Craps Rules - How to Play

At casinos the game of Craps is by far one of the most intimidating for the novice. All the untrained eye sees is a collection of players playing with great enthusiasm, chips of all denominations being placed, moved and removed with alarming speed, and too many betting options for the new player to completely understand.

There is a great deal of competition between the various casinos for big money players, who often play Craps. The casinos do not want to lose these big money players. They would sooner have a small percentage of the large wagers placed by these high rollers than lose them to other casinos that give better odds. This has resulted in the casinos permitting the game of Craps to have some of the best odds for the player of any casino game.

Rules Of The Game

For the dice thrower (shooter) the object of the game is to throw a 7 or an 11 on the first roll (a win) and avoid throwing a 2, 3 or 12 (a loss). If none of these numbers (2, 3, 7, 11 or 12) is thrown on the first throw (the Come-out roll) then a Point is established (the point is the number rolled) against which the shooter plays. The shooter continues to throw until one of two numbers is thrown, the Point number or a Seven. If the shooter rolls the Point before rolling a Seven he/she wins, however if the shooter throws a Seven before rolling the Point he/she loses.

Betting on the game is not restricted to the shooter. While the shooter must place a wager in order to roll the dice, anyone can place a bet on the outcome of the toss. Players can bet for the shooter to win or against the shooter (with the house) saying he/she will lose. There are a large variety of wagers that can be made, this variety plus the speed of the game is a large part of the attraction of Craps.

Playing The Game

Four casino employees supervise the Craps game in a casino.

They are:

• Dealers (two) who settle bets, assist the players and keep track of the action at the table.
• Stickman (one) who assists the dealers, controls the dice, minds the center table bets and keeps the game lively.
• Boxman (one) who guards the casinos chips, ensures proper payoffs, and is on guard for cheats. He keeps a sharp eye on the dice and also makes sure that there is no collusion between the dealers and players.

The first thing to do if you want to play Craps is to place a bet.

For some players this is all they want to do. A player can bet no matter whom the shooter is (you can wager for the shooter to win or for the house to win) they don't have to roll the dice themselves to wager. If you don't want to roll the dice you simply decline the offer when the dealer offers you the chance and the dealer will move on to the next player at the table.

Assuming that you want to throw the dice, you have placed a bet, and it is your turn the dealer will slide 5 or 6 dice to you. From these you pick two dice (any two), these are the ones you will play with.

The shooter then throws the dice for the first time. In order to prevent cheating the casino insists that:

1. Prior to rolling the dice the shooter keeps them over the table and handles them only with one hand. This eliminates the possibility of the dice being switched for another set.
2. When the shooter does roll the dice he/she must throw them hard enough that they bounce off the far end of the table. This is the only way that you can be sure that a “true” roll has occurred. In the event that you throw the dice too hard and they bounce off the table the dealer will simply slide more dice over to you and you can start over again.

On the first roll if the shooter throws a 7 or 11 then he/she wins, and if he/she throws a 2, 3 or 12 the shooter loses. If none of these numbers (2, 3, 7, 11 or 12) is thrown on the first throw (the Come-out roll) then a Point is established against which the shooter plays. The shooter continues to throw the dice until either the Point or a Seven is thrown, no other number is important in determining winning or losing. If the shooter rolls the Point before rolling a Seven he/she wins, however if the shooter throws a Seven before rolling the Point he/she loses.

The shooter continues to roll either Come-out rolls or Point rolls until they lose their bet. Then the dealer passes the dice to the next shooter (clockwise around the table).

Betting Options

In Craps there are many different ways to bet. They can be divided into three general categories:

• Basic Bets are the most basic and popular of the betting options and the easiest to understand.
• Odds Bets These are additional bets that cane be made after the shooter establishes a Point. Odds bets are excellent wagers for the player. You can lose more, but you can also increase your winnings. By taking or laying these odds the player reduces the casino's advantage.
• One Roll Bets These wagers are decided on one roll of the dice. One roll, the next roll, will decide if you win or lose.

A further variation is that players can bet with the shooter or with the house (against the shooter).

Placing Bets

As well as knowing all of the various bets in Craps you also have to know how to place your wagers. There are different methods of placing bets depending on the wager you are making.

Basic Bets

• Pass Line Bets - To make this wager you place your chips anywhere within the Pass Line boundaries.
• Don't Pass Bets – Place your chips anywhere in the Don't Pass section of the layout.
• Come Bet - Place your chips anywhere in the Come area of the layout.
• Don't Come Bets - Place your chips anywhere in the Don't Come section of the layout.

Craps Rules - Basic Bets

Odds Bets

• Pass Line Odds Bets – To make this bet you place your additional chips an inch or two behind your original Pass-Line bet, making sure that they are outside of the Pass Line betting area.
• Don't Pass Odds Bets – To make this bet you place your additional chips immediately adjacent to your Don't Pass bet, or on top of your Don't Pass bet at a slight offset.
• Come Bet Odds Bets – For this wager you drop your chips in front of the dealer and say “Odds on my Come Point”. The dealer will then place your chips on top of and slightly out of line with your Come bet.
• Don't Come Odds Bets - For this wager you drop your chips in front of the dealer and say “Odds on my Don't Come”. The dealer will then place your bet in the Don't Come section of the box just above the Don't Come Point.
• Place Bets – To make this bet lay your chips down in front of the dealer and say, “Place the Six (or other number), please”.
• Buy Bets - To make this bet lay your chips down in front of the dealer and say “Buy the Eight (or other number), please”.
• Lay Bets – To make this bet pass the dealer your chips and say “Lay the odds on the Six (or other number)”. The dealer will place your chips on the Don't Come section of the number you request.
• Big Six or Big Eight Bets – You can make this bet yourself by placing you wager in the Big Six or Big Eight section of the table layout.
• Hard Four or Hard Ten Bets – To make these bets you pass your chips to the stickman (he controls all bets in the center of the table).
• Hard Six or Hard Eight Bets – To make these bets you pass your chips to the stickman (he controls all bets in the center of the table).

Craps Rules - Odds Bets

One Roll Bets

All of these bets are made through the stickman, except for the Field bet which you can place for yourself.

Craps Rules - One Roll Bets

Understand all the craps rules now?

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