Atlassino Academy · Craps · Lesson 10
El tirador: who throws, and which throws count
At a craps table the dice go to one shooter at a time, under the national catalogue of games. Here is who throws, how a throw counts, and when the dice move on.
Your throw ends with one die on a chip on the layout. Does it count, or do you throw again?
The short answer
It does not count: the croupier calls “tirada nula”. In the national catalogue of games, a throw counts only when both dice roll down the table, touch the border opposite the shooter and stop inside the table. Dice that break, come to rest one on the other or on a chip, fall off the table, stop on its border or drop into the basket of reserve dice make a tirada nula, and a die short of the far border is thrown again. The rest of the lesson is who gets to throw, and when the dice move on.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Nobody has to throw. But if the dice come to you, the catalogue asks a few things of you: a bet on the line, one hand, a throw as soon as the croupier calls, and dice that reach the far border. None of it is hard, and all of it is written down.
Who throws
The shooter, the “tirador”, is the player who throws the dice, and a game needs only one player to start. Every table keeps a set of 5 or 6 dice, and 2 are in play. The croupier who runs the table, the croupier tallador, offers the set to a player, who chooses 2; the croupier keeps the rest in reserve.
A bet on the line
The shooter has a bet on the pass line or on the don’t pass line.
Two dice from a set
The croupier offers a set of 5 or 6 dice, and 2 are chosen.
On “ya no va más”
The dice are thrown at once after the call, without rubbing or holding on to them.
One hand, rolling
Never with both hands; the dice roll on the cloth instead of sliding.
To the far border
Both dice touch the border opposite the shooter and stop inside the table.
The chosen dice are offered to the players in turn, clockwise. A player who would rather not throw lets the dice go on to the next player. The croupier passes the dice with a stick and avoids touching them, unless they have to be checked.
The shooter’s bet
To throw, a player must have a bet on the pass line or on the don’t pass line. A shooter who decides to leave the game loses the pass line bet.
How to throw
No bets are taken after the croupier calls “ya no va más”, and the shooter throws at once after that call, without rubbing the dice or holding on to them. Nobody throws without the croupier’s word.
The catalogue also names what the hands may not do: hold the dice in both hands, rub them on the cloth or in the hands, throw with both hands, or get in the way of dice already thrown, by the shooter or anyone else.
The dice are thrown along the table so that they stop inside it after both have touched the border opposite the shooter. They have to roll on the cloth, not slide, for the throw to be valid.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
A gentle throw that dies halfway down the table has to be thrown again, and a throw that only slides is not valid. Throw firmly enough for both dice to reach the far border, and let them roll.
When a throw counts, and when it does not
The croupier calls “tirada nula” when the dice break, come to rest one on the other or on a chip, fall off the table, stop on its border or drop into the basket of reserve dice, and whenever the throw was not made correctly. When one or both dice have not touched the far border, the croupier declares the throw invalid and asks the shooter to throw again; taking the dice off the table or handling them the wrong way is treated the same.
| What happened | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Both dice roll down the table, touch the far border and stop on the cloth. | Counts |
| Both dice touch the far border, bounce back and stop in the middle of the table. | Counts |
| One die touches the far border; the other stops on the cloth before reaching it. | Invalid: thrown again |
| Both dice slide across the cloth without turning and stop against the far border. | Not valid |
| Both dice touch the far border; one comes to rest on a chip on the layout. | “Tirada nula” |
| Both dice touch the far border and come to rest one on the other. | “Tirada nula” |
| One die touches the far border and jumps over the rail onto the floor. | “Tirada nula” |
| Both dice touch the far border; one stops on the border itself. | “Tirada nula” |
| One die touches the far border and drops into the basket of reserve dice. | “Tirada nula” |
| One die breaks as it strikes the far border. | “Tirada nula” |
The person in charge of the table, the jefe de mesa, may take away the right to throw from a player who keeps breaking the rules of the throw.
Changing the dice
The shooter may ask for the dice to be changed before throwing, but not during the throws that follow a point, with one exception: when a die jumps off the table onto the floor, the shooter chooses from the other dice on the table to finish the hand. If the lost die is not found by the end of the hand, the table gets a new set and the old one is taken away.
When the dice move on
On the pass line, a 7 before the point loses the bet, and when the shooter loses the bet, the dice go on to the next player. A 2, 3 or 12 on the first throw loses the pass line bet as well, but the shooter keeps the right to throw. How the come-out throw and the point work is on the page about the come-out roll.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Keeping the dice after a 2, 3 or 12 means the line bet is already gone, and the next throw needs a new one. Count that bet against the money you decided on at home, not against what you hope the next throw will bring back.
If the money on the table starts to feel like money you need, you can let the dice pass to the next player: nobody has to throw.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being fun, the SCJ self-exclusion applies in every casino in the country. Minimum entry age: 18 (age of majority under Law 19.221; Law 19.995 bars minors from gaming rooms). The casino may ask for an official ID. More on responsible gaming.
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Practice: counts or not, and who throws next
Level 1 describes where the dice came to rest and asks whether the throw counts. Level 2 describes a result or a request, and asks what happens to the dice.
Nothing is bet here, and nothing is random. Each question is a set situation, and the answer comes from the rules quoted on this page.
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- The throw Both dice touch the far border; one comes to rest on a chip on the layout.
Does this throw count?
- It counts: the dice are read as they lie Not this time. A die that comes to rest on a chip makes the throw a “tirada nula”, wherever the chip is.
- It does not count A die that comes to rest on a chip makes the throw a “tirada nula”, wherever the chip is.
- Only the die that landed properly counts A throw counts or does not as a whole: the catalogue rules on the throw, not on one die.
A throw counts when both dice roll down the table, touch the border opposite the shooter and stop inside the table. A die that breaks, dice resting on each other, a die on a chip, off the table, on the border or in the reserve basket make a “tirada nula”; a die that does not reach the far border makes the throw invalid, to be thrown again; dice that slide do not count.
- What happened You bet on the pass line and throw a 3 on the first throw.
What happens now?
- The same shooter throws the same dice A 2, 3 or 12 on the first throw loses the pass line bet, but not the right to throw: the same shooter throws again.
- The dice go to the next player The dice stay with this shooter. A 2, 3 or 12 on the first throw loses the pass line bet, but not the right to throw: the same shooter throws again.
- The dice are changed The dice are not changed here. A 2, 3 or 12 on the first throw loses the pass line bet, but not the right to throw: the same shooter throws again.
A lost bet sends the dice to the next player, except a 2, 3 or 12 on the first throw, which loses the bet but keeps the dice. A player may refuse to throw. Dice may be changed before a throw, but not while a point is being thrown for, unless a die has fallen to the floor.
Every question in the practice run is worked out the same way: what happened to the dice is put through the rules quoted on this page, and the answer comes out of that, not out of anybody’s memory.
How the practice run works
Where the questions come from. Every answer is worked out when the page is built, from the rules of the national catalogue written down as two short functions: one for a throw, one for what happens to the dice next. The wrong answers are named mistakes: reading one die and throwing the other again, a spoiled throw taken for a valid one and the other way round, dice changed when the rule keeps them, and dice kept after a lost bet.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one question of this lesson, and all of the squares are there from the start. Your first answer fills the square it belongs to; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself, with no button in between. Practising a question you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count, because only first answers count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Five quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. It does not count: a die on a chip makes the throw a tirada nula. A throw counts only when both dice roll to the far border and stop inside the table.
Where to go next, and further reading
18+ across Chile · Play responsibly · help is further up this page
Further reading
- Catálogo de Juegos (Craps y Mini Craps) · Superintendencia de Casinos de JuegoThe regulator’s rules for craps: the crew, the pass and don’t-pass lines, gabelas (odds), place bets and the multi-roll bets.
- Funcionamiento de los juegos: Juegos de dados · Superintendencia de Casinos de JuegoThe regulator’s plain-language page on dice games and the equipment it approves.
How it’s worked out
Rules, sources and hosts
Where the rules come from. Everything on this page follows section IV.1, craps, of the Catálogo de Juegos of the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, the national catalogue of the games a casino may run, in its March 2023 text, pages 170 to 177: the start of the game, the throws, what the players may not do, and irregular plays. The catalogue sets the rules for every casino in Chile; it is not a report on any particular room.
Our readings. The catalogue names the order of the dice twice: at the start of the game they are offered clockwise, and after a lost bet they go to the player on the shooter’s right. This page says only that they go to the next player in turn. The catalogue uses two words for a throw that does not count, “tirada nula” and an invalid throw, and asks for a new throw only with the second; this page says that both do not count and nothing more. For dice that slide, the catalogue says only that they have to roll for the throw to be valid.
What is deliberately absent. There is no money on this page: a throw has no price, and an example bet would explain nothing. What the line bets pay and cost is left to the lessons on them. The catalogue does not say in a sentence of its own what a shooter does after making the point, or when a shooter on the don’t pass line passes the dice beyond its general rule about a lost bet, so this page does not say either.
Sources. Every rule on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, in the catalogue’s own Spanish, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Hosts. Maya and Leo are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former floor supervisor and a former dealer, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. How a throw is made changes nothing about which numbers come up. Knowing the rules lets you take the dice without being stopped; nothing on this page says how a throw or an evening would end.
The shooter’s bet
Es necesario que el jugador que lance los dados haga una apuesta, ya sea a la Línea de Pase (Pass Line) o a la Línea de No Pase (Don’t Pass Line)Free translation: The player who throws the dice must place a bet, either on the Pass Line or on the Don't Pass Line
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Tirada nula
Si los dados se rompen, se superponen, se montan sobre una ficha o caen fuera de la mesa o encima del borde de la misma o en el cesto de los dados de reserva, o si el lanzamiento no ha sido correcto, el croupier tallador debe anunciar "tirada nula".Free translation: If the dice break, overlap, rest on top of a chip, fall off the table or onto its edge or into the reserve dice basket, or if the throw was not correct, the dealer must announce "no roll".
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Thrown again
Si uno o ambos dados no han topado el borde opuesto de la mesa, el croupier tallador debe declarar inválido el tiro y solicitar al jugador repetir su lanzamiento.Free translation: If one or both dice have not hit the opposite edge of the table, the dealer must declare the throw invalid and ask the player to repeat the throw.
Sacar los dados de la mesa o manipularlos de manera incorrecta se constituirá en falta, por lo tanto el croupier tallador declarará el tiro inválido y le solicitará al jugador repetir su tiro.Free translation: Taking the dice off the table or handling them improperly shall constitute a foul; the dealer will therefore declare the throw invalid and ask the player to repeat the throw.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Changing the dice
El tirador puede pedir que se cambien los dados antes de lanzarlos, pero no puede hacerlo durante la serie de lanzamientos precisos para alcanzar el número designado como punto, salvo en el evento que uno de los dados salte fuera de la mesa, cayendo en el suelo, en cuyo caso se le ofrece elegir entre los dados restantes de la mesa, para terminar la jugada.Free translation: The shooter may ask for the dice to be changed before throwing them, but may not do so during the series of throws needed to reach the number designated as the point, except in the event that one of the dice jumps off the table and falls on the floor, in which case the shooter is offered the choice among the remaining dice on the table to finish the play.
Si al término de la misma el dado perdido no se encontrara, se proveerá a la mesa de un nuevo juego de dados, retirando los anteriores.Free translation: If, at the end of the play, the lost die is not found, the table will be provided with a new set of dice and the previous ones will be withdrawn.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Leaving the game
Si el tirador decide abandonar el juego, pierde su apuesta en la línea de pase (Pass line).Free translation: If the shooter decides to leave the game, the shooter loses the bet on the pass line (Pass line).
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
One player is enough
Para iniciar el juego se requiere la participación de un jugador como mínimo.Free translation: At least one player is required to start the game.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Two dice from a set
En cada mesa de juego de Craps se deberá disponer de un set de reserva de cinco o seis dados en perfecto estado. Se utilizarán dos dados en cada partida, quedando en reserva los otros tres o cuatro, para el caso de tener que sustituir los primeros.Free translation: Each Craps table must have a reserve set of five or six dice in perfect condition. Two dice will be used in each game, with the other three or four kept in reserve in case the first ones have to be replaced.
El croupier tallador presenta un set de 5 o 6 dados al primer jugador que se encuentre a su derecha, y éste debe escoger dos dados.Free translation: The dealer presents a set of 5 or 6 dice to the first player to the dealer's right, and that player must choose two dice.
El resto de los dados deben ser reservados por el croupier tallador.Free translation: The remaining dice must be kept in reserve by the dealer.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
In turn
Posteriormente los dados escogidos son ofrecidos a los jugadores comenzando, al iniciarse la partida, por aquel que se encuentre a la izquierda de los "croupiers" y después siguiendo el sentido de las agujas del reloj.Free translation: Afterwards, the chosen dice are offered to the players, starting, at the beginning of the game, with the one on the left of the "croupiers" and then continuing clockwise.
Si un jugador rehúsa lanzar los dados pasan al jugador siguiente, en el orden previsto.Free translation: If a player refuses to throw the dice, they pass to the next player, in the established order.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
The stick
El croupier tallador pasa los dados al jugador por medio de un bastón, evitando tocarlos, a menos que tenga que examinarlosFree translation: The dealer passes the dice to the player by means of a stick, avoiding touching them, unless they have to be examined
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
The shooter’s bet
Es necesario que el jugador que lance los dados haga una apuesta, ya sea a la Línea de Pase (Pass Line) o a la Línea de No Pase (Don’t Pass Line)Free translation: The player who throws the dice must place a bet, either on the Pass Line or on the Don't Pass Line
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Leaving the game
Si el tirador decide abandonar el juego, pierde su apuesta en la línea de pase (Pass line).Free translation: If the shooter decides to leave the game, the shooter loses the bet on the pass line (Pass line).
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
On the call
No pueden hacerse apuestas después de que el croupier tallador pronuncie "ya no va más".Free translation: No bets may be made after the dealer says "no more bets".
El jugador que lance los dados debe hacerlo inmediatamente después del anuncio de "ya no va más", y no debe frotarlos ni guardarlos en la mano.Free translation: The player who throws the dice must do so immediately after the announcement of "no more bets", and must not rub them or hold them in the hand.
Los jugadores no podrán tirar los dados sin la respectiva orden del croupier tallador.Free translation: Players may not throw the dice without the corresponding order from the dealer.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
What the hands may not do
Se prohíbe a los jugadores retener los dados con ambas manos.Free translation: Players are prohibited from holding the dice with both hands.
No está permitido frotar los dados contra el paño o con las manos.Free translation: It is not permitted to rub the dice against the felt or with the hands.
No está permitido lanzar los dados con ambas manos.Free translation: It is not permitted to throw the dice with both hands.
No está permitido interferir de forma alguna en la trayectoria de los dados ya sean estos lanzados por la misma persona u otro jugador.Free translation: It is not permitted to interfere in any way with the path of the dice, whether they are thrown by the same person or by another player.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
To the far border
Los dados se lanzan a lo largo de la mesa, de tal manera que se detengan dentro de la misma, después de que ambos dados hayan tocado el borde opuesto al jugador que los ha lanzado.Free translation: The dice are thrown along the table, so that they come to rest within it, after both dice have touched the edge opposite the player who threw them.
Los dados deben rodar sobre el paño y no deslizarse antes de tocar el borde opuesto al tirador para que la jugada resulte válida.Free translation: The dice must roll on the felt and not slide before touching the edge opposite the shooter for the play to be valid.
El deslizamiento de los dados; éstos deben rodar para que la jugada sea válida.Free translation: Sliding of the dice; they must roll for the play to be valid.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Tirada nula
Si los dados se rompen, se superponen, se montan sobre una ficha o caen fuera de la mesa o encima del borde de la misma o en el cesto de los dados de reserva, o si el lanzamiento no ha sido correcto, el croupier tallador debe anunciar "tirada nula".Free translation: If the dice break, overlap, rest on top of a chip, fall off the table or onto its edge or into the reserve dice basket, or if the throw was not correct, the dealer must announce "no roll".
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Thrown again
Si uno o ambos dados no han topado el borde opuesto de la mesa, el croupier tallador debe declarar inválido el tiro y solicitar al jugador repetir su lanzamiento.Free translation: If one or both dice have not hit the opposite edge of the table, the dealer must declare the throw invalid and ask the player to repeat the throw.
Sacar los dados de la mesa o manipularlos de manera incorrecta se constituirá en falta, por lo tanto el croupier tallador declarará el tiro inválido y le solicitará al jugador repetir su tiro.Free translation: Taking the dice off the table or handling them improperly shall constitute a foul; the dealer will therefore declare the throw invalid and ask the player to repeat the throw.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Losing the right to throw
El jefe de la mesa puede privar a un jugador de su derecho a tirar los dados, si incumple repetidamente las reglas del lanzamiento.Free translation: The table supervisor may deprive a player of the right to throw the dice if the player repeatedly breaks the rules of throwing.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
Changing the dice
El tirador puede pedir que se cambien los dados antes de lanzarlos, pero no puede hacerlo durante la serie de lanzamientos precisos para alcanzar el número designado como punto, salvo en el evento que uno de los dados salte fuera de la mesa, cayendo en el suelo, en cuyo caso se le ofrece elegir entre los dados restantes de la mesa, para terminar la jugada.Free translation: The shooter may ask for the dice to be changed before throwing them, but may not do so during the series of throws needed to reach the number designated as the point, except in the event that one of the dice jumps off the table and falls on the floor, in which case the shooter is offered the choice among the remaining dice on the table to finish the play.
Si al término de la misma el dado perdido no se encontrara, se proveerá a la mesa de un nuevo juego de dados, retirando los anteriores.Free translation: If, at the end of the play, the lost die is not found, the table will be provided with a new set of dice and the previous ones will be withdrawn.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
A 7 before the point
si obtiene un número diferente a los ya mencionados, es decir, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 ó 10, a este número se le llamará “punto”; caso en el cual el jugador para ganar debe volver a obtener este mismo número antes de obtener 7. De obtener 7 antes de obtener el punto, el jugador pierde.Free translation: if the player obtains a number different from those already mentioned, that is, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, this number will be called the "point"; in which case, to win, the player must obtain this same number again before obtaining 7. If the player obtains 7 before obtaining the point, the player loses.
Cuando el primer jugador pierde su apuesta, los dados deben ser entregados al jugador de su derecha para así continuar correlativamente.Free translation: When the first player loses their bet, the dice must be handed to the player on their right so as to continue in sequence.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps
A loss on the first throw
Si obtiene 2, 3 ó 12, pierde, sin que ello implique perder la opción de lanzar los dados.Free translation: If the player obtains 2, 3 or 12, the player loses, without this meaning losing the option of throwing the dice.
Section IV.1 Craps y Mini Craps