A line bet in craps is a core wager that starts with a come-out-style roll and, when a box number is established, continues until that number or 7 decides it.
In the strict physical sense, the bets placed on the marked lines are Pass Line and Don’t Pass. Come and Don’t Come are usually described as line-style bets because they repeat almost the same logic after the table point is already on. All four are sometimes grouped together in general discussion, but their starting positions and first-roll rules must not be mixed.
Four related wagers, two starting moments
| Wager | When it begins | First-roll results | If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line | Before the table come-out roll | 7 or 11 wins; 2, 3, or 12 loses | The number becomes the table point |
| Don’t Pass | Before the table come-out roll | 2 or 3 wins; 7 or 11 loses; 12 usually pushes under a bar-12 rule | The player wants 7 before the table point repeats |
| Come | After the table point is on | 7 or 11 wins; 2, 3, or 12 loses | The number becomes that wager’s come point |
| Don’t Come | After the table point is on | 2 or 3 wins; 7 or 11 loses; 12 usually pushes under a bar-12 rule | The player wants 7 before that wager’s come point repeats |
“Usually” is necessary because a jurisdiction or house can bar 2 instead of 12 on the don’t side, and variants may use different rules. The layout, signage, and approved rules control the wager actually offered.
The main game pages explain each bet individually. Use Pass Line and Don’t Pass for the two table-line definitions, and Come Bet for the wager that starts after the point.
The state change is the heart of a line bet
A line bet has two stages.
Stage 1: the establishing roll
The wager first faces the immediate natural and craps totals. On Pass or Come, 7 and 11 win while 2, 3, and 12 lose. On Don’t Pass or Don’t Come under bar-12 rules, 2 and 3 win, 7 and 11 lose, and 12 is a push.
If the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the wager moves into its second stage.
Stage 2: point against 7
The established number and 7 become the only totals that decide the flat wager:
- Pass and Come win if their point repeats before 7.
- Don’t Pass and Don’t Come win if 7 appears before their point repeats.
- Other totals have no effect on that particular wager.
This is why a Come bet can be on 6 while the table point is 9. The table is running one Pass Line cycle toward 9, and the Come wager is running its own smaller line-style cycle toward 6.
A player who sees chips moved from the Come box to a numbered box is not watching a place bet being created. The dealer is identifying ownership of a Come bet after its come point has been established.
“Flat bet” and “odds” are separate pieces
The original line wager is commonly called the flat bet. After a point exists, an eligible player may usually add an odds bet behind or in association with it, subject to the table’s odds limit.
The two pieces are priced differently:
- the flat Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, or Don’t Come bet carries a house edge;
- the supplemental odds portion is paid at true odds under standard rules;
- the combined expected loss in dollars is generated by the flat bet, but the larger total amount at risk changes the percentage of total action represented by that loss.
That last point causes confusion. Adding odds does not reduce the expected loss already built into a $10 Pass Line wager. It spreads that expected loss over a larger combined amount.
Suppose a $10 Pass Line bet has an expected loss of about 14 cents. Adding $20 in odds does not turn the 14 cents into a profit. The combined $30 at risk still has roughly the same 14-cent expected loss from the flat portion, so the edge expressed against the full $30 is lower.
Why Pass Line is about 1.41%
For a standard Pass Line wager paying even money, the exact probabilities can be summarized as:
- probability of winning = 244/495;
- probability of losing = 251/495.
For a $1 wager:
EV = (244/495 × $1) − (251/495 × $1)
EV = −$7/495 ≈ −$0.01414
The standard Pass Line house edge is therefore:
7/495 ≈ 1.414%
A $10 flat Pass Line bet has a long-run expected loss of approximately:
$10 × 0.01414 = $0.1414
That is about 14 cents per resolved $10 wager on average. It is not a prediction that the casino removes 14 cents after each shooter. The actual wager resolves as a $10 win or loss, while the average emerges only across many comparable bets.
Under a standard bar-12 rule, the Don’t Pass edge is slightly lower at about 1.36% of the initial flat wager. The push on 12 is part of the difference. Exact conventions can produce slightly different displayed percentages when pushes are excluded from the denominator, so a source should state how the figure is measured.
Why the term does not include every multi-roll bet
A place bet may remain active across many rolls, but it is not a line bet. It does not begin with naturals and craps, and the selected number does not need to be the table or come point.
A hardway can also survive several rolls, yet it resolves through a hard total, an easy version, or 7. It has no line-bet establishing stage.
A field bet may sit near the line on the layout, but it is a one-roll wager. Physical proximity does not determine the category.
The defining feature is the come-out-style transition into a point-versus-7 contract, not how long the chips remain on the table.
What dealers are tracking
Line bets give the craps crew a structured record of the game:
- the puck shows whether the main Pass/Don’t Pass cycle is in come-out or point mode;
- Come and Don’t Come chips are moved to number boxes with positions that preserve player ownership;
- flat bets and odds must remain distinguishable;
- payouts depend on the established point and the correct true-odds ratio;
- a seven-out resolves the table line and the active come-point bets differently depending on side.
The official Massachusetts craps and mini-craps rules define Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come separately and state their establishing-roll and point-resolution conditions. They also show why Come and Don’t Come should not be described as bets made before the table come-out roll.
For the full operating sequence, see Craps Dealer Procedure. For beginner play rather than terminology, Pass Line Bet Explained follows one wager from placement through resolution.
Five distinctions that prevent most confusion
Pass Line versus Come. They use similar win/loss logic, but Pass starts before the table come-out roll; Come starts after the table point is on.
Table point versus come point. The puck identifies the table point. Each Come or Don’t Come wager can have its own number.
Flat bet versus odds. The flat wager establishes eligibility. Odds are a separate supplemental amount with different payouts.
Right side versus don’t side. Pass and Come want the point before 7. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come want 7 before the point after surviving the first roll.
Line bet versus place bet. A line bet passes through an establishing roll. A place bet directly backs a selected number against 7.
A line bet is therefore more than “a bet near the edge of the layout.” It is the contract structure that organizes the come-out roll, establishes a point, permits odds, and gives the craps table its central rhythm.