Craps - The Basics

The Object of the Game

Many consider craps to be the game. Craps certainly does elicit an emotional response from casino players. If there's one area in a casino where you'll find many whooping and hollering players, it's around the craps table! The game of craps has a long history and is still going strong. Some believe that craps is very difficult to learn, but the only truly complicating aspect of craps is the variety of different bets. The "Rules" section will introduce you to the different bets in craps. You can practice your skills and play "For Fun" until you get the hang of it. Soon you'll learn the different bets in craps and be ready to play "For Real". Fun and excitement at the craps table await you!

 

The Rules

The first roll of the dice in a craps round is called the "come out roll." The basic opening bet in craps, placed just before the come out roll, is called the "pass line bet." Pass line bets immediately win when the shooter's come out roll is 7 or 11, and lose when the come out roll is 2 (snake eyes), 3 (cross eyes), or 12 (box cars). If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, that number becomes "the point." The puck labelled "ON" shows that the point has been established, and is located on the craps table over the box for the number rolled as the point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10,". The shooter now keeps rolling the dice until he rolls the point or 7 to end the round. If the shooter rolls the point first, a pass line bet wins. If, however, the shooter rolls a 7 first (i.e. "sevens out"), a pass line bet loses.

To end a round of craps and resolve pass line bets, the shooter must roll either the point or 7 after the come out roll. There's always a possibility that a craps game can go on all night if the shooter fails to roll the point or 7. Pass line bets can't win until the point is rolled, and can't lose until 7 is rolled. Because unresolved pass line bets may not be removed, players must wait for a roll of the point or 7 to determine the fate of their pass line bets.

 

Betting

Before the dice are rolled, bets can be placed in the various fields of the craps table. First, click on the value of the chip you wish to wager with your left mouse button. Next, place the chip in the desired betting area on the craps table by clicking in the area with your left mouse button. If you desire to alter or remove a bet, click on your wagered chips with your right mouse button. When you are finished placing your bets, click on the ROLL button to roll the dice.

Pass Line Bets

A pass line bet is placed on the field labelled "PASS LINE" on the craps table before the come out roll (i.e. the first roll of the dice in a new craps round). A wager on the pass line wins if the come out roll is 7 or 11, and loses if 2, 3 or 12 is rolled. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, that number becomes "the point." To win a pass line bet, the shooter must roll the point again before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, your pass line bet loses. A winning pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1). Once the point has been established, unresolved pass line bets may not be removed or reduced. They must be resolved by a roll of the point or 7.

Don’t Pass Line Bets

A don't pass line bet is essentially the reverse of a pass line bet, and is placed on the craps table in the "Don't Pass Bar" before the come out roll. If the shooter rolls 3 or 12 on the come out roll, a don't pass line bet wins. If, however, the come out roll is 7 or 11, don't pass line bets lose. If the come out roll is 2, a don't pass line bet is returned to the player in a push. If the come out roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. Once the point has been established, don't pass line bets win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again. If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7, don't pass line bets lose. A winning don't pass line bet pays even money (1 to 1). Unlike pass line bets, unresolved don't pass line bets may be removed or reduced.

Come Bets

A come bet is placed in the "COME" bar on the craps table before any roll of the dice, once the point has been established by the come out roll. The rules for come bets are essentially the same as for pass line bets. Come bets win if the shooter's next roll is 7 or 11, and lose if the roll is 2, 3, or 12. If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point," and the dealer will move the come bet from the "COME" bar on the craps table to the box corresponding to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". If the shooter rolls the come point again before rolling a 7, the come bet pays even money. The come bet will stay in place until the come point or a 7 is rolled. Just as with the pass line bet, unresolved come bets may not be removed or reduced. They must be resolved by a roll of the come point or 7.

Don’t Come Bets

A don't come bet is essentially the opposite of a come bet. A don't come bet is placed after the come out roll in the "Don't Come Bar" on the craps table. Don't come bets win when the shooter's next roll is 3 or 12, and lose if the roll is 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 2, the bet will be returned to the player in a push. If the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point," and the dealer will move the don't come bet from the "Don't Come Bar" to the left corner of the narrow, uppermost bar over the box corresponding to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." After the come point is established, don't come bets win even money if 7 is rolled and lose if the come point is rolled. Don't come bets will stay in place until the come point or a 7 is rolled. However, unresolved don't come bets may be removed.

Odds Bets

An odds bet is a "back up" bet on an original pass line bet, don't pass line bet, come bet, or don't come bet. The maximum odds bet is 3 times your original bet.

Pass Line Odds Bets

After the point has been established, a pass line odds bet is placed by clicking with your left mouse button on the craps table outside of the "PASS LINE" bar, under your original pass line bet. A winning pass line odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original pass line bet, an unresolved pass line odds bet may be removed.

Don't Pass Line Odds Bets

Once the point has been established, a don't pass line odds bet is placed by clicking with your left mouse button on the right side of your original bet in the "Don't Pass Bar." A winning don't pass line odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't pass line odds bet may be removed.

Come Odds Bets

Once the come point has been established, a come odds bet is placed by clicking with your left mouse button directly under your come bet within the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." A winning come odds bet pays true odds: 2 to 1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3 to 2 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 6 to 5 on a roll of 6 or 8. Unlike the original come bet, an unresolved come odds bet may be removed.

Don't Come Odds Bets

Once the come point has been established, an odds bet is placed on your don't come bet by clicking in the tiny space directly under your don't come bet within the narrow, uppermost bar over the box that corresponds to the come point: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." A winning don't come odds bet pays true odds: 1 to 2 on a roll of 4 or 10, 2 to 3 on a roll of 5 or 9, and 5 to 6 on a roll of 6 or 8. An unresolved don't come odds bet may be removed.

Field Bets

A field bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. It is placed in the "FIELD" bar on the craps table before any one roll of the dice. If the next roll is 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11, the field bet wins even money. If 2 or 12 is rolled, the field bet wins 2 to 1. If 5, 6, 7, or 8 is rolled, the field bet is lost.

Big 6 and Big 8 Bets

A big 6 bet is a bet that 6 will be rolled before 7. Likewise, a big 8 bet is a bet that 8 will be rolled before 7. A big 6 or a big 8 bet is placed in either the "6" or "8" box located in the left corner of the craps table. A big 6 or big 8 bet wins even money if the shooter rolls a 6 or 8 before rolling 7. Unresolved Big 6 and big 8 bets may be removed.

Place Bets

There are two types of place bets:

A place win bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a seven. A place win bet is placed in the narrow, unlabeled bar located just under the box with the corresponding number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." Winning place win bets are paid according to the following ratios: 7 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 7 to 5 on numbers 5 and 9, and 9 to 5 on numbers 4 and 10.


A place lose bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. A place lose bet is placed in the narrow, unlabeled bar located just above the box with the corresponding number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10". Winning place lose bets are paid according to the following ratios: 4 to 5 on numbers 6 and 8, 5 to 8 on numbers 5 and 9, and 5 to 11 on numbers 4 and 10.

Unresolved place bets may be removed.

Buy Bets

A buy bet is a bet that either 4, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before 7. A buy bet is placed in the box corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." The buy bet will be covered by a "BUY" marker to distinguish it from a come bet. A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged when placing the buy bet. Buy bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 6 to 5 on numbers 6 and 8, 3 to 2 on numbers 5 and 9, and 2 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10. If a buy bet is lost or removed, the 5% vig. is returned.

Lay Bets

A lay bet is essentially the reverse of a buy bet. A lay bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before 4, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The lay bet is placed in the top, unlabeled bar above the box corresponding to the number on the craps table: "4, 5, SIX, 8, NINE, or 10." A lay bet will be covered by a "LAY" marker to distinguish it from a don't come bet. A vigorish (vig.) of 5% vig. is charged when placing the lay bet. Lay bet winnings are then paid at true odds: 5 to 6 on numbers 6 and 8, 2 to 3 on numbers 5 and 9, and 1 to 2 on numbers 4 and 10. Lay bets are active even during the come out roll, and unresolved lay bets may be removed.

Any 7 Bets

An any 7 bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 7. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the "Seven" field on the craps table. If 7 is rolled, you win 4 times your bet.

Any 11 Bets

An any 11 bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 11. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice that add to 11. If 11 is rolled, you win 15 times your bet.

Any Craps Bets

An any craps bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, or 12. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the "Any Craps" field on the craps table. If 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, you win 7 times your bet.

Horn Bets

A horn bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be either 2, 3, 11, or 12. It is placed on any one roll of the dice in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice that add either to 2, 3, 11, or 12. A winning horn bet pays 15 to 1 on numbers 3 and 11 and 30 to 1 on numbers 2 and 12.

Hardway Bets

A hardway bet is a bet that the shooter will roll either a 4, 6, 8, or 10 as doubles (2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5) before rolling a 7. The hardway bet is placed in the box on the craps table containing the two illustrated dice corresponding to the number. Rolling a number by doubles is said to be rolling the number "the hard way". For example, a roll of 4+4 is a called a "hard 8," while a roll of 5+3 or 6+2 is called an "easy 8." A winning hardway bet pays 7 to 1 on numbers 4 and 10 and 9 to 1 on numbers 6 and 8. Unresolved hardway bets may be removed.
 

Pilarski's Craps Tips

Bellying up to a crap table and joining the euphoria of this fast-paced game need not be intimidating. Armed with my past columns and these additional pointers, you are going to step up to the table with the self-assurance necessary to play this game. Granted, I am limited in allotted space, but I'm more than happy to touch on some terrific craps tips. In thirty seconds I can teach anyone how to play a simplified game of craps with confidence. How? Check out the first tip.

• Just make these two outstanding craps wagers. Nothing more. Learn how to make a Pass Line bet or how to Place the 6 or 8. Both of these wagers have house advantage of less than 1.5 percent, making them one of the best bets in the casino.
• Stay away from all those proposition bets in the center of the layout. The dealer who is barking their performance is doing nothing more than inducing play on wagers that are all "house bets", carrying a casino advantage as high as 16%.
• Once you learn how the Odds wager works, never make a Line or Come bet that you are not willing to back up with full odds.
• If the table minimum is way over your head, you shouldn't be on that game. Bet with your head, not over it.
• If you need help, ask a dealer. Most will be willing and able to help you.
• You are responsible to pick up your winnings. As they say, "they lay, they play."
• A Pass Line bet with two Come bets is plenty of action on this energetic game. Don't get so caught up in the game and start throwing money at the dealer for his "requested (high house percentage) bets."
• Do not try to hand cash to the dealer to make change. The dealer is not allowed to take any cash or chips directly from the customer. You need to place your money on the layout, before the shooter gets the dice, and ask the dealer for "change only."
• Some wagers like Pass/Don't Pass bets, Odds, Come wagers, the Big 6/8 or Field bets can be made by you. On the other wagers, place your money on the layout and ask the dealer to make those bets for you.
• Keep your hands off the table and out of the way of the dice being thrown. You do not want to disrupt the game by altering the toss with your hands.
• Tables have rails all the way around for storing your gaming chips. Use them. Also, underneath, there is shelving for your drinks.
• If you are the shooter, give the dice a good toss across the table. Never try to slide dice across the layout thinking you can control the outcome. The first time the boxman will call out, "No roll." The second time, possibly some token punishment like a slapped wrist. The third - adios Sally.
• If you are a Don't Pass bettor, don't scream out, "Come on, seven!" Betting against the majority of players is bad enough, but rooting against them and gloating after a win is awful form.