Come-Out Roll: How the First Craps Roll Works
A come-out roll is the opening throw of the dice in craps, the roll that either settles a Pass Line bet instantly or establishes a point number for the round. Every new betting cycle at the craps table begins with this roll, so understanding it is the first step to reading the game correctly. It carries fixed probabilities: a 7 or 11 wins outright for Pass Line at 22.2% combined odds, while a 2, 3, or 12 loses immediately at 11.1%. Canadian players using licensed online casinos with live dealer craps tables, streamed under provincial oversight such as iGaming Ontario, encounter identical rules to land-based tables, with certified random number generation keeping outcomes fair.
Come-Out Roll Mechanics
A come-out roll happens whenever no point is currently active, which occurs at the start of a new game or right after a previous round resolves. The shooter throws two standard six-sided dice, and the combined total decides what happens next. Rolling a 7 or 11 delivers a natural, an instant win for Pass Line wagers, while a 2, 3, or 12 is craps, an immediate loss. Any remaining total, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, becomes the point, shifting the objective toward repeating that number before a 7 appears. In practical terms, roughly one in three come-out rolls sets a point rather than ending the round outright, so most sessions involve several point-chasing sequences per shooter.
Outcomes and Probabilities
Resolution Breakdown
Pass Line bets win immediately when the come-out roll shows a 7, which happens 16.7% of the time, or an 11, at 5.6%. The same bet loses on a 2 (2.8%), a 3 (5.6%), or a 12 (2.8%), combining for the 11.1% craps outcome. The remaining 66.7% of rolls establish a point, extending the round instead of resolving it outright. Don’t Pass bets work in near-reverse, winning on 2 or 3, losing on 7 or 11, and typically pushing on 12 depending on house rules. These fixed dice probabilities set the mathematical floor for craps: a house edge of 1.41% on Pass Line and roughly 1.36% on Don’t Pass, figures that stay constant regardless of table stakes or venue, making the come-out roll the anchor point for any bankroll strategy.
Role in Craps Betting
The come-out roll governs the two primary wagers in craps, Pass Line and Don’t Pass, and it also determines when players may add odds bets behind the line once a point is set. Come bets function as a delayed version of the Pass Line, letting players enter action mid-shooter by treating their next roll as a personal come-out roll. On live dealer craps tables streamed to Canadian players, high-definition camera angles show each dice landing clearly, which keeps outcomes verifiable and table integrity intact even without a physical presence at the felt. Recognising how the come-out roll drives these bets separates a player reading the table with intent from one simply reacting to each throw, and it is the single mechanic that most affects how disciplined a bankroll plan needs to be given the game’s short-term volatility.
| Dice Total | Outcome Type | Pass Line Result | Don't Pass Result | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 or 11 | Natural | Win | Lose | 22.2% |
| 2, 3, 12 | Craps | Lose | Win (12 push) | 11.1% |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 | Point | Continues | Continues | 66.7% |
