EN 
DE Marker
In craps, a marker is the round ON/OFF puck that shows whether a point is active and which number the shooter must hit. It does not hold chips or bets, but it tells everyone what stage the game is in for players and dealers alike. Its position is the fastest way to see which rules apply to the next roll. Here is what you need to keep in mind:
- When the marker is OFF at the side of the layout, no point is set, and a new come-out roll is coming next.
- When the marker is ON and sitting on a number, that number is the point, and the shooter must hit it again before a 7\.
Every hand starts with the marker OFF. The shooter takes the come-out roll. When 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 appear, that number becomes the point, and the dealer flips the puck to ON and sets it on that box. From that moment, the table is in the point phase. The shooter keeps rolling until either the point is hit, which ends the round with a win for Pass Line bets (the basic bet along the front of the layout), or a 7 is rolled, which is called a seven-out and makes those bets lose. After that, the dealer moves the marker back to OFF to show that the table is ready for the next come-out roll.
Why the marker matters for your bets
The marker works like a simple status light for the whole layout. A quick look tells you which bets make sense at that moment.
When the marker is OFF, players can:
- Place Pass Line bets before the dice are thrown.
- Decide whether to join the new hand or sit out.
When the marker is ON, players know:
- The table is in the middle of a hand, so new Pass Line bets must wait.
- They can still add bets like Come, a fresh bet that starts on the next roll, or Place bets, which are wagers on a specific number.
Marker in land-based, live, and online craps
The ON/OFF idea is the same in every format, but the way you see the marker changes between real tables and digital layouts. The main versions of the marker are:
- Land-based casinos: a solid plastic puck, often black on the OFF side and white on the ON side, moved by the dealer to the point box.
- Live-dealer online craps: a real table and puck in a studio, with the dealer handling the marker, and the stream adding clear ON or OFF labels on the screen.
- Fully digital online craps: no physical puck, just graphics that show OFF during come-out rolls and highlight the point when it is ON.
FAQs
Can players touch the marker?
No. The dealer controls the marker at all times.
Can the marker ever be placed on 2, 3, 11, or 12?
No. The marker only goes on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 when one of these becomes the point on the come-out roll. If 2, 3, or 12 appear on the come-out roll, Pass Line bets lose, and the come-out roll ends without a point, so the marker stays OFF.
