How to Play Craps

The game of Craps has become increasingly popular in the last few years which should not be surprising really with the rise of so many different online casinos and poker rooms. Not only that, but also one of the loudest games in a brick and mortar casino is, without a doubt, the Craps table; especially if the dice are running hot.

Despite its popularity, many people have still yet to learn how to play this great game and are quite intimidated by all rules and bets that can be made.

However, Craps is really not as difficult as it looks. And to prove that to you, we have provided a simple tutorial below that explains the basic game of Craps and the different bets that can be made. After reading this, all of you should be able to comfortably sit at a Craps table, have a firm grasp of what is going on, and be able to cheer along with your tablemates as all the excitement unfolds.

How to Play Craps?

Craps is intimidating because there are so many different bets that can be made before the shooter throws the first roll, known as the ‘come out roll.’ However, to make the game of Craps much simpler to learn, all players should first learn what a ‘Pass Line Bet’ is. Once there is an understanding of this bet, players can then expand their knowledge into other betting techniques and strategies.

Pass Line Bet

The Pass Line bet is an even-money bet that can be made before the ‘come out’ roll. This is also known as a ‘contract bet’ as it cannot be withdrawn unlike the other bets made at the table.

What a player hopes to accomplish with the Pass Line bet is for the shooter either to roll a seven or 11 to win back a 1 to 1 return on their money. For example, if a player was to wager $1 and a 7 or 11 were rolled, the player would receive $2 total, their $1 wager and $1 in winnings.

However, if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12, otherwise known as ‘Craps,’ then the player would lose its wager and then would be able to place another.

If the a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 were rolled, then this would be known as a ‘point’ and the Pass Line bet would stay. But before getting into ‘points,’ we first need to explain ‘Don’t Pass’ bets.

Don’t Pass Bets

Don’t Pass bets are almost the exact opposite of Pass Line bets with a few quirks. These are bets that actually go against the shooter in hopes that they will roll ‘Craps.’ In this circumstance, a player who places a Don’t Pass bet would win even money for a 2 or a 3 and would ‘push,’ or tie, if a 12 was rolled. The Don’t Pass bets are not ‘contract’ bets like the Pass Line bets which means that a player can pick these bets up at any time. The Don’t Pass bets will also win if a 7 is rolled before the ‘point’ is rolled.

Points

As we mentioned a few times above, points are made when the shooter happens to roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. When this happens, a round disc is placed in front of that number on the table with the word ‘on’ faced up.

The goal here is for the shooter to roll whatever number is ‘on’ before rolling a 7 to end the game. If the number is rolled before the seven, then there is a ‘come out’ roll once again allowing players to wager on Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets. Once a 7 is rolled, all wagers are lost except Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets, and the ‘hand’ is over and then there is a new shooter.

What we have explained above is the simplest form of Craps. As you can see, it is very easy to get into and does not take much time to learn. Now, we would like to present you with several different kinds of bets that can take place besides the Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets. Craps betting is the next section you need to understand before making a deposit.