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Craps Rules

February 18, 2011

If you’ve ever watched a live Craps table, you’ve probably noted the uproarious crowds that surround them, cheering wildly for the shooter and continued fortune. In the same token, you’ve likely taken one look at the complexity of the Craps table’s betting diagram and decided it was entirely too difficult to understand.

On the contrary, Craps is not a difficult game to learn. In fact, the most common bets are extremely simplistic, and with these understood, learning the full range of betting options in Craps shouldn’t take but a minimal portion of your time.

How to Play Casino Craps

In Craps, there is one shooter (the person tossing the dice), and no real limit to the amount of bettors who can participate. To put it simply, if you can fit yourself around the table, you can place a bet.

The shooter continues rolling until he has established a point (anything but 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12). After the point is rolled, the shooter’s turn ends when he rolls a 7. At this time, the dice are passed clockwise to the next player, who becomes the new shooter. A player can choose not to become the shooter if he wishes.

With only one shooter and so many bettors, it is the ins and outs of the Craps table diagram that will give you the most insight to playing Casino Craps. We will now define all Craps Bets.

Casino Craps Bets

There are two basic kinds of bets, single roll bets and multiple roll bets. Multiple roll bets are bets that are placed and remain on the table until a specific action occurs. Each Craps bet is detailed below.

Line Bets

The most common Craps bet of all is called a Line Bet. There are four different types of Line Bets. They are so popular because they carry an incredibly low house edge of 1.4% to 1.41%. Line Bets are multiple roll bets because they stay on the table until won or lost.

Pass Line: This is a wager that may only be placed on the shooter’s Come Out Roll (very first roll, before a point is established). If a 7 or 11 is rolled, the bet instantly wins. If a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, the bet is instantly lost. Any other number becomes the Point, and the Pass Line Bet becomes a wager that the point will roll once more before a 7 comes.

Don’t Pass: This works in the opposite manner as a Pass Line Bet. Placed before the Come Out Roll, if a 2, 3 or 12 rolls, the bet wins. If a 7 or 11 comes, the bet loses. If a point is established, it becomes a bet that a 7 will roll before the point comes again.

Come: This bet must be placed right after the Point has been established. It is a multiple-roll bet that stays on the table until the Point, or a 7, is rolled. If the Point rolls again first, the bet is won. If a 7 rolls first, the bet is lost.

Don’t Come: The opposite of a Come bet, this is also placed immediately after the Point. If a 7 rolls before the Point, the bet is won. If the Point rolls first, the bet is lost.

Other Multiple-Roll Craps Bets

Place Bet: This is a bet where the player choses one number – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. If the selected number rolls before a 7, the bet is won.

Place Bet to Lose: Again, the player selects a number – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. If a 7 comes before the chosen number rolls, the bet is won.

Big 6 / Big 8 Bet: these bets work exactly the same as a Place Bet on 6 or 8. However, the payout is slightly lower on Big 6 and Big 8 bets. Instead of making this Craps Bet, stick with the Place Bets if you want to bet on 6 or 8.

Hardway Bet: This bet calls for a specific number to be rolled the “hard way”. For example, a Hardway-4 would require a 2+2 roll, Hardway-8 is 4+4, etc. Hardway bets can be placed on 4, 6, 8 or 10. If the Hardway number rolls before a 7, the bet is won.

Craps Bets: Single Roll Bets
Single Roll Bets in Craps are, as the name implies, bets that are won or lost after a single roll.

Field Bet: The Field Bet area contains a list of numbers – 2, 3, 4, 9 10, 11 or 12. If any of these numbers are the next to roll, you win the bet.

Proposition Bets: There are numerous proposition bets available on the Craps table. We don’t recommend making proposition bets because the house edge is so high, even though the payoff can be so attractive. Proposition bets include:

Any Seven (1+6, 2+5, 3+4)
Any Craps (2, 3 or 12)
Horn Bet (2, 3, 11 or 12)
World Bet (2, 3, 7, 11 or 12)
Yo Bet (11)
2 or 12
3 or 11
Hardway 7 – 1+6
Hardway 7 – 2+5
Hardway 7 – 3+4

Craps Betting Tip: If you are certain a 7 will roll next, and simply must place a proposition bet on it, do not place a bet on Any Seven. Instead, place three equal bets on all Hardway 7′s. If the bet is won, the payoff will be higher.

Written by Rob · Filed Under Casino Rules 

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