Craps Stick Calls

Stick calls are verbal announcements of dice-roll outcomes made by a casino dealer, usually the stickperson, to keep the game moving and keep the table lively. These calls mix formal procedures with slang, rhythm, and humor. They are part of what makes craps one of the most entertaining games in the casino.

Stickpersons are often allowed to be creative with their calls. We searched gambling forums, gathered player feedback, and interviewed a reputable dealer, Jon Holland, who has been dealing since 1986, to present an updated list of craps stick calls used by dealers in casinos today.

A List of Craps Stick Calls

As mentioned, craps stick calls are verbal announcements of dice-roll outcomes. Many of the calls happen during the Come Out Roll and Point Establishment.

At the beginning of a round, the first roll is the Come Out Roll. If a 7 or 11 is rolled, it is an automatic win for the Pass Line. If a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, it is craps. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, that number becomes the point.

To help you avoid feeling lost at the table, here is a list of stick calls dealers use across casinos for different roll results.

Classic Come Out Roll Craps Stick Calls

“Bet now while the dice are in the middle.”

Two

“2 craps 2. Line away. Pay the Don’ts. Double the Field."

Three

“3 craps 3. Line away. Pay the Don’ts. Single the Field."

Four

“4 easy (or hard) 4. Mark the 4. Pay the Field. The point is 4. Who would like a hard 4?"

Five

“5 no Field 5. Mark the 5."

Six

“6 easy (or hard) 6. Mark the 6. No Field. The point is 6. Who would like a hard 6?"

Seven

“7 Winner 7. Take the Don’ts. Pay the Line. Working bets saves odds. Pay behind."

Eight

“8 easy (or hard) 8. Mark the 8. No Field. The point is 8. Who would like a hard 8?"

Nine

“9 Center Field 9. Mark the 9. Pay the Field."

Ten

“10 easy (or hard) 10. Mark the 10. Pay the Field. The point is 10. Who would like a hard 10?"

Eleven

“Yo 11 yo. Take the Don’t. Pay the Line. Single the Field. Yo 11 front Line winner."

Twelve

“12 craps 12. Line away. Bar the Don’t. Triple (or Double) the Field."

Classic Craps Stick Calls After the Point Is Established

“Bet now while the dice are in the middle.”

Two

“2 craps 2. Take the Come. Double the Field."

Three

“3 craps 3. Take the Come. Single the Field."

Four

“4 easy (or hard) 4. Good Field 4. Come bets go to 4."

Five

“5 no Field 5. Come bets go to 5."

Six

“6 easy (or hard) 6. No Field 6. Come bets go to 6."

Seven

“7 Out. Line away. Pay the Don’ts and last Comes. Pay behind."

Eight

“8 easy (or hard) 8. No Field 8. Come bets go to 8."

Nine

“9 Center Field 9. Pay the Field. Come bets go to 9."

Ten

“10 easy (or hard) 10. Field roll 10. Come bets go to 10."

Eleven

“Yo 11 yo. Good Field, good Come."

Twelve

“12 craps 12. Take the Come. Triple (or Double) the Field."

Various Craps Stick Calls

Two

• “Snake eyes”
• “Dimples”
• “Two bad boys from Illinois”
• “A spot and a dot”
• “Lean get your twos off the rail”

Three

• “A menage a trois”
• “3 dont’s to pay”
• “Loosey goosey”
• “A little two on one in the field”
• “Small ace deuce, can’t produce”
• “Australian Yo”
• “Three craps, the middle”
• “A buck and a duck”
• “Acey deucy juicy Lucy”
• “Crap flea”
• “3 Crap, lap, sap, sam”

Four

• “Little Joe”
• “Double deuce”
• “Two spots and two dots”
• “Field roll four”

Five

• “Little Phoebe”
• “We got the fever”
• “Fever Dice”
• “The field’s alive, after the five”
• “Five fever”
• “Catch the fever”

Six

• “Sixie from Dixie”
• “Catch’em in the corner”
• “The national average”
• “Pair-o-treys, waiter’s roll”
• “Like a blue chip stock”

Seven

• “7 out, 3 and 4, you are poor”
• “Five two, you’re all through”
• “Six-ace, in your face”
• “One roll, no butter”
• “Cinco Dos, Adios”
• “Up pops the devil”
• “Seven’s a bruiser, the front line’s a loser”
• “Front line, winner, winner. Backline skinner.”

Eight

• “The windows”
• “Eighter from Decatur”
• “Donnie and Marie”
• “Eight is Great”
• “A square pair, like mom and dad”
• “Ozzie and Harriet”
• “Mike and mike, they look alike square peg”
• “Ocho, easy way. Field don’t pay. The red gets fed, In Behind. Down Behind. Comes too.”

Nine

• “Niner, niner… What a lovely va…neer finish on this table rail!”
• “Center of the garden”
• “Ocean liner niner”
• “Nina from Pasadena”
• “Nina Niner, wine and dine her”
• “Jesse James”
• “90 to 9 feel fine, field time, need a 9”
• “Points a 9, rise and shine, shake a 9.”

Ten

• “Pair-a-roses”
• “Pair of sunflowers”
• “Sixty-four, out the door”
• “The big one at the end”
• “The tallest one in the Joint”
• “10 perfect 10, my girlfriend…er ex girlfriend… for some reason she stopped dating men…”

Eleven

• “Six five, no jive”
• “Yo ‘leven”
• “Yo ‘levine the dancing queen”
• “Pays the field, pays the come, both gonna get you some”
• “Bow wow ‘Yo’ yippie ‘Yo’ yippie yay”

Twelve

• “A whole lot of crap”
• “Box cars”
• “All the spots we got”
• “Crapus Maximus”
• “midnight”
• “We just paid the light bill”
• “Craps to the max”
• “Triple dipple, in the lucky ducky”
• “Atomic craps”
• “Biggest pair you’ll ever see”
• “12 crap midnights, double a bubble, here comes trouble.”
• “Book bets, Bobcats, 12 caps”

Hard Way Craps Stick Calls

Hard way calls are used for numbers rolled as pairs, such as 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5.

Hard 4

• “The Bishop...Desmond....Tu Tu”
• “Hit us in the tu tu”
• “Little Joe from Kokomo”
• “Little Joe from Idaho”
• “Little Billy from Piccadilly”
• “Hard 4, it’s little, but it came hard”

Hard 6

• “Brooklyn Bridge/Forest”
• “Two trees, the dog’s dilemma”

Hard 8

• “Dirty Hairy”
• “Forty-four, pays more”
• “Square pair”

Hard 10

• “Fifty-five to stay alive”
• “Puppy paws”
• “Hard 10, girl’s best friend!”

Creative Casual Stick Calls

Below are some entertaining calls experienced dealers use to keep players engaged:

• “Keep ‘em on the table, Mabel”
• “You take ’em, you lay ’em, you place it, you COME.”
• “You can’t COME when you’re turned OFF, but you can always play the FIELD, just don’t get caught”
• “Dice in the lobby, Bobby”
• “Two die outside, the O.J. roll”
• “No good, it’s in the wood”
• “Too tall, that’s all, y’all”
• “Comin' out, dice are moving.”
• “Don’t bet, it’s a trap”
• “Die in the lumber, can’t call a number”
• “There’s ketchup in the mayo”
• “Line drive to deep right field! Going back to the wall and itttt’sss GGGOOOONNNEEE!!!!!”
• “Come away, come another day”

Learn How to Play Craps

Craps is one of the most entertaining games in the casino, and the stick calls are a big reason why. They add rhythm, personality, and table energy that you do not get in many other games.

Want to learn more about the game? Visit our Craps hub to learn how to be a better player or dealer for free.