Betting in the Game of Craps: The Come Bet
Come hither, young gambler… Come…
Ok, while we’re just having some fun with the word, the Come Bet is definitely a viable (and interesting) Craps bet. In fact, along with the Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, and Don’t Come bet, the Come Bet is one of the “big four” craps bets.
Similar to a Pass Line Bet, the “Come bet” is an even-money bet placed after the Come Out Roll of the dice. All you need to do is find an open spot at a Craps Table, look for a puck on top of a point number on the table (meaning a point has been established), and place your chips in the Come section. Some casinos may prefer you hand the chips to the dealer so ask before making your bet or just take a look around the table. If you’re not sure if the point (a number that’s not an automatic winner, loser or push) is established just take a look at the table layout. If the puck is white side up and on a number the point is up and you can make your bet. If it’s black side up and to the side, then the point hasn’t come up yet, and you must wait to make a Come Bet.
Even though a Come Bet is made after a Come Out Roll, the same rules that govern Pass Line wins or losses are followed – this means the roll after a Come Bet is made is treated as a quasi Come Out Roll for that bettor. Like with a Pass Line bet, you win on a 7 or 11 but lose on a 2, 3 or 12. And it can also establish its own point.
Ok, let’s say a point is established for your quasi Come Out Roll – if that happens, the dealer will move your chip from the Come area to your point number for easy tracking (because the actual game point is marked with the white puck, Come Bet points are kept track of by the actual number in a special section on the table. In fact, it’s possible for you to have several Come Out points.) Keep in mind that making Come bets can put you out of synch with the other players. Since you’re making your bet later on, it’s possible for the rest of the table to win on a number while you wait. The Come Bet can also carry over to the next round if a point is hit.
Let’s further illustrate this to make it even simpler. The Come Out Roll is made, and the point is four. You then make a Come Bet. If the next roll is 7 or 11, you win. If it’s 2,3, or 12, you lose. Any other number is your point. Let’s say it’s a 5 – the dealer will move your bet to the “5” square of the come bets (although, remember, the real point is 4, but for your Come Bet, it’s 5). At this point, all you care about is 5 and 7 – if 5 is rolled, you win. If 7 is rolled, you lose. Let’s say a 4 (the real point) is rolled, and the game ends – your come bet stays – you’ll still win on 5, and lose on 7.
Pretty simple, right? And you can make more come bets – say after that 5 above, you make another Come Bet. Then, like in the above example, a 4 (the real point) comes up – you now have 2 come bets on the table– 5 and 4. This can become dangerous, as they both need that particular number to win, but a 7 will make both lose.
So Come Bets are neat – they can offer a lot of variety, and really make the game interesting. So come play a Come Bet! Good luck!
