Craps Betting Dont Pass Bet

The craps Don't Pass bet is almost the exact opposite of a Pass Line bet. Like the Pass Line bet, the Don't Pass bet is a Flat bet that you make before the come out roll. The Don't Pass section on the table layout is above the Pass Line clearly marked "Don't Pass Bar 12," typically in black letters. The Don't Pass is sometimes called the "back line."

The rules for table minimum and maximum bets are similar to the Pass Line bet. For example, if you see a red placard defining a $5 minimum and a $2,000 maximum, that means your Flat Don"t Pass bet has to be at least $5, but can't be more than $2,000.

The Don't Pass bet is a self-service bet, which means you make this bet yourself by placing your chip(s) in the Don't Pass section. You don't need the dealer's help to make this craps bet.

For the craps Don't Pass bet, the come-out roll can result in four possible outcomes (note how the outcomes are almost exactly opposite of the Pass Line bet): 1) if a 7 or 11 appears, the Don't Pass bet loses and the game ends; 2) if a 2 or 3 appears, the Don't Pass bet wins and the game ends; 3) if a 12 appears, it's considered a tie and the bet doesn't win or lose, and the game ends; and 4) if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 appears, a point is established and the game continues until either the point number appears again, in which case the Don't Pass bet loses; or a 7 appears, in which case the Don't Pass bet wins. For the Don't Pass bet, you hope the shooter rolls a craps on the come-out; or if a point is established, that she doesn't make her point and, instead, rolls a 7-out (again, note how the Don't Pass is opposite of the Pass Line bet).

The "Bar 12" part of the label for the Don't Pass bet indicates that a 12 on the come-out roll is a tie. Some casinos have "Bar 2," which means a 2 on the come-out roll is a tie. Whether the bar is 12 or 2 doesn't matter because the odds are the same (i.e., there's only one way to make a 12 and only one way to make a 2, so the odds are the same). However, some casinos like to screw their craps customers by having a Bar 3. You probably won't see this because it's so rare, but it does exist. Unlike the 12 or 2 that have only one way to make either number, there are two ways to make a 3. This small difference increases the house advantage from its normal 1.4% to about 4.4%. If I see a Bar 3 in a casino, I immediately turn around, walk out, and go to another casino. The house already has an advantage over the player, so the idea of the casino screwing the player even more really chaps my rear end, so I refuse to give them my business.

Remember, the Don't Pass is basically the opposite of the Pass Line. Therefore, unlike the Flat Pass Line bet, you can remove your Flat Don't Pass bet at any time after a point is established. For the Don't Pass, the come-out roll favors the house but then shifts to the player after a point is established. Therefore, after a point is established, the house actually wants you to remove your Don't Pass bet because you have the advantage.

Unlike the Pass Line, you cannot "put" (i.e., make a Put bet) a Flat Don't Pass bet and you cannot increase your Flat Don't Pass bet after a point is established. Again, for the Don't Pass, the come-out roll favors the house but after the come out roll when a point is established, the Don't Pass favors the player. Therefore, the house won't allow you to wait until a point is established to "put" a Flat Don't Pass bet. If you want to bet the Don't Pass, the house requires you to go through the come-out roll.

Don't Pass craps bets are an even-money bet, which means you win the exact amount that you bet. For example, if you make a $5 Don't Pass bet and win, you win $5.

If you bet the Don't Pass, it's also called betting "against" the dice (as opposed to betting "with" the dice) or betting the "wrong" way (as opposed to betting the "right" way).

On the come out roll, a Don't Pass bet has an 8:3 house advantage. For the player, there are three ways to win on the come out, eight ways to lose, and one way to tie. Let's review. For a Don't Pass bet on the come out roll, a 7 or 11 loses, a 2 or 3 wins, and a 12 ties. There are six ways to make a 7 and two ways to make an 11; therefore, there are eight ways to lose a Don't Pass bet on the come-out. There's one way to make a 2 and two ways to make a 3; therefore, there are three ways to win a Don't Pass bet on the come out. Eight ways to lose versus three ways to win is written in terms of odds as 8:3. That's how we get an 8:3 house advantage with a Don't Pass bet on the come out. But that's only for the come-out roll. For a Don't Pass bet after the point is established, the advantage shifts back to the player. No matter what the point is (i.e., 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), there are always more ways to make a 7 and win than there are ways to make the point and lose. The advantage that you enjoy after the come-out roll for a Don't Pass bet is outweighed by the 8:3 disadvantage you have to survive on the come out. The net result is that the house maintains a small advantage on the Don't Pass bet, even when you make an Odds bet.

After a point is established when you play craps, you can make a Free Odds bet, or "lay Odds against the point." Notice for the Don't Pass bet, the Odds bet is called "laying" Odds; whereas, for the Pass Line bet, it's called "taking" Odds. The Odds bet is another bet against the point number in addition to the Flat Don't Pass bet.

The Odds bet is a self-service bet, so you make this bet yourself by putting the chip(s) next to your Flat Don't Pass bet in the Don't Pass section. Like the Pass Line bet, there's no marked location on the table to define where to put your chip(s) for an Odds bet. The location for your Don't Pass Odds bet is next to your Flat bet.

Unlike the Pass Line Odds bet where the chips are all stacked in one pile behind the Flat bet, the Don't Pass Odds bet is either "heeled" or "bridged" adjacent to the Flat bet. Remember, for the Pass Line Odds bet, you put the higher-denomination chips on the bottom of your Odds-bet stack and the lower-denomination chips on the top of the stack. The same is true for the Don't Pass Odds bet (i.e., higher-denomination chips go on the bottom, lower denominations go on top).

If the payoff for a Don't Pass Odds bet equals the amount of the Flat bet, then the Odds bet is bridged. The part of your Odds bet that's equal to the Flat bet is placed directly next to the Flat bet. Then, the rest of the Odds bet is placed on top "bridging" them. For example, suppose you make a $5 Don't Pass bet and the shooter rolls a point of 8. Knowing the true odds for the 8 are 6:5 (i.e., six ways to make a 7, and five ways to make an 8), you then lay $6 in Odds hoping to win $5. In this example, if you win the $6 Odds bet, you win $5, which exactly equals what you win with your $5 Flat bet (i.e., your $5 flat bet is even money, which means you win $5). Therefore, since your Flat bet and Odds bet win the same amount (i.e., $5 each), you bridge your $6 Odds bet by placing a $5 chip directly next to your $5 Flat bet, and then placing the $1 chip so it bridges the two $5 chips.

If the payoff for a Don't Pass Odds bet doesn't equal the amount of the Flat bet, then the Odds bet is heeled. This means you place the bottom chip of your Odds-bet chip stack directly next to your Flat bet. Then, place all remaining Odds-bet chips on top of that single chip but offset and leaning on that bottom chip (i.e., your Odds-bet chip stack is crooked because it's leaning on the bottom chip). See Figure 3 for an illustration of how the Don't Pass Odds bet is heeled.