The 4th installment of the Craps Strategy Guide series covers the Don’t Pass bet, otherwise known as The Pass Line’s evil twin. Why does betting on Don’t Pass get such a bad rap? Read on and find out!

How to Bet on Don’t Pass

Why most craps players don’t bet the Don’t. Most players bet the Pass Line and the Come, and they avoid the Don’t Pass and Don’tCome, even though the Don’t side offers slightly better odds. For a refresher on Don’t bets, see our list of craps bets. The optimal strategy for craps includes placing one or more of the most basic bets – the Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers. The Don’t Come bet, in particular, is one of the best options because it comes with a low house edge (1.36%, although it is 1.40% on a resolved bet) and it can be made whenever you wish once the point has been established.

The “Come” and “Don’t Come” Wagers – A Game within a Game. It’s possible to have great playing sessions by only utilizing the pass/don’t pass wagers. If you want to go for a more advanced Craps strategy, try to make things interesting with the come and don’t come stakes. Don’t Come pays even money and the small house edge of 1.41% makes it another ideal bet at the craps table. Pass and Come bets and their opposites are the most mathematically safe bets for craps players, and it is advisable to stick with these for your first few games. Bet $15 on the Don't Come. Bet $1 on the 11 and $1 on the 12. If the 2,3,or 12 hit next bet is same bet. Keep making $15 Don't Come bets with the $1 11 and $1 12 hedge. If an existing Don't Come bet is taken off then increase the Don't Come bet size by $5. Increase for every lost Don't Come bet.

Simply place your wager in the area of the craps table highlighted below in orange:

A bet on Don’t Pass looks like this:

When to Bet on Don’t Pass

The way a bet is placed on Don’t Pass is very similar to the way it is played on the Pass Line. Bets can only be placed on Don’t Pass before the first roll of a turn. After it is placed, it will remain in play until the end of the turn.

What is a Don’t Pass Bet?

By placing a wager on Don’t Pass , you are betting that the roller will roll craps (2, 3, or 12) on the first roll of the turn or that he will roll a 7 after a point is established. In effect, betting on Don’t Pass is equivalent to betting that any wagers on the Pass Line will LOSE.

Lets go through a full turn to make it a little more clear how this works. After placing a bet on Don’t Pass , one of four things can happen on the first roll of the turn:

1. You WIN if a 2 or 3 is rolled (the roller “craps out”)
2. You LOSE if a 7 or 11 is rolled
3. You PUSH (ties) if a 12 is rolled
4. You GO TO THE NEXT STAGE if anything else is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)

The Next Stage

If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, a point is established, and the game continues. As an example, lets say the first roll of the game is a 10:

In this situation, one of 2 things can happen:

1. You WIN if a 7 is rolled before a 10
2. You LOSE if a 10 is rolled before a 7

As you can see, a Don’t Pass bet WIN whenever a wager on the Pass Line would LOSE, hence the name.

Why Make Don’t Pass Bets

Don’t Pass bets are one of the highest odds bets in craps. Once a point is established, the odds are in favor of the Don’t Pass bets over bets on the Pass Line. No matter which point is established, it is more likely that a 7 will be rolled before the number which is “ON”.

For example, lets say a 10 comes up on the first roll of a new turn, as in the example above. The number of ways a 7 can be rolled outweigh the number of ways a 10 can be rolled. Specifically, there are 6 different number combinations that can be rolled to total 7 (1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1), while there are only 3 ways the dice can come up with a 10 (4-6, 5-5, 6-4).

Other than a 7, rolling either a 6 or an 8 are the next most likely. There are 5 ways to roll either a 6 or an 8, which is still less likely than rolling a 7. As you can see, even with the point “ON” a 6 or an 8, the odds are still in favor of a Don’t Pass bet over a wager on the Pass Line.

Don’t Pass Odds

Odds can be placed on a Don’t Pass bet any time after a point has been established. Just like all other Odds Bets, odds put on a Don’t Pass wager have no advantage to the casino. As always, if you can afford it, put as much money as possible on odds bets for the highest payouts.

To put an odds bet on your Don’t Pass wager, simply place a chip in the area highlighted below:

Final Thoughts

As always, I recommend downloading a free craps game to gain some confidence betting on Don’t Pass before trying the real thing.

Going back to the introduction, I said that the Don’t Pass bet is like the Pass Line’s evil twin. I say this because more often than not, people playing craps in a casino will place bets exclusively on the Pass Line and will be rooting for the shooter to not roll a 7 once a point has been established. If you choose to bet on Don’t Pass, you will be forced to root for the shooter to roll a 7 and everyone to lose on their Pass Line bets.

Don’t expect to make any friends betting on Don’t Pass in a casino. The advantage of playing online is that you can throw as many bets as you want on a high odds Don’t Pass bet without fear of being booed out of the casino. If you have a story about playing Don’t Pass bets in a casino, make a comment and share!

Have any questions about making Don’t Pass bets? Ask your question in the comments below!

Jeff White

Jeff has been an active gambler from the age of 18 when he won a small local poker tournament in San Jose, CA. He moved on to playing other casino games shortly thereafter, with a great interest in the statistics and mathematics involved. He has studied the historical gambling systems of nearly every popular casino game played today, and has written strategy books for several of them including blackjack, slot machines, craps, and roulette. Jeff has been a daily contributor to the Silver Oak Casino blog since the beginning of 2009.

When it comes to craps bet patterns, it is important for players to be provided with the chance to learn both the “right” and the “wrong” side. After all, players need to be familiar with the rules and principles of playing both sides in order to take advantage of various trends, streaks and chances once such occur.

On the other hand, knowing the different aspects of playing both on the “right” and on the “wrong” side would offer craps players the opportunity to learn the different angles of the game, which would undoubtedly help them deal manage with the experience at every level possible.

CasinoCruise

100% up to

$/€100

Royal Panda

100% up to

$/€200

+ 10 Spins

Vegas Hero Casino

100% up to

€200

+ 50 Spins

Casoo Casino

100% up to

$/€300

+ 100 Spins

When the term “wrong” side betting is used, it is referred to the so-called Don't Pass bets, which could be exactly as profitable as the Pass Line betting. In addition, as long as craps players realize the fact that the Don't Side strategies are quite similar to the “right” side betting, it would be easier for them to understand these strategies.

Of course, statistical correctness is of paramount importance when it comes to bet patterns. So, in order to match the Pass Line bet pattern, we would provide players with three major Don't Pass bet patters, including a more conservative one, a more aggressive one, and strongly aggressive one. None of these patterns violate in any way the 3% rule.

Don't Pass Bet with 1 Don't Come Bet

The Don't Pass bet with Don't Come bet pattern is a conservative one. It provides players with the chance to feel safe while playing and at the same time ensures a nice profit while limiting their exposure to losses. First, the player needs to make their Don't Pass bet and once the point number has been established, they must lay full double odds against the point.

After that, a Don't Come bet should be made by the player in order for them to get one Don't Come number established. Once this is done, the player should lay double odds against the point number and stop betting. In other words, this pattern is exactly the opposite of the “right” side betting in which the player puts everything at risk to the 7. In this case, players could only lose one bet in case one of their numbers repeat. And if the 7 comes out, they win both their bets.

The two Don't numbers established provide players with security, as their exposure to risk is limited to two numbers that might repeat on any roll. In addition, this pattern considerably reduces the house edge to 0.6% or 0.8% in case they choose to lay only single odds.

In case that the Don't Come number actually is repeated, the player has the right to replace it with another Don't Come bet, which is also backed with double odds. What is important for players to remember is the fact that the Don't Come bet should not be replaced more than once. This would protect them against an eventual continuous roll of point numbers that repeat and lead to the player losing.

If the point repeats, the player would come out and would try another Don't Pass bet. In case such a thing happens again, another Don't Pass bet is not recommended. The player is recommended to stop and wait for the shooter to roll a 7 to start over again in order to protect their bet against the hot roll.

Don't Pass Bet with 2 Don't Come Bets

This type of “wrong” bet pattern is a bit more aggressive than the previous one as one more Don't Come bet is added to the previous one. This pattern offers the players the chance to have half of the point numbers covered. If they have managed to successfully establish all 3 Don't numbers and back them with double odds against the 7, the player would make a win on all bets.

As a matter of fact, casino customers should be aware of the fact that the wins generated on the “wrong” side are happening a bit slower, but are more steady when compared to the wins made on the “right” side that usually happens more quickly. Of course, players made the decision on which side to bet depending on their personal preferences, comfort level and experience.

Don't Pass Bet with 2 Don't Come Bets Plus a Field and Lay Bets on 4 and 10

As already mentioned above, all of these craps bet patterns correspond to the 3% rule never to make a bet that offers the casino a house edge larger than 3%. In other words, the closer the house edge gets to 3%, the less frequently should a player use such a pattern.

This betting pattern is considered as the most aggressive one of the three.

Of course, craps players should always remember that the house advantage jumps to 5.55% in case that the Field paid double on both 2 and 12, so they are not recommended to use it. However, this betting pattern could turn out effective in order for the player to draw profit at a time when the table is cold.

The pattern starts in a similar way to the previous one, meaning that the player is required to first make a Don't Pass bet, followed by 2 Don't Come Bets. In addition, Double odds should be laid on them all. But things do not stop here. On the come-out roll, the player should make a Field bet of the same size as their Don't Pass bet.

Once a point number is finally established, the Field bet must be pulled down. This provides the player with the chance to limit the frequency of using such a bet to the come-out rolls only. Statistically speaking, if a player participates in a typical run of between 5 and 12 rolls, they would be using the Field bet in only 10% to 20% of the time, which is pretty much manageable.

The player could have a strong start when outside numbers appear. On the other hand, when the 7 appears on the come-out roll, they would lose both bets. Of course, craps players should always remember to bet when the house advantage is limited to a reasonable level to prevent them from losing large bankrolls.

The “wrong” bet pattern is supposed to protect players against eventual substantial losses over a hot roll. Players, on the other hand, should always stick to the rule that if the point repeats, they should only replace it once. The same applies to the Don't Come numbers. If a Don't Come number repeats more than once, the player is recommended for the shooter to roll a 7 and then start over again.

Craps Don't Come Bet Strategy

Still, regardless of the fact that this betting pattern is considered the most aggressive one, it could provide players with a certain flexibility. If a Don't Come toss is lost over the gameplay, the craps player is allowed to replace it with a Lay bet against the numbers 4 or 10 instead of placing a Don't Come bet. Again, double odds are set against the 4 or 10.