Published: 22.08.2019, 19:14
5 min read
Gambling is a thrilling activity but trying your hand at popular casino table games without finding out their rules is light-hearted at the least. The same holds true for Craps – we wouldn’t recommend getting to the table until you learn how to play Craps. This favorite kind of a gambler’s pastime may seem complicated at the first glance, but don’t worry, we are here to guide you through Craps rules and equip you with some advanced tips and hacks for guaranteed wins (or at least utmost game enjoyment).
Make sure to also check out:
Craps Betting Rules
Let’s start the discussion with a definitive guide to playing Craps for newbies by exploring what various parts of the table denote. The Craps table consists of two identical halves, each containing the casino’s table bank and a long mirror at the opposite side.
A typical table usually hosts up to 8 players. The U-shaped pass line designates the area at which the gambler may roll the dice; transcending the line means a loss. The right-hand part of the table features some winning combinations and multipliers of winnings that they yield.
Here are some basics:
- Craps utilizes two dice
- The person rolling the dice is referred to as the “shooter”
- The first time you roll the dice in each round is called “come-out.”
Craps table rules assign the strategic importance to the come-out as the resulting scores determine whether the round continues or ends.
In case the resulting score is 2, 3, 12 (the scores referred to as “crapping out”) and 7 or 11 (the “naturals”), the round is considered complete. All other scores are termed as “point” numbers, and the round continues until another “point” number or 7 are rolled. Once this happens, the scores of each participant are counted, and the next player starts the next round (the turn is determined clockwise).
Rolling is voluntary; you can miss your turn and pass it on to the next player if you prefer.
Craps Rules Strategy
Different types of bets constitute the essence of this game. The most important bet is the Pass Line Bet available to everyone partaking in the game. Those who make this bet win in cases when the player scores 7 or 11 during the roll-out, while Craps numbers lead to a loss. All other numbers make the point by putting the bet on hold and letting further rounds of rolls decide its destiny.
Another alternative is a Don’t Pass Line Bet involving the stake a gambler makes on come-outs scoring 2 or 3. When making this bet, you may lose if the score is 7 or 11, while the score of 12 puts the bet on hold similar to the previous bet.
Taking and Laying Odds in Craps
Two more variants to utilize include the ‘taking odds’ and ‘laying odds’ bets that you can make in the casino. The former is highly advantageous for gamblers as it contains 0% house edge and promises huge wins. It is also known as Pass Odds or Free Odds, and it wins in case the point rolled prior to 7 works similarly to the pass line bet.
The best thing about this bet is that you can remove it from the table any time the currently played round is neither 7 nor “point,” without having it blocked on the table. When betting on ‘laying odds,’ or Don’t Pass Odds, the winning result is rolling 7 before the point.
Other Craps Bets
Overall, we can talk about craps bets for ages as there are several dozens thereof. Besides the most popular ones we have just covered, you should know about the possibility to make multi-roll bets such as Place (betting on a certain score), Buy (buying a bet at true odds), Lay (an opposite to the Buy bet), Put (a bet enabling the Pass Line bet after the point’s establishment), Hard Way (bets made specifically on 4, 6, 8 and 10), and Big 6 and 8 bets. Single bets are also diverse, and what’s more, different casino software providers have also developed some branded bets (e.g., SHFL Entertainment’s Fire Bet or Galaxy Gaming’s Bonus Craps).
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How to Win in Craps
There is no explicit winning strategy for this kind of table game as it’s still a matter of chance. But gambling pros have figured out some hacks to maximize the winning odds, such as:
- Betting on Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come most often, as these bets possess the highest winning chances.
- Combine these bets with lay/take odds bets, which reduce the house advantage even further.
- Other winning bets include Place 8, Place 8, and Field 2 and 12.
- Never opt for the “hard way’ bets, especially at scores 4 or 10. These ones possess the highest house advantage (around 11%), which is a losing strategy in 99.9% of cases.
Learn to Play Craps Online
Overall, it doesn’t matter whether you play in a land-based or online casino – the rules of how to play casino Craps are similar everywhere. The only difference is that the offline table is served by several casino staff members to manage all complexities. But here are some tine distinctions:
- Everything is different with the Don’t Pass Line Bet as making such stakes in a land-based casino often seems awkward. While you are betting on something everyone dreads, your luck may cause much disappointment around and deprive you of the fantastic gambling joy you may feel in a land-based casino when sharing wins and losses with fellow gamblers.
- Online gambling is easier as you don’t need to keep all intricacies of the gameplay in mind. All hints and casino game rules are available one click away unlike the offline casino, where asking a myriad of questions to fellow gamblers will cause nothing but irritation.
- Playing craps online is generally more affordable as you don’t need to travel long distances to find a land-based gambling site with this table game on offer.
