How To Play Craps: Understanding the Rules and Odds
Craps is among the most entertaining dice games you can play in a casino. Though the game may seem complicated initially, it’s pretty easy to learn. Up to 20 players can play the game in a physical gambling venue while you’re the only player at an online casino.
Continue reading to learn how to play craps and what makes this entertaining game so popular among bettors.
How Do You Play Craps – The Basics
A pair of dice, a table, and chips are required for the game of craps. You basically bet on a particular number, and if the dice produce that number, you win and get paid. But there’s more to the game than that – for example, you may not lose if you don’t get the number in the next throw of the dice.
The personnel you’ll see in a brick-and-mortar casino are:
- Dealers, who collect bets and hand out winnings
- The boxman, who manages chips and exchanges cash for bettors
- The stickman, moving the dice to the shooter with a stick and announcing the outcome of the throw
- Shooters are also essential for the craps dice game in an actual casino because they roll the dice; players become shooters when their turn comes.
Before diving in further, let’s quickly overview the craps’ origins.
History of Craps
The origins of this dice game remain inconclusive since various sources mention Roman soldiers as its inventors, while some cite its Arabic sources. A widely accepted version is that the Crusaders invented the game in 1125 during the siege of the Asart fortress, which became Hazard later.
By the end of the 16th century, Hazard became popular in England and later in France, from where it crossed to Acadia (parts of today’s Maine and Canada), the French overseas colony. By that time, the game was called crabs.
How Does Craps Work?
The first thing to know about craps is the types of bets you can place. The pass line bet is the most common and probably the simplest. There’s also the don’t pass bet, among others, but to make it clearer from the start, let’s analyze the table layout for this dice game first.
Table Layout for Craps
All craps tables are similar, looking something like in the image below.
As you can see, you can place many types of bets, but the game mainly revolves around the pass line bet at the bottom and the left side. Chips mark the stakes you place. Winnings depend on the bet you place, with less likely wins bringing more significant gains.
Basics of Craps
Now let’s focus on how to place bets in craps, depending on the table section.
Pass Line and Don’t Pass Bar
Pass line is the bet to place if you think the shooter will roll 7 or 11 first. As previously mentioned, this is probably the safest bet you can make in craps. You lose the bet if 2, 3, or 12 rolls first.
Don’t pass bar is where you place your chips if you think the shooter will roll a 2 or 3 first, while 12 is a push. If 7 or 11 rolls first, you lose.
If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 rolls before the winning number of the pass line or don’t pass bar, it becomes the point. Craps rules specify that the shooter keeps rolling until they either roll the same point number again or a 7. The number must repeat before 7 rolls for the bettors betting the pass line to win. As for the don’t pass bar, 7 must roll before the point for the player to win.
Big 6 or Big 8, Field, Come and Don’t Come, and Place Fields
Bet Big 6 or Big 8 if you have a feeling that any of these numbers will land before 7. Place your bets on the field, i.e., place a one-roll bet if you think 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 will land after a single roll. Two and 12 double or triple your winnings.
The craps table layout includes the come and don’t come fields, virtually the same as pass line and don’t pass, except they are games within a game. The same rules apply.
Place refers to the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. You win if the number you bet on rolls before 7 appears. If you think 7 will roll first, make a “place to lose” wager.
Center
The center refers to the side section where you can see different dice patterns. If you place a single-roll wager there, you win big if the dice create that particular pattern. If you bet on a roll of 2, also called Snake Eyes, and win, your payoff is 31:1. Other combinations give you a lower return, like 10:1 or 8:1.
Note, though, that the casino typically has a high house edge here.
Craps for Dummies: An Example
If you come to play craps in a physical casino, wait to place bets until the “come out” call. You place a $10 pass line wager, the shooter rolls 7, and you receive an additional $10.
Now, you press your bet by leaving the $20 you have on the table. The next roll of the dice produces 9, which becomes the point, and the dealer marks the number with a white pluck in the place section.
You need another 9 to land before 7 to win. Nine lands after several subsequent rolls, and you have $40.
Now that you know how to play craps, let’s briefly look into odds and payouts.
The Craps Odds and Payouts Overview
You can resort to various strategies to win in craps since some numbers have higher odds than others and provide bigger rewards. The probability of dice combinations determines how much you win if the number lands.
When devising a craps strategy, note that 7 is more likely to roll than 6 or 8. Six and eight are more likely to land than 5 or 9, and so on. That’s why the lower a number is, the less likely it is to roll, bringing higher payouts.
Let’s say you place your bet on 8 and win. You get 6 for every five chips you bet. But, if you wager on 10 and prove lucky, you may receive 10 for five chips, depending on the bet type.
How To Play Craps Online
Craps is virtually the same whether you play online or in a live casino. However, some minor differences exist, so let’s see what these are.
Credits Purchase
You buy the chips in a brick-and-mortar casino by placing the money on the table. The dealer picks the cash and gives you the chips. In an online casino, you deposit funds and draw money from there to play.
Staff
Unlike in a physical casino, all decisions and transactions are automatic at an online casino. So, you won’t find dealers, the stickman, and other personnel. You’re the only player and shooter there.
Wager Placement
When playing craps online, you’ll see a graphic of the table layout on the screen. To place a wager, click on the chips and choose how big to bet. Then, click on the area (pass line, place, or other) corresponding to the bet you wish to make.
At live casinos, you can place your chips on the pass line and in the come and field areas, but for most bets, you will need the dealer to place your chips.
Remember that craps tends to be addictive, like most gambling games, so gamble responsibly and refrain from betting amounts you can’t afford to lose.
Craps Betting Limits
Betting limits tend to differ between online and actual casinos. Online, you’ll have a betting range for a single wager of between $1 and $100 or $5 and $500, for example. You may find a table accepting smaller bets in a live casino if you don’t have sufficient funds.
Winning at Craps
Knowing how the various strategies work, you can probably figure out how to win at craps. Since craps is a game of chance, you can never be 100% certain you’ll win, even if you choose the most likely winning strategy with low odds. But, if you acquaint yourself with the dice game and manage to control emotions while playing, you’ll have increased chances of success in the long run.
Perhaps the best way to test the strategies and learn how to keep cool is by playing free games online. That way, you’ll gain knowledge of the game without putting money at stake. Once you decide to play craps for real, factor in the odds and the house edge.
When you get lucky and move to collect money from winning bets at online crypto gambling, don’t forget to check whether you have to pay any taxes.
Craps for Beginners – The Bottom Line
Craps is a funny and straightforward game that doesn’t require much time or money to play. Albeit the dice game may seem difficult to learn at first, you can master it quickly, even if you’re a complete novice in gambling.
With craps now explained, you know all the basic rules of the game and what numbers are more likely to roll than others. Still, it would be wise to play craps online for free before putting your money on the line to get the feel of how the game works.
FAQ
How do you play basic craps?
The basic craps involves placing the pass line bets. If you get 7 or 11, you win, but if you get 2, 3, or 12, you lose.
How do you play craps and win?
Many bettors wonder how to play craps and win. Success in this gambling game depends on luck. Still, you can increase your chances of winning by playing free online craps to test different strategies and understand the odds.
What are 7 and 11 in craps?
Seven and 11 are the winning numbers in the come-out roll. But if the dice produce any other number save 2, 3, or 12, it becomes the point, making 7 the losing number. Thus, the bet wins if the dice land on the established point before producing 7.
