Casino Games - Craps
Craps is a casino table game played with six-sided dice. Craps is played on a special table with fields for betting, your task is to guess the outcome of the roll of dice. Players take turns rolling the dice, the one who rolls the dice during one round is called the shooter. The shooter is changed if the roll results in a loss. The game can be played in several ways: you can play against the casino, or the players play against each other, craps online games are available to play for free or for real money. The number of players ranges from two to twenty.
How to Play Craps
Six-sided dice are used in craps. Each side has spots on it which correspond to the numbers. If the dice are correctly made, the number of spots on the opposite sides will always equal seven: one opposite six, two opposite five and three opposite four.
Two dice are used in craps. They are normally made of high-quality plastics. When rolled, the sides of the dice can crash together and get rubbed around, which can cause them not to function correctly. This is why in land-based casinos the dice are only used for eight hours. When this period is over, or if the dice have rolled off the table, they are replaced with new ones to prevent cheating. The game consists of a series of rolls: Come Out Roll and Point Roll.
Come Out Roll is the first roll which establishes the Point. It is the total number of the two dice, unless the result is two, three, seven, eleven or twelve. This number will be played in the Point Roll which consists of an unlimited number of rounds. The Point Roll is over when another roll results in the Point number or the number of spots on the rolled dice total seven.
Betting During the Game
Different types of bets are available in different stages of the game. In the Come Out Roll you can place chips in the fields:
- Pass Line - the bet wins if the roll results in a seven or eleven
- Don't Pass Line - the bet wins if the number is two, three or twelve
If the indicated numbers land, the bets win or lose, and the Come Out Roll starts again. If the total number of the dice is any other value, the Point is established, and a new stage begins.
You can make an unlimited number of rolls in the Point Roll. The game continues until the number landed is the Point number or seven. The bets made in the Come Out Roll cannot be changed. If during the second stage the roll is seven, the Pass Line bet loses, and the Don't Pass Line bet wins 1:1. If you roll the Point number, the Don't Pass Line bet loses, and the Pass Line wins 1:1.
In this stage a large number of long-term bets is available:
- The Call bet is the same as the Pass Line bet. It wins if during the Point Roll the number landed on the dice is seven or eleven
- The Don't Call bet is a bet on the loss of the shooter's Call bet
- Odds - extra bets which increase the amount of chips in the fields like Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Call and Don’t Call
- Win and Lose - bets on any number which comes up before seven or a number which does not come up before seven respectively
- Hard Ways - the bet that both dice have the same number (a 4–4, a 6–6, a 2–2, etc)
- Big Six – the bet that a six is rolled before a seven
- Big Eight – the bet on that an eight is rolled before the final roll
You can also place extra bets on each round of the stage:
- Chips in the Field section – the bet on numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12
- Bets on whole numbers – four, five, six, eight, nine and ten
- Split bet on six and eight
- Any Craps – the bet wins if the roll results in 2, 3 or 12
- Craps Two – the bet on a 2
- Craps Three – the bet that the next roll results in a 3
- Any Seven – the bet wins if the roll results in a 7
- Eleven – the bet wins if the shooter rolls an 11
- Craps Twelve – the bet wins if the roll results in a 12
Making new and extra bets increases the chances of winning, like in roulette. Different specified parameters and the possibility to place chips in the fields with opposite values simultaneously – all boost the chances of winning.
Multiplier Table
Bets in craps are estimated in different ratios. The amount of prizes for winning bets depends on the chances of landing of a certain combination on the dice. The lower the chances of forming a certain combo, the greater the win. Multipliers in craps are listed as ratios.
The biggest payouts are earned for the following bets:
- Any Seven – 4:1
- Any Craps – 7:1
- Craps Three and Eleven – 15:1
- Craps Two and Craps Twelve – 30:1
Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Call and Don’t Call win 1:1. If the bets are increased during the game by using Odds, the amount of the win depends on the number which results from the roll: 4 and 10 win 2:1, 5 and 9 – 3:2, and 6 and 8 – 6:5.
The numbers in the Win bet pay depending on the sum: 4 and 10 – 9:5, 5 and 9 – 7:5, and 6 and 8 – 7:6. The numbers in the Lose bet win in different ratios: 4 or 10 – 5:11, 5 or 9 – 5:8, and 6 or 8 – 4:5. Big Six and Big Eight pay 1:1.
The bets on whole numbers win 2:1 if the roll results in a 4, 5, 9 or 10. Numbers 6 and 8 pay 1:1. The Field bets win 2:1 if the roll results in 2 or 12. All the other numbers pay 1:1.
Craps Strategy
To make bets successfully it is important to have a backup (to place chips on the opposite fields). You should also keep in mind the frequency of landing certain combos. Unlike roulette, in craps you can rely on general information about the potential combinations in two dice rather than on the statistics:
- Combinations which result in a seven, land with the likelihood of 6:36
- Six and eight – 5:36
- Five and nine – 4:36
- Four and ten – 3:36
- Three and eleven – 2:36
- Two and twelve – 1:36
Taking into account the likelihood of landing a certain number, you can make quite secure and exact bets. The winnings for these numbers will be smaller but the chances of winning increase.
Types of Craps
There are several types of craps. They differ in the markings on the table and the types of bets. The most wide-spread versions are: Bank craps, New York craps, Open craps and Simplified craps.
When online casinos first appeared, craps became available on virtual platforms. The number of players can be random. Players roll the dice in turn, their order depends on the time they logged onto the platform. The dice are rolled using the mouse and the numbers land randomly. This eliminates the possibility of cheating, dice overriding or wrong rolls.
Bank Craps
Bank craps (Las Vegas craps) is a variation of the game in which the amount of some bets is deducted in favour of the casino. The table comes with special fields for registration fees. The dealer is always at the table. He gives out the bet winnings and collects chips if the player loses. Players can choose the opponent – to play against each other or against the casino.
New York Craps
New York craps is similar to Bank craps. The only key difference is the high advantage of the casino. In this version of the table game, regardless of whether the bet wins or loses, the casino takes 5% on the winning bets.
Open Craps
Open or money craps – a type of the game that cannot be played either in legal land based or online casinos. This version of the game is special in that players can make bets both with the shooter and with each other. There is a list of extra bets against the player. Those bets that cannot be placed between players, can be made at the bookmaker's by paying an extra fee.
Simplified Craps
Simplified craps is a good version of the game for beginners. It also comes with a table with betting fields. However, the number of boxes for placing chips is much smaller. To play simplified craps just remember a simple rule: the player wins if he rolls numbers from two to four and from ten to twelve. The player loses if the roll results in a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9.
Dice games are one of the oldest forms of entertainment. Craps is one of the versions of a dice game which appeared in the 19th century in New Orleans. The game gained popularity in the USA very quickly. In the west of the country the most popular game is Bank craps (Las Vegas craps), and in the east – New York craps. Craps quickly became popular not only in Las Vegas casinos, but also in the gambling facilities of Europe. Now the game is available in the online version.
