Craps Glossary

Over the years, craps players and dealers have developed their own language for bets, the layout, and the overall action of the dice. Some of the sayings are fun and easy to understand; others were developed to help the dealers understand each other, such as calling E-O-Leven, or Yo-Leven when the dice total 11, so the total of the dice is not confused with Seven.

• Craps Dictionary and Terminology. 10:31 Jul 15th, 2018 Craps Games, Online Gambling.
• Come Box - The area on the craps layout where Come bets are placed. Come-Out Roll - The roll which establishes the point for the pass and Don’t Pass Line bettors. Craps - A term for the numbers 2, 3 and 12. Crap Out - Rolling a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll. Crew - The dealers who staff the craps table.
• Here is a glossary of Craps terms that will help you while learning the game of Craps. It's a work in progress, as I see a new term I'll add it here. If you would like to add any I've missed please email me on cj@crapsjourney.com Table language DC: Don't Come DP: Don't Pass PL: Pass line YO: Eleven (sounds like seven so eleven is YO or YO 'leven) Hardies / Toughies: bet all the hardways.
• Craps Terms: Essential Craps Glossary, Expressions & Slang.

Craps dealers work as a crew, sometimes with a boxman who sits close to the game, to handle the many bets and issues that arise on a busy game. A standard craps table is about 14 feet long, so there is plenty of layout for the dealers to cover. The side rails are about 2-feet high so the dice will stay on the table when thrown most of the time. If you have questions, the dealers or the boxman will help, but you may have to wait momentarily while they communicate a roll total or a payoff.

At the Craps Table

Craps originally developed in the United States and is a simple form of the western European game of hazard. Brought from London to New Orleans in around 1807 by Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville who was a member of a wealthy colonial Louisiana family of landowners, Craps is now one of the best-known dice games in existence.

Bones: The dice
Box: Drop-box that holds cash, markers, and fill and credit slips generated on a shift
Boxman: Supervisor who sits between the inside dealers and is in charge of a craps game
Boys: Dealers or the craps crew
Chips: Clay-based units of wager purchased at the game to designate bets
Crew: The dealers on the game. The Crew may include the boxman
Dealers: Casino employees who deal table games
Dice: Six-sided cubes marked 1-6
Dice bowl: Plastic or wooden bowl that holds excess dice, also call the dice boat
Inside Dealer: Two dealers situated inside the pit area who handle wagers and the chips
Lay-Out: Printed fabric (originally felt) covering the base of the table where all the action is handled
Outside dealer: Stickman, stands outside the pit.
Puck: Marker used to signify the point, shaped like a hockey puck
Rail: Open and padded table-top section of the craps table where players place their chips
Stickman: Dealer in charge of proposition bets and the dice; uses a stick with a hook to move the dice

Craps Action

Craps Glossary Of Terms

Once the game is in action, these words and sayings are likely to be heard.

Craps Glossary Games

Aces: A dice total 2 (two ones). Also called Snake Eyes
Action: When bets can win or lose they are in action
Any Craps: A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12
Any Seven: A bet that the next roll will be 7
Back Line: The don’t pass line
Behind the line: Pass line odds bet
Big Red: The number 7
Black-action: $100 chips are often black in color; this term refers to $100 bets being made
Boxcars: A dice total of 12 (two sixes). Also called midnight and a dozen
Box Numbers: These are the place-bet numbers 4-5-6-8-9-10
Boys or The Boys: The dealers
Buffalo Bet: One-roll bet on each hardway and 7 ($5 gets $1 on each bet)
Buy Bet: A place bet with full odds, player pays 5% commission
Choppy Dice: Many seven-outs; each shooter only gets in a few rolls before sevening-out
Cold Dice: When hands are short and the pass line is not winning
Color In: When players exchange lower denomination chips for higher denomination chips
Come bet: A bet made after the point is established; a personal pass line bet
Come out roll: The first roll of the dice to establish a point
Comps: Freebies like rooms and meals the casino gives to players based on action
Corner Red: Big-six and big-eight bet on corner of the layout that pays even money
Craps: The numbers 2-3-12
Craps Check: A bet on the numbers 2-3-12
Dice Control: Shooter who believes they can manipulate their throw of the dice to improve their odds
Die Down: One of the dice has gone on the floor, must be found before continuing the game
Don’t Come bet: A don’t pass bet made after the point is established; a personal don’t pass bet
Don’t Pass bet: A bet that the shooter will not make their point
Double odds: A bet double in size of the original pass or come bet that pays true odds, no house edge
Down or Take me down: Player wants their place bets and odds bets returned
Easy Way: The numbers 4 ,6 ,8, 10 made without a pair, such as 3-1 for 4
Eye in the Sky: Surveillance department or the cameras used to watch the casino
E-yo-leven: Distinct pronunciation of the number eleven to distinguish from the word seven
Field: One-roll bet on the numbers in the field, typically 2-3-4-9-10-11-12
Front Line: Pass line bet
Front Money: Cash placed by a player at the casino cage, then accessed by markers on table games
Garden: The field
George: A player who tips well
Green: $25 chips
Hard Way: 4-6-8-10 made with a pair (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5)
Hi-Lo: A one roll bet on 12 (hi) and 2 (lo)
Hi-Lo-Yo: A one roll bet on 2-11-12
Hop bet: A one-roll bet
Hoppin’ Hardways: One-roll wager on each of the hardways
Horn bet: One-roll proposition bet covering 2-3-11-12
Horn High bet: A bet made in multiples of $5 with one unit on 3 of the horn numbers, and two units on the “high” number, such as horn-high twelve with $2 on 12 and $1 on 2, 3, and 11
Hot Dice: The dice are passing; the pass line is winning
Inside Numbers: Place bets on the numbers 4-5-6-8
Lammer: A numbered, plastic laminated disc used to signify marker action or fill amounts
Lay bet: A bet that a number will not roll before seven
Lay Odds: Odds placed on a don’t pass bet
Little Joe: A total of four on the dice
Mark the point: When the inside dealer uses the puck to mark the pass line point
Marker: A casino-draft like a check for players to access their casino credit or front-money
Midnight: A total of 12 on the dice; also called a dozen
Natural: A total of 7 or 11 on the dice
No dice, No Action: Anytime a die or the dice go in the rail or on the floor
One Roll Bet: A bet that wins or loses on the next roll of the dice
Odds or Odds Bet: Additional bet made with odds on the pass line or come line wager
Off: When your place bets and odds are not working they are off
Off and On: A duplicate come bet on a number stays up and the bet on the come line is paid
On: All bets are working
Outside Numbers: Place bets 4-5-9-10
Parlay: Adding your winnings to an original bet
Pass Line Bet: A wager made on the come out roll betting that the shooter will make a point
Place bet: Individual wagers on place numbers, 4-5-6-8-9-10
Point: The number established by the come out roll
Press: Increasing a bet, especially a place bet – usually doubling it or going up one unit
Proposition Bet: A wager on any horn bets or hardways
Right Better: A pass-line better
Seven Out: End of the hand at craps, the shooter rolls seven and does not make their point
Shooter: The player rolling the dice
Slider: A player who sets the dice on a particular number and slides the dice instead of rolling them
Snake Eyes: A dice total of 2; also bug-eyes, boss-eyes, aces
Toke or Toke Bet: A wager for the boys; a tip for the craps crew
Two-Way: Any bet split between the player and the dealers
Three-way craps: Prop bet covering 2-3-12
Toke: A tip for the dealers
Universe Bet: One-roll wager on 2-3-11-12-7-any craps-hardways
World Bet: Prop bet covering 2-3-11-12-7
Wrong Bettor: A player betting against the shooter, betting the don’t pass
Yo or Yo-leven: Distinct pronunciation of the number eleven to distinguish from the word seven
Zuke: A tip for the dealers