How to Shoot Dice (Street Craps Rules)

The game of Street Dice (also known as Street Craps) is a simplified version of casino Craps. It is a much faster game since there are fewer betting options and fewer things to consider. Learning how to shoot dice on the street will take just minutes!

If you enjoy the idea of gambling with your friends using the dice you may have at home, keep reading and learn how to play Street Dice in this short and simplified guide to the game.

Setting Up a Game of Street Dice

The game of Street Dice is a lot simpler than casino Craps in that it does not require a Craps table, Dealers, Boxman, Stickman, or any of the other extras you would find in a casino.

Instead, you will only need to follow to play Street Dice:

Dice: A set of two dice is needed to play Street Dice. Make sure you have some extra dice in case the ones you are playing with are damaged or lost, or in case one of the players wants them changed.
Flat Surface: You will need a flat surface to bounce the dice off. A curb or a wall will do just fine for this task.
Currency: Playing Street Dice without something at stake is no fun, so figure out what you want to bet and have all players bring it. As you might expect, money is usually in play when a game of Street Craps breaks out.
Players: That’s it, all that’s left now is a few players willing to play the game. A minimum of two players are needed, but the more, the merrier.

How to Shoot Dice: Street Craps Rules Explained

The rules of Street Dice are a lot more fluid than casino Craps, especially if a group of players is playing without any supervision, in which case they get to set their own rules.

Typically speaking, Street Craps players will have players playing in such a way that the shooter posts a bet on the Pass Line, while one or multiple other players bet against them, making for a much simpler strategy than Craps strategy you would need to play in a casino.

Other players may also make bets among each other on the rolls of the shooter, but it is important to note that there is no casino to pay out the bets, no house edge, and no real advantage if you are playing Street Dice with your friends.

For instance, if you are the shooter, you may post $20 on a Pass Bet, and your friend posts $20 on Don’t Pass. Whoever wins the bet takes the whole pot, without the house taking anything out of it.

If you are not familiar with Craps rules and the basic Pass/Don’t Pass dynamic, I will now explain how the bet works and who wins in which case:

The Pass bet wins if the shooter rolls 7 or 11 on the come out roll.
The Don’t Pass bet wins if the shooter rolls 2, 3, or 12 on the come out roll.
If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the come out roll, that number becomes the point.
If the shooter rolls the point before rolling 7, the Pass bet wins.
If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point, the Don’t Pass bet wins.

If you don’t quite get how that works just yet, take a look at the video at the top of this article for a visual demonstration of how to play Street Dice.

Street Dice Gameplay Explained

Now that you know the basic betting rules of Street Dice, you are ready to play your first game with your friends.

As I already explained, the only thing you will need is a couple of dice and a flat surface to roll the dice off, which means you can play in your bedroom or in the alley behind your building.

Step 1. Once you are ready to play, determine the first shooter by each player rolling a single die or two dice. The shooter with the highest roll rolls first.

Step 2a. Once the designated shooter is ready to roll, they will need to place a bet, and other players need to cover that bet in order to proceed with the game.

Step 2b. If the shooter’s bet is too big for other players to cover, they may ask for the bet to be reduced, as Street Dice usually comes down to agreement among players.

Step 3. Once the bets are placed clearly, the shooter will roll the dice until the Pass/Don’t Pass bet is settled, at which point the dice pass on to the next player.

Keep in mind that while Street Dice don’t include some of the bets found in a classic Craps game like Field Bet, Place Bet, or Come/Don’t Come Bet, players may decide to make prop bets on just about anything they want.

In Street Craps, it is entirely acceptable to make prop bets and ask or give any odds you want on a particular prop bet, as there are no firm rules in place, unless you are playing the game in a casino or a gambling den that does have a set of rules made for the game.

In either case, make sure the rules are clear before you start playing, as things tend to get a bit heated if rules are changed mid-game, which should never really happen.