A Guide to Craps

Craps, at its basic level is about making a bet and rolling two dice. You are betting on the outcomes of the dice. If they are in your favour, then you win your bet; if not, you lose. However, there is a lot more to the game, as many different bets can be placed. This guide will show what each of the most common bets mean and how you go about playing the game.

The Bets

There are quite few different bets available to craps players. Some are more common than others, and we will focus on the ones that most people are likely to be playing. If you have never played craps before, the terminology may throw you, but once you learn it, you’ll be betting like a pro in no time.

Pass– This is by far the most common bet made in craps. If you have ever watched a game of craps being played, you may notice that everyone at the table seems to win or lose all as one. That’s because they are likely all making the same bet- the pass.

The pass bet operates on a slightly complex system. The first bet that a shooter makes (the shooter is the one rolling the dice) is known as the come out roll. The shooter wins if the roll is either a 7 or an 11. The shooter loses if that roll is either 2, 3 or 12. Any other number is called a point roll. The point roll means the shooter gets to roll again.

At this point, the desired numbers change a bit. The shooter is able to keep rolling until he rolls one of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) or a 7. A point number wins the bet, and a 7 loses the bet.

You have to wait until the come out roll is made to make your pass bet. There will be a marker on the table to indicate when the bet can be made. If the marker is set to “off”, then you cannot make your bet and the come out roll is the next roll. If the marker says “on”, you are able to make your bet.

Odds– If you would like to make a bet with no house edge to it, then you want to make your pass bet once the point has been set. This starts a side bet in addition to the pass bet. You will bet on specific points, and the point you chose will be played before the 7 is played. Different points give you different odds, and the number of multiple bets you can make will vary by casino.

Come Bet– The come bet works much like the pass bet, except it basically pushes the come out roll back. For come bets, the point roll (the second roll) is considered the come out roll. All other rules stay the same as they would for a pass bet.

Don’t Pass– This works the opposite of a pass bet. You are basically betting against the shooter. The odds and the bet can be reduced since you are betting against the player. But once you have reduced them you cannot raise the odds or bet again at any time.

Don’t Come Bet– This is very similar to the don’t pass bet, but it works on the same concepts as the come bet. That means you are betting against the player, but the point roll will count as the come out roll for you.

Place Bets– if you want to bet less and reduce your odds, you can use a place bet. This has to be done sometime after the come out roll has occurred. The payout is not as good, but your chances for losing are decreased as well.

Field– The field bet works on a single roll. You are betting for a different set of numbers with this bet. You only win if the roll comes out to any number besides 5 or 9. Most numbers will give you even money, but some can give you more. How much more they give you is up to the casino, and the payouts will vary from two-three times your bet.

Additional Bets– There are plenty of other bets you can use, some of which are specific to various gambling and casino companies. The bets available to you may only be those listed above or many more, depending on what the casino offers. When playing online, you can easily see a list of available bets before you play the game so you know what you are working with.

Playing the Game

If you are reading this, the odds are good that you have little to no experience with craps. The safest way to start out with the game and ensure that you are not losing all your money is to go with the common bets. These are the ones that will give you the best chance of winning and keep you from losing too badly when you do lose.

Essentially, you want to bet what most other people are betting. The pass or pass line bet is the bet of choice, and it’s a god way to understand the basic rules of the game and how come out rolls and point rolls work. Other bets complicate the process for you, and you won’t want to start with them right away.

When playing craps online, you still have to follow the same sets of rules that you would in casino. You will not be able to make a bet on the come out roll, but will have to wait until the point roll to bet. The big difference between online and real world craps is that the online version uses automated dice. Ideally, those dice roll random numbers each time. This ensures fair play and eliminates the possibility of cheating or loaded dice that can plague real world versions of the game.