The pass line bet in craps is one of the most popular bets that you can make. This bet has one of the highest frequencies in both online craps and land based craps due to the fact that the pass line bet is both easy to place and offers decent odds to you as a player.
Unlike other bets in craps, the pass line bet is not based on a single roll but rather the whole sequence of play until those who have placed a pass line bet have won or lost.
Go With the Shooter
This bet is linked to how the shooter performs. If you are the shooter, then you will usually place a pass line bet due to the fact that you will be responsible - luck permitting - for winning or losing the bet.
As you know by now, the first roll of the dice by the new shooter is called the come out roll. If a 7 or 11 are rolled then the pass line bet will win. If a 2, 3 or 12 are rolled then the pass line bets will lose.
This gets slightly more complex when none of the above numbers are rolled. If this is the case then the shooter will aim for the "point", which is any other number rolled besides, 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12. The aim is for the shooter to roll the point again, thereby allowing the pass lone bets to win. If a 7 is rolled then the pass line bets will lose. The shooter will continue to roll until either the point or a 7 are rolled.
The Odds
Winning on a pass line bet will pay out even money to you. The casino gains its house edge in the come out roll by having three outs (2, 3 and 12) compared to two outs for you as a player (7 and 11).
The pass line bet also opens up other betting options to you if you win. These bets are known as free odds bets, but these will be dealt with in another section. However, you need to keep in mind that playing the free odds bets will help you diminish the online casino's house edge significantly. This all depends on how you play your free odds bets.
There are some instances where no pass line bets are made in the sequence. Although this is quite rare (as this is the most popular bet in craps) the new sequence will begin when the dice rolling is passed over to the new shooter.
The pass line bet may seem reasonably complex if you are new to craps, but it is actually quite simple once you know the basic game play of craps. This is a good bet to start off with and will help you keep an eye on the other bets and learn while you play.
