Craps - The Game
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Craps can be an intimidating game for the beginner. The table seems to have about a hundred different
kinds of bets.
Critical to the understanding of craps is that it is a game of rounds. The first roll in a round
is called the come out roll. Sometimes the outcome of a round will be determined on the come out roll.
In particular a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 on the come out roll immediately ends a round. If any other total is
rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that number is called the point.
The dealer will place a white puck on an area
of the table to designate what the point is, in case you forget. If a point is rolled the dice will be rolled
continuously until the same point is rolled again or a 7.
How to Play
To play the game of Craps, place your bets by placing chips on the Craps table.
Click the casino chip icons to add chips to your hand. Click the chips in your hand to remove them.
To place a bet, click on the region of the table for the type of bet you wish to place.
The chips in your
hand will be placed on the table.
Green areas indicate bets that can be placed (added to); conversely,
red areas indicate bets that cannot be made.
To remove a bet from the table, right click on the bet. The amount of chips in your hand will be
removed from the stack on the table.
When you have finished placing bets on the table, click the Roll button to start the dice rolling.
After the dice come to a rest, losing bets are removed from the table, and winning bets are paid. For
winning bets, the original bet amount is returned after the winnings are paid out. Also, any bets that tie
(push) are returned.
If you wish to make the same bets again for the next roll, press the Repeat Bet button and all of your
previous bets will be placed again (those that can be validly placed).
All bets have to be made prior to rolling the dice.
CRAPS BETS
The Pass Line
The pass line is the most fundamental bet in craps, almost every player at the table bets on it.
The house edge on the pass line is only 1.41%, which is not bad compared to most other bets on the table
and other games in the casino.
The pass line is an even money bet. You start by placing your bet on the pass line area on the table on
a come out roll. If the come out roll is a 7 or 11 you win, which is also called a "natural".
If the come out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (craps) you lose. If any point is rolled on the come out roll if the point is rolled again
before a 7 you win.
If a 7 comes before the point you lose. That is all there is to it.
Once you understand the pass line bet you are ready to play craps. You may want to practice using fun money a
few times before playing for real money.
Buying the Odds
Have you ever wanted a bet with no house edge? Craps offers just such a bet, as long as you bet on
the pass line first. Once a point has been thrown you may bet up to some multiple, usually 2 times, your
pass line bet on the 'odds.'
The odds are simply an additional wager that the point will be rolled before
a 7.
Because the probability of the point being rolled first is less than 50% you win more than you bet if
it happens. Specifically if the point is a 6 or 8 the odds pay 6:5, if the point is a 5 or 9 the odds pay 3:2,
and if the point is a 4 or 10 the odds pay 2:1.
The multiple you may bet on the odds is usually twice the pass line bet for points of 4,5,9, and 10, and
two and a half times the pass line bet on the 6 and 8.
The reason you may bet more on a point of 6 or 8
is so that you can place a $5 odds bet on top of a $2 pass line bet.
A $4 odds bet on a 6 or 8 would win $4.80.
A $5 odds bet on the 6 or 8 wins an even $6.
Don’t Pass
The don't pass is almost the opposite of the pass line bet. If the come out roll is a 2 or 3 then you win, a
7 or 11 you lose.
A 12 is a push. Otherwise the dice are rolled over and over until either the point or a 7
is rolled. If the 7 comes before the point you win.
A person betting on the don't pass is not the wager of choice by many players, since this bet is betting
against the shooter. This is also called a "wrong" bettor and is usually winning when everyone else is
losing, and vice versa.
The house edge on the don't pass bet is 1.364%.
Laying the Odds.
This is the opposite of buying odds, in other words betting that a 7 will be rolled before the point.
If the point is a 4 or 10 the don't odds pay 1:2.
If the point is a 5 or 9 the don't odds pay 2:3.
If the point is a 6 or 8 the don't odds pay 5:6.
Come
Have you ever become bored waiting for a point to be thrown and didn't want to waste your money on
the sucker bets to guarantee a money flow on every throw? If so then try the come bet.
It is like the pass line bet but may be made at any time.
Like the pass line bet you might also put money on the
odds if a point is thrown on the first roll after the come bet is placed and has a house edge of 1.41%.
There is a nuance to the come bet the player should know about.
If a point is thrown and there are still
active come bets on the table waiting for a different point then special rules apply for the following come
out roll.
The come out roll will still apply to active come bets but it will not apply to their respective odds
bets.
In the event a come bet is resolved on a come out roll then the odds bet will be returned.
A good strategy for the player who likes constant action is to have a new bet on either the pass line or
come on every throw, and to always take the maximum allowable odds
This bet is one of the more exciting bets to make in Craps.
A lot of players use this bet to get more numbers working for them at the same time, six in all.
Don’t Come
What the don't pass is to the pass, the don't come is to the come. If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, you win.
A 12 constitutes a tie. You lose on 7 or 11. Any other number is the “come point”.
You win if a seven is rolled before the come point and lose if the come point is rolled before a 7 is rolled.
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