Your Craps 101 Tutorial

june 13, 2019

Source: Wikimedia By far the most popular of casino games that feature dice, craps - or craps 101 - is great fun to play, offering plenty of different bet and opportunities to win. Given the low house edge you get with craps, it is a true gamblers game. However, it can be intimidating if you are new to it, usually because of the complex layout of a typical craps table. Although the exact rules depend on the casino concerned, the basic mode of play is easy to pick up. Read on to find out more about the development of the game, the basics of gameplay and some ideas for making your chances of success more likely.

A Brief History of Craps

Craps developed out of a mediaeval game called hazard which came to New Orleans from Europe in the early nineteenth century. Here, it gained popularity and underwent various changes over the years into the modern casino game we know today. For example, the 'pass' and 'don't pass' rules came into play in 1907 in order to prevent the use of loaded dice to give the house an unfair advantage. In both the First and Second World Wars, craps became a widely played game among US servicemen who, returning to America, continued to want to play it, hence its widespread availability in North American gaming establishments. Source: Pixabay

How to Play Craps

When a new round of craps is to be played, a choice of dice is offered to the roller, known as a shooter. He or she selects two and must roll, or shoot, their dice as a pair across the craps table such that they hit the back wall of the table and bounce back. This is to prevent any funny business with the roll, known as a come-out roll. The equivalent with online craps is to simply hit the 'roll' button on screen. Under the rules of craps, there are just three possible outcomes from a come-out roll. Firstly, if you have rolled 2, 3 or 12, you have lost but you have the opportunity to roll again. Secondly, if you roll a natural – a 7 or an 11 – you win and can roll again. Lastly, if you roll any other total, then you have a point. The point refers to the total number you rolled - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 – which is then marked on the table. In this case, you roll and try to get the same score to match the point. If so, then you win. If not, then you are deemed to have 'crapped out'. This means losing but continuing to be able to shoot. The exception to this is when you roll a seven instead of your previous point score. If so, then you will have 'sevened-out' which means losing and the end of the round. In such cases, the dice pass to the next shooter playing. Remember that you can place bets on craps even if you are not the shooter. Some gaming establishments will only allow you to make new bets on a come-out roll rather than on a point roll. It depends on the house rules, but this is definitely something worth checking before you attempt to place an invalid bet.

Betting Strategies to Help You Win at Craps

If you bet on the 'pass line' this means you will get a payout if the shooter gets a natural or matches the point score before they seven-out. However, this is not the only way to win because you can also bet on the 'don't pass line' which effectively means betting on the shooter losing. This means it is possible to win at every round of a game of craps regardless of the way the dice happen to fall. The lowest house edge resides with 'pass line' bets so the simplest way to augment your chances of winning is to only make such wagers. An even money bet is a good option when the shooter is rolling to match their point, established on the come-out roll. This is because the house has no edge on such bets. Players are usually limited as to how much they can place on such bets, often a multiple of their original stake. Known as an odds bet, this means being able to up your stake on the point being met over subsequent rolls and you only lose if the shooter happens to be unfortunate enough to roll a seven.