Craps
Game Introduction
Craps is a fast-paced, action-packed casino dice game and it can be found easily in any land-based or online casino. This is one of the gambler’s favorite casino games due to its relatively low house edge. After all, it is a game of luck and chance— even a player with zero experience can win big when he is having great fortune!
The main concept of this casino game is to predict and bet on the total number of the two dice rolled over the table, you will win the round if you have predicted the right outcome.
Game Features
When you look at the craps table, you will notice that it features a lot of different numbers and terms, providing players with 19 different types of bets. However, it is actually much less complicated than it appears and you will be most likely to pick up the gameplay very quickly after a few rounds of practicing.
To begin, the player who will throw the dice will be known as the “Shooter”. All bets have to be placed before the shooter throws the dice. The start of a new game or the first roll is also known as the “come-out roll”. As soon as the game begins, players are allowed to place their bets on the table’s layout.
1. Pass Line & Don’t Pass Line
You may consider these two as the most common bets of any craps game. During the first or come-out roll phase, players have to place a bet on the “Pass Line” or “Don’t Pass Line” before the round’s shooter throws the dice.
During this phase, the shooter hopes to roll a 7 or an 11. Bets on the Pass Line win if those numbers are rolled. If the total value of the dice is 2, 3, or 12 (these numbers are also known as “craps”), the round is ended and a new shooter is assigned. If other numbers such as 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 drops, that number becomes the game’s point and will proceed with the point phase.
Once a point has been established, the shooter needs to roll the point number before a 7. Bets on the Pass Line win if the point number is rolled before a 7. On the contrary, if the shooter rolls a 7, bets on the Don’t Pass Line win. Hence, the round will never end and players can keep placing their bet as long as the point number or a 7 is thrown.
2. Come & Don’t Come Bets
Players are allowed to place their bet on the Come bet after the come-out roll. Similar to the Pass Line, you win on 7 or 11, lose on 2, 3, or 12, and any other numbers will become your “come point” and it has to be repeated before a 7 is rolled. As for the Don’t Come bet, it is just the exact opposite of the Come bet.
3. Other Betting Options in the Point Phase
●Place Bet
Once the shooter has made a point, you may make a “place bet” on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If the shooter drops the number before a 7, you win.
●Field Bet
This is a one-roll bet and you may bet on which number you think will be rolled, the bet number available are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
●Hardway Bet
In this area, you are betting that the shooter will drop a hard pair. The bet on a hardway number wins if it’s thrown hard (e.g: 1-1, 3-3, 5-5…) before it’s rolled easy and a 7 is thrown.
●Big Six, Big Eight Bets
This can be placed at any roll of dice and the players win if a 6 or 8 comes out before a 7 is rolled.
●Any Seven & Any Craps
Simply put, if you think the next roll is a 7, you may place your bet on Any Seven. Similarly, if you think the next roll could be either 2, 3, or 12, bet on Any Craps.
Game Types
Bank Craps is the most common and well-known variation of craps, we usually just simply call it “Craps”. Other than that, many variations of craps have been developed over the years and they appeared to have different names, rules, and gameplay:
Crapless Craps
Crapless Craps is a simplified version of the traditional Craps and the main difference is that it does not have the “Don’t Pass Line”. Hence, in this variation, there are no craps (2, 3, or 12) and any number other than 7 on the come-out roll is to be considered a point number.
The fundamental goal is for every player to win on the Pass Line bet. However, when the instant winner 11 is also removed, this may put the players at a disadvantage. Many players believe that if the craps numbers are turned into points, they have a higher chance of winning if the shooter then rolls the point.
However, they don’t realize that their prospects of attaining those point totals are fairly slim because they’re losing one of their best chances to win on the come-out roll. Simply put, the house edge in Crapless Craps is over four times that of normal Craps, ranging from 1.41% to around 5.38%.
High Point Craps
The initial roll of 2 or 3 is completely ignored in this form of Craps, and the shooter must roll again until another total number is made. If the player gets 11 or 12, he immediately wins the round. Any other number is designated as the point, and the player must roll a total greater than the point in order to win.
Simplified Craps
This Craps variation might be the simplest to understand. The shooter only throws one roll of the dice and wins if he throws 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, or 12 and loses if he throws 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
New York Craps
This version of Craps is popular on the East coast of the USA and is played with a different table layout, commonly known as double-end-dealer. The main difference is that it does not have Come, Don’t Come, and Place bets. Players have to bet on the box numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.
Die Rich Craps
The game is only played with one die in this version. During the come-out roll, a 6 is an automatic winner, a 1 is a loser, and any remaining numbers are points. The player then gets three chances to roll and get the point number again without landing on a 1. If he succeeds, he wins and continues rolling the die in a new round; if he fails, then he loses and the die will be passed to the next player and start a new round.
Diceless Craps
No dice? No worries. You only need at least one deck of cards. Take only the cards numbered A through 6 and divide them into two equal groups, with an equal number of A-6 in each. Shuffle the deck and draw one card from each group to represent the results of two different dice rolls. This gives you the same odds and probability for each outcome as traditional Craps. For your information, some casinos use up to 44 decks at once too.
However, because it requires constant reshuffling, Diceless Craps may be much slower than traditional craps.
Beginner-Friendly Tips
After learning the basics, you might want to try your luck at the Craps game. Here, we have some recommended strategies that might work well with any new Craps player:
1. Stay on the Pass Line
New players should start and stick with the Pass Line bet as it has the lowest house edge at 1.41%. The winning on the Pas Line bet grants you even money (1:1).
2. Observe & Learn
As you play, try to observe the other players and learn their strategies. It is not wrong to mimic the experienced player’s movement for a while and use their experience to your advantage — just avoid doing it for a long time as it might be impolite.
3. Avoid the Big 6 & Big 8
These bets imply that 6 or 8 will be rolled before 7. Big 6 and Big 8 have substantially lower payouts than put bets on 6 and 8: 7:6 and 1:1, respectively.
4. Avoid the Proposition Bets
Proposition bets mean that you are betting on the results of the next roll. Although it heats up the game, they are not really profitable for any players. This is because it has the highest house edge among all the betting options, 13.98%. Hence, as a beginner in Craps, it is highly recommended to stay away from taking these bets.
5. Learn to Quit
It is essential to maintain a healthy and balanced mindset when playing any game of chance. You should always keep track of your playing and set a loss limit. Furthermore, each casino has its own edge over the players, in the long run, playing more increases your chances of losing. So, if you’re ahead in the game, consider quitting; If you’re unlucky, never try to chase your losses.
FAQ
1. Can I play Craps with real money?
Yes, there are many online casinos that allow players to play craps online with real money. All you need to do is follow your selected platform’s instructions to register, deposit, and play.
2. Can I play Craps for free?
Yes, many online casinos offer free online craps games. You may experience it without a deposit first and once you have familiarized yourself with the game, you can play and win it with real money.
3. Are there any skills to play Craps?
There aren’t any specific skills required for playing craps games. However, it is recommended to learn about the basics, odds, and payouts before trying out your luck.
4. Are online Craps rigged?
Online craps games are operating with Random Number Generator (RNG) to replicate the randomness of traditional craps games and ensure fair gameplay for the players. To further increase the authenticity, you should only play at regulated and licensed online casinos.
5. Can I constantly win in Craps?
Craps, as previously said, is a game of chance. As a result, correctly predicting what number the dice will land on every time is actually quite impossible to do so. Hence, you should always keep track of your playing.