Craps is a dice game. It is one of the most exciting games in a casino. It is fast paced and big cash can be won at the table in the right rolls. The bets range from very low house edge and variance to high edge long shots that pay as high as 30-1.
The game starts with a player choosing between the pass and don’t pass lines. The pass line is considered to be the player’s side, while the don’t pass is like playing with the house.
After bets are placed, the shooter picks up two dice out of the five or six offered by the dealer, referred to as the stickman. The player picks up the two dice and hits the back wall across the table. The call of the dice may or may not settle the line bets immediately. A 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 will result in an immediate win or loss. The pass line wins on a 7 or 11, while the don’t pass loses. The pass line loses on a 2, 3, or 12. The don’t pass wins on 2 and 3. The 12 is a push. This makes the 12 the house roll as the pass line loses, while the don’t side only pushes.
A 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 becomes the point. The pass line wins if the point is thrown before a 7. The don’t pass wins if the 7 is thrown before the point. No other rolls matter after the point is established except for the point and a 7.
Once the point is established, a player may make a come or don’t come bet. These bets are settled the same as the pass and don’t pass line. It is just a side bet on a new roll.
Pass, don’t pass, come, and don’t come may place odds. This is the best bet in the casino. There is no house advantage on the odds bet. Online casinos typically cap the amount of odds at three times the bet, regardless of whether the bet is for or against the dice.
Las Vegas Strip casinos spread 3-4-5 times odds. This means that the odds on a 4 or 10 are 3 times the pass or come bet, the 5 and 9 are four times, and the 6 and 8 are five times. The winning bet with max odds is always six times the wager. Player from the don’t side may win 3, 4, or 5 times the bet. The math makes it so that a player from the don’t may lay a max of 6 times as the winning amount is 3, 4, or 5 times, depending on the number. Some casinos offer 5, 10, or even 20 times the flat bet. Riviera Las Vegas once ran promotion where players could bet as much as 1,000 times the line bets.
The shooter gets to keep the dice until he establishes a point and throws a seven. As long as he keeps making points, he gets to keep the dice. Players may pass the dice at any time.
Craps Bets
Aces – When each of the dice are one for a total of 2. This bet pays 30-1.
Ace-Deuce – A three, where one die is a 1 and the other a two. This bet pays 15-1.
Big Red – Any seven, it is one of the worst bets in the casino. It pays 4-1.
Box Cars – A 12, both dice are a six. This pays 30-1.
Box Man – The table supervisor that sits in the middle of the table by the chips.
Buy – To bet that a number will come before a 7. The commission is 5% of the win.
Craps – A 2, 3, or 12. The any craps bet pays 7-1.
Come – Bet that wins if a 7 or 11 is rolled on the first roll. It loses on a 2, 3, or 12 on the first roll. This bet may only be placed after the point is established. If the roll is the come out, the player can make the same wager on the pass line.
Come Out – The first roll in a series. It means that no 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 has been rolled to establish the point.
Dark Side – A way to describe a player or bet on the don’t pass or don’t come.
Don’t Come – To bet that the first roll is a 2 or 3 or if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, the bet wins if a 7 comes before the number repeats. The bet loses on an initial 7 or 11 and pushes on a 12. This bet may only be placed if the point has been established. The don’t pass bet is available on come out rolls and is the same bet.
Don’t Pass – This bet may only be placed at the come out. It wins on a 2 or 3, loses on a 7 or 11, and pushes on a 12 before a point is established. If the first roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, then the bet wins if a 7 comes before it repeats, but loses if the number comes.
Easy Way – To roll a number without it being doubles. A 3 and 5 would be an easy 8.
Field – A single roll bet that wins on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. A 2 pays double, while 12 pays double or triple, depending on the house.
Hard Way – To roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10 in the form of doubles, as opposed to the easy way.
Hop – To bet on an exact roll of the dice. For example, to hop a 4 and a 5. This bet pays 15-1 on easy ways and 30-1 on hard ways.
Lay – To bet a number to lose. A lay bet says that a 7 will be thrown before that number. A player must pay 5% of the potential win up front as vig in most casinos.
Midnight – Another name for a 12.
Odds – A secondary wager placed with a line or come bet. This bet returned 100% and is the best bet in a casino.
Place – Similar to a buy bet where a player wants a number to come before a seven. The vig is already included in the payout.
Shooter – The player throwing the dice.
Stickman – The dealer at the front of the table that passes the dice to players.
