It's the noisiest game in the house and only spectator
game in the casino that's worthy of the name. Next to
Blackjack it's got some of the best player odds in the
house and only Roulette has more betting options for the
player. It's the one and only Craps.
Picture your average Poker game: stone faces, few words,
cagey players and cut-throat action. Craps, god bless
it, is the complete opposite. Players yelling bets, hangers-on
pumped on the action, fellow bettors your companions with
the chips flying and the dice right behind them. It's
not just a game, it's the King of Dice.
And while it's true that a smart player can step in with
$100 and with a little luck walk away minutes later with
$10,000, it's also true that there are more sucker bets
than you can shake a stick at. Few games show you the
line between a smart bet and a bad one, inked right on
the felt for all to see. Strategy, opponents, long odds
and smart bets. Craps has it all.
Unfortunately Craps can be pretty intimidating for the
newcomer. There are such a large number of betting options,
special rules and exceptions that you'll feel as if you'll
never get a handle on it. Personally, I avoided the Craps
table for the longest time simply because it was so noisy
and confusing. But hang in there because the smarter you
play the easier it is. The trick is to take it one step
at a time.
Basics
When you are rolling the dice you are the "shooter".
Your first toss in a round of Craps is called the Come
Out roll. If you roll a 7 or 11, you win and the round
is over before it started. If you roll a 2, 3, or 12 that's
a Craps and you lose: again, it's over before it started.
Any other number becomes the Point. The purpose of the
Come Out roll is to set the Point, which can be any of
4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The Dealer places a puck marked "On"
above the Point number printed on the table.
Objective
The basic objective in Craps is for the shooter to win
by tossing the Point again before he tosses a 7. That
7 is called Out 7 to differentiate it from the 7 on the
Come Out roll. If the Point is tossed, the shooter and
his fellow bettors win and the round is over. If the shooter
tosses Out 7, they lose and the round is over. If the
toss is neither the Point nor Out 7, the round continues
and the dice keep rolling.
Betting and Payoff
Here's where life at the Craps table can get complicated.
There are an overwhelming number of betting options and
it'll make you dizzy trying to figure them all out at
once. Like I promised though, it's easy to play smart.
Let's talk about those smart bets first.
Pass Bets
The typical -- and simplest -- bet is called a Pass bet.
It is placed on the Pass Line before the Come Out roll.
Assuming that the round goes past the Come Out roll, you're
betting on the chance that you'll roll the Point again
before you roll an Out 7. Pass bets win at even odds,
1:1. Since any Pass bets are typically betting with the
shooter, Pass bettors are said to be betting "right",
they're supporting the shooter in his attempt to win.
To Win: win on the Come Out roll if the dice show
7 or 11. Win on any subsequent roll if you roll the Point.
To Lose: lose on the Come Out roll if the dice
are Craps (2, 3, or 12). Lose on any subsequent roll if
it's an Out 7.
Don't Pass Bets
A bet placed on the Don't Pass line is basically the
opposite of a Pass bet. Assuming that the round goes past
the Come Out roll, you're betting that the shooter will
roll Out 7 before making the Point. In other words, you're
betting against the shooter, which is why it's called
a "wrong" bet. Rest assured though, there is
nothing wrong with the odds on a Don't Pass bet.
To Win: win on the Come Out roll if the dice show
Craps (2, 3 or 12). Win on any subsequent roll if it's
an Out 7.
To Lose: lose on the Come Out roll of 7 or 11.
Lose on any subsequent roll if it's the Point.
Come/Don't Come Bets
Come and Don't Come bets are basically the same as Pass
and Don't Pass except they are placed while a round is
in progress. They are designed for players who join the
game late. The same rules apply: win if the next roll
is 7 or 11, lose if it's Craps. Otherwise the roll becomes
the Come Point.
Odds Bets
An Odds bet is a backup bet on a Pass/Don't Pass/Come/Don't
Come bet already on the table. They're usually limited
to two or three times (2x or 3x) the original bet and
pay off at true odds: the payoff truly reflects the probability
of the dice's roll and there's no additional house edge
involved. Unlike original Pass/Don't Pass/Come/Don't Come
bets, unresolved Odds bets can be removed from the table
during play.
Pass Odds and Come Odds pay 2:1 on a roll of 4 or 10,
3:2 on 5's and 9's, and 6:5 on 6's and 8's.
Don't Pass Odds and Don't Come Odds pay 1:2 on a roll
of 4 or 10, 2:3 on 5's and 9's, 5:6 on 6's and 8's.
Other Bets
Now for the rest of the table, the Place Number bets
and Proposition bets. Unfortunately the odds against you
here vary from mediocre to terrible which is why savvy
players ignore almost all of them. These bets are mostly
designed for players who either have money burning a hole
in their pocket or feel they have to bet on every little
toss of the dice. The price of such impatience and risk-taking
is higher house edges, sometimes dramatically higher.
A Place Number bet is where you are betting that a particular
number will roll before a 7 does, or vice versa. These
include the Place, Buy, Lay and Lose bets, the Big 6 and
Big 8, and finally the Hard 4, Hard 6, Hard 8 and Hard
10.
The Proposition bets are where you bet that the next
roll will be a specific number. These include the 2, 3,
7, 11, and 12 bets, the Any Craps bet, the Field, Hop
and Horn bets.
