Common Craps Phrases
Various terms and sayings heard at the tables.
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2X odds: Making a bet at double your pass line bet. You make this bet behind your pass line bet and get paid at true odds.
3-way craps: A bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12. This is a horn bet without the bet on 11.
5 Count: A system developed by the 'Captain' to avoid bad rolls, stretch your time and money at the table and sets you up for the good rolls. For more information read Beat the Craps out of the Casinos by Frank Scoblete.
5 the fever, Wally Clever loves the beaver: A five
A ballerina special: Two twos
A hobos delight on a cold and rainy night: Boxcars-12.
Ace Deuce, No use.
An ace caught a loose duce: Three
Any craps a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and has a house edge of 11.1%.
Any seven:A bet that the next roll will be 7. This bet pays 4:1 and has a house edge of 16.7%.
Australian Yo: A three is on top of the dice and the eleven is down under.
- Craps has different, but simple rules, with a variety of bets, a game table divided into many fields, a lively atmosphere accompanying the process of playing. It can confuse many newcomers. In addition, there are several craps phrases and terms that not everyone knows.
- Are you familiar with the most common craps calls and jargon? If the answer is no, you have found yourself at the perfect place, as we shall equip you with some essential phrases. In case the answer is positive, it’s a perfect location as well because chances are you will learn some funny calls you haven’t heard before.
Blackjack, but can also apply to craps players who use dice control or players who know how to gain maximum value from bonuses and comps. Ante: An initial bet required (usually in card games) before a hand can start. Automatic Card Shuffler: A machine used in some land based venues to automatically shuffle one or more decks of cards.
BEAVER: Hard ways and 7 working on the come out roll (
Big red: A one roll bet that the next number thrown will be a seven.
Big 6:A bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 6 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%
Big 8:A bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 8 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%
Boxcars: Twelve
Brooklyn forest: Hard six (two threes)
Buy bet : Giving the house a 5% commission in order to be paid correct odds for a place bet. The buy bets on 4 and 10 allow the player to reduce the house edge from 6.67% to 4% on these bets. Some casinos collect the commission only on winning bets, while others collect it at the time the bet is made.
C & E: A one roll bet on the 2, 3, 11.
Choppy: No players are making more than one or two points before sevening out. Many or few numbers may be thrown.
Come bet: A wager that the dice will pass, or win, made after the come-out roll.
Come out roll: The roll that establishes a point number.
Cornbred: Horn bet, high on big red. A drunk was calling this out. Meant to say Hornbred. See below. Heard at Texas Station, North Las Vegas.
Craps. A roll of 2, 3, or 12.
Dept. of the Interior: When you want to make an inside bet. Heard at Texas Station, North Las Vegas.
Dice pass:The dice are said to 'pass' when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll. The dice 'don't pass' when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out. If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll sets the 'point', and the shooter continues to roll until the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled (see 'seven out'). If the shooter rolls the point before rolling a seven, the dice pass. If the shooter sevens out, the dice don't pass and the shooter loses control of the dice. NOTE: in this context, 'pass' does NOT mean that the dice to given to the next player. Control of the dice is transferred only when the shooter 'sevens out' or when the shooter has completed a game and no longer wishes to roll the dice.
Die in the wood, roll no good: One of the dice landed in the players chip rack.
Double odds: An odd bet that is about twice as large as the original pass/come bet. Some casinos offer higher odds, such as 5X or even 10X odds.
Don't come bet: A 'virtual don't pass bet'; a bet made after the come out roll but in other respects exactly like a don't pass bet.
Don't Pass: A bet made on the come-out roll that the dice will not pass.
Eighter from decatur: Eight
E.T.: A bet on the eleven and twelve.
Evealine: Eleven, after the point is made.
Excuse me ma'am/sir we need to feed the chickens not kill them: A player that is throwing the dice to hard.
Excuse me sir/ma'am craps is a game of skill not strength: A player that is throwing the dice to hard.
Excuse me sir/ma'am you did not loose the dice only your money and your friends: Player throws craps on come out.
Eyes of Texas shine upon us: Hard Ten
Field: A one roll wager that the next number will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
Common Craps Phrases Examples
General Patton: A hard ten. 5 stars on the dice.
George Jones the 6: A lay bet on the 6.When George Jones in his younger days, had a bad drinking problem, they had to cancel many of his bookings. Thus he got the nickname NO SHOW GEORGE. This player was laying the 6 in his unique way betting it wouldn't show. (like George)
Gutted: An unfortunate occurrence. You buy in at a table and you immediately lose your money in a matter of minutes. No matter what you bet on, you lose. You feel as though the game has strung you up and gutted you for your money.
Hard Ten: A women's best friend.
Hard way: A bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice show the same face; e.g., 'hard 8' occurs when each die shows a four.
Hi/Lo: A bet on the twelve and two.
Hop: A one roll wager that a particular number will come up on the next throw of the dice.
Horn: A one roll wager on the 2, 3, 11 and 12 combined.
Hornbred: Horn bet, high on big red. A drunk was calling this out. Eventually started to say Cornbred. See above. Heard at Texas Station, North Las Vegas.
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 (number 12). '$5 horn high eleven': $1 each on 2, 3, 12, and $2 on the 11.
Hot dice are mighty nice: Hot table
I can't read 'er, she's in the cedar: One or both of the dice landed in the players chip rack.
In the plank, not worth a wank: One or both of the die landed in the rail.
Inside bet: A place bet on the number 5, 6, 8, or 9
Inside numbers: 5, 6, 8, 9
Jesse James: A nine. Jesse James was shot by a forty-five.
Jimmie Hick: A six.
Lay: A bet against a particular number by the wrong bettor, who gives the casino a 5% commission.
Lay odds: After a point has been established, the don't pass bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original don't pass bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge. This also applies to a don't come bet. Making this bets is referred to 'laying the odds' for your don't bet.
Line bet: A bet on the 'pass line' or the 'don't pass line' is called a 'line' bet. These bets are placed at the beginning of the game, before the 'come out' roll. The shooter is required to make a line bet in order to shoot the dice.
Little Joe: Four
Long and strong: When the stickman asks you to throw hard enough to hit the backboard.
Midnight: Twelve
Nina from Pasadena : Nine
Nina at the Marina: Nine
Nine, Nina. You should have seena in the back of my Cortina: Nine
No roll, number in the lumber: One or both of the dice landed in the players chip rack.
Odds off:An odd bets that are 'not working'. Odds bets can be called 'off' by the player at any time, but are left on the felt until the bet is resolved. Also, come odds bets are usually 'off' during the come out roll, unless the bettor asks to have the odds bets 'working'. Come odd bets that are 'off' will be returned to the player if the line bet loses on the come out roll. Don't come odds generally work on the come-out roll.
OJ: Three and two (32, O.J. Simpson's football #)
One-eyed chicken in the weeds: A five rolled 1:4. Heard at Frontier in Vegas.
Ozzie and Harriet: A square pair. (Hard eight)
Pass: A winning decision for the dice.
Pass line: The area on the layout where a pass line bet is made.
Pass line bet: Betting that the point number will be thrown before a seven.
Pair of aces in the wrong places: Two
Penny Any: $1 bet on any craps
Place bet: A bet on either the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 as individual numbers or in any combination. The wager is that they will repeat before a seven is thrown.
Point: The number established from the come out roll. This number needs to be thrown before a seven in order to win a pass line bet.
Put bet: Is a pass line bet that you put up without going through the come-out roll. i.e.: If you have not placed a pass-line bet and the shooter rolls a point of six, you can then put a bet on the pass line, with the appropriate odds. The big advantage to put bets is that you get to choose your own point numbers. The disadvantage is that you lose out on come out sevens and elevens. But remember, you don’t add odds until the point is established, so on come out sevens and elevens, all you win is your flat bet.
Rat's Eyes: Two
Rhythmic Rollers: People who can influence the dice to change the odds. ( Dice pre-setters )
Right bettor: A player who bets that the dice will pass.
Same bet, press method: Used for place bets. When you win your first bet you say same bet to the dealer. On your next win you would tell the dealer to press it. Keep repeating the process.
Seven out: When the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. Another term for this is 'miss out.' You will sometimes hear players call this something else, but we can't print those things here. This is often incorrectly called 'crap out.'
Shooter: The player who is rolling the dice. The shooter must place a 'line' bet ('pass' or 'don't pass') in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Of course, the shooter can place other bets in addition to the required 'line' bet. Most shooters (and players) tend to play the 'pass' line. Note that shooters who make 'don't pass' bets are not betting against themselves, they are simply betting that the dice will not 'pass'.
Shooter on the dark side, says he won't - A don't pass bet by the shooter, heard at Circus-Circus in Reno.
Slow bleed: You lose your bankroll in a slow and consistent manner. No matter how you bet, you can't win enough back to stop losing. You might win an occasional bet, but you are losing over the long term.
Snake eyes: Two
Square pair: Hard eight
Stickman: Dealer who calls the game and handles the stick.
Studio 54: Nine
Ten the hard way---ladies delight !
The dice are cold as ice, sweet as honey, bet the don't and win the money: Cold table
Two crap, Two. Double in the bubble: Two
Two rolls and no coffee: Sevened out after two rolls.
Vig or Vigorish: A gambler's term for the house edge.
Weaki Weaki: 'Hawaiian' for when the roll doesn't hit the backboard. Reno dealer advised the shooter to 'throw the dice like your ex was standing at the far end of the table'.
Whirl bet: A one roll bet on the 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12.
Common Craps Phrases For Beginners
Yo: Eleven
Yo, Elevine. Lost her draws in the men's latrine: Eleven
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As a new player you often wonder at the Craps games table as what the players are saying. Sounds confusing though you attempt to make some sense out of their words and attempt to guess what they are saying and in what language. First thing you should always remember as a new player is that there are many things that are said by the craps crew that do in fact impact the players, and can seriously affect their bets and their bankroll like ‘coming out’; ‘hardways work unless called off’; ‘even up your odds’; ‘down with odds’; ‘no bet’; ‘off and on’ and like ‘your hard six is down’. Also there are many other phrases that might affect your bets on the next roll.
Understanding the words and phrases of the game will help your play, and will save you money. So here are the best 10 phrases in Craps game that can help you understand what the crew is saying and also what you should say to help them assist you in having more fun and more importantly help you make more money.
1. Two ways
Any dealer will tell you that this is the first thing that a new player should learn. When a player makes a bet that is “two ways” they are making a bet for themselves and a bet for the dealers. Casino dealers pay comes from players tips or “tokes.” By tipping the dealers they will take more interest in your overall experience.
2. Working or Off
My bets are off, my hardways are off, my odds are off. By telling your dealer that any or all of your bets are off, they will put a small disc on them to alert the other dealers and security cameras that you want to suspend play on those wagers. When a player tells their dealer that they are working, it means that they want their bets to return to normal play and they will then be at risk. After a player calls his bets off he must tell the dealer they are working when he wants to resume play in that game.
3. Dice out or in the middle
The stickman will announce “dice out” when they send the dice to the shooter. This tells the other dealers and the players that betting should stop and the next toss of the dice is coming. After a dice throw the stickman brings the dice back to “the middle” of the table and that is the time for the players to make their bets on the next throw. If the stickman tells you to bet when the dice are “in the middle” you probably have tried to make a late bet when the dice were “out.”
4. Inside or Outside
The box numbers 5, 6, 8, 9 are the inside numbers. A craps layout shows the box numbers with the low number, 4, on the left and continues to the right going to the highest box number 10. Players that make place bets will often place all the inside numbers. When you make a bet like this you should tell the dealer how much the total bet will be; as in, $22, $44, $110 followed by inside. This tells the dealer how much and where you want your money bet. The box numbers 4, 5, 9, 10 are the outside numbers. As you can see 5 and 9 are considered both inside and outside numbers when they are being bet with either their inside or outside neighbors. Players betting all of the outside numbers should again tell the dealer how much as in $20, $40, $100 followed by outside.
5. Prop bet
Prop bets are the bets that are in the center of the craps layout. They include the hardways or pair bets and other bets on the crap numbers and eleven that are only good for one roll. All of these bets are poor bets for the player and should be avoided.
6. High or heavy
Sometimes you might make a bet that includes two or more numbers, and might want to bet more on one or more of them. You will alert the dealer to your intention by saying it will be high or heavy. Some of these phrases might be $34 inside heavy 6 and 8, $5 hard 6 and 8 heavy 6, or horn high 11.
7. To and For
Craps layouts give players a lot of information about the game that is being offered, and when you step up to a table it will serve you well to use the readily available information to your benefit. In the prop bet section that is in front of the stickman the layout lists the pay offs for those bets. These bets will be listed as “to one” or “for one”. These pay offs are not the same. Thirty for one is not equal to thirty to one. This is a trick that some casinos play on players. The bets that pay thirty to one will pay 30 times the bet and the ones that pay thirty for one will pay 29 times the bet. Even if you are a smart player and avoid these bets, this little observation tells you that this casino gives the player a better deal and it is likely that there are other things about this game or casino that you will find to be player friendly.
8. Press
This is a phrase that a player needs to learn and then learn how to avoid using. When a player says press, the dealer will usually increase your bet by a factor of two.
If you say press after a win the dealer will double your bet and hand off the change. Pressing your bets gets more money in action and if the hand continues you will win more when if bet that bet wins again and you will end up short if the hand ends.
The problem with learning how to say press is that you wont know if your guess was correct until the hand ends. You can also use this phrase to instruct the dealer to increase your bet in an amount that will be less than double. By saying “press my bet to” or saying “press my bet one unit” you can give the dealer a clear path to follow to get your bet to the amount that you want.
9. Make my bet look like
Players and dealers use this phrase to describe common betting arrangements quickly and clearly. Here are two easy examples. You are in an extended hand and have pressed some of the place bets that you have. Some of the bets are many units higher than others. The shooter makes the point and you decide that you want your bets to be an even amount on each number that you have had in action. This might mean that some bets might be increased and some might be decreased. If you were to ask the dealer to adjust each bet individually it would be very confusing so you can simply say, “Make my bets look like $44 inside, or $40 outside or perhaps $32 inside no eight. You might be betting on the hardways and during the course of the hand the shooter has thrown some easy numbers causing some of your hardways to lose.
One of your hardway bets happens to hit, and you want to either add to that bet or replace the bets that have lost, you could say, “make my hardways look like $3 each 6 and 8 and $2 each 4 and 10” and the stickman would know exactly what you want and would instruct your dealer to hand off the change less the amount bet.
Both examples are an easy and quick way to get your correct bet down with less delay and less confusion. Hardways bets are not recommended bets because the house has very high edges on them.
10. House Advantage
Learning about the house advantage or edge that each game has will do more for your stake in the game and enjoyment than any other thing that you can learn. There are many bets offered on a craps layout and some are great bets and some are downright awful.
Learning which bets have a lower house advantage and are more player friendly will increase your fun, chance to win and your playing time in the game.
Besides learning these best 10 phrases and using them at Craps table you should note that the dealers are there to help you and the better you are at speaking their language the easier it will be for you to play this great game.
The dealers know that to run the game properly every one of the dealers must be able to communicate precise instructions, pay offs, and other important information, so they have developed a language that helps them to more easily understand each other. Every word or phrase that the dealers use has a purpose and even though you may have been under the impression that they say some of these phrases to entertain the players, and they are quite entertaining sometimes, these phrases do have a higher purpose than their entertainment value.
Some words and especially some numbers sound very much alike since they use common letters in their spelling and apply different prefixes and suffixes to alter their meaning. Some excellent examples of this that affect a craps crew are five, nine, seven, and eleven. These numbers sound alike and have many common letters. During the heat of battle, the stickman must have a way to differentiate these different numbers since a dealer confusing what the stickman has said would create a problem so severe that it would require a United Nations negotiating team to calm all of the players.
Remember that with the exception of conversation on a dead or slow game, everything the dealer says is said to either sell the game or to improve the accuracy and the speed of the game. Listen closely to what the dealers say and you will notice the pace and structure they are giving the game and your enjoyment of the game will also increase.
Knowing how to say the bet that you want will make the dealers job easier and will help them keep the game at a good pace, which the other players will also appreciate. Both players and dealers like the game to progress at a good speed and in fact some superstitious players will become very agitated if the game slows down because of a player not using proper etiquette or proper phrases.