Craps Basics

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Craps can be as simple as betting on one number and either winning or losing on each roll, or as complex as making a bet, waiting until the shooter rolls a target, or “point” number, then hoping the shooter can roll the same number again. That procedure can go on for any number of rolls. You make your initial wager on Pass/ Don’t Pass line and any one-time bets if you want. The dice is thrown by the shooter (it’s always you in online version). If 7 or 11 appear, then you win according to the rules of craps. In case the result is 2, 3 or 12, the shooter loses. Other numbers set a point. Craps is the fastest-paced game in the casino. It´s also one of the most fun, but it can be intimidating to the new player. There are literally dozens of different bets you can make, and the language of the game may lead you to believe you´ve stepped into an alien world. But look around the table.

Laura Klusaite

Table Of Contents

  • Craps rolls are one of the most interesting events that happen on the Casino floor.
  • This Craps strategy guide for beginners helps you understand the ins and outs of the pass or come bet.
  • Read it before your round begins to understand your chances to win playing online Craps.

Craps is one of the most exciting gambling games since the Middle Age. If you don’t know how to play Craps and you haven’t played online yet, now it's your chance.

What you see here is the only craps for dummies guide you'll ever need to learn the game.

This is an all-in-one Craps for beginners resource where you find the best Craps strategies, the best Craps Casinos to play online, and all the proposition bets you should avoid.

Also, I added the basics of Craps etiquette because placing one or two winning bets doesn't authorize you to do everything you want or behave like Will Ferrel, Amy Poehler, and Jason Mantzoukas in The House.

Although it's one of the most popular and played games at land-based casinos, the game of craps not one of the top favorites of online players.

Some believe craps is a complicated game with rules and bets that do not fit the speed of online gambling. They get confused by concepts like odds bets, betting on the pass line, comeout roll, snake eyes, and lay odds- and that’s why they often skip this table game.

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How to Play Craps for Dummies

How to Play Craps for Beginners?

Beginners are often so intimidated by the numbers, the terms, and all the different bets available in a game of craps. Also, complicated tables like the ones you find on Wizard of Odds might push you away from the craps tables and not play the game.

Playing craps is easy. You don’t need anything more than a guide for Dummies like this one to move from beginner to expert.

If you don’t know how to play craps, make sure you read the part that follows carefully enough to pay attention to all the different elements that compose a game of craps.

When you are done with my Craps for Dummies guide, you are ready to play the game.

Once you pass the learning part, the game is simple. So, let’s not beat around the bush and get to the good part – craps rules for dummies, that is.

Learning Craps Rules for Dummies in 3 Minutes or Less

Why three minutes? Because there are three main rules to learn to know how to play craps. This is a guide for dummies - meaning we like to keep things short and simple.

That’s why three minutes is more than enough to learn how to play craps.

Craps betting round starts with a come-out roll.

That’s the first term beginners need to learn and add to their vocabulary.

The come-out roll is the first roll of the dice or the first one after the previous betting round has finished.

The player who throws the dice is called the 'shooter'.

A game of craps plays as follows: you, 'shooter', take two dice and throw them on the craps table - or press 'roll' button if we are talking about online craps.

Once the number rolled is on your screen, there are three possible outcomes:

1. Natural

Here’s when things get really good. A 'Natural' means that the result of your roll is a 7 or an 11. When this happens, you win and get to roll the dice again.

2. Craps

You roll a 2 (also known as the Snake Eyes), 3, or 12. Here’s when you lose.

BUT the round is not over, and you get to roll again.

Basics

3. Point

You roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.

In a live casino, a dealer would mark your Point (the rolled number) on the table.

In online craps games, there is a small button that appears once the Point is established. It’s white and says 'On'.

What you need to do now is to roll the dice once more and hope you’ll hit the same number again. It doesn’t have to be the same combination of dice as you had before. As long as it’s the same sum – you win.

Do you know why the sequence above misses a seven?

The number 7 is not a very lucky one in this case since if you roll a 7, you 'seven out' – you lose and end the betting round.

Once you learn this part by heart, you can move on to the betting options.

That’s the fun part. Because that’s the one that can make you win a lot.

Playing Craps for Dummies: Betting Rules

If you take a look at the craps table, both online and offline, you can see that it’s not only dice and numbers.

Now that you know how to shoot craps and how to evaluate the result of your roll let’s have a look at how to bet in a game of craps.

Remember: this is a craps guide for dummies, so I am going to analyze everything looking at a game of craps as a beginner would do.

The layout has a handful of areas for different betting options.

Pass or Don’t Pass Bets

First, you can bet either on the 'Pass Line' or the 'Don't Pass Line'.

The Pass Line bet means you bet that the shooter will pass (win) by rolling out a natural or by winning the point before seven-ing out.

The Don’t Pass Line corresponds to the opposite bet. In this case, you bet that the shooter will not pass (lose). It can happen if the player shoots to get a 2 or 3, or fails to roll the point again before a 7 shows up its ugly head.

And then there is a 12. If it’s rolled now, your bet is a Push – meaning nothing happens. You don’t win, but you don’t lose either.

You can make these bets only before the point has been established on the table. Once the point has been rolled out and the shooter needs to roll the sum again, you can make a come or don’t come bet.

Come or Don’t Come Bets

These bets can only be made after the point has been determined.

The Come Bet wins if a natural is rolled out and loses if the craps are.

If the point is rolled out, it becomes the Come-Bet point.

It works just like the Pass line one: if the come-bet point rolls out again before 7 does, you win. If not, it’s not your lucky round, pal.

Don’t come bet is just like the Don’t pass one. You’re in luck if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, not so much if it's a 7 or 11. A 12 here is a push again.

Once the point is made, you should hope for 7 before the shooter rolls out the point again.

Neither Pass nor Come bets can be turned off. You bet and wait until it plays itself out. But you can make additional bets on the come-bet point, too. And those you can withhold or increase at any time.

Proposition Bets in Craps

These are one-roll bets (with one exception, as you can see in the table below) that you can place on any roll.

BetWins if
Any SevenThe shooter rolls a 7
Any CrapsThe shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12
Ace DeuceThe shooter rolls a 3
AcesThe shooter rolls a 2
BoxcarsThe shooter rolls a 12
HornThe shooter rolls a 2, 3, 11, or 12

The exception I mentioned earlier is called Hard ways. In this case, you win if you roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10 (depends on which one you bet) with the pair of same numbers (2 and 2, 3 and 3, and so on) before any other combination that makes that sum or a 7

Other Possible Bets in a Game of Craps

Place Bets:Once you know the point, you can bet on any number on the table. You win if it’s rolled out before a 7, you lose if it isn’t.

Field Bets: This type of bet is only active for one dice roll. You win if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is rolled. A 5, 6, 7, or 8 makes you lose.

Big 6 and Big 8 bets: If you want to bet that 6 or 8 will be rolled before 7, These are the two bets for you.

These bets only pay 1:1.

Practice Craps Online: Where Beginners Should Play Craps

The best way to learn craps online is to practice craps online.

Now that you know about the different bets and outcomes of a roll, you should be ready to move from asking how to shoot craps to playing craps online.

And if you don’t want to risk your cash on real money games until you are 100 per cent sure that you know how to win at craps - that’s not a problem.

The best online craps sites for beginners five you the chance to play and practice craps online for free for as long as you need.

You can also use the Casino bonuses you receive on most sites when you sign up but, given the house edge of this game, you should start for free.

The best site to play craps online for free and get a hang of the game is this one.

I suggest you open a free account on this page to find the best Craps tables online and play the game. That’s the best way to learn craps if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar casino next door to go to.

That’s what I did when I first played Craps.

It all will look a lot easier once you practice craps online.

And once you feel that online, free practice has made it perfect, you can move to real money craps games.

The game of craps has really good odds with the house edge of only 1,41%.

That beats roulette and even blackjack when it's played with the basic strategy. There’re many betting rules to remember at first but they come naturally later on. And they actually make the game even more exciting.

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Best Sites to Play Craps Online

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The most popular and probably the only dice game in casinos nowadays is craps. When this game was played on the streets, the activity was known as ‘shooting dice’ and the game was called ‘street craps’. In street craps players played against each other, and not against a gambling establishment like a casino. It required very little for the game to be played, and was mainly played in informal setting. The casino version of the game that you probably know, at least from movies, is called just ‘craps’.

If you are a beginner, we can’t deny that craps might seem intimidating at first. It’s not that it isn’t easy to play once you get into it, but until you learn the basic rules you will think it is a complicated game with hundred different types of bets, while players shout from all around the table. Fortunately enough for those that don’t want the clamor, there is online craps, so they can learn the game at peace with the help of their computer, Smartphone, tablet etc.

When you are through with this guide, you will think quite the contrary of craps and how it isn’t that complicated. Once you learn the first and most basic bets, the entire game will immediately reveal itself as you get to know the other bets. During your craps playing time you will add more bets to your use, and after just 10 to 15 minutes of practice in free play mode at any online casino, you will master the game enough to get you going.

Craps Rules

The following are the rules that apply to playing craps:

  • Casinos decide which bets will be offered as well as the payouts for them.
  • The players throw the dice in turns, and the one throwing them is called the ‘shooter’.
  • Bets are placed on the appropriately marked sections of the table where the particular bet is displayed.
  • Before throwing the dice the shooter needs to make a ‘Pass’ or ‘Don’t Pass’ line bet. At some craps tables these bets may be called ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ or ‘Win’ and ‘Don’t Win’ bets.
  • A craps game is played in rounds.
  • For a round to start, the shooter needs to make a ‘come out’ roll. If the roll is two, three or twelve, bets placed on Pass line are lost. If the roll is seven or eleven, they win.
  • If the shooter’s come out roll is four, five, six, eight, nine or ten, then a ‘point’ is established to pass. In order for the bets on Pass Line to succeed, the point must be rolled before a seven, and the round will finish. If the point number is established before a seven, the bets lose and the dice is given to the next shooter. Whenever the Pass line bets win the Don’t Pass line bets lose and the other way around.
  • If twelve is rolled on the come out roll, the Don’t Pass Line bets are pushed, while the Pass Line bets lose.

The Basics of Craps

Objective of the Game

When played in land-based casinos, craps can be a game where people can socialize because it attracts much attention and usually many people stand by the table to watch the action. When playing online this is not the case obviously, but the same objective stands, to guess the outcome of the dice.

As mentioned earlier, the player whose turn has come to shoot the dice is called the ‘shooter’. The viewers that stand around the board in land-based craps games are the players and bet on the outcome of the roll. When the dice are rolled, the outcome can be a total number between two and twelve. One round can consist of just one roll or a series of rolls. The object of the game is to bet on or against the shooter.

Come Out Roll

The come out roll is the first roll of the shooter. When a seven or eleven is the outcome, all the Pass Line bets receive a payout. If the outcome of the dice is two three or eleven, then these bets lose. If another number is rolled apart from these, then the point is established.

When the point has been established, the second phase of the game begins. In this phase Pass Line bets succeed when the point number is rolled. If seven is rolled, then they are lost and the round ends. Each new game in craps begins with the come out roll.

Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line Bet

If the players want the Pass line bets to succeed, he mustn’t roll two, three or twelve, but eleven or seven. The opposite of these are Don’t Pass Line bets, which succeed if the shooter rolls two, three or twelve. If the point is established the shooter must repeat the point number before rolling a seven. If a seven is rolled, the shooter loses. These bets are the fundamental bets in craps and can be your starting point in learning craps and all the other options.

The best starting bet is the Pass Line bet on the come out roll. It offers a house edge of around 1.40%, while the majority of other bets have much higher edge. They are recommended as best for beginners. Stick to this bet if you want to minimize your chances of losing.

Come Bet and Don’t Come Bet

This bet is similar to the Pass Line bet in the aspect of mathematics, and can be placed after the come out roll, while the Pass Line bet is made before the come out roll. This bet too is won if the shooter rolls 7 or 11, and here too you can win if the shooter rolls the point number before a 7.

Naturally, the Don’t Come bet is the opposite of the Come bet and similar to the Don’ Pass Line bet. With this bet you suggest that the shooter will not repeat the point number before he rolls a 7.

Place and Place to Lose Bets

Place bets are those made on the numbers of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. If some of these numbers has been rolled before the shooter rolls a 7, your Place bet is won. To make this bet you need the Don’t Pass Line bet. The best odds with this bet are if you make on 6 or 8, while the second best option is to make it on 5 or 9.

The opposite of the Place bet is the Place to Lose bet. This bet is won with a 7, but if the number that you are betting against is rolled, then your Place to Lose bet is lost. Here too the best Place to Lose bets are if made on 6 or 8.

Other Bets

Other important bets that you can make in craps are: Buy, Lay, Big 6 and Big 8, Field Bet, Any 7, Any Craps, Twelve Craps or Two Sixes, Twelve Craps or Aces, Eleven or Six Five, Three Craps or Ace Deuce, Two Craps or Aces, Horn Bet etc.

A Simple Strategy to Use

If you decide that craps is your game and that you want to advance with your craps skills, make sure to first carefully learn the basic and most common bets, and then try to learn all the other options. You can take some simple tips with you and always guide yourself according to them. For example, the best wagers that you can make are Pass Line or Come bets and bets on 6 or 8. Pass Line and Come bets have the lowest house edge in craps. But never bet on Big 6 or Big 8, because they have bad payouts.

Also, you should only play craps games where you can Take Odds for Pass Line and Come bets, and remember to never place Proposition bets. After you have learned how to play craps properly, you should see to it that you have found a strategy that suits your style of play the best. Design a system how to manage your money, however, don’t hope for a system like the Martingale, because with it you will need quite a large bankroll.

Basic Rules Of Craps

Summary

Craps is one of the most exciting and loudest games at land-based casinos. They even feature rules of how craps players should hold the dice when they wish to roll as well as other similar rules of conduct. This game provides the true essence of the casino world and pure entertainment. Today, online casinos feature even live craps games where a live dealer is broadcasted from a studio with a craps table in front of him and multiple players can log on to the table and play.

Useful Craps Glossary

Any Craps: this bet is when players predict that the outcome of the dice will be a total of 2, 3 or 12.

Back Line: another term that denotes Don’t Pass.

How To Play Basic Craps

Big 6: a bet suggesting that a 6 will be rolled before a 7.

Big 8: similar to Big 6, when a player bets that 8 will be rolled before 7.

Front Line: another term that denotes Pass Line.

Visit our Craps Glossary Guide for a more comprehensive list of terms and phrases.

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