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How to play
| Terminology
| Variations
| Good Bets
| Bad Bets
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Objective of the Game
Craps is a game of chance and the objective is to predict
the outcome of the roll of the dice. The game can seem
fairly complex but offers up a captivating experience
once you have learnt the ropes. The game uses two identical
dice and is based on how often seven as the total of
the two dice comes up and how the other numbers compare
with it.
How
to Play
The game can look complicated but it is possible to
learn just a few of the betting options to begin playing.
The opposing faces of each die always total seven (the
one is always opposite the six, the two opposite the
five and so on).
You have six numbers on each die and so a pair of dice
will give you 36 different combinations. Craps is based
on how often these different combinations appear. See
below all the different combinations:
|
Two Die Total |
Combinations
|
No. of combinations
|
|
2
|
1 + 1
|
1
|
|
3
|
1+
2, 2 + 1 |
2
|
|
4
|
3+1,
2+2, 1+3 |
3
|
|
5
|
4+1,
3+2, 2+3, 1+4 |
4
|
|
6
|
5+1,
4+2, 3+3, 2+4, 1+5 |
5
|
|
7
|
6+1,
5+2, 4+3, 3+4, 2+5, 1+6 |
6
|
|
8
|
6+2,
5+3, 4+4, 3+5, 2+6 |
5
|
|
9
|
6+3,
5+4, 4+5, 3+6 |
4
|
|
10
|
6+4,
5+5, 4+6 |
3
|
|
11
|
6+5,
5+6 |
2
|
|
12
|
6+6 |
1
|
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The most common two die total is 7 with six different
combinations.
Craps
Terminology
- Naturals - The
total of the two dice adds up to 7 or 11
- Craps - The
total of the two dice adds up to 2, 3, or 12
- Point - The
total of the two dice adds up to 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or
10
- Snake Eyes -
1's rolled on both dice
- The Shooter
- you, the player
- Come out roll
- The first roll of the dice
To get started we can look at the most popular (and
profitable) bet on the Craps table: the pass line wager.
- You toss the dice with three possible outcomes -
a Natural, a Point or a Craps (see above).
- If you roll a Natural (7 or 11) before the Point
is established, a pass line bet is won.
- If you roll a Craps (2,3 or 12), the pass line bet
is lost.
- If you roll a Point (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) you must roll
that number again, before another seven is rolled
to win.
Craps
Variations
Some casinos offer a game called “Crapless Craps”. In
this game a Come-Out Roll of 2, 3, 11 or 12 becomes
a Point number instead of a win (11) or a loss (2, 3
or 12) on a Pass Line Bet. We recommend avoiding this
game because the House Advantage on a Pass Line Bet
is 5.4% compared to 1.41% at a regular Craps table.
House Advantage:
A house advantage of 2% means that, on average,
the casino will retain 2% of a player’s bet. So, the
lower the better. All House Advantages listed at Casino
Advice are expressed in terms of average bet amount
using the strategy we recommend.
Craps Strategy
Good
Craps Bets
Pass Line Bet
A Pass Line Bet can only be placed on a Come-Out Roll.
This type of bet is also known as betting with the Shooter.
This type of bet wins on an initial roll of 7 or 11
and loses on an initial roll of 2, 3 or 12. A Come-Out
Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: A. Wins if the initial
number is matched later in the roll. And, B. Loses if
the initial number is followed by a 7. The Shooter continues
to roll until one of the two above scenarios occurs.
This type of bet pays even money and has a House Advantage
of 1.41%.
Don't Pass Line Bet
A Don’t Pass Line Bet can only be placed on a Come-Out
Roll. This type of bet is also known as betting against
the Shooter. This type of bet loses on an initial roll
of 7 or 11 and wins on an initial roll of 2 or 3. If
the initial roll is 12, the bet is a Push, or Tie. A
Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: A. Wins if the
initial roll is followed by a 7. And, B. Loses if the
initial number is matched later in the roll. The Shooter
continues to roll until one of the two above scenarios
occurs. This type of bet pays even money and has a House
Advantage of 1.36%.
Come Bet
A Come bet can only be placed after a Point has been
established (a Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10).
A Come Bet is similar to a Pass Line Bet. Once this
bet has been placed the next roll of the dice is a winner
if a 7 or 11 is thrown, and a loser if a 2, 3 or 12
is thrown. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, the Come
Bet stays on the table. If the initial roll is matched
before a 7 is thrown the bet is a winner. If a 7 is
thrown before the initial Come Bet roll is matched the
bet is a loser. A Come Bet can be placed on each roll
after a Come-Out Roll. This type of bet pays even money
and has the same House Advantage as a Pass Line Bet
(1.41%).
Don't Come Bet
A Don’t Come bet can only be placed after a Point has
been established (a Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or
10). A Don’t Come Bet is similar to a Don’t Pass Line
Bet. Once this bet has been placed the next roll of
the dice is a loser if a 7 or 11 is thrown, and a winner
if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10
is rolled, the Don’t Come Bet stays on the table. If
the initial roll is matched before a 7 is thrown the
bet is a loser. If a 7 is thrown before the initial
Don’t Come Bet roll is matched the bet is a winner.
A Don’t Come Bet can be placed on each roll after a
Come-Out Roll. This type of bet pays even money and
has the same House Advantage as a Don’t Pass Line Bet
(1.36%).
Bad
Bets
1. Place Bets
A Place Bet is placed after a point is made (4, 5, 6,
8, 9 or 10). Place bets can be put on any of these numbers
to win or lose. Multiple place bets can be placed and
a place bet can be taken off the table after a roll.
The table below lists the House Advantage for all Place
Bets. If you make a Place bet for a number to win, the
bet wins if that number is rolled before a 7. If you
make a Place bet for a number to lose, the bet will
win if a 7 is rolled before that number.
| House Advantage
by bet |
| Bet |
Payout |
House
Adv. |
| 4 OR 10 TO WIN |
9 TO 5 |
6.67% |
| 4 OR 10 TO LOSE |
5 TO 11 |
3.03% |
| 5 OR 9
TO WIN |
7 TO 5 |
4.00% |
| 5 OR 9 TO LOSE |
5 TO 8 |
2.5% |
| 6 OR 8 TO WIN |
7 TO 6 |
1.52% |
| 6 OR 8 TO LOSE |
4 TO 5 |
1.82% |
|
2. Buy/Lay Bets
A Buy or Lay bet is similar
to a Place bet. With Buy or Lay bets the player pays
a 5% commission to get true odds on a number. Most casinos
charge a minimum of £1/$1. A Buy Bet is a bet
placed on a number to win. A Lay Bet is a bet placed
on a number to lose. The House Advantage of all Buy
and Lay bets is 4.76%. The table below lists the payouts
associated with each Buy or Lay bet.
| Number |
Payout |
| 4 OR 10 |
2 TO 1 |
| 5 OR 9 |
3 TO 2 |
| 6 OR 7 |
6 TO 5 |
|
3. Field Bet
A Field Bet is a one-roll
bet. This type of bet is only good for the next roll
of the dice. A Field Bet pays even on a roll of 3, 4,
9, 10 or 11 and 2 for 1 on a roll of 2 or 12. The House
Advantage for a Field Bet is 5.56%.
4. Big 6 and Big 8
A Big 6 bet is a bet that a 6 will be rolled before
a 7 is rolled. A Big 8 bet is a bet that an 8 will be
rolled before a 7 is rolled. Both of these bets pay
even money. The House Advantage for each of these bets
is 9.09%. If you are at the Craps table and feel the
urge to make one of these bets, consult a psychiatrist
or make a Place Bet on a 6 or 8. The Place bet will
win on the same rolls but pay out at 7 to 6 instead
of 1 to 1 (the same as 6 to 6). Betting this way will
drop the House Advantage from 9.09% to 1.52%.
5. Center Proposition Bets
The large section in the center of the table is taken
up by Center Proposition bets.
Hardways
At the top of this box are
the Hardway bets. A Hardway bet is bet that a certain
hard combination will be rolled before a 7 or the same
Soft combination is rolled. For example, a Hard 6 occurs
when two 3’s are rolled, a Soft 6 occurs when
a 1 and 5 or a 2 and 4 are rolled. The table below lists
the House Advantage for Hardway Bets.
| House Advantage
by bet |
| Bet |
Payout |
House
Adv. |
| HARD 4 (2 + 2) |
7 TO 2 |
11.11% |
| HARD 6 (3 + 3) |
9 TO 1 |
9.09% |
| HARD 8 (4 + 4) |
9 TO 1 |
9.09% |
| HARD 10 (5 + 5) |
7 TO 1 |
11.11% |
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One Roll Bets
Any Craps
Any Craps is a bet that the next roll of the dice
is a 2, 3 or 12. This bet pays 7 to 1 and has a House
Advantage of 11.11%.
Any Seven
Any Seven is a bet that the next roll of the dice is
a 7. This bet pays 4 to 1 and has a House Advantage
of 16.67%.
Two
A bet that the next roll will be a 2. This bet pays
30 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 13.89%.
Three
A bet that the next roll will be a 3. This bet pays
15 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 11.11%.
Eleven
A bet that the next roll will be an 11. This bet pays
15 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 11.11%.
Twelve
A bet that the next roll will be a 12. This bet pays
30 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 13.89%.
Horn Bet
A Horn Bet is a bet that the next roll will be a 2,
3, 11 or 12. A Horn Bet is made in multiples of $4,
with 1/4 of each bet placed on each number. This bet
pays out at the same odds as any individual number and
the overall House Advantage is 12.5%.
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Craps is a game of skill but also
a game of chance. casinoadvice.co.uk accepts no responsibility
for any losses incurred as a result of following this
guide.
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