Crapless Craps Rules and Comparison with Standard Craps
Crapless Craps is a two-dice casino craps variant. In the version analyzed here, a come-out roll of 7 wins the Pass wager, while 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 establish points. This differs from common standard craps, where 2, 3 and 12 lose immediately and 11 wins immediately on the come-out roll.
The objective after a point is established is familiar: roll the point again before rolling 7. Repeating the point wins the Pass wager; rolling 7 first loses it.
- Classification
- Casino dice-game variant
- Dice
- Two six-sided dice
- Named ruleset
- Common analyzed Crapless Craps rules documented by the cited specialist mathematical reference
- Editorial role
- Dice Rules & Odds research desk
- Research method
- Desk research and reproducible probability calculation
- Review status
- Rules, sources and calculations checked for the stated assumptions
On this page
Terms needed to understand Crapless Craps
- Come-out roll
- The opening roll of a Pass decision before a point has been established.
- Point
- A target total established on the come-out roll. The Pass wager wins if that total repeats before 7.
- Pass wager
- The contract wager followed throughout this guide. It pays even money under the analyzed rules.
- Seven-out
- A roll of 7 after a point has been established. It loses the unresolved Pass wager and ends that point cycle.
- Odds bet
- A supplemental wager placed after a point is established. It is separate from, and requires, the underlying Pass wager.
- True odds
- A payout matching the mathematical ratio of losing outcomes to winning outcomes. A wager paid at exact true odds has a 0% standalone house edge.
- Paytable
- The documented schedule of payouts and related conditions. A house-edge calculation is not valid without a defined paytable.
- House edge
- The player’s average expected loss as a percentage of the specified initial amount wagered. It is not the probability of losing one particular round.
For complete beginner terminology and table flow, read the standard Craps rules guide.
Rules and assumptions used in this guide
This analysis uses the common Crapless Craps version documented by the cited Wizard of Odds mathematical reference. It is a defined model for comparison, not a claim that every venue uses identical rules.
Venue-specific maximum odds, optional wagers, payout rounding and table procedures are outside the core calculation and must be verified locally. Other variants require separate calculations.
Rules reference: Wizard of Odds, “Crapless Craps” (external specialist mathematical reference).
Crapless Craps vs. standard craps
| Rule or outcome | Common standard craps | Analyzed Crapless Craps version |
|---|---|---|
| Come-out 2 | Pass Line loses | 2 becomes the point |
| Come-out 3 | Pass Line loses | 3 becomes the point |
| Come-out 7 | Pass Line wins | Pass wager wins |
| Come-out 11 | Pass Line wins | 11 becomes the point |
| Come-out 12 | Pass Line loses | 12 becomes the point |
| Available Pass points | 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 |
| Point-phase resolution | Point before 7 wins; 7 before the point loses | Point before 7 wins; 7 before the point loses |
| Pass payout | Commonly 1:1 | 1:1 under the analyzed rules |
| Pass house edge | 7/495, approximately 1.414% | 373/6930, approximately 5.382% |
| Additional true-odds entries | Not applicable to 2, 3, 11 or 12 because they are not Pass points | 6:1 on 2 or 12 and 3:1 on 3 or 11 |
Conclusion: The games use the same point-before-7 structure once a point exists, but Crapless Craps greatly expands the point set. The added point numbers account for the different Pass-wager mathematics. Odds limits, side bets and table layouts may vary.
See the complete standard Craps guide for its full lifecycle and Pass Line derivation.
Crapless Craps round lifecycle
Text equivalent of the Crapless Craps flow
- Place an even-money Pass wager under the stated rules.
- Roll the two dice for the come-out roll.
- If the total is 7, the Pass wager wins immediately and the decision ends.
- If the total is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, that total becomes the point.
- After the point is established, an optional supplemental odds wager may be available. It is not part of the required core flow.
- Continue rolling:
- If the point repeats before 7, the Pass wager wins.
- If 7 appears before the point repeats, the Pass wager loses.
- Any other total leaves the wager unresolved, so rolling continues.
Check the displayed rules at the venue because games using the Crapless Craps name can differ.
Worked example: an extreme number becomes the point
-
Initial state
A one-unit Pass wager is active. No point has been established.
-
Come-out roll
The dice show 1 and 2, for a total of 3.
-
Rule applied
Under the analyzed Crapless Craps rules, 3 is not an immediate loss. It becomes the point.
-
Point-phase rolls
The next totals are 5, 8 and 3. The rolls of 5 and 8 do not resolve the wager. The final 3 repeats the point before 7.
-
Result
The Pass wager wins one unit at its 1:1 payout, and the original stake is returned.
This example illustrates a rule difference; it does not change the long-run house edge or predict the next result. Assuming fair dice and unchanged conditions, each roll is independent of the rolls before it.
Pass-wager probability and house edge under the stated rules
Two fair six-sided dice produce 6 × 6 = 36 ordered outcomes per roll. “Ordered” means that a 1 on the first die and 2 on the second is distinct from a 2 on the first and 1 on the second, even though both sum to 3.
The wager can last several rolls. It therefore cannot be evaluated as though one set of 36 outcomes represented the entire decision. First calculate what happens on the come-out roll; then, for each possible point, calculate the conditional probability that the point appears before 7.
| Point | Ways to roll point | Come-out probability | Point-before-7 probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1/36 | 1/(1 + 6) = 1/7 |
| 3 | 2 | 2/36 | 2/(2 + 6) = 1/4 |
| 4 | 3 | 3/36 | 3/(3 + 6) = 1/3 |
| 5 | 4 | 4/36 | 4/(4 + 6) = 2/5 |
| 6 | 5 | 5/36 | 5/(5 + 6) = 5/11 |
| 8 | 5 | 5/36 | 5/(5 + 6) = 5/11 |
| 9 | 4 | 4/36 | 4/(4 + 6) = 2/5 |
| 10 | 3 | 3/36 | 3/(3 + 6) = 1/3 |
| 11 | 2 | 2/36 | 2/(2 + 6) = 1/4 |
| 12 | 1 | 1/36 | 1/(1 + 6) = 1/7 |
The point-before-7 calculation ignores nonresolving totals. For example, once 3 is the point, there are two combinations that make 3 and six that make 7. Of the eight combinations that can resolve the wager, two are wins, so the conditional win probability is 2/8, or 1/4.
Conclusion: For every initial unit wagered repeatedly under these exact rules, the long-run theoretical expected loss is about 0.05382 units. This does not mean a player loses 5.382% of rounds; the loss probability for an individual decision and the expected value are different measurements.
For context, the common standard Pass Line edge is 7/495, approximately 1.414%. See Dice Probabilities, Expected Value and House Edge for a fuller explanation of ordered outcomes and expected value.
True odds on Crapless Craps points
After a point is established, the analyzed format may allow a supplemental odds wager. The fair net payout is based on the six ways to roll 7 compared with the number of ways to repeat the point.
| Point | Ways to make point | Ways to make 7 | True-odds net payout | Compared with standard craps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 6 | 6:1 | Additional Crapless point |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | 3:1 | Additional Crapless point |
| 4 | 3 | 6 | 2:1 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 5 | 4 | 6 | 3:2 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 6 | 5 | 6 | 6:5 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 8 | 5 | 6 | 6:5 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 9 | 4 | 6 | 3:2 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 10 | 3 | 6 | 2:1 | Standard and Crapless point |
| 11 | 2 | 6 | 3:1 | Additional Crapless point |
| 12 | 1 | 6 | 6:1 | Additional Crapless point |
Net payout notation: A 6:1 payout means six units of winnings for each unit staked, plus return of the odds stake. The total amount returned is therefore seven units for a one-unit winning wager. It does not mean a total return of six units.
A combined percentage depends on how much is placed on Pass, how much is placed on odds and which denominator is used. Those details must be stated before combining the amounts into one figure.
Verify the venue’s maximum odds, permitted bet increments and payout-rounding conventions. Use How to Read Dice-Game Paytables to distinguish net payouts, total returns, limits and rounding.
Why removing come-out craps does not lower the analyzed Pass edge
Totals 2, 3 and 12 stop being immediate Pass losses, but each becomes a point that must repeat before the much more common total of 7. A point of 2 or 12 has only one combination, compared with six combinations for 7. A point of 3 has two combinations, compared with six for 7.
The total of 11 changes in the other direction: it is an immediate Pass Line win in common standard craps, but it becomes a point in this Crapless version. Once 11 is the point, it has only a 1/4 conditional chance of appearing before 7.
The complete state-based calculation produces an approximately 5.382% Pass edge under the stated Crapless rules, compared with approximately 1.414% for common standard Pass Line rules. A favorable-looking first-roll treatment or a frequent hit rate is not the same as favorable expected value.
Review the point-by-point calculation rather than judging the wager from come-out results alone.
Other bets and venue rules require separate verification
Venue-verification checklist
- Confirm which totals win, lose or establish points on the come-out roll.
- Confirm that the Pass wager pays 1:1.
- Identify the available contract wagers and optional side bets.
- Check the exact odds payouts and maximum odds multiples.
- Check whether any wager has a commission.
- Identify push rules or exceptional outcomes.
- Determine whether displayed payouts are net winnings or total returns.
- Check minimum bet increments and how fractional payouts are rounded.
House edge changes with the wager, paytable, commission, push rules and calculation denominator. A table carrying the Crapless Craps name may not match every assumption used on this page.
This rules guide does not establish current availability or legality in any jurisdiction. Do not infer U.S. legal status from a general game description or a foreign or global product catalog. For a verification process, see U.S. Gambling Laws: How to Verify Dice-Game Legality.
Crapless Craps as a variant of standard craps
Crapless Craps is a modern variant within the broader craps family. Its defining mechanical change is the expanded point set: 2, 3, 11 and 12 become points instead of receiving their common standard-craps Pass Line treatment.
This description does not establish an inventor, an origin date or a first venue. It also does not imply that the variant is offered or lawful in every U.S. jurisdiction. Rules and availability can vary by venue and jurisdiction.
Read the standard Craps guide for the base game’s full rules and its historical relationship to Hazard.
Previous rolls do not make a point or 7 due
Assuming fair dice and unchanged conditions, each roll is independent. A recent sequence containing several 7s does not make a point more likely on the next roll, and a long wait for 7 does not make 7 “due.” Believing that independent outcomes must soon balance is the gambler’s fallacy.
Ruleset, calculation method and sources checked
- Research type
- Desk research; no claim of hands-on table testing
- Named wager
- One-unit Crapless Craps Pass wager
- Ruleset
- Come-out 7 wins; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 become points; point before 7 wins; Pass pays 1:1
- Calculation method
- Enumerate the 36 ordered outcomes on the come-out roll, then weight each point branch by the conditional probability of repeating that point before 7
- Calculation denominator
- Expected loss as a percentage of the initial Pass amount; supplemental odds excluded
- Exact result
- House edge of 373/6930
- Rounded result
- Approximately 5.382%, rounded to three decimal places
- Secondary mathematical check
- Direct comparison of the overall win probability, 6557/13860, with the overall loss probability, 7303/13860
Sources checked
- Wizard of Odds, “Crapless Craps” (external specialist mathematical reference) — analyzed rules, extreme-point odds and the 373/6930 Pass-wager result.
- Wizard of Odds, “Craps Basics” (external specialist mathematical reference) — common standard Pass Line rules, true-odds explanation and approximately 1.414% comparison.
Review Editorial Standards and Calculation Methodology for the site’s source hierarchy, ruleset-naming requirements and correction policy. To report a mathematical, rules, sourcing, accessibility or broken-link issue, use the editorial contact route described on the About Dice Rules & Odds page.