Craps Game
Rules
The basics
Craps is one of the most exciting casino games. It is common
to hear yelling and shouting at a craps table. It is played
on a purpose-built table and two dice are used. The dice
are made after very strict standards and are routinely inspected
for any damage. As a matter of course, the dice are replaced
with new ones after about eight hours of use, and casinos
have implemented rules in the way a player handles them.
The player must handle the dice with one hand only when
throwing and the dice must hit the walls on the opposite
end of the table. In the event that one or both dice are
thrown off the table, they must be inspected (usually by
the stickman) before putting them back into play.
The craps table can accommodate up to about 20 players,
who each get a round of throws or at 'shooting' the dice.
If you don't want to throw the dice, you can bet on the
thrower. Several types of bets can be made on the table
action. The casino crew consist of a stickman, boxman and
two dealers.
The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called
the Come Out roll - a new game in Craps begins with the
Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made only when the
previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is,
fails to make the Point or seven out.
A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current
shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to him
and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is a continuation
of that shooter's roll, although technically, the Come Out
roll identifies a new game about to begin.
When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the dice
are then offered to the next player for a new Come Out roll
and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter
will be the person directly next to the left of the previous
shooter - so the game moves in a clockwise fashion around
the craps table.
The dice are rolled across the craps table layout. The
layout is divided into three areas - two side areas separated
by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection
of the other and contains the following: Pass and Don't
Pass line bets, Come and Don't Come bets, Odds bet, Place
bets and Field bets. The center area is shared by both side
areas and contains the Proposition bets.
Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while
pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't
bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets
win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't bets tie when
the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the 'Bar' roll
on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).
Below is a list of the various bets you can make at craps.
Pass Line Bet - You win if the first roll is a natural
(7, 11) and lose if it is craps (2, 3, 12). If a point is
rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) it must be repeated before a
7 is thrown in order to win. If 7 is rolled before the point
you lose.
Odds on Pass Line Bet - After a point is rolled
you can make this additional bet by taking odds. There are
different payoffs for each point. A point of 4 or 10 will
pay you 2:1; 5 or 9 pays 3:2; 6 or 8 pays 6:5. You only
win if the point is rolled again before a 7.
Come Bet - It has the same rules as the Pass Line
bet. The difference consists in the fact you can make this
bet only after the point on the pass line has been determined.
After you place your bet the first dice roll will set the
come point. You win if it is a natural (7, 11) and lose
if it is craps (2, 3, 12). Other rolls will make you a winner
if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. If a
7 is rolled first you lose.
Odds on Come Bet - Exactly the same thing as the
Odds on Pass Line bet except you take odds on the Come bet
not the Pass Line bet.
Don't Pass Line Bet - This is the reversed Pass
Line bet. If the first roll of a dice is a natural (7, 11)
you lose and if it is a 2 or a 3 you win. A dice roll of
12 means you have a tie or push with the casino. If the
roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) a 7 must come out before
that point is repeated to make you a winner. If the point
is rolled again before the 7 you lose.
Don't Come Bet - The reversed Come Bet. After the
come point has been established you win if it is a 2 or
3 and lose for 7 or 11. 12 is a tie and other dice rolls
will make you win only if a 7 appears before them on the
following throws.
Place Bets - This bet works only after the point
has been determined. You can bet on a dice roll of 4, 5,
6, 8, 9 and 10. You win if the number you placed your bet
on is rolled before a 7. Otherwise you lose. The Place Bets
payoffs are different depending on the number you bet on.
4 or 10 will pay 9:5; 5 or 9 pays 7:5, and 6 or 8 pays 7:6.
You can cancel this bet anytime you want to.
Field Bets - These bets are for one dice roll only.
If a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 is rolled you win. A 5, 6, 7
and 8 make you lose. Field Bets have the following different
payoffs: 2 pays double (2:1) while 12 pays 3:1. Other winning
dice rolls pays even (1:1).
Big Six, Big Eight Bets - Placed at any roll of
dice these bets win if a 6 or 8 comes out before a 7 is
rolled. Big Six and Big Eight are even bets and are paid
at 1:1.
Proposition Bets - These bets can be made at any
time and, except for the hardways, they are all one roll
bets:
- Any Craps: Wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. Payoff 8:1
- Any Seven: Wins if a 7 is rolled. Payoff 5:1
- Eleven: Wins if a 11 is thrown. Payoff 16:1
- Ace Duece: Wins if a 3 is rolled. Payoff 16:1
- Aces or Boxcars: Wins if a 2 or 12 is thrown. Payoff
30:1
- Horn Bet: it acts as the bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 all
at once. Wins if one of these numbers is rolled. Payoff
is determined according to the number rolled. The other
three bets are lost.
- Hardways: The bet on a hardway number wins if it's thrown
hard (sum of pairs: 1-1, 3-3, 4-4...) before it's rolled
easy and a 7 is thrown. Payoffs: Hard 4 and 10, 8:1; Hard
6 and 8, 10:1
House advantage 2 - 17%
