Craps Rules

[RayanM]

Objective

There is a common misconception that craps is a complicated game to play but really it's quite easy to learn and great fun to play. In craps, the player bets on whether the dice roll will result in a win or loss.

Craps Rules

Craps is played with two dice. Poker chips are used to place bets.

The Shooter and the Come Out Roll

The player rolling the dice is called the shooter. The "come out" roll is the shooter's first roll.

2 Bets Before the Come Out Roll

1) Pass Line bets

The Pass Line is an even money bet. When you make a "pass line" bet, you are betting the shooter WILL be successful. The results for the "pass line" "come out" rolls are as follows...

"Come Out" Roll ( First Roll )	Result
7 or 11 ("Natural")	Player Wins
2, 3, or 12("Craps")	Player Loses
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 ("Point")	Player wins: if the shooter rolls the "point" number again before a 7. Player loses: if a 7 is rolled before the "point" number.

For example, if the shooter's "Come Out" roll is an eight that will become the "point", the shooter continues to roll until an eight or seven is rolled. A roll of eight wins, a roll of seven loses, called a "seven-out". All intervening rolls are irrelevant to the "Pass Line" bet. Once either the seven or point has been rolled, the next roll becomes the new come out roll.

2) Don't Pass Line bets

The Don't Pass Line is an even money bet. When you make a "don't pass line" bet, you are betting that the shooter WILL NOT be successful. The opposite of a "pass line" bet except rolling a 12 ties (a "push"), when you make a "don't pass" bet, if the come out roll is:

"Come Out" Roll ( First Roll )	Result
7 or 11 ("Natural")	Player Loses
2 or 3 ("Craps")	Player Wins
12 ("Push")	Tie

You win after the first roll if the shooter rolls a seven before making his point. However, you lose if the shooter successfully make his point. For example, if the shooter's "Come Out" roll is an eight, the shooter continues to roll until an eight or seven is rolled. A roll of eight loses, a roll of seven wins. All intervening rolls are irrelevant to the "don't pass line" bet.

Once either the seven or point has been rolled, the next roll becomes the new "Come Out" roll.

8 Bets after the Come Out Roll

If the shooter is winning, the dice are not passed on. The dice are only passed to the next player if the shooter sevens-out (rolls a seven) or decides not to continue rolling. In the Internet version of craps, the player loses if there is a seven-out and can end the game at any time provided there are no bets placed.

Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets are made on the shooter's "Come Out" roll. All other bets are placed after the come out, once a "point" has been determined, and work independent of the "pass line" and "don't pass" bets.

1) The Come Bet
Made any time after the initial "Come Out" roll when a shooter has a point to make, you win on the first roll of the come bet with a natural (7, 11) and lose on craps (2, 3, 12). Any other number that comes up is a come point. You win on a come bet if this number is rolled again before a 7.

2) The Don't Come Bet
Opposite of the come bet, except the 12 is a tie. Made any time after the initial "Come Out" roll when a shooter has a point to make, you lose on the first roll of the don't come bet with a natural (7, 11) and win on craps (2, 3). Any other number that comes up is a come point. You lose on a don't come bet if this number is rolled again before a 7.

3) Odds Bet
You can accompany your Pass Line, Come, Don't Pass, or Don't Come bet with an additional bet called an "odds bet". Once point has been established, the odds bet is popular because it pays "true odds" on your bet. True odds are based on comparing the chance of your number being rolled before the 7, are paid out accordingly. To illustrate, using the True Odds Chart, you can see that the 7's chance of coming up is twice that of the 4. When you place an odds bet on the four, it will pay 2 to 1, the true odds.

Determining True Odds

An odds bet on the "pass line" and the "come" is called "taking odds". The payouts on taking odds are:

Points	True Odds
4 and 10	2 - 1
5 and 9	3 - 2
6 and 8	6 - 5

An odds bet on the "don't pass" and the "don't come" is called "laying odds". The payouts on laying odds are:

Points	True Odds
4 and 10	1 - 2
5 and 9	2 - 3
6 and 8	5 - 6

4) Place Bet, betting a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 will be rolled before a 7. This is similar to Come bets except unlike an Odds Bet, you do not have to place a bet in the Come or Pass Line bet first.

Points	True Odds
4 and 10	9 - 5
5 and 9	7 - 5
6 and 8	7 - 6

5) Lay Bet, betting a 7 will be rolled before a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled. The Lay bet pays true odds less a 5% commission fee or "vig", rounded down to the nearest dollar. You can make a lay bet without making a "don't pass" or "don't come" bet first. To make a lay bet, click on the space marked "lay bets" above the desired number square

6) Buy Bet, betting a four, five, six, eight, nine or ten will be rolled before a seven, opposite of the Lay bet. The Buy bet pays true odds less a 5% commission fee or "vig", rounded down to the nearest dollar. You can make a Buy bet without making a "pass line" or "come" bet first. To make a buy bet, click on the desired number square.

7) Big 6 and Big 8, betting a six or an eight will be rolled before a seven. This area is located near the corner with a big 6 and 8. It is similar to a Place bet on the six or eight except you get paid even money.

Field Bet, A one roll bet that the next roll will be a two, three, four, nine, ten, eleven or twelve. A roll of two and twelve pays double or 2 to 1. A roll of three, four, nine, ten and eleven pays even money.

Proposition Bets

In addition to the 8 different bets described above, you can also place Proposition Bets, located on the right side of the Internet craps table. To make a proposition bet, click on the desired square.

Hard Ways

When both dice come up with the same number, i.e. two 2's, it's called the "hard way". The only numbers considered hard ways are 4, 6, 8, and 10. The 2 and 12 are not considered Hard Ways because the only way to make them is with a double (1+1, 6+6).

The following are the Hard Ways bets you can make:

Hard Bets	Only Wins	Payout​
Hard 4	Before 7 or soft 4(1+3, 3+1)	7 - 1​
Hard 6	Before the 7 or soft 6(1+5, 5+1, 2+4, 4+2)	9 - 1​
Hard 8	Before the 7 or soft 8( 2+6, 6+2, 5+3, 3+5)	9 - 1​
Hard 10	Before the 7 or soft 10(4+6, 6+4)	7 - 1​

One Roll Bets:

One Roll Bets	Description	Payout
Any Seven	Betting the shooter will throw a seven on the next roll	4 - 1
Two	Betting the shooter will throw a two on the next roll	30 - 1
Twelve	Betting the shooter will throw a 12 on the next roll	30 - 1
Horn Bet	This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will throw a 2, 3, 11, or 12 on the next roll	15 - 5 (3 or 11), 30 - 4 (2 or 12)
Three	This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will throw a 3 on the next roll	15:1
Eleven	This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will throw an 11 on the next roll	15:1
Any Craps	This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will throw a 2, 3, or 12 on the next roll	7:1

 

[RayanM]

Craps Strategy​

Have you ever wondered why casinos have fewer crap tables than any other table games? It certainly isn’t because fewer people want to play the game. It’s because 50 or more people can play on the same table at one time, betting for or against whoever is rolling the dice.

Craps Rules​

There is no sense in learning tips or strategy if you don’t understand why a player wins or loses, keeps playing or passes the dice to the next player. Start by knowing the minimal basics of the game.

1. You are NOT required to roll the dice. When a player doesn’t make the point, they said that they would, the player next to them in clockwise rotation gets a turn to throw the dice. When it comes to your turn, you do not have to roll, if you are uncomfortable about it – or unlucky at it.
2. If you DO choose to shoot the dice, you MUST place a Pass or Don’t Pass bet.
3. The first roll, that each player takes after the Pass Line wins, is called the “Come-Out” roll.
4. The Pass Line bet wins on the Come-Out roll on 7 or 11 and loses on 2, 3 and 12.
5. If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the Come-Out roll, the shooter must roll that number again before shooting a 7 or the pass loses.

How to Play Craps​

Craps is a game of dice with over 15 different types of bets, that can be made on any one throw. Instead of trying to learn all of them at once, learn four that pay more often than others, even if they fail to pay the highest amounts.

• Pass – betting that the shooter will roll any of the numbers, that will keep him in charge of the dice
• Don’t Pass – you’re betting that the shooter will roll a 7 on the come-out or after making his point. You lose when the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12, unless the board has a Bar 12 and/or Bar 2 bet space. In that case, the 2 and 12 are pushes.
• Come – betting that the shooter will make the point established in the Come Out roll
• Don’t Come – betting that the shooter will fail to make point and roll a 7. Again, 2, 3 and 12 are losers, unless the spaces are provided for a push on 2 and 12.
• Place – betting on a specific number – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 – and that the shooter will roll that number before he/she rolls a 7. You lose if a 7 is rolled. You cannot make a Place bet on the Come-Out roll
• Laying the Odds – betting against the number – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 – and betting that the shooter rolls a 7 before the point. You lose on 7.
• Buy – these are the Super Place bets for all practical purposes. You bet more on one of the numbers – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 – and agree to pay a commission of 5% to the house if you lose and are compensated with a win by being paid true odds.
• Buy Behind – you are betting against the numbers – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 – and pay the commission or are paid true odds if you win.
• Put – betting skip the pass line and come line bets and pick one number to “put” your bet on
• Field – betting the field – 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12 – on one roll. If any of the numbers come in, you are paid even money. In many casinos, the 2 will pay double and the 12 pays triple your bet. Ask the Stickman, before you place a field bet about the payout on these two numbers.
• Big 6 and Big 8 – these are the numbers 6 and 8 on the corner of the table layout. You can take these bets down or add them at any time. 7 is a loser.
• Hard Way – betting that 4, 6, 8 or 10 are going to be rolled as a pair – a pair of 2s, 3s, 4s or 5s. You lose if the number is rolled but is not reached as a pair.
• Proposition – these are sometimes referred to as hopping bets which only means that you are betting a single number on the very next roll. If it comes in, you win otherwise you lose. You can bet the Hard Way as well. The win pays 30 to 1.
• Horn – winning the Proposition bet and telling the Stickman to bet the Horn on the very next roll where you are betting on 2, 3, 11 and 12 only.
• World – as variation of the Horn bet and under the same circumstances where you are betting on 2, 3, 11, 12 and 7 with your bet split evenly across all 5 numbers.
• High Horn – another variation of the Horn bet under the same circumstances, where you are betting an extra $1 on each $5 of your bet, on the number you chose from 2, 3, 11 or 12. In other words, if you place a High Horn on 12, you are betting $1 on 2, 3, and 11 and the $1 increase on 12.

The first four in the list pay the least and come in for a win the most often. As you review the list above, you can choose any four that you want to try when you arrive at the table. It’s just important that you understand what you are betting on. Once you are comfortable, start adding different bets to make the game more interesting to you.

Craps Winning Strategy​

• Balance your bet – if you are a beginner at the game, it is better to play the Pass/Don’t Pass and any one of the other types of bets of your choice. This won’t get you a huge win but it will keep you in the game.
• Anything but Seven – there are some players that prefer to play anything but 7 and bet the Pass/Don’t Pass and the Field on every play. The reason is that, on average, the player with the dice rolls 5 – 6 times before rolling a 7.

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Craps Tips​

• If you are unsure of what you to do, ask the Stickman – he will guide you through the process until you feel comfortable but he is not there to tell you what or how to bet.
• Don’t waste your money on purchasing a “Strategy System” because they are nothing but scams.

Craps FAQs​

Is it true that Craps is the highest-paying game in the casino?

No. Baccarat and Roulette pay higher, but Craps is the fastest game in the casino for those, who like the wild and rowdy environment.

Can a player get a mathematical advantage at craps?

No. The casino has put the best math minds in the world on calculating odds and setting the house’s edge, so that the player never has a consistent edge.

Is there any craps system or strategy that works better than others?

No. Every strategy has the possibility of working for a short period of time, but none works consistently throughout a game. This has to do with the way individual players hold the dice, how strong they are when they throw them, and if they are left or right handed. Players that wear glasses, often throw the dice to one side or the other depending on which eye is the most predominant, but no one knows why. Each of these variables disrupts any strategy system.