Betting in the Game of Craps: The Don’t Come Bet
The polar opposite of the Come Bet is the Don’t Come Bet.
A “Don’t Come bet” is an even money wager made after the come out roll. They also belong in the “Line bet” category, along with “Pass Line bets”, “Don’t Pass bets”, and “Come bets.” Don’t Come bets have the same winning and losing numbers as Don’t Pass bets. They offer a simple way for players to jump into the action without having to wait for the start of a new Craps round.
Making a Don’t Come bet is extremely easy. Find a Craps table with an open spot that’s calling your name, and look for a puck on the table. If the puck is black side up, the point number hasn’t come up and you can make a normal Pass / Don’t Pass bet if you like. If the white side up on top of a number, then a point number has been established. Place your chip in the “Don’t Come bar” area between the number 10 and the “Don’t Pass Bar” strip. Now the action begins!
The next roll of the dice will be your personal come out roll (neat, huh?) If the next roll after your bet is a 7 or 11 you lose. A 12 is a tie and you don’t win nor lose any money. A 2 or 3 is an instant winner! So in many ways, Don’t Come bets are the opposite of Come bets. The major difference is the lack of ties in Come bets. If there is no instant win, loss, or tie, the round will continue with YOUR point being established. The dealer will slide your chip behind (near the top of) the number so you can keep track of your point number(s). This is very important if you have multiple Don’t Come bets at a time. If a 7 is rolled before your point number, you win! And if your point comes up, well, you lose. And like Come Bets, these can carry over.
Like “don’t pass” bets, Don’t Come bets are somewhat betting against the rest of the table (and against the dice). While the majority of the table will probably want to avoid the 7, you’re hoping it will roll so you’ll win. When you win, most of the table loses. Welcome to the Dark Side of Craps!
So why would you want to make such a bet? Well, if the table is cold or if Seattle Stu the ‘Crap out King’ is rolling late 7s, why not go against the grain? What used to be a losing roll now gives you a winning bet! Makes the Dark Side look a bit more tempting doesn’t it?
Go for it. It’s fun to go against the crowd every now and then.
