Craps Basics

Craps name

The first take on craps history - According to Richard Epstein, craps is descended from an earlier game known as Hazard, that dates to the Middle Ages. The formal rules for Hazard were established by Montmort early in the 1700s. The origin of the name craps is shrouded in doubt, but it may have come from the English crabs, or from the French Crapeaud (for toad).

There is also evidence that a form of craps can be dated back to the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Soldiers in the Roman Legions used to shave down pig knuckles into the shapes of cubes, and toss them onto their inverted shields as a form of entertainment while in camp. Hence we get the term 'to roll the bones'.

Origin of craps game

In 1125 AD Sir William of Tyre was the leader of a crusaders and they had come upon the castle which was named Asart or Hazarth. Sir William of Tyre and his knights placed a siege on the castle and their favorite pastime activity had won its name during this siege and the game was named after the castle.

There are scholars that believe Hazard originated from an Arabic dice game called "Al Zar" which means "dice" in Arabic and perhaps the game migrated to Europe with the help of merchants even before the 12th century.

There are evidences for dice games even in Egypt dating back to 2600BC which may prove that dice games did originated in the Arabic world which have a vital part in the craps history, but scholars can’t quite connect these finding to craps history, at least for now.

Basic Craps

In casino craps, the players place their bets and the casino bank "covers" them. In addition to covering every player's bet, the casino-banked craps game offers many other types of proposition bets. These bets, along with the basic "pass" and "don't pass" bets, will be explained.

There are four people actively running the game. The boxman, who sits behind the middle of the table, is the boss. He keeps a constant watch over the game. The two dealers on each side of him pay off the winners and "rake" in the losers' chips. Each dealer handles all the players on his side. The table is divided by the center box of proposition bets and also by the stickman, who stands on the players' side of the table.

The stickman controls the action of the dice and the pace of the game. After seeing all bets are down, the stickman pushes a few sets of dice to the shooter. That players selects a pair of dice and is ready to roll them across the table so that they hit the wall at the opposite end. If, on the first roll, you make a 7 or 11, you've rolled a "natural" and you win. What you win is the equivalent amount of chips you have bet on the pass line.

If you roll a 2, 3 or 12 on your first throw, that is called "craps" and you lose. The dealer picks up your pass-line bet. However, the shooter does not relinquish the dice. He continues to roll until he "sevens out."

If, on the first roll, you shoot a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, that is your established "box point." The object then is to keep rolling the dice until you make that number again. You lose, however, if you roll a seven before making your box point.

Our advice is to play the line and the come, either pass or don't pass. These are the two best areas to bet, offering the best possible odds to the player. If you're betting the pass line, always take you full odds in back of your pass line bet. Some casinos offer double odds or higher; if so, take advantage of this option. One last piece of advice: increase your bets on wins, do not double up on losses.

SEVEN
This one-rol l bet pays odds of 4 to 1, correct odds are 5 to 1 with the difference giving the house a 16,66% edge.<

ELEVEN
This is another one-roll bet. It pays 14 to 1, but the true odds are 17 to 1 with a house percentage of 16.66%...bad bet!

PLACE BETS
The 4 and 10 pay 9-5, true odds 10-5, yielding a house edge of 6.66%. The 5 and 9 pay 7-5, true odds are 7.5-5 (house edge 4%). The 6 and 8 pay 7-6, true odds are 6-5 (house edge 1.51%.

BUY BETS
Player pays 5% "vigorish" to get true odds on all numbers. Only the 4 and 10 make buy bets worthwhile. They reduce the house edge to 4.76%.

HARD WAYS
This bet can be made on the 4, 6, 8 and 10. Payoff is 9 to 1 on the 6 or 8 and 7 to 1 on the 4 or 10. The house edge is 9.09% and 11.11%, respectively. Another bad bet.

COME BETS & DON'T COME
Even money bet with the exact same house percentages of 1.414% and 1.402%, as the pass line bets.

PASS LINE
Pays even money (house edge is small, 1.414%). One of the best bets on the table.

DON'T PASS
Pays even money (house edge 1.402%). Slightly better odds than pass line bet odds.

THE FIELD
A one-roll bet that pays even money or 2 to 1 on 2 or 12. House edge is 5.55%.

ANY CRAPS
This is a one-roll bet. if a 2, 3 or 12 hits, you'll get 7 to 1 odds. House edge is 11.11%, which makes this a bad bet.

BIG 6 & 8:
Player bets in boxes marked as such as receives even money instead of 6 to 5 true odds. House has a 9.09% edge.

HORN BET:
Although the 2, 3, 12 and 11 may be bet separately, this area is also known as the "horn." A player makes a horn bet by handing the bet to the dealer, calling out, for example, "$4 horn bet." This would give him $1 on each of the four one-roll propositions. Payoff is 30 for 1 on a 2 or 12, A 3 or 11 pay 15-for-1. True odds are 35 to 1 (2 & 12) and 17 to 1 (3 & 11). The house edge on all four bets is a whopping 16.66%. Obviously a bad bad bet. Not recommended!

ODDS:
When a point is made (either the shooter's point on his first roll, or a come point on a succeeding roll), a player can take the odds. He will receive 2 to 1 on 4 and 10; 3 to 2 on 5 and 9; 6 to 5 on 6 and 8. He lays the same odds when he bets against the point.

We'll look at a typical play and better understanding of the game.

The game of craps is played with two six-sided cubes known as dice. Each side of the dice is numbered - one through six. So, playing with two dice, the smallest number that can be rolled is two (1,1) and the largest number that can be rolled is twelve (6,6). There are 36 possible combinations that can be rolled. The Craps Dice Combination Table below shows all the possible combinations that the dice can produce. Seven, being the most frequent number rolled, determines all the odds.

The initial throw of the dice - or "come-out" - is the most important roll in the game of craps, since it determines the point that must be repeated before a seven is rolled. A come-out roll occurs under the following conditions:

• After a seven-out.
• At the start of a new game.
• After a seven or eleven has been rolled on a previous come-out roll.
• When a shooter craps (2, 3 or 12) on a previous come-out roll.
• When a shooter has repeated a point without rolling a seven.

Craps Dice Combination Table
Points Possible Combinations Ways To Roll
2 1-1 1
3 1-2, 2-1 2
4 1-3, 3-1, 2-2 3
5 1-4, 4-1, 2-3, 3-2 4
6 1-5, 5-1, 2-4, 4-2, 3-3 5
7 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3 6
8 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, 4-4 5
9 3-6, 6-3, 4-5, 5-4 4
10 4-6, 6-4, 5-5 3
11 5-6, 6-5 2
12 6-6 1

Craps Rules
Craps is one of the most popular of all casino games. It is an exciting game of dice, full of action and fun; and mathematicians say that of all the casino games, craps has the lowest overall house advantage, an important fact for the serious gambler. But craps is also a complicated game with many rules, and so you are advised to read on, because it is more fun to play craps with a full understanding of the various bets and their payouts.

Bets are made in general by dragging chips from your "stash" and dropping them over the desired bet place.

Following is a description of every craps bet on the table, roughly ordered from the simplest to the most complicated:

"One Roll Bets"
These bets are the simplest bets to make since they are always determined by the next roll of the dice.

Any Craps
Bets that the next roll will be either 2, 3, or 12. - Pays 7 to 1.

Any Seven
Bets that the next roll will be a 7. - Pays 4 to 1.

Any Eleven
Bets that the next roll will be an 11. - Pays 15 to 1.

Any Two
Bets that the next roll will be a 2. - There is only one possible way to roll a 2. - Pays 30 to 1.

Any Three
Bets that the next roll will be a 3. - Pays 15 to 1.

Any Twelve
Bets that the next roll will be a 12. - There is only one possible way to roll a 12. - Pays 30 to 1.

C&E
This is really two separate bets. - The "C" is identical to Any Craps. - The "E" is identical to Any Eleven.

Horn
The Horn bet is a simpler, faster way to bet Any 2, Any 3, Any 11, and Any 12, all at the same time. The bet pays out exactly as if one-fourth of the bet were placed on each of the 4 "Any x" bets. So, for example, with $4 bet on Horn, hitting a 2, you would end up with $31 total; and hitting a 3, you would end up with $16 total.

Field
Bets that the next roll will be either 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. - The 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 pay even money. - The 2 and 12 pay 2 to 1.

The above listed bets are the only "One Roll Bets." The rest of the bets will always stay on the board until they either win or lose. Unless specified otherwise below, you are always free to add to any bet, or remove money from any bet, at any time.

Big 6
Bets that a 6 will be rolled before a 7. - Wins on 6, Loses on 7. - Pays even money.

Big 8
Bets that an 8 will be rolled before a 7. - Wins on 8, Loses on 7. - Pays even money.

Hard 4
Bets that a "hard 4" will be rolled before 7 or "easy 4". - The "hard 4" roll is double 2s (2,2). - The "easy 4" roll is (3,1). - Pays 7 to 1.

Hard 6
Bets that a "hard 6" will be rolled before 7 or "easy 6." - The "hard 6" roll is double 3s (3,3). - The "easy 6" is (5,1) or (4,2). - Pays 9 to 1.

Hard 8
Bets that a "hard 8" will be rolled before 7 or "easy 8". - The "hard 8" roll is double 4s (4,4). - The "easy 8" roll is (5,3) or (6,2). - Pays 9 to 1.

Hard 10
Bets that a "hard 10" will be rolled before 7 or "easy 10." - The "hard 10" roll is double 5s (5,5). - The "easy 10" is (6,4). - Pays 7 to 1.

Place Bets: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
These bets are not labeled on the craps board. They are made by dropping chips over the little rectangular regions just below the larger"number" regions, and just above the Come region.

Bets that the specified number gets rolled before a 7.

These bets are "off" or "not working" on the "Come Out Roll" (described below). This fact will always be obvious because "off" bets always have an "off" marker placed over the bet's top chip. This simply means that an "off" bet will neither win nor lose on the next roll of the dice, as if it were not being bet at all.

Place 4 pays 9 to 5
Place 5 pays 7 to 5
Place 6 pays 7 to 6
Place 8 pays 7 to 6
Place 9 pays 7 to 5
Place 10 pays 9 to 5

The Pass Line
This is probably the most popular bet in all of craps. It is a bet that the dice will "pass" - as explined below. But first, a little bit of terminology:

The "Come Out Roll" is the most significant roll in craps. It is the first roll of the dice for a new shooter, and for the Pass Line bettor, it may be a winner, a loser, or it may establish a new "Point Number"(described below). When it is the Come Out Roll, the Pass Line bet wins with a 7 or 11, loses with any Craps (2, 3, or 12), and establishes a new Point Number otherwise.

The "Point Number" is the number that the Pass Line bettor is betting will repeat before a 7 is rolled. Whenever there is a Point Number established, the "ON puck" will be positioned above the number; otherwise this marker puck will say "OFF" and will sit in the upper left corner of the board.

After a Point Number has been established (no longer the Come Out Roll), the Pass Line bet wins if that Point Number is repeated before a 7 is rolled; when the Point Number repeats like this, the dice are said to have passed.

After a Point Number has been established (no longer the Come Out Roll), the Pass Line bet wins if that Point Number is repeated before a 7 is rolled; when the Point Number repeats like this, the dice are said to have passed.

To summarize, the Pass Line bet behaves differently depending on whether or not there is a Point Number established. If there is a PointNumber, then the bet wins if the dice pass (the Point Number repeats),or it loses if a 7 is rolled (all other numbers are inconsequntial). If there is no Point Number, then it is said to be the Come Out Roll, in which case the Pass Line wins on a 7 or 11, and loses on a 2, 3, or 12.

Pass Line bets, once a Point Number is established, may not be removed, but may be increased.

When the Pass Line bet wins, it pays even money.

Pass Line bets allow so-called "Free Odds" side bets (explained below). In the case of the Pass Line, the Free Odds bets are placed in the unlabeld area "behind the line" - underneath the Pass Line region.

Free Odds
Although not indicated anywhere on the craps table, Free Odds may be bet as side bets on all Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, and Don't Come bets.

To understand how Free Odds bets work, it is necessary to understand a bit more about the probabilities involved in rolling two dice. This is because Free Odds bets pay out according to the mathematically true odds of a given roll occurring, and as such, the house has no advantage on these bets!

In order to make a Free Odds bet, the player must first have made a bet on either the Pass Line, Don't Pass, Come, or Don't Come. Let's assume for the sake of having an example that there is $5 bet on the Pass Line. The Free Odds bet is restricted to be a maximum of N times the original $5 Pass Line bet, where N is clearly indicated on the craps table, saying "double odds" or "3x odds." Let's assume that this is a double odds table. Then for our example, the player may bet a maximum of $10 in Free Odds "behind the line" in the unmarked Free Odds bet area. The Free Odds bet wins or loses in the exact same way as the original "base" bet, except that it pays out according to the true odds. Suppose that the Point Number in this example is 5, then if it repeats, the original Pass Line bet will win $5, but the $10 bet as Free Odds will win an additional $15, as calculated according to the following probability table:

True odds of a Point Number repeating before a 7
Point = 4 Odds are 2 to 1 against repeating
Point = 5 Odds are 3 to 2 against repeating
Point = 6 Odds are 6 to 5 against repeating
Point = 8 Odds are 6 to 5 against repeating
Point = 9 Odds are 3 to 2 against repeating
Point = 10 Odds are 2 to 1 against repeating

Free Odds work in reverse for "Wrong Bettors" (described below) who bet the Don't Pass or Don't Come, since they are betting with the house instead of with the dice. In the above example, a Wrong Bettor would have to "lay" $15 in Free Odds in hopes of winning $10.

Free Odds side bets may always be removed at any time.

Come
The Come bet works according to the same rules as the Pass Line bet except that the Come bet cannot be made during the Come Out Roll, and each Come bet may have a different "Come Point" (similar to the Pass Line bet's Point Number).

Come bets are made by placing chips in the Come bet area, and then rolling the dice. Like the Pass Line bet, the Come bet (still in the Come area) wins on a 7 or 11, and loses on any Craps (2, 3, or 12); otherwise, the Come bet chips will be moved automatically to the correct Come Point area. The orignal Come bet, once moved to the Come Point area, may neither be added to nor removed. If additional chips are dropped into that Come Point area, they will be interpreted as being a Free Odds side bet on the original Come bet.

Come bets that have been moved to the Come Point area win if that Come Point repeats, and lose if a 7 is rolled.

Come bets that win pay even money.

Come bets, like Pass Line bets, allow Free Odds side bets, once the Come Point is established.

Free Odds chips that are bet on a Come bet are "off" or "not working" on the Come Out Roll. This fact will always be obvious because "off" bets always have an "off" marker placed over the bet's top chip. This simply means that an "off" bet will neither win nor lose on the next roll of the dice, as if it were not being bet at all.

In the case where a Come bet that is sitting in the appropriate Come Point area wins, and there is also new money in the Come area on that roll, then this creates a situation known as an "off and on" Come bet, where the previous, winning Come bet moves "off" to make room for the new Come bet arriving "on" the given Come Point bet area. Due to the fact that the rectangular Come Point bet area is so small, the previous, winning Come bet must be merged with the newly won chips to make room for the arriving "on" chips.

Wrong Bets: Don't Pass and Don't Come
The Wrong Bettor bets with the house and "against the dice." But it should not be assumed that this gives the Wrong better any additional advantage because the differences in some of the rules make the house advantage work out to be about the same either way.

Free Odds bet as a side bet on any Wrong bet must be "laid" according to the mathematically true odds, and as such, they pay out at less than even money.

Don't Pass
On the Come Out Roll, the Don't Pass loses on 7 or 11, and wins on 2 or 3; a roll of a 12 is considered to be a "standoff" or a "push."

Once a Point Number is established, the Don't Pass wins when the Pass Line loses, and vice-versa.

Dont Pass bets may not be increased once the Point Number is established, but they may be decreased or removed at any time.

To bet a Free Odds side bet, simply drop the additional chips into the Don't Pass bet area after the Point Number has been established; these chips will be interpreted automatically as being a Free Odds bet.

Don't Come
The Don't Come bet works according to the same rules as the Don't Pass bet except that the Don't Come bet cannot be made during the Come Out Roll, and each Don't Come bet may have a different "Don't Come Point".

Don't Come bets are made by placing chips in the Don't Come bet area, and then rolling the dice. Like the Don't Pass bet, the Don't Come bet (still in the Don't Come area) loses on a 7 or 11, and wins on 2 or 3 (standing off, or pushing, on 12); otherwise, the Don't Come bet chips will be moved automatically to the correct Don't Come Point area. The orignal Don't Come bet, once moved to the Don't Come Point area, may not be added to, but may be removed at any time.

To bet a Free Odds side bet, simply drop the additional chips into the Don't Come Point area; these chips will be interpreted automatically as being a Free Odds bet.

Don't Come bets that have been moved to the Don't Come Point area win if a 7 is rolled, and lose if that that Don't Come Point number repeats.

Don't Come bets that win pay even money.

Craps with confidence
by Mark Pilarski

Bellying up to a crap table and joining the euphoria of this fast-paced game need not be intimidating. Armed with my past columns and these additional pointers, you are going to step up to the table with the self-assurance necessary to play this game. Granted, I am limited in allotted space, but I'm more than happy to touch on some terrific craps tips. In thirty seconds I can teach anyone how to play a simplified game of craps with confidence. How? Check out the first tip.

o Just make these two outstanding craps wagers. Nothing more. Learn how to make a Pass Line bet or how to Place the 6 or 8. Both of these wagers have house advantage of less than 1.5 percent, making them one of the best bets in the casino.

o Stay away from all those proposition bets in the center of the layout. The dealer who is barking their performance is doing nothing more than inducing play on wagers that are all "house bets", carrying a casino advantage as high as 16%.

o Once you learn how the Odds wager works (another column, another day), never make a Line or Come bet that you are not willing to back up with full odds.

o If the table minimum is way over your head, you shouldn't be on that game. Bet with your head, not over it.

o If you need help, ask a dealer. Most will be willing and able to help you.

o You are responsible to pick up your winnings. As they say, "they lay, they play."

o A Pass Line bet with two Come bets is plenty of action on this energetic game. Don't get so caught up in the game and start throwing money at the dealer for his "requested (high house percentage) bets."

o Do not try to hand cash to the dealer to make change. The dealer is not allowed to take any cash or chips directly from the customer. You need to place your money on the layout, before the shooter gets the dice, and ask the dealer for "change only."

o Some wagers like Pass/Don't Pass bets, Odds, Come wagers, the Big 6/8 or Field bets can be made by you. On the other wagers, place you money on the layout and ask the dealer to make those bets for you.

o Keep your hands off the table and out of the way of the dice being thrown. You do not want to disrupt the game by altering the toss with your hands.

o Tables have rails all the way around for storing your gaming chips. Use them. Also, underneath, there is shelving for your drinks.

o If you are the shooter, give the dice a good toss across the table. Never try to slide dice across the layout thinking you can control the outcome. The first time the boxman will call out, "No roll." The second time, possibly some token punishment like a slapped wrist. The third-adios Sally.

o If you are a Don't Pass bettor, don't scream out, "Come on, seven!" Betting against the majority of players is bad enough, but rooting against them and gloating after a win is awful form.