What are the most basic freebet you can make in the game of craps? When do you make them, and how? Let’s find out.
A new game starts with the “come-out roll” (i.e., the first roll of a new game). Before the come-out roll, you must decide whether you want to bet “with” the dice or “against” them. Betting with the dice means you want the come-out roll to show a 7 or 11. It also means if a point is established on the come-out, then you want the shooter to roll the point number again before rolling a 7. Betting against the dice means you want the come-out roll to produce a 2 or 3 (a 12 on the come-out is a push). It also means if a point is established on the come-out, then you want the shooter to roll a 7 before rolling the point number. Prior to the come-out roll and the start of a new game, you bet with the dice by making a Pass Line bet, or you bet against the dice by making a Don’t Pass bet.
As we learned in my previous article, Fundamental Premise of the Game, the come-out roll can produce one of three possible outcomes: 1) The game immediately ends if a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 appears; or 2) If the shooter establishes a point, the game ends when the shooter rolls the point number again before rolling a 7; or 3) If the shooter establishes a point, the game ends when the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point number.
If you bet the Pass Line, you immediately win if the come-out roll shows a 7 or 11. You immediately lose if the come-out shows a 2, 3, or 12. The Don’t Pass bet is almost the exact opposite of the Pass Line bet. If you bet the Don’t Pass, you immediately win if the come-out shows a 2 or 3, and tie if a 12 shows. You immediately lose if the come-out shows a 7 or 11.
Regardless of whether you bet the Pass Line or Don’t Pass, if the shooter rolls a point number on the come-out (i.e., 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), the game continues and the shooter keeps rolling until she rolls either the point number again or a 7. In terms of the Pass Line and Don’t Pass, all other numbers are meaningless for that game. If you bet the Pass Line and the shooter establishes a point on the come-out, then you win if the shooter rolls the point number again before rolling a 7; whereas, you lose if the shooter rolls a 7 before the point number. The Don’t Pass is the exact opposite. If you bet the Don’t Pass and the shooter establishes a point on the come-out, then you win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point number; whereas, you lose if the shooter rolls the point number before a 7.
The Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets are even-money bets. That means if you win, then you win the exact amount you bet. For example, if you make a $5 Pass Line or $5 Don’t Pass bet and you win, then you win $5.
