pass and don’t come. I make a don’t pass bet. Once a point is established, I take the maximum allowed odds. Next, I place a don’t come bet. If that bet makes it to a number, I again lay the maximum odds. I do this until I have three numbers in the back plus my don’t pass bet.
If a point wins during all this, the don’t come bets stay in action. You can remove the odds and return them after the come out roll if you wish, though this roll is no different than any other. If you take the flat bet down, you can’t put it back up again without going through a new don’t bet.
To lower my variance, I don’t lay odds on the 4 or 10 unless those numbers are my only ones covered. Dealers think that I am crazy for this, but it requires a larger bankroll to chase those numbers due to higher variance. It is tougher to get them back after a hot roll.
If I end up in a hot roll and get some of these bets picked off, I sit back and wait for a new roll. This does nothing mathematically, but it can slow down a brutal swing.
Laying numbers
You don’t have to bet the don’t pass or don’t come to cheer for a 7. You can also lay any of the six possible points. The player must pay a 5% commission on the potential win to do this. To save a little here, I recommend laying the 4 and 10 for $100 + $2 commission, 5 and 9 for $75 + $2 and 6 and 8 for $60 plus $2. That is because the commission is rounded down on $50 wins, theoretically saving you $0.50 in juice every time. Dropping it to win $25 cuts the commission down by $0.25.
