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Snakes were our deadliest enemy when we were tree primates in the African savannas. The fear of snakes has been wired into our brains, so much so that a human child does not need prior education to fear snakes. Humans owe their great vision to snakes since they helped us easily locate snakes and do something about it. The collective unconscious of our relationship with snakes created some great stories like the one in the bible. There is something magnificent about snakes and their eyes that make us fear and love them at the same time.
Snake eyes in dice games refer to the rolling of one pip on each die resulting in an outcome of two. The two dots somehow resemble the snake eyes, thus the name.
Many dice games exist, and the snake eyes have different meanings depending on each game. We will explore what will happen if you roll snake eyes in craps.
I assume you are familiar with the basics of craps game and already learned a thing or two about it. Before we proceed, make sure to read and review how to play craps for beginners quickly so that this article does not seem like a foreign language to you.
What is Craps?
Craps is a popular dice game with its origins going as far as ancient Rome and medieval knights. A pair of dice is to be rolled by the players themselves to determine the outcome. It creates a unique social experience in land-based casinos nowadays, with up to 20 players cheering and shouting at the same time. Online versions lack such memorable moments but offer playing from the comfort of your home anywhere, anytime.
There are only eleven possible outcomes, 2 through 12, which makes it a straightforward game compared to card games with numerous possibilities. Betting options are created based on the possible outcomes of the roll of the dice. Not all outcomes have the same chance of rolling out, with seven having the highest likelihood of coming while two and twelve have the lowest likelihood of being rolled.
Snake eyes:
You will specifically learn about the outcome of two, commonly referred to as the snake eyes going forward. There are ten other possible outcomes with interesting names that we prefer to discuss in separate articles.
Whether snake eyes have negative or positive connotations depends on the bet you want to place on the table. It causes some bets to win and others to lose while acting neutral sometimes in between.
It is an agent of loss for the most commonly-placed bets by players, whereas winning some of the least commonly-placed bets occasionally.
It has a 2.7% chance of coming up in each roll compared to the 16.6% chance of seven being rolled in each round. It is the least probable outcome in each roll, along with the twelve.
Bets that lose to snake eyes:
The term snake eyes may have originated with a negative connotation due to its role in causing the two most commonly-placed bets in craps to lose. They are pass-line and come bets.
Pass bet:
It is a must-bet for the shooter but an optional bet for other players. This bet can only be placed when the puck is OFF or a point has not been established.
- If the roll’s outcome is 7 or 11, the pass-line bets win.
- If the 2, 3, or 12 are rolled, the pass-line bets lose. Thus, making the Snake eyes a nightmare for the pass-line bettors.
Rolling any other number except the above ones establishes the point which makes the snake eyes enter its neutral phase. In other words, the above rules will no longer apply. Once a point is established, rolling the point number causes the pass-line bets to win, and rolling seven causes the bets to lose.
Come bet:
It is the same as the pass-line bet and acts as its twin brother. This bet is only allowed once a point has been established. Come bet came into existence to let the players have the possibility of a pass-line bet once a point is established. The pass-line bet rules apply to the come bet with no exception.
- A roll of 7 or 11 makes the bet to win.
- A roll of 2,3, or 12 makes the bet to lose.
If any other number is rolled, it establishes the come-bet point, which is similar to the pass-line bet point. Rolling the point number wins the come bet, while seven loses.
Proposition bets (11, 3, 12, 7):
Proposition bets are one-roll bets with some of the highest payouts in craps game. If you bet on the numbers 11, 3, 12, or 7 to come out on the next roll, your bet loses if any other numbers come. A snake eyes will cause these proposition bets to lose.
Bets that win with snake eyes:
The number of bets that win with a snake eyes is more than the ones that lose. Let us go through some of them.
Don’t pass bet:
It is the opposite of the pass bet, and the rules reverse except for the outcome of 12. The shooter is to place a mandatory bet on either pass or don’t pass bets to be able to roll the dice. The don’t pass bet can only be placed when the point has not been established.
- An outcome of 2 and 3 wins the don’t pass bet, while 12 results in a push.
- If 7 or 11 is rolled, the don’t pass bet loses.
Rolling any other number establishes the point, and the above rules will no longer apply. Rolling 7 causes the don’t pass bets to win, and rolling the point number causes the bets to lose. A snake eyes is in a neutral phase here and does not affect the outcome in any way.
Don’t come bet:
It is similar to a don’t pass bet, and both act as twin sisters. The only difference is the establishment of the point, which allows the come and don’t come bets to be placed. The don’t pass bet rules apply to the don’t come bet with no exception.
- 2 and 3 cause the don’t come bets to win, and 12 results in a push.
- Rolling 7 or 11 causes the don’t come bets to lose.
As twin sisters, if any other number is rolled, the don’t pass bet rules are applied similarly here.
Proposition bets:
2 (Aces or Two craps):
It involves placing a bet on the outcome of the next roll to be a snake eyes. It is a one-roll bet that pays 30 to 1, and the table minimum bet rule makes an exception here. For example, in a 10$ minimum bet table, players can place a 1$ bet on proposition bets such as the Aces.
- The bet wins if the roll’s outcome is 2 or a snake eyes.
Hi-Low:
It involves betting that the outcome of the next roll will be either 2 or 12. It is also a one-roll bet that pays 15 to 1.
Craps:
The craps numbers are two, three, and twelve. It involves betting that the outcome of the next roll will be either 2, 3, or 11. It pays 7 to 1, and any other numbers except the craps number cause the bet to lose.
Horn bet:
It is a combined bet on all four numbers that include 2,3,11, and 12. If any of the numbers are rolled, that bet only wins, and the rest lose.
In a nutshell:
As scary as the snake eyes name sounds in the first place, it cannot be classified as a bad roll. Some consider the snake eyes a bad luck combination, and some have a neutral feeling toward it. All the outcome combinations have been given specific names throughout the Craps history. For example, 12 is referred to as midnight, and considering it good or bad does not change anything. Personally, I like placing a bet on the Aces.
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