Over the years, gambling phrases have disseminated among players, and the same occurred with this casino classic. Frequently, expressions and words are standardized in English for games that are popular worldwide. Take a look below at all the terms of the dice game and learn their meanings.
Check out the vocabulary used in the Dice Game.
Access the comprehensive guide to learning the expressions of the dice game.
- Ace Deuce: a one-roll proposition bet, which means you wager that the next roll will be a 3 (2 and 1 on the dice).
- Aces: a proposition bet, where you wager that the next roll will result in a 2 (both dice showing a two). This bet is also known as "snake eyes."
- Active bets on the table at the moment are called "Action" (Ação).
- Advantage (percentage advantage): the percentage that the casino holds in a bet, in other words, the house's edge.
- Against the dice (contra o dado): when you bet on "don't pass" and "don't come," you're wagering that the 7 will be rolled before the point number, thus going against the dice.
- Any craps (any dice): a proposition bet, where you wager that the next roll will be a 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and carries a house advantage of 11.1%.
- Any seven: a one-roll bet, predicting that the next roll will result in a 7. This wager pays 4:1.
- Apron: the material used on the craps tables of a casino establishment, typically made with felt.
- Back line (linha de trás): another term for the "don't pass" line bet.
- Bank craps (banco de dados): the official name of the dice game. Craps is an abbreviation, although it is much more commonly used than "bank craps".
- Bar 12 (also known as barra 12): When the outcome of a dice roll is a 12, it leads to a "push" for the "don't pass" and "don't come" bets.
- Behind the line (atrás da Linha): placing odds on your pass/come/don't pass/don't come bets. It is called behind the line bets because there is no marked place on the table for odds bets, you simply place the chips, precisely, behind your original bet on the table.
- Big 8: a wager in which an 8 will be rolled before a 7. This bet pays 1:1 and has a house advantage of 9.1%. Similar to the "place 8" bet, but the "place" bet pays 7:6 and has a house edge of only 1.5%, making it a much more favorable option.
- Big 6: a bet on a 6 coming out before a 7. This bet pays 1:1, the same as the place bet, but the place bet pays 7:6. The place bet 6 is much more advantageous, with a house edge of only 1.5%, while the big 6 bet is 9.1%.
- Big red: Another term used for the "place" bet on any 7.
- Black: slang term used for $100 chips, which, in most casinos, are of the color black.
- Bones: Slang for data.
- Bowl: a container crafted from either plastic, metal, or wood, depending on the casino, that holds the dice. It is positioned beside the stickman on the table.
- Boxcars: betting that two 6s (a total of 12) will be rolled on the next dice throw.
- Boxman: The "dealer" of the casino who sits in the middle of the table, responsible for the betting action, all the chips, and managing all the players. The boxman is positioned in front of the stickman.
- Box numbers: Place a bet on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
- Boys (or The Boys): a slang term used for craps dealers. However, it is not commonly used for female dealers.
- Buffalo: when you wager a 5-unit on each "hardways" number and any 7.
- Buffalo Yo: a 5-unit wager on each "hardways" number and an 11.
- Bump: a term used to describe the gap created by the dealer when the craps table has multiple staff members and the table has few players.
- Buy Bet: the same as a "place" bet, you bet on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, but give the house a 5% commission in exchange for true odds. Most casinos require a commission on the bet, regardless of the outcome, while others will allow players to keep the commission until the bet is actually won.
- C&E: This is a one-roll bet, on both: any craps (C) and eleven (E). It's a two-part bet, where one unit is placed on any craps resulting in 2, 3, or 12, and another placed on 11. If the "any craps" bet wins, the "eleven" bet loses and vice versa.
- Capped dice: can be identified when you scratch them with your nail or a coin and leave a mark on them.
- Center bets: all bets in the middle of the table - one-roll bets and propositions. They are also known as center field bets.
- When a player keeps track of the dice rolls' outcomes in order to play with a specific strategy, it is called charting a table.
- Cocked dice: dice that end at an angle, for example, against the table, instead of finishing flat. The final number is determined by looking at the natural angle of the dice, and also, if the object it is leaning against were removed, the dice would fall flat. Therefore, the number on top of the dice is the announced final. This is determined by the stickman.
- Cold dice: a term used when all shooters consistently roll a 7 before establishing the point number.
- Cold table: when all shooters at the table are rolling a 7 before the point is made.
- Color in: when you exchange smaller chips for higher value chips when leaving the table.
- Come bet: similar to pass-line bet, but placed after the come-out roll, once the point has already been established.
- Come out roll: a term used for the first throw of the game. All "pass" and "don't pass" bets must be placed before this throw. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, they win with the "pass" bet and lose with the "don't pass" bet. However, if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12, they lose with the "pass" bet and win with the numbers 2 and 3 on the "don't pass" bet. A 12 results in a "push." The game continues with throws: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, and the point number is established.
- Comp.: the complimentary services offered by the casino to players, based on their actions at the table. These services may include hotel accommodations, meals, or event tickets.
- Red corner: the layout corner of the craps table where the "big 6" and "big 8" bets are found, written in red.
- Crapless craps: This is a rather unusual variant of craps, where the numbers 2, 3, 11, and 12 are all point numbers. This makes it impossible to lose on the first roll of the round, and you cannot win with an 11, leaving only one way to win on the come-out roll by rolling a 7. This increases the house edge to 5.4% on the pass bet. If you take odds behind this bet, it reduces to 2.9%, and if you double the odds, it reduces to 2.1%. It reduces another 1% if you are able to lay odds 5 times your original bet, but only if the casino allows multiplying this value. There is no "don't pass" bet in this crapless craps. You can bet on the place bets 2, 3, 11, and 12 with a house percentage of 7.1%, with a payout of 11:2 for the numbers 2 and 12. Place 3 and 11 have a slightly lower edge of 6.2% and pay 11:4. Buying bets also works the same way and with the same odds as regular craps. This version of craps is played in very few casinos in Las Vegas, the most famous being the Stratosphere, and is rarely found in online casinos.
- Crap out: when a shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12, ending the round and switching to a new shooter. It is also referred to as "seven out".
- Craps: when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the first come-out roll. It is also the name of the game itself.
- Craps numbers: numbers 2, 3, and 12.
- Crew: The dealers from the craps table. Also known as "the boys".
- Deceased: a dice table devoid of players.
- Dealer: the casino employees on each side of the "boxman" who are responsible for the payouts on each side of the table and assist the players with their bets. In a physical casino, you hand over your money to the dealer on your side of the table, and he/she places the bets on the table for you.
- Dice bowl (also known as a "bowl") is a container made of plastic, metal, or wood, used to store dice on the table.
- Dice in the center: when the stickman places the dice on the proposition bets, in front of the boxman, indicating when the players should bet.
- Don't come bet: a wager placed after the initial roll of the game and functions like the "don't pass-line" bet, after the point is established. This bet pays 1:1.
- Don't pass bet: a wager that the first roll of the game will result in a 12, 3, or 2, which loses if it's a 7 or 11, and is a push if it's a 12. Any other number becomes a point number. This bet has a house percentage of 1.36%, which decreases if you choose to "lay odds" on the "don't pass" bet.
- Double odds: placing a second bet with the same value as your original bet on the "behind pass," "don't pass," "come," or "don't come" betting odds.
- Take me down: phrase used by gamblers, signaling to the dealer their desire for their bet to be removed and returned.
- Down below: phrase announced by the dealer, indicating to a bettor that the bet was lost.
- Duker: a reference to a significant amount of money at stake, suddenly, on one or both sides of the table. This alerts the table staff that the action will be intensified, and all chip colors will be in play. The term comes from the word "Duke," indicating that a player has a lot of money.
- Easy path: this term is used to describe when the dice are rolled with different numbers, resulting in 4, 6, 8, and 10. For instance, rolling a 2 and a 6 would result in an 8.
- Edge: the advantage (or percentage, or margin) that the casino has in any bet made by players. Also known as "house edge" (advantage or percentage, or margin of the house).
- Even money: when the bet pays 1:1. A gambler loses or wins the same amount of money they bet.
- Eyeballs: tabletop language for a dice roll of 2, as the two dots resemble eyes.
- Eye in the sky (eyes in the sky): the surveillance cameras in casinos that monitor the actions of players and dealers.
- Fade: this is a term used in street betting, not in casinos against the dealer. It refers to the act of betting against the shooter, in the amount of their bet. The shooter must then remove any portion of their bet that is not weakened (faded) by the other players. If the shooter loses the bet, the players win double the weakened amount.
- Field bet: a wager that the next roll will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. This bet pays 1:1 for 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, and even 2:1 or 3:1 in certain casinos for the 2 and 12.
- Front line wager (linha de frente bet): equivalent to Pass Line bet.
- Garden: a slang term for the betting field.
- George: a slang term for a player who gives really good tips at the physical casino.
- Green: the term used for $25 chips during the game.
- Hard way: when you roll the "hard way" for the numbers 4, 6, 8, or 10, they must come in pairs 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5. It is called the "hard way" because it is less common to roll them in pairs than to roll different numbers on the dice.
- Hardway bet: this wager is located in the center of the table, alongside the "one-roll proposition" bets. When you place a bet on the "hard way" to roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10, the outcome of the dice will be in pairs (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5).
- Hi-Lo is a type of wager where you bet that the upcoming dice roll will result in either a 12 or a 2.
- Hi-Lo-Yo: a wager on a single roll that the next dice throw will result in a 2, 11, or 12.
- When the data hits a stack of chips and doesn't roll down the length of the table, it's called "hitting a brick."
- Hop bet: a wager on a single roll that the next outcome will be a specific combination of dice, such as 4-1 or 2-3, can be any combination. Once you bet on a specific combination, you lose if any other combination is rolled on the next round.
- Horn bet: a one-round wager where the next roll will be a 2, 3, 11, or 12. The player will place a bet unit on each number. The 2 and 12 pay 30:1, and the 3 and 11 pay 15:1.
- High Horn bet: a wager made in 5-unit increments, with one unit placed on each of the numbers 2, 3, 11, and 12, plus an additional unit placed on one of these numbers, designating it as the "high horn" number. It is not necessary to play in 5-unit increments, but it is more convenient to do so and preferred by casinos.
- Hot table: a dice table where all the shooters are playing, without rolling a 7, for a significant amount of time, usually referring to the pass line bettors.
- House edge (also known as "margem da casa"): Even though it is called "margem".
- Inside bet (Internal bet): when you wager on the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 9.
- Inside figures (Internal numbers): numbers 5, 6, 8, and 9.
- Insurance bet: when you place two or more bets in an attempt to cover another bet in case of a loss.
- Juice: a colloquial term for "vigorish" (vig); the commission taken by the casino on certain bets.
- Late bet (delayed bet): when a player attempts to place a bet while the dice are still in the air. The dealer or boxman will decide on the validity of the delayed bet by either accepting or rejecting it.
- Lay bet: a wager made by a bettor in the opposite direction, stating that the shooter will roll a 7 before the point numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. A 5% commission is paid to obtain true odds on the bet. This is required by most casinos, regardless of whether the bettor wins or loses the wager, while others only require payment after winning a bet.
- Lay odds: an additional bet placed on "don't come" and "don't pass" bets by wrong-way bettors, offering real odds without any house edge. It is placed behind the original bet on the table and can be placed 2 or 3 times.
- The felt is used to cover the dice table, where all bets are placed and marked.
- Line bet: an alternative term for "pass line" or "don't pass line" bets.
- Little Joe (pequeno Joe): It's a tabletop slang term for a "hard-way 4" or 2-2.
- Marker Puck (Disco Marcador): A plastic disc used in physical casinos, which dealers use to indicate which points are "on" and "off" on the table.
- Mark the Point (Marque o ponto): The action of the dealer indicating the point number by placing the puck on the table. The dealer is thus "marking the point".
- Midnight (meia noite): term used for a basic "prop bet" on the number 12. It is also referred to as "any 12".
- Multi-roll bet: these are for all bets that cannot be resolved in the next dice roll. It may take several dice rolls to determine the bet's outcome. Some multi-roll bets include: "place and buy," "hardway," "big 6" and "8," "come," and "don't come."
- Natural: when the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11 on the come-out roll of the game.
- No roll (without a round): the dealer or stickman will call a "no roll" when the shooter fails to throw the dice to the other end of the table, or if the dice slip out of the shooter's hands, or if they roll off the table. This indicates that the round is invalid.
- Additional bet: an extra wager placed behind the pass/come/don't pass/don't come bets, which has no house edge and is paid out at the true odds. It can be placed up to 2 or 3 times the original bet.
- Off: bets that are not in action in the next dice roll.
- Regarding: bets that are in action on the upcoming dice roll.
- One-roll bet: a wager on the outcome of the next dice roll, which is no longer active for the rest of the game. You will win or lose on the next roll and will have to bet again each time if you want to remain active for more than one round.
- Outside dealer: the casino employee who is situated away from the game table.
- Numbers located on the outer side: numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10.
- Parlay (betting): increase your wager value by adding your winnings to your initial bet.
- Pass line bet: this is the most typical bet in craps. The bet wins if the roll result is 7 or 11 and loses if it is 2, 3, or 12, while all other numbers establish the point.
- Pips (points): the found points of data that indicate the numbers.
- Pit: the section of a physical casino where the craps table is located.
- Place bet: the bet where the number placed, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, will be rolled before a 7. This bet pays 9:5 for numbers 4 and 10, 7:5 for numbers 5 and 9, and 7:6 for numbers 6 and 8.
- Place numbers (numbers placed): the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
- Point: the point is the established number bet until the end of the round when it is equal to 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. Correct bettors wager for the point to be rolled before the 7, while the incorrect ones bet for them to be rolled after the 7.
- Press a bet: escalate the value of your bet, typically by doubling the amount.
- Proposition bets (prop bets): all hardway and one-roll bets placed on the center layout of the table.
- Puck: a disc-shaped marker used in hockey to indicate the scoring number during a round of play.
- Rail or Rack: the grooved top part of the craps table where players can store their chips used in the game.
- Right-way bettor: a player who is betting with the shooter to roll the point number before a 7.
- Seven out: when a 7 is rolled before the point number, after it has already been established. This ends the round and the shooter is replaced.
- Shooter (launcher): the player who throws the dice.
- Skinny Dugan: a slang term used to refer to the number seven. Several alternatives exist since it is considered bad luck to pronounce the number seven at the craps table.
- Snake eyes (cobra eyes): another term for rolling a 2 in the proposition bet "any 2".
- Stickman: the casino employee in charge of handling and announcing the dice number.
- Take odds: an additional bet on "pass" and "come" bets that offer real odds without an advantage for the house. It is placed directly behind the original table bet. The bettor can typically wager up to 2 or 3 times their original bet.
- Three-way craps: a proposition bet on the one-roll numbers 2, 3, and 12 made in increments of 3; one unit on the 2, one on the 3, and another on the 12.
- Toke: a slang term given to a tip provided to the dealer.
- Two-way (two paths): a wager placed by the player and split between them and the dealers, typically made in one-roll bets.
- Vigorish: this term refers to the commission charged by the house on certain bets.
- Playing with the dice: when you roll the dice, you're aiming for a point number to be rolled before a 7. A knowledgeable gambler solely focuses on playing with the dice.
- Working bet (active bet): a bet that is currently active or active for the next dice roll.
- World bet (universal bet): when you bet on the numbers 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 all at once, placing them in units of 5. For instance, if you wager $15 on the universal bet, $3 should be allocated to each number.
- Wrong-way bettor: it would be a player who bets that the 7 will be rolled before the point number, once the point number is already established. A wrong bettor plays against the dice.
- Rephrase: The number 11, also known as "yo-leven," is used to avoid confusion with the number 7, as they sound similar in English.
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