Understanding Points in Craps

Points play an important role in two of the most common bets in craps. These are the pass line bet and the come bet. Each bet has a point associated with it. It is very important to understand how the pass line point and the come point are established and cleared.

Before the first roll, called the come out roll, the player can wager on the pass line bet but not the come bet. If the come out roll is a 7 or 11 the pass line bet wins and if the come out roll is a 2, 3 or 12 the pass line bet loses and the round ends. For any other number rolled, that number is established as the pass line point. Assume that 8 is established as the pass line point. Now the player can place the come bet.

With 8 established as the pass line point and the pass line bet in force and the come bet just placed the following outcomes are possible.

• If the next roll is a 2, 3 or 12 the come bet loses and the pass line bet is carried forward with 8 established as the pass line point.
• If the next roll is an 11 the come bet wins and the pass line bet is carried forward with 8 established as the pass line point.
• If the next roll is a 7 the come bet wins and the pass line bet loses. The pass line point of 8 is cleared and the round ends. The next roll will be a come out roll with no bets carried forward and no points established.
• If the next roll is an 8 the pass line bet wins and the pass line point is cleared. But 8 gets established as the come point. The round ends. The next roll will be a come out roll but the come bet and come point will be carried forward.
  
• If the next roll is a 4, 5, 6, 9 or 10 then the number gets established as a come point. The pass line point and the pass line bet are carried forward.

Assume that a 9 is now rolled. The situation is that 8 is the pass line point and 9 is the come point and both the pass line bet and come bet are in force. The player cannot place another pass line bet in this situation but he can place another come bet. Once he places another come bet the situation becomes more complex and more interesting. The following outcomes are possible.

• If the next roll is a 2, 3 or 12 the second come bet loses and the pass line bet is carried forward with 8 established as the pass line point and the first come bet is carried forward with 9 established as the come point.
• If the next roll is an 11 the second come bet wins and the pass line bet is carried forward with 8 established as the pass line point and the first come bet is carried forward with 9 established as the come point.
• If the next roll is a 7 the second come bet wins and the pass line bet and the first come bet lose. All points and bets are cleared and the next roll will be a come out roll.
• If the next roll is an 8 the pass line bet wins and the pass line point is cleared. The come point of 9 is carried forward. But 8 gets established as the second come point. The round ends. The next roll will be a come out roll but the come bets and come points will be carried forward.
• If the next roll is a 9 the pass line bet and the pass line point get carried forward. The first come bet wins, but the second come bet is carried forward with 9 again established as the point.
• If the next roll is a 4, 5, 6, or 10 then the number gets established as the second come point. The pass line point and the pass line bet are carried forward as are the first come bet and the first come point.

The pass line bet can be placed only before a come out roll and the come bet only after a come out roll. There can be only one pass line point but there can be six come points.