Craps is one of those quintessential casino games that you imagine every time you picture a casino, along with roulette, slots and maybe blackjack. Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcome of the roll of dice. The game exists in two forms, one where the players bet against the bank (casino) and one where they bet on each other, which is street craps. Street craps is a simplistic form that can be played anywhere as long as you have dice. Bank craps, where players bet against the casino, is the focus of this article. As with any dice game, craps is a game of chance.
The Basics
In bank craps, one or more players compete against the casino. The odds are set at the beginning and the casino covers all bets. The player who is rolling the dice is called a “shooter” and the shooter rolls two dice. The game is played in rounds, which the first roll of each round called the “come-out roll.”
In its simplest form, the shooter wins if they roll a 7 or 11 on their first roll. If they roll a 2, 3 or 12, they “crap out,” which means to lose automatically. If they roll any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), they then continue rolling until they roll that same number again. They must roll that same number again before rolling a 7 or they lose. For example, if a player rolls a 9 on their first roll, then 9 becomes their “pass-line point.” The player then keeps rolling until they either roll a 9 again or until they roll a 7.
The other players at the craps table place bets on whether or not the shooter will win or lose. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, the shooter and any players that bet with him win even money. If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll, the shooter and the players who bet with him lose. If the come-out roll is one of the other numbers, called “points,” the players bet on whether or not the player will roll that number again before rolling a 7. If the point is made, the shooter can choose to keep rolling or they can pass the dice to the next person.
At the Table
The casino has four representatives working at the craps table. There is the “boxman,” who guards the chips and supervises the dealers. There are two “base dealers,” one standing on each side of the boxman. The base dealers are responsible for paying and collecting bets. Finally, the “stickman” stands across the table from the boxman. His responsibility is to take the bets from the center of the table, announce the results of each roll, collect the dice with a long stick (thus the name) and direct the base dealers to pay the winning players.
Types of Wagers – Line Bets
The shooter must make a line bet before shooting. Line bets are based on points and the shooter can choose a “pass line” bet or a “don’t pass” line bet. A pass line bet is betting that a shooter will make their point number. In other words, it is betting that the shooter will roll their point value before rolling a 7. Anyone who places a pass line bet also wins if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 in the come-out roll, since that causes them to win automatically. Conversely, any pass line bets automatically lose if the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll.
A don’t pass bet is essentially betting against the shooter. Don’t pass bets lose if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 in the come-out roll and win if the shooter craps out with a 2 or 3. If the shooter rolls a 12, in some cases it is a draw and in some cases, the don’t pass bet wins. It depends on the casino rules. The don’t pass bet wins if the shooter rolls a 7 (to “seven out”) before rolling their point and it loses if the shooter rolls their point and does not seven out. Betting on don’t pass is often considered in poor taste or even a faux pas, especially if the shooter is on a hot streak.
A player can also make a come bet. A come bet is similar to a line bet. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 in the come-out roll, it wins, and it loses if the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12. However, if the shooter rolls any other number, the player can place a come bet on that number. When that happens, the base dealer will move the bet onto the box representing that number. The player then places odds on the bet. As with a line bet, the come bet loses if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling that number again and the come bet wins if the shooter rolls the number before rolling a 7.
There is also a don’t come bet, which again is betting against the shooter. If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 in the opening round, the don’t come bet wins. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, the come bet loses. If the shooter rolls a 12, it is a standoff and the player who placed the come bet has the option of revoking their bet. If the shooter rolls a different number, the player can place a wager on the don’t come box for that number. The player then wins if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling that number and loses if they roll that number before rolling a 7.
Types of Wagers – Single Roll Bets
There are several bets that players can place on a single roll of the dice by the shooter. Following are several examples of single roll bets:
2: Also called Snake Eyes or Aces, this bet wins if the shooter rolls a 2.
3: Also called ace-deuce, this bet wins if the shooter rolls a 3.
Yo: This bet wins if the shooter rolls an 11.
12: Also called boxcars, cornrows or midnight, this bet wins if the shooter rolls a 12.
2 or 12: Also called hi-lo, this bet wins if the shooter rolls a 2 or a 12.
Any Craps: Also called three-way, this bet wins if the shooter craps out (rolls a 2, 3 or 12).
Any Seven: Also called big red, this bet wins if the player rolls a 7.
C & E: This is a combination bet, where half of the wager is bet on craps and the other half on yo.
The Horn: Here one unit each is bet on 2, 3, 11 and 12. Here, three bets are guaranteed to lose, but one is likely to win.
Whirl: Also called world, this is a combination of a horn and an any seven bet.
On the Hop: This is a bet in which the player guesses which two numbers will appear on the rolled dice. For example, if you bet on 2 and 5, then you win if the shooter rolls the dice and one die lands on a 2 and the other die lands on a 5.
Field: This bet wins if one the shooter rolls one of the following numbers: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.
Types of Wagers – Multi Roll Bets
As the name indicates, there are bets where multiple rolls are necessary to determine the outcome. Following are some examples:
Big 6: When the shooter has a point, this bet wins if he rolls a 6 before rolling a 7.
Big 8: When the shooter has a point, this bet wins if he rolls an 8 before rolling a 7.
Hard way: This bet wins if the shooter rolls a 4, 6, 8 or 10 “the hard way” before he rolls a 7 or rolls the “easy way.” It is considered the hard way if both die have the same value. For instance, a hard way 4 is a pair of twos and a hard way 10 is a pair of fives.
Easy Way: This bet wins if the shooter rolls a 4, 6, 8 or 10 the easy way, meaning the two die don’t have to be identical.
Place: Also called buy, here players place a bet on any point number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10). The bet wins if the number they bought comes up before the shooter rolls a 7.
Lay: A lay bet is the opposite of a place bet. Here, players place a bet on any point number and the bet wins if the shooter rolls a 7 before that number comes up.
