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Craps rules
A few decades ago the most popular casino game was Craps. At that
time Blackjack was nothing more than a marginal game locked away in
a dark corner of the casino. Of course this all changed when Edward
Thorpe published his famous book "Beat the Dealer" in the
early sixties, containing the first correct version of Blackjack Basic
Strategy.
While Blackjack has beaten Craps in popularity, this doesn't change
the fact that Craps was, and still is, a very exciting and
fast game to play, especially in a multi-player environment. The
only downside to Craps is that it is perceived as somewhat "difficult",
especially if you're new to the game. The best Craps bets are offered
by Playtech casinos, because
they offer triple odds instead of the usual double odds found elsewhere.
On this page we will discuss the basics of Craps Rules. You
will find out that Craps isn't that difficult at all, especially
when you only try to understand the good bets you can make, and
ignore the sucker bets.
Tip: The best Craps bets are offered by Playtech
casinos, because they offer triple odds instead of the usual
double odds found elsewhere.
Craps table layout
The picture above is a typical example of a Craps table layout
used at online casinos. In a real casino the layout on the left
is mirrored at the right. In the center of the table (the layout
on the right in this example) you can place proposition bets.
These bets all have very large house edges that can vary from 9%
to 14% or more. The same is more or less true for Field bets
and the Big 6 and Big 8 bets you can make in the layout on
the left. Though the house edge on these bets is a little less than
on the proposition bets, they are still sucker bets.
As you know now which bets you should avoid on a Craps table,
the game has suddenly become much less difficult to play, because
you only have to know the rules that apply to the remaining bets!
The area where you can place the remaining bets has been highlighted
in the picture above. The remaining bets are the Pass Line bet,
the Don't Pass Line bet, the Come bet, and the Don't Come
bet. All these bets are even money bets, i.e. they pay one to
one.
How to play Craps - Pass Line bets & Don't Pass Line bets
A round of play begins with one of the players (the Shooter)
rolling a pair of dice. Before rolling the dice the Shooter must first
place a bet on either the Pass Line or the Don't Pass Line.
All other players can place bets anywhere in the layout. In most Craps
games the Shooter bets on the Pass Line and the other players also
make a Pass Line bet in order to support the Shooter. The first roll
of the dice the Shooter makes, is commonly referred to as the Come-Out
Roll. Depending on the outcome of the Come-Out Roll, a
Craps game proceeds as follows:
| Come-Out Roll |
Consequences for game play |
| 7, 11 (a "natural") |
Pass Line bets win. Don't Pass Line bets lose.
The round is over. |
| 2,3,12 ("craps") |
Pass Line bets lose. Don't Pass Line bets win
(2,3) or tie (12). The round is over. |
| 4,5,6,8,9,10 |
The number rolled becomes the Shooter's point.
The dealer will place a puck on the point number to
indicate it's the point (the spots right above the Come bet
in the layout). The round is *not* over, and bets are *not*
settled. The Shooter keeps rolling the dice until the Shooter:
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Makes a point, meaning
the Shooter rolls the point number again. In this case
Pass Line bets win and Don't Pass Line bets lose. |
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Sevens out, meaning
the Shooter rolls a 7. In this case the Pass Line bets
lose and the Don't Pass Line bets win. |
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In order to understand the true nature of the Pass Line and the
Don't Pass Line bets (and in fact all bets you can place on a Craps
table layout), it's important to get a grasp of which numbers are
most likely to come up when the Shooter rolls the dice. Take a look
at the following table:
| Number rolled |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
| True Odds |
35 to 1 |
17 to 1 |
11 to 1 |
8 to 1 |
6.2 to 1 |
5 to 1 |
6.2 to 1 |
8 to 1 |
11 to 1 |
17 to 1 |
35 to 1 |
Now let's explain the Pass Line bet and the Don't Pass Line bet in
terms of these numbers.
Pass Line bet
You are betting that the number 7 or 11 will be rolled at the
Come-Out Roll. As 7 is the number that is rolled the most frequently,
this bet feels "natural". The "craps" numbers
2,3 and 12 lose, but these numbers aren't rolled very often.
If one of the point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) is rolled you
still have a chance of winning your bet, but for this to happen
it is required that the Shooter rolls the point number again.
If a 7 comes up *after* the Come-Out Roll you lose.
To summarize: When placing a Pass Line bet
you want the number 7 (or 11) to be thrown at the Come-Out
Roll. If a point is established after the Come-Out Roll you'll
*don't* want the number 7 to be thrown again. |
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Don't Pass Line bet
The Don't Pass Line bet is the reverse of the Pass Line
bet. If a 7 (or 11) is rolled at the Come-Out Roll you lose.
If one of the "craps" numbers 2 or 3 is rolled you
win. If a 12 is thrown you tie. As such a Don't Pass Line bet
doesn't feel "natural" as you're betting that the
number that is *most* likely to come up at the Come-Out Roll,
*doesn't* come up!
If one of the point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) is rolled at the
Come-Out Roll you have another chance to win your bet. In
order for this to happen the Shooter has to seven out,
meaning the Shooter has to throw a 7 *before* he or she throws
the point number again.
To summarize: When placing a Don't Pass Line
bet you *don't* want the number 7 (or 11) to be thrown at
the Come-Out Roll. If a point is established after the Come-Out
Roll you'll *do* want the number 7 to be thrown again. |
How to play Craps - Come bets & Don't Come bets
Before reading further make sure you exactly understand the Come-Out
Roll, the Pass Line bet and the Don't Pass Line bet, as discussed
in the previous section. The Come and Don't Come bets are closely
related to the Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets. In fact they are
the same, with the sole difference being that they are placed *after*
the Shooter makes a point for the first time (the Shooter throws a
4,5,6,8,9,10). The next roll of the dice by the Shooter *after* establishing
a point, acts a the Come-Out Roll for a Come bet or Don't Come bet
placed. The rules that are governing the Come and Don't Come bets
are the same as explained in the previous section. The Come and Don't
Come bets are your best choices, if you want to place a bet while
waiting for the Shooter to make the point, or to seven out on his
or her initial Pass Line bet.
How to play Craps - Taking Odds & Giving Odds
Taking odds and Giving odds are the best bets in Craps,
because the house edge on these bets is zero! The catch is that you'll
have to make a Pass Line bet or a Come bet *before* Taking odds, and
a Don't Pass Line bet or a Don't Come bet *before* Giving odds. These
four bets are all slightly in favor of the house, but by Taking or
Giving odds you can reduce the already small house edge well below
1%.
If you're Taking or Giving odds on one of these four bets, you
are in fact increasing your wagers on that bet. You may only do
so after the Shooter establishes the first point in a round of play.
For example, when you are Taking odds on a Pass Line bet, you're
betting that the point number will be thrown again before 7. If
the point number is indeed thrown again, you are paid out according
to the following table:
| Point number |
Pays out |
| 4,10 |
2 to 1 |
| 5,9 |
3 to 2 |
| 6,8 |
6 to 5 |
If you are Giving odds on a Don't Pass Line bet, you're betting
that a 7 will be rolled *before* the Shooter makes the point (rolls
the point number again). If a 7 is rolled you are paid out depending
on the point number, and according to the following table:
| Point number |
Pays out |
| 4,10 |
1 to 2 |
| 5,9 |
2 to 3 |
| 6,8 |
5 to 6 |
In Craps you are advised to *always* Take or Give odds, depending
on your original bet, because, as said earlier, Taking or Giving
odds, reduces the already small house edge on your original bet
well below 1%. For example, if a casino allows you to Take single
odds on Pass Line bets, the house edge reduces from 1.41% to 0.85%.
Some casinos allow you to Take double or more odds, reducing the
house edge even further. However, don't let your desire to get the
best bet, entice you into placing large bets that your bankroll
can't take (for example, Taking triple odds is equivalent to tripling
your original wager, and hence risking three times as much money).
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