Craps can be intimidating with all the different terms and slang used for bets.
Learning the craps lingo is important to understand the game better, especially when playing at a land-based casino. Here’s the complete glossary of all the important terms used in craps:
- 2-Way: A bet placed by a player for himself and the dealers.
- 3-Way Craps: A bet placed in units of three with one unit each on 2, 3, and 12.
- Aces: A bet on the next roll resulting in a total sum of 2, also called “snake eyes.”
- Any Craps: A bet on the next roll resulting in a total sum of 2, 3, or 12.
- Any Seven: A bet on the next roll resulting in a total sum of 7.
- Big Red: Slang for the number 7.
- Black: Dealer slang for $100 gaming chips.
- Bones: Another name for dice.
- Boxcars: Slang for the number 12.
- Boxman: Table supervisor seated between the dealers and opposite the stickman.
- Box Numbers: Place bet numbers, 4-5-6-8-9-10.
- Boys or The Boys: Slang for the dealers.
- Cold Dice: A table where no one is making their point.
- Color In: To exchange smaller valued chips for larger ones when leaving the table.
- Come bet: A bet made after the established point is similar to a pass-line bet.
- Come out roll: The first roll of the dice to establish a point.
- Comp: Complimentary or freebies provided to players based on their actions.
- Crap Numbers: The numbers 2, 3, and 12.
- Craps Check: Betting on any craps during the come-out roll to hedge your pass-line bet.
- Don’t Come bet: A don’t pass bet made after the point is established.
- Don’t Pass bet: A bet that the shooter will not make his point.
- Double odds: An odds bet twice the size of the original pass/come bet.
- Eye in the Sky: Surveillance department or cameras in the ceiling to monitor players and dealers.
- Front Line: Another name for a pass-line bet.
- Garden: Slang for the field bet.
- George: A player who is a good tipper.
- Green: Dealer slang for $25 gaming chips.
- Hard Way: A bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice roll as pairs.
- Hi-Lo: A one-roll bet on 2 and 12.
- Hi-Lo-Yo: A one-roll bet on 2, 12, and 11.
- Hop bet: A bet on one particular combination of the dice for the next roll.
- Horn bet: A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 11, or 12, made in multiples of four with one unit on each of the numbers.
- Horn High bet: A bet made in multiples of five with one unit on three of the horn numbers and two units on the “high” number (number 12).
- Hot Dice or Hot Table: When players are winning or a player is rolling many numbers.
- Inside Numbers: Place bets on the numbers 5-6-8-9.
- Lay bet: A bet that a 7 will be rolled before the number you place (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) comes up.
- Layout: The printed area on the felt where wagers can be placed.
- Lay Odds: An additional odds bet made after a point has been established that will win if the original don’t pass bet wins.
- Little Joe: Slang for a pair of twos or Hard 4.
- Marker: A plastic disk used to mark the point.
- Mark the Point: The dealer puts the puck on the layout to indicate the point number.
- Midnight: Slang for the number 12, also called boxcars.
- Natural: A seven or 11 thrown on the come-out roll for a winning bet.
- One Roll Bet: A bet in craps won or lost in a single roll.
- Odds Bet: An additional wager made in addition to the pass line bet.
- Off: A term used to indicate that bets are not active on the next roll of the dice.
- Off and On: Refers to how dealers pay off come bets when a new come bet is the same number as one already established.
- On: A term that indicates that bets are working or in action.
- Outside Numbers: Place bets on the 4-10-5-9.
- Parlay: Adding winnings to an original bet and wagering it all.
- Pass Line Bet: A wager made on the come-out roll in which you bet the shooter will make the point.
- Place Bet: A bet that a particular number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled before a 7.
- Point: The number established by the come-out roll.
- Proposition Bet: A wager on one of the bets in the center of the layout.
- Right Better: A player with a bet on the pass line.
- Rack: The grooved rail where you keep your chips.
- Seven Out: The expression used when a shooter rolls a seven before making their point, thus losing the pass line bet.
- Shooter: The player rolling the dice.
- Snake Eyes: Slang for the number 2, also called aces.
- Stickman: The dealer with the stick that pushes the dice to the shooter and calls the rolls.
- Toke: Another word for a tip.
- World Bet: A bet on the horn numbers and any seven (2-3-11-12).
- Wrong Bettor: A player betting against the shooter.
- Yo or Yo-leven: The word used for rolling an eleven so as not to confuse it with “seven.”
Craps Stick Calls
Stick calls are the phrases that the stickman, the casino staff member responsible for handling the dice, uses to announce the outcome of a roll in craps. Here are some common stick calls:
- “Seven Out!“: This is called when a seven is rolled before the point number, ending the shooter’s turn.
- “Yo Eleven!“: An announcement for rolling an eleven. “Yo” is used to avoid confusion with “seven.”
- “Craps, Ace Deuce!”: Indicates that a three has been rolled (a two and a one).
- “Hard Eight!”: A call for rolling two fours.
- “Six, Easy Way!”: This means that a six was rolled with different numbers (e.g., a five and a one or a four and a two).
- “Boxcars!”: A call for rolling two sixes, resulting in a total of twelve.
- “Little Joe from Kokomo!”: Refers to rolling a four with a one and a three.
- “Eight, Skate and Donate!”: A fun way to announce an eight.
- “Five, No Field!”: Indicates a five has been rolled, which is not a winning number in the field bet.
- “Nine, Center Field!”: A nine has been rolled, which is a winning number in the field bet.
- “Three Craps Three!”: Another way to call a roll of three.
- “Ten, the Big One on the End!”: A call for rolling a ten.
- “Six, the Square Pair!”: Refers to rolling two threes.
- “Two Craps Two, the Ace Pair!”: A call for rolling snake eyes, or two ones.
- “Seven, Front Line Winner!”: Announcing a seven on the come-out roll, which is a winning roll.
Funny Craps Sayings
Craps is a game full of energy and excitement, and players often come up with humorous sayings to describe the action. Here are some funny craps sayings:
- “Dice are like women; you never know what they’ll do next.”: A humorous take on the unpredictability of the game.
- “I’d rather be lucky than smart.”: A nod to the fact that craps is a game of chance.
- “When the dice are hot, I’m a genius. When they’re cold, I’m a jinx.”: A playful way to describe the ups and downs of the game.
- “If I keep rolling like this, they’ll name a casino after me!”: A boastful comment made in jest during a winning streak.
- “The only thing colder than these dice is my ex’s heart.”: A lighthearted way to bemoan a streak of bad luck.
- “These dice must be broken; they’re not rolling my way!”: A humorous way to express bad luck.
- “I’ve seen glaciers move faster than these dice!”: A jest about a slow game or a cold table.
- “Someone give these dice a pep talk!”: A playful request for better rolls.
- “If I wanted to lose money this fast, I’d have bought a boat.”: A lighthearted way to comment on a losing streak.
- “Rolling dice is like eating chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”: A nod to the famous “Forrest Gump” quote.
- “These dice are on a diet; they’re not hitting the heavy numbers!”: A jest about consistently rolling low numbers.
- “I think these dice are allergic to money.”: A humorous way to describe dice that aren’t rolling favorably.
- “If luck were a rainstorm, I’d be in a drought.”: A playful comment on a streak of bad luck.
- “I’ve had warmer welcomes from a polar bear!”: Referring to a cold table or bad rolls.
- “These dice need glasses; they can’t find the right numbers!”: A jest about dice that aren’t rolling the desired numbers.
