How to play Craps
Craps is a dice game and is said to date back to the Romans but has more recently been made famous in the Casinos of Las Vegas. The Craps table is usually the most exciting table in the house with players taking an active role in the game and adding to the atmosphere by cheering and commenting on the game.
Craps is a game of chance and the objective is to predict the outcome of the roll of the dice. The game can seem fairly complex but offers up a captivating experience once you have learnt the ropes.
The game uses two identical dice and is based on how often seven, as the total of the two dice comes up and how the other numbers compare with it.
Craps can at first look complicated but it is possible to learn just a few of the betting options to begin playing. The opposite faces of each die always total seven, the one is always opposite the six, the two opposite the five and so on. There are six numbers on each die and so a pair of dice will give you 36 different combinations. Craps is based on how often these different combinations appear. The most common two dice total is 7 with six different combinations.
Some of the terminology used in Craps is explained below:
Naturals - The total of the two dice adds up to 7 or 11
Craps - The total of the two dice adds up to 2, 3, or 12
Point - The total of the two dice adds up to 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10
Snake Eyes - 1's rolled on both dice
The Shooter - you, the player
Come out roll - The first roll of the dice
The craps table can sit up to 20 players, who each get a round of throws or 'shooting' the dice. If players don't want to throw the dice, they can bet on the thrower. Several types of bets can be made on the table action. The casino crew consists of a stickman, a boxman and two dealers.
The player must throw the dice so that they hit the walls on the opposite end of the table. The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is, fails to make the Point or seven out.
A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically, the Come Out roll identifies that a new game is about to begin.
When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the dice are then offered to the next player for a new Come Out roll and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter will be the person directly next to the left of the previous shooter, the game moves in a clockwise fashion around the craps table.
The dice are rolled across the craps table layout. The layout is divided into three areas - two side areas separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection of the other and contains the following: Pass and Don't Pass line bets, Come and Don't Come bets, Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area is shared by both side areas and contains the Proposition bets.
Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the 'Bar' roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).
Below are some of the various bets you can make at craps:
Pass Line Bet - Players win if the first roll is a natural (7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). If a point is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) it must be repeated before a 7 is thrown in order to win. If 7 is rolled before the point they lose.
Odds on Pass Line Bet - After a point is rolled players can make this additional bet by taking odds. There are different payoffs for each point. A point of 4 or 10 will pay 2:1; 5 or 9 pays 3:2; 6 or 8 pays 6:5. Players only win if the point is rolled again before a 7.
Come Bet - It has the same rules as the Pass Line bet. The difference is players can make this bet only after the point on the pass line has been determined. After players place their bet the first dice roll will set the come point. Players win if it is a natural (7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). Other rolls will make a player a winner if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. If a 7 is rolled first they lose.
Odds on Come Bet - Exactly the same thing as the Odds on Pass Line bet except players take odds on the Come bet not the Pass Line bet
Don't Pass Line Bet - This is the reversed Pass Line bet. If the first roll of a dice is a natural (7, 11) players lose and if it is a 2 or a 3 the player wins. A dice roll of 12 means a player has a tie or push with the casino. If the roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) a 7 must come out before that point is repeated to make the player a winner. If the point is rolled again before the 7 the player loses.
Don't Come Bet - The reversed Come Bet. After the come point has been established the player wins if it is a 2 or 3 and loses if is a 7 or 11. 12 is a tie and other dice rolls will make a player win only if a 7 appears before them on the following throws.
Place Bets - This bet works only after the point has been determined. Players can bet on a dice roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. Players win if the number they placed their bet on is rolled before a 7. Otherwise they lose.
Field Bets - These bets are for one dice roll only. If a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 is rolled the player wins. A 5, 6, 7 and 8 means they lose.
Big Six, Big Eight Bets - Placed at any roll of dice these bets win if a 6 or 8 comes out before a 7 is rolled. Big Six and Big Eight are even bets and are paid at 1:1.
