Glossary of craps terms
The following is a glossary of terms used in the dice game craps. Besides the terms listed here, there are many common and uncommon craps slang terms.[1][2]
A
- ace deuce
- A roll of 3
- aces
- A roll of 2 (each roll of 1 is an ace), see also: Snake Eyes
B
- ballerina
- A roll of or bet on double-2 (a pun for two-two as in tutu)
- Big Red
- The number 7 or a bet for any 7 to appear
- bones
- A slang term for the dice
- box numbers
- The place numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10)
- boxcars
- A roll of or bet on 12
C
- center field
- Nine, often called Center Field Nine
- change only
- when a player buys into a game specifically with cash, the "only" means no bets are being placed at the time of the buy in. Can also be used when a player colours in. (Dealers will say this out loud so that a player can't take a shot and say he wanted a bet on X.)
- Cheque change
- Breaking down a chip into smaller denomination chips.
- colour up
- The process of changing denominations of chips to larger denominations
- cold dice
- also known as a cold table; an expression used when players are not hitting the established point and sevening out
- come out
- 1. The initial roll of the shooter
- 2. To roll the dice when no point has been established[3]
- crap out
- To roll a 2, 3, or 12 on the come out roll. A player betting on the Pass line or Come loses on crap out, but the roll does not lose when a point is established. Don't Pass and Don't Come wins if a 2 or 3 craps is rolled on come out, but ties (pushes) if a 12 is rolled on come out. The shooter may continue rolling after crapping out.
- craps
- the numbers 2, 3, and/or 12
D
- double pitch
- In dice control, when the dice stay on axis which rarely occurs (less than 5% of the rolls), but one turns two faces more than the other. If players set the dice with the same face, such as a hard ways or 3V set, the roll may likely result in a seven.
- down
- To remove or reduce a bet, players often say "take it down"
E
- easy way
- Rolling an even number with any combination other than doubles. Applies to 4, 6, 8, and 10 only.
- even money
- Any bet that pays out at 1:1.
F
- fever five
- A roll of 5, also called five fever
- free odds
- Simply known as odds, is the odds which can be taken or laid behind the Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Don't Come. These are paid at true odds.
- flea
- A player who bets at or near table minimum, normally for extended periods of time.
G
- garden
- Slang for the field bet
- George
- A good tipper
H
- hard way
- Rolling a 4, 6, 8, 10 with a pair of the same number. Sometimes also known as "hard six", "hard eight", et cetera
- hi-lo
- a single roll bet for 2 or 12
- hi-lo-yo
- a single roll bet for 2, 11, or 12
- high
- A bet on or roll of 12, also see boxcars
- hop
- A single roll bet for a specific combination of dice to come out. Pays 15:1 for easy ways and 30:1 for hard ways
- horn
- A divided bet on the 2, 3, 11, 12
- horn high
- A horn bet with addition units going to a specific number. For example "horn high ace deuce" would generally mean a 5 unit bet with 2 units going on the 3.
- hot dice
- also known as a hot table; an expression used when players are hitting the established points or rolling for long durations without seven outs
I
- inside numbers
- betting on the 5, 6, 8, 9
L
- lay
- To bet on a seven to come before a specific point number. Lays are paid at true odds with commission taken.
- lay odds
- To give odds behind a Don't Pass or Don't Come. Betting against the shooter
- Little Joe
- Point 4
- low
- a single roll bet for a 2
M
- mechanic
- A shooter who allegedly implements dice control
N
- natural
- Rolling a 7 or 11 on the come out roll
- Nina
- Rolling or betting on a 9
O
- Off
- 1. The come out roll; when no point has been established
- 2. To have a bet on the table but not in play. The bet can not be won from or lost when it is Off.
- On
- 1. When a point has been established
- 2. A bet that is in play (working).
- outside numbers
- betting on the 4, 5, 9, 10
P
- parlay
- To parlay a bet is to take all the winnings from the previous bet (or up to maximum allowed for bet if winnings exceed maximum) and add it to the next bet.
- press
- To double a bet, players generally say "press it" when doubling a bet, players can also press an additional one or more units and can increase the bet less than the original bet by saying "press X units"
- push
- a tie
S
- same bet
- To keep the previous winning bet as is. If a player says same bet it does not mean to double the bet, that is referred to as "pressing it"
- seven out
- A roll of 7 when the point is On. All bets on Pass, Pass Odds, Come, Come Odds, Place bets, Buy bets, hard ways and any single roll bets not for a seven loses. All bets on Don't Pass, Don't Pass Odds, Don't Come, Don't Come Odds, Lay bets and any single roll bets for a seven wins.
- snake eyes
- A roll of 2
- Steven
- A player who leans over the table too much
- stroker
- A player who makes bets overly complicated and/or gives dealers unnecessary additional work
T
- take odds
- To bet odds behind a Pass or Come. Betting with the shooter[4]
- take down
- See down
- true odds
- The real odds for payout where house edge is 0%
W
- working
- A bet which is in play and can be won or lost.
- whirl
- A five-unit bet that is a combination of a horn and any-seven bet, with the idea that if a seven is rolled the bet is a push, because the money won on the seven is lost on the horn portions of the bet. The combine odds are 26:5 on the 2, 12, 11:5 on the 3, 11, and a push on the 7.
- world
- See whirl
- wrong way bettor
- When a person is betting against the shooter on the Don't Pass Line.
Y
- yo
- A roll or bet on 11 (6-5, 5-6), short for Yo-leven
References
- ^ "Craps Lingo". readybetgo.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ^ Maurer, David W. (May 1950). "The Argot of the Dice Gambler". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 269 (1): 114–133. doi:10.1177/00027162502690016. JSTOR 1027824.
- ^ Craps A Smart Shooters Guide. Cardoza Publishing. 2011. pp. 24–. ISBN 978-1-58042-576-6.
- ^ R. D. Ellison (2001). Gamble to Win: Craps. Lyle Stuart, Kensington Publishing Corporation. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-0-8184-0621-8.