A Come bet starts a new Pass Line-style wager after the shooter has established the table point. The next roll is the Come bet’s private come-out roll: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses, and 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 becomes that wager’s own point.
Once the dealer moves the chip from the Come box to a number, the contract changes. The wager now wins if that number repeats before 7 and loses if 7 arrives first. The shooter’s original point and the Come point can be different, and several Come bets can be active at the same time.
The bet has two distinct phases
Phase 1: the chip is in the Come box
| Next roll | Result for the new Come bet |
|---|---|
| 7 or 11 | Wins even money |
| 2, 3, or 12 | Loses |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 | Dealer moves the wager to that number |
There are eight winning combinations on 7 or 11, four losing combinations on 2, 3, or 12, and 24 combinations that establish a Come point.
Phase 2: the bet has traveled
After the wager moves, only its Come point and 7 decide it. A Come 5 wins if 5 rolls before 7. It does not care whether the table point is 4, 8, or 10.
A traveled Come bet is normally a contract wager. The flat bet stays until it wins or loses. House rules can differ, but players should not assume they may remove it just because the table situation changed.
The Pass Line guide covers the corresponding wager made before the shooter’s come-out roll. The Come bet is best understood as another line-bet cycle inserted while the hand is already in progress.
Why the house edge is the same as Pass Line
The Come bet follows the same outcome tree as a Pass Line bet, so the standard house edge is:
$$ \text{House edge}=\frac{7}{495}=1.4141% $$
The exact win probability is $244/495$ and the loss probability is $251/495$:
$$ EV=\frac{244}{495}(+1)+\frac{251}{495}(-1)=-\frac{7}{495} $$
The point branches explain where those fractions come from.
| Come point | Ways to establish it | Point before 7 | 7 before point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 3 of 36 each | 3/9 = 1/3 | 6/9 = 2/3 |
| 5 or 9 | 4 of 36 each | 4/10 = 2/5 | 6/10 = 3/5 |
| 6 or 8 | 5 of 36 each | 5/11 | 6/11 |
The come-box advantage on 7 and 11 is not enough to overcome the later disadvantage after a point travels. Over the complete cycle, the casino retains about 1.41 cents per dollar of flat Come action in expectation.
For a $10 flat Come bet:
$$ \text{Expected loss}=$10\times\frac{7}{495}\approx$0.14 $$
That is a long-run average. One completed wager normally wins $10 or loses $10.
The complete win-probability calculation
The $244/495$ win probability can be reconstructed from the six point branches. The bet wins immediately on 7 or 11 with probability $8/36$. If a point is established, multiply the chance of establishing that point by the chance of repeating it before 7:
$$ P(\text{win})=\frac{8}{36} +2\left(\frac{3}{36}\times\frac{3}{9}\right) +2\left(\frac{4}{36}\times\frac{4}{10}\right) +2\left(\frac{5}{36}\times\frac{5}{11}\right) $$
The factors of two represent the paired points 4/10, 5/9, and 6/8. Simplifying gives:
$$ P(\text{win})=\frac{244}{495}\approx49.29% $$
The losing probability is:
$$ P(\text{loss})=1-\frac{244}{495}=\frac{251}{495}\approx50.71% $$
The difference is small, which is why Come is a low-edge bet. It is not zero, which is why repeated flat action still has an expected cost.
A sequence with three different stories on one roll
Assume the shooter’s table point is 8.
- You place $10 in Come.
- The shooter rolls 5. The dealer moves your $10 behind the 5 box; 5 is now your Come point.
- You place another $10 Come bet.
- The shooter rolls 9. The second wager travels to 9.
- You place a third $10 in Come.
- The shooter rolls 7.
That final 7 produces several settlements:
- the new $10 still in the Come box wins $10;
- the traveled Come 5 loses $10;
- the traveled Come 9 loses $10;
- the shooter’s Pass Line loses because the table point was 8.
The same roll can therefore pay one Come bet and clear others. A player who watches only the Come box may think the 7 was favorable; a player with several traveled bets may suffer a substantial net loss.
This simultaneous settlement is one reason the crew repeats and positions Come wagers carefully. Each flat bet belongs to a player and each odds stack must remain identifiable.
Adding odds after the bet travels
Once a Come point is established, the player may usually add a separate odds wager. Odds pay the true dice ratio:
| Come point | Odds payoff | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | $10 odds wins $20 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | $10 odds wins $15 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | $10 odds wins $12 |
The odds portion has 0% house edge because the payout matches the probability of the point beating 7. It does not remove the 1.41% edge from the flat Come bet.
Suppose $10 Come travels to 5 and you add $20 odds. If 5 rolls first:
- flat wager wins $10;
- $20 odds at 3 to 2 wins $30;
- total profit is $40, with $30 of stake also returned.
If 7 rolls first, the $10 flat bet and $20 odds both lose. The odds improve the blended percentage price but increase the dollars exposed and the size of the swing.
The odds-bet guide explains table limits and proper betting multiples in more detail.
What odds do to the blended percentage
Odds add no expected loss, so they can reduce the house edge expressed as a percentage of the average amount committed. They do not reduce the expected dollar loss generated by the flat wager.
Assume a player always makes a $10 Come bet and adds $20 odds whenever a point is established. A point is established on 24 of 36 first rolls, or two-thirds of the time. The average amount committed per completed cycle is therefore:
$$ $10+\left(\frac{24}{36}\times$20\right)=$23.33 $$
The expected loss remains approximately $0.1414 because only the $10 flat bet carries a house edge. Measured against average total money committed:
$$ \text{Blended edge}=\frac{$0.1414}{$23.33}\approx0.61% $$
This percentage can make the package look safer than the flat bet alone, but the outcome range is wider. When the wager travels to 4 or 10, $20 odds can win $40 or lose $20 in addition to the flat result. Lower percentage cost and lower bankroll volatility are different goals.
What happens on the next table come-out roll
If the shooter makes the original table point, the puck turns off and the next roll becomes a new table come-out roll. Existing traveled Come bets do not disappear.
A common procedure is:
- flat Come bets remain working;
- Come odds are off unless the player calls them working;
- Place and Buy bets may also be off by default;
- a new Come wager cannot be made until a new table point is established.
The published New Jersey craps wager procedures, for example, treat Come odds as inactive on the come-out roll unless called on, while other wager categories remain active under their stated rules. A different casino or jurisdiction may use another approved procedure, so the dealer’s confirmation controls.
This distinction matters. If a traveled Come 6 is working but its odds are off, a come-out 6 wins the flat bet while the odds are returned without profit. If a come-out 7 appears, the working flat bet loses while off odds are returned.
Come bets versus Place bets
Both can create action on box numbers, but the contracts are different.
| Feature | Come bet | Place bet |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starts in Come box | Placed directly on chosen number |
| First-roll 7 | Wins while still in Come | Normally loses if working |
| Number selection | Determined by the roll | Chosen by player |
| Flat payoff | Even money | Varies by number |
| Removal | Traveled flat bet normally stays | Usually removable before a roll |
| Odds | True-odds add-on available | No separate odds wager |
A player who wants a specific 6 or 8 may prefer the control of a Place 6 or Place 8. A player who wants repeated Pass Line-style cycles may prefer Come bets with odds. The best-priced choice depends on the exact wager, odds multiple, desired exposure, and house procedure.
Multiple Come bets can quietly enlarge the bankroll at risk
A common pattern is to keep placing Come bets until two or three numbers are covered. The flat bets may each have a modest edge, but the total exposure can grow quickly.
Three $10 traveled Come bets plus $20 odds behind each number put $90 at risk on the 7:
$$ 3\times($10+$20)=$90 $$
The odds portions remain fairly priced, yet a seven-out can still remove all $90 if they are working. “Zero house edge” on the odds does not mean “cannot lose.” It means no average pricing advantage for either side.
The bankroll-risk guide is more useful than judging safety from house edge alone.
Three misconceptions worth removing
“Seven is always bad after I make a Come bet.” Seven wins while the wager is still in the Come box. It loses after the bet travels. With both new and traveled Come wagers active, seven can pay one and clear the others.
“The Come point follows the puck.” The puck shows only the shooter’s main point. A Come point belongs to the individual wager and stays on its numbered box until resolved, even if the shooter makes the main point first.
“Adding odds turns the entire bet into a zero-edge wager.” Only the odds component is paid at true odds. The flat Come portion retains its 1.41% edge.
Dealer and player controls that prevent mistakes
At a live table:
- put the flat wager fully in the Come box before the dice are released;
- wait for the dealer to move it rather than reaching toward a numbered box;
- state the odds amount after the bet travels;
- ask whether Come odds are working on the come-out roll;
- track each flat bet and odds stack separately;
- check the net result when a 7 pays the Come box but clears traveled bets.
Do not confuse the table point marker with your Come point. The puck identifies the shooter’s Pass Line point. Your Come wager is shown by the chip position behind a number, usually arranged so the crew can identify its owner.
A Come bet is one of the lower-edge standard craps wagers, especially when paired with affordable odds. Its practical risk comes from stacking several contracts, adding large odds, and forgetting that one 7 can settle those positions in opposite directions at once. Price the whole layout, not just the 1.41% printed beside one flat bet.