Craps is a casino game that involves betting on the outcome of a throw of the dice. That sounds simple, but if you take a look at the craps table you’ll realize there’s more to it than that. Here is an introduction to the game of craps for someone who has never played before.
Game Play
The craps table has room for 16 players, but only one person throws the dice at a time. This person is referred to as the shooter. The first roll that the shooter makes is called the “come out” roll. If the shooter throws a 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 on the come out roll, that ends the round. The next round then begins with the same shooter rolling a new come out roll for the next round.
If the shooter throws a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the come out roll, then the number that was thrown is established as the “point number.” The shooter then continues to roll, trying to get the point number a second time before rolling a seven. If the shooter succeeds in getting the point number a second time, the round ends and a new round begins with the same shooter rolling the come out roll to start the next round. If the shooter rolls a seven before rolling the point number a second time, the round is ended and the person to the player’s left becomes the new shooter.
Betting
There are many different bets in craps, and some of them are pretty complicated. Make sure you understand how the bets work before placing them. Here is a summary of different bets that can be placed in craps.
PASS LINE: The pass bet is placed before the shooter makes the come out roll. It is an even-money bet. A roll of 7 or 11 wins, and a roll of 2, 3 or 12 loses. If the roll is any other number, the bet “travels” to that number and the shooter must roll that number again in order for the bet to win.
DON’T PASS LINE: The don’t pass bet is the opposite of the pass bet, except that 12 is a push. If a 12 is rolled, the bet is returned to the person who placed it. 7 or 11 loses and 2 or 3 wins. Any other number travels and the bet then wins only if a seven is rolled before the point number is rolled a second time.
COME: The come bet is the same as the pass line bet except that the come bet is placed after the come out roll, and if it travels, it goes to the number that is thrown immediately after the bet is placed, not to the point number. A come bet is an even-money bet.
DON’T COME: The opposite of a come bet, except that the 12 is a push, just like in the don’t pass bet.
ODDS: Once you have a pass, don’t pass, come or don’t come bet that has traveled to a number, you can place an odds bet on that number. Payoff for odds bets are 2 to 1 for 10’s and 4’s, 3 to 2 for 5’s and 9’s and 6 to 5 for 8’s and 6’s. If you are taking an odds bet on a pass or come bet, you are betting for the number. If the original bet was a don’t pass or don’t come, you are betting against the number.
PLACE: A place bet can be placed on the number 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 after a point has been established. If your number is rolled before the seven, you win. If the seven is rolled first, you lose. This bet pays 9 to 5 on 4’s and 10’s, 7 to 5 on 5’s and 9’s and 7 to 6 on 8’s and 6’s.
FIELD: A field bet is a bet that either a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 will be rolled on the next roll. All field bets except 2 and 12 pay 1 to 1. The 2 pays 2 pays 2 to 1, and the 12 pays 3 to 1.
BIG 6 OR BIG 8: An even-money bet on 6 or 8 that pays off if the number comes up before seven.
PROPOSITION: Proposition bets are the bets placed in the center of the table. Proposition bets include Horn bets, Hard Way Bets, Any Seven, Any Craps and Hop bets.
HORN: A horn bet is a bet on 2, 3, 11 and 12. It is a combination bet that is really consists of four bets, one on each of the numbers. It pays if any of the numbers is rolled. This is a one-roll bet. A Horn High bet is a horn bet with an extra amount bet on one of the four numbers in the horn.
HARD WAY: A hard way bet is a bet that a number will roll the hard way, as doubles. For example, an eight rolled the hard way would be two fours. This roll loses on seven or if the number is rolled the easy way. The bet remains active for the next roll until it either wins or loses.
ANY CRAPS: This is a one-roll bet on 2, 3 or 12. If any of those numbers is rolled, you will be paid at 7 to 1.
ANY SEVEN: A one-roll bet that pays 4 to 1 if a seven is rolled in any combination.
HOP: A hop bet is a bet on a specific dice combination, such as 5-3 or 2-4. This is a one-roll bet that pays 30 to 1 on hard ways and 15 to 1 on easy ways.