Last week marked the beginning of our new casino game strategy series- the Craps How To Strategy Guide.  Lesson 1 covered the all important Craps Pass Line, and lesson 2 explained Craps Odds Bets, the gamblers best friend.  In Lesson 3 we’ll cover the Come Bet, which is integral to many craps strategies, and adds a new dimension to the game that gets your blood pumping and can send your bankroll through the roof!  So without further adieu, let’s get started.

How to Make a Come Bet

To make a Come Bet, place a chip anywhere in the Come Bet area, the region of the board highlighted below:

What is a Come Bet

A come bet is a wager that is always placed after a point is established (after the shooter rolls the first 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 of the turn).  When you place a come bet, one of three things can happen on the next roll:

• The Come Bet WINS if a 7 or 11 is rolled.
• The Come Bet LOSES if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled.
• The Come Bet MOVES TO THE NEXT STAGE if anything else is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)

The Next Stage

If you place a come bet and a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled (any of the “Point Numbers”), you neither win nor lose.  The bet is simply passed to the corresponding square on the “Point Numbers” section of the board, and is still in play.  If a “Point Number” is rolled, the Come Bet will always follow it to the corresponding square on the “Point Numbers” section of the board, even if the number rolled was “ON”. The following example should help illustrate how it all works.

In this example, the following has already happened:

1. A bet was placed on the Pass Line
2. The first roll of the turn was a 5, so the 5 is now “ON”
3. Odds were placed on the Pass Line bet
4. A Come Bet was placed

The next roll is a 10.  Since 5 is “ON”, the Pass Line bet does not win; the roll was also not a 7, so the Pass Line bet does not lose either.  Everything remains the same, except the Come Bet is automatically moved to the 10 Square as illustrated here:

Now that the Come Bet has been moved to the 10 square, one of 2 things can happen with that bet:

1. The bet that is now on the 10 square WINS if a 10 is rolled. The chip is removed from the 10 square and given back to the player who placed the Come Bet.
2. The bet that is now on the 10 square LOSES if a 7 is rolled. The house takes the chip.

The chip will always remain on the 10 square until a 7 is rolled, even if the number which is “ON” is rolled.  In our example, the “ON” number was 5.  Look what happens when a 5 is rolled and the Pass Line bet wins:

Since the number which was “ON” was rolled, the Point is now “OFF”.  Even though this starts a new turn, the Come Bet which was passed to the 10 square on the last roll stays in place.  It will remain there until the next time a 7 is rolled.

Why Make Come Bets

Come Bets do two great things for the player:

1. INSURANCE- If the player has a bet on the Pass Line and a 7 is rolled, having a bet in the Come Bar acts as insurance.  The Pass Line bet loses, but the Come Bet wins and the player breaks even.
2. HOT STREAK- If the roller goes on a streak where he keeps rolling Point Numbers without rolling a 7, having bets on all of the Point Numbers will keep producing winnings.  If the player makes a Come Bet on every roll during a streak like this, it means big bucks!

Come Bet Odds

Just as a player can place Odds Bets on the Pass Line wagers, a player can also put Odds on the Come Bets that have been passed to one of the Point Numbers.  To place Odds on a Come Bet, simply wait until it has been passed to a Points Number and then place a bet in the area beside it like this:

An 8 is Rolled and the Come Bet is Passed to the 8 Square

Odds Are Put on the Come Bet in the 8 Square

Odds Can Be Placed On Any Come Bet Passed to a Point Number

For more info on Odds Bets, see part 2 of the Craps Strategy Series- Craps Odds Bets.

Craps Come Bets Final Thoughts

Now that you know what a Come Bet is, how to make them, and the reasons why you would want to play them, practice your craps skills for free by downloading craps at Silver Oak Casino.

Are you still a little bit confused about Come bets?  Ask a question in the comment section below and I’ll help you out with anything you need (except my credit card number)!  If you want to play craps for money and need some quick cash, try out our Silver Oak blog bonus code, BLOG50, to receive $50 free to get you started.

Happy high rolling!