How To Play Craps Casino Game

Craps is my favorite game in the casino, and if you learn how to play, it will be one of your favorites, too. I’ve written multiple posts explaining how to play.

  1. How To Play Street Craps
  2. Free Play Craps Game
  3. How To Play Craps Casino Games On
  4. How To Play Craps Casino Games
  5. How To Play Craps Casino Game Play
  6. How Do You Play Craps

In this post, I want to do something a little different.

  1. Craps – Perhaps no casino game is as exciting as craps, and you can make all the bets from the convenience of home. Safe and Secure Safety is one of the top concerns for any online company that has private user data, and Casino.com UK is no exception.
  2. How to Play Craps. Craps is a popular casino game for beginner players as the rules are simple to learn and it's fun to play. Whether you play craps online or in a Vegas casino, the rules of this dice table game remain the same: 1. All craps games begin with a pass line bet. A craps player must choose whether they think the dice.

I want to offer you the best tips for playing craps WELL.

If you want to do well at the craps table, these are the only 11 tips you’ll ever need.

1 – Stick With the Pass, Come, and Free Odds Bets

The pass line bet is the basic bet when playing craps for real money. It’s a bet that the shooter will roll a 7 or an 11 on his come-out roll, or that the shooter will roll a point number and subsequently hit that point number again before rolling a 7. The pass line bet loses if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll.

How to Play Casino (Card Game). Casino, also known as 'Cassino', is a popular card game best played with 2-4 players. The object of the game is to capture cards from a layout of face-up cards on the table, but the process can be tricky.

The come bet is just like the pass bet, but it treats a roll after the come-out roll as if it were a new come-out roll.

And the free odds bet is only available if you’ve made a pass or come bet, and the shooter has set a point. The odds bet pays off at the true odds of rolling the point again before rolling a 7.

The house edge for the pass bet and the come bet is 1.41%. The house edge for the odds bet is 0%.

If you stick with those bets, you’ll be playing the most exciting game in the casino and facing terrific odds. These bets make craps almost as attractive a game as blackjack.

2 – Most of the Bets at the Craps Table Offer Lousy Odds

One of the great things about craps is that it’s easy to learn how to make the best bets and avoid the lousy ones. That’s because the only good bets at the table are these:

  • Pass
  • Don’t pass
  • Come
  • Don’t come
  • Free odds
  • Place 6
  • Place 8

You literally have dozens of bets to choose from at the craps table, but the house edge on the bets listed above are all less than 1.5%.

3 – Here’s What You Should Do If You’re a Beginner

If you’re a beginner craps player, stick with the pass line bet. Don’t start making a lot of come bets until you’re comfortable with what’s happening with the pass line bet.

It might be a good idea to take one of the free casino game classes where they’ll teach you how to play.

Once you’re comfortable with the pass line bet, expand your repertoire by making occasional come bets, too.

Try not to have more than two or three numbers working at one time. Any more than that, and you might be devastated by a big loss you’re not expecting.

4 – Understand the House Edge in Craps

The house edge represents the difference between the odds of winning and the payout odds for the game. Craps, like every other casino game, pays out less than the odds of winning. The difference is where the casino makes its profit.

Play

The house edge is expressed as a percentage, and it’s an estimate of how much you should expect to lose in the long run on a game.

In the case of craps, the house edge for the pass and come bets is the same – 1.41%.

The house edge for the don’t pass and don’t come bets is 1.36%.

The great thing is the house edge for the free odds bet. It’s called “free” odds because it carries no house edge. The payout for this bet is the same as the odds of winning it.

By taking or laying odds on top of your pass, don’t pass, come, or don’t come bets, you’re effectively reducing the house edge for the game even further.

5 – Pick Your Wins Up From the Table

It’s your responsibility to pick up any money you win from the table. If you just leave those chips on the table, they’re considered new bets, and they stay in action.

If you’re on a winning streak, that’s cool. You’ll just win that much more money. In fact, win three or four times in a row by letting your winnings ride can net you a lot of cash fast.

But if you’re a more conservative player, pick the chips you’ve won up off the table after you win.

6 – Ignore Dealers at the Craps Table That Recommend a Bet

One of the dealers at the craps table is comparable to the ringmaster in a circus. He’s the stickman, and part of his job is to sell you on the idea of making bets in the middle of the table.

The house edge on those bets is terrible, and when I say terrible, I mean over 9%.

Would you rather lose an average of 9% on each bet or an average of 1.5% on each bet?

It’s the difference between losing $15/hour and losing $90/hour.

7 – Don’t Use Betting Systems at the Craps Table

Any game with bets that offer even money payouts is ripe for betting system players. Craps is no exception. In fact, you’ll have no trouble finding a Martingale or Paroli system player at the craps table.

These two systems work in precisely the opposite way, but both systems also don’t do anything to help you win the game. A negative expectation bet is a negative expectation, no matter what.

The Martingale System and the Paroli System are examples of positive and negative progression systems. You raise and lower the size of your bets based on whether you won or lose previous bets.

With the Martingale System, you increase the size of your bets after losses. Your goal is to recoup your losses along with a profit. With the Paroli System, you increase the size of your bets after wins. Your goal is to catch a winning streak and win more than you would otherwise. Neither approach works in the long run, and both methods can cost you a lot of money.

Here’s an example of the Martingale in action at the craps table:

You bet $5 on the pass line, and you lose when the shooter 7s out. Now you bet $10 on the pass line, and if you win, you’ve won back your $5 loss along with a $5 profit.

But if you lose, you have to bet $20 on your next bet, and so on.

Eventually, you’ll run into a losing streak that’s so long that it will be impossible to place the next bet in your progression.

With the Paroli System, you’ll let your winnings ride until you’ve had a specific, arbitrary number of wins in a row.

For example, you might set a goal of winning 3 times in a row. You bet $5 on pass, win, and bet $10 on the 2nd round, and win again. Now you bet $20. If you win all 3 bets, you’ve won $35 over 3 rounds of the game.

But this approach doesn’t work, either, in the long run.

8 – Don’t Try to Become a Craps Professional

Contrary to what you might read and what some people might tell you, it’s not possible to get an edge at craps in the long run. Without being able to get a mathematical edge, you can’t possibly play craps for a living.

Even the odds bets, which have no house edge, can only be made when you’ve made an initial bet with a negative expectation.

On top of the negative expectation, you have a highly volatile game. Just because the house edge on the odds bets is 0% doesn’t mean those bets pay off often. They still lose most of the time.

It’s just that, theoretically, in the long run, you’ll win as much money as you lose on such bets.

If you want to be a professional gambler, learn to count cards in blackjack, or handicap sports with a high degree of accuracy, or play poker at a pro-level.

But stay away from craps if you want to gamble professionally.

9 – Skip Don’t Pass and Don’t Come Bets If You’re New

You might think that don’t pass and don’t come are the best bets at the craps table. And since the house edge for these bets is 1.36% instead of 1.41%, that’s true.

But that doesn’t mean you should place these bets.

In fact, if you’re new, I suggest avoiding them.

Here’s why:

Most of the other players are betting with the shooter. It’s fun to root for a shooter to win, and it’s fun to have a sense of teamwork and camaraderie at the craps table.

If you’re betting against everyone at the table, you’ll probably have less fun.

Unless you just have one of those personalities.

10 – Take as Big an Odds Bet as Possible While Still Being Comfortable

Let’s say you’re at a craps table where the minimum bet is $5 and the maximum bet is $500. And the maximum amount of odds this casino will let you take is 2X your bet.

If your casino bankroll can support betting $15 per roll, you should bet $5 on the pass line. When the shooter sets a point, you can comfortably put $10 on the odds bet and have $15 total in action.

Don’t bet $15 on the pass line and ignore the odds bet.

And don’t bet $15 on the pass line and then put $30 on the odds bet.

In one case, you’re letting the house have a more significant edge than you need to.

In the other case, you’re putting more money into action on a single roll of the dice than you’re comfortable with.

Neither of these situations is good.

11 – Free Casino Classes Are Great – Except for the Strategy Advice

Craps, more than most casino games, is a good one to learn via the free casino classes that most gambling halls offer during their slow periods. You can get an excellent feel for how the game plays and how the betting works. Most real money online casinos will also allow you to play for free and practice before you’re ready for the real thing.

Just ignore any strategy advice that live casino dealers offer. Sometimes the dealers don’t know anything about the math behind the game and give what they think is good advice. Other times, the dealers are just rooting for you to lose.

Conclusion

With a basic understanding of how to play craps, you can have more fun in the casino than most. And you’ll stand a good chance of having some big winning sessions.

It’s just as important to play smart at the craps table as it is at any other casino game.

Thinking about these 11 craps tips will keep you on the side of the gambling angels.

The most popular and probably the only dice game in casinos nowadays is craps. When this game was played on the streets, the activity was known as ‘shooting dice’ and the game was called ‘street craps’. In street craps players played against each other, and not against a gambling establishment like a casino. It required very little for the game to be played, and was mainly played in informal setting. The casino version of the game that you probably know, at least from movies, is called just ‘craps’.

Casino

If you are a beginner, we can’t deny that craps might seem intimidating at first. It’s not that it isn’t easy to play once you get into it, but until you learn the basic rules you will think it is a complicated game with hundred different types of bets, while players shout from all around the table. Fortunately enough for those that don’t want the clamor, there is online craps, so they can learn the game at peace with the help of their computer, Smartphone, tablet etc.

When you are through with this guide, you will think quite the contrary of craps and how it isn’t that complicated. Once you learn the first and most basic bets, the entire game will immediately reveal itself as you get to know the other bets. During your craps playing time you will add more bets to your use, and after just 10 to 15 minutes of practice in free play mode at any online casino, you will master the game enough to get you going.

Craps Rules

The following are the rules that apply to playing craps:

  • Casinos decide which bets will be offered as well as the payouts for them.
  • The players throw the dice in turns, and the one throwing them is called the ‘shooter’.
  • Bets are placed on the appropriately marked sections of the table where the particular bet is displayed.
  • Before throwing the dice the shooter needs to make a ‘Pass’ or ‘Don’t Pass’ line bet. At some craps tables these bets may be called ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ or ‘Win’ and ‘Don’t Win’ bets.
  • A craps game is played in rounds.
  • For a round to start, the shooter needs to make a ‘come out’ roll. If the roll is two, three or twelve, bets placed on Pass line are lost. If the roll is seven or eleven, they win.
  • If the shooter’s come out roll is four, five, six, eight, nine or ten, then a ‘point’ is established to pass. In order for the bets on Pass Line to succeed, the point must be rolled before a seven, and the round will finish. If the point number is established before a seven, the bets lose and the dice is given to the next shooter. Whenever the Pass line bets win the Don’t Pass line bets lose and the other way around.
  • If twelve is rolled on the come out roll, the Don’t Pass Line bets are pushed, while the Pass Line bets lose.

The Basics of Craps

Objective of the Game

When played in land-based casinos, craps can be a game where people can socialize because it attracts much attention and usually many people stand by the table to watch the action. When playing online this is not the case obviously, but the same objective stands, to guess the outcome of the dice.

As mentioned earlier, the player whose turn has come to shoot the dice is called the ‘shooter’. The viewers that stand around the board in land-based craps games are the players and bet on the outcome of the roll. When the dice are rolled, the outcome can be a total number between two and twelve. One round can consist of just one roll or a series of rolls. The object of the game is to bet on or against the shooter.

Come Out Roll

The come out roll is the first roll of the shooter. When a seven or eleven is the outcome, all the Pass Line bets receive a payout. If the outcome of the dice is two three or eleven, then these bets lose. If another number is rolled apart from these, then the point is established.

When the point has been established, the second phase of the game begins. In this phase Pass Line bets succeed when the point number is rolled. If seven is rolled, then they are lost and the round ends. Each new game in craps begins with the come out roll.

Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line Bet

If the players want the Pass line bets to succeed, he mustn’t roll two, three or twelve, but eleven or seven. The opposite of these are Don’t Pass Line bets, which succeed if the shooter rolls two, three or twelve. If the point is established the shooter must repeat the point number before rolling a seven. If a seven is rolled, the shooter loses. These bets are the fundamental bets in craps and can be your starting point in learning craps and all the other options.

The best starting bet is the Pass Line bet on the come out roll. It offers a house edge of around 1.40%, while the majority of other bets have much higher edge. They are recommended as best for beginners. Stick to this bet if you want to minimize your chances of losing.

Come Bet and Don’t Come Bet

This bet is similar to the Pass Line bet in the aspect of mathematics, and can be placed after the come out roll, while the Pass Line bet is made before the come out roll. This bet too is won if the shooter rolls 7 or 11, and here too you can win if the shooter rolls the point number before a 7.

Naturally, the Don’t Come bet is the opposite of the Come bet and similar to the Don’ Pass Line bet. With this bet you suggest that the shooter will not repeat the point number before he rolls a 7.

Place and Place to Lose Bets

Place bets are those made on the numbers of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. If some of these numbers has been rolled before the shooter rolls a 7, your Place bet is won. To make this bet you need the Don’t Pass Line bet. The best odds with this bet are if you make on 6 or 8, while the second best option is to make it on 5 or 9.

The opposite of the Place bet is the Place to Lose bet. This bet is won with a 7, but if the number that you are betting against is rolled, then your Place to Lose bet is lost. Here too the best Place to Lose bets are if made on 6 or 8.

Other Bets

Other important bets that you can make in craps are: Buy, Lay, Big 6 and Big 8, Field Bet, Any 7, Any Craps, Twelve Craps or Two Sixes, Twelve Craps or Aces, Eleven or Six Five, Three Craps or Ace Deuce, Two Craps or Aces, Horn Bet etc.

A Simple Strategy to Use

If you decide that craps is your game and that you want to advance with your craps skills, make sure to first carefully learn the basic and most common bets, and then try to learn all the other options. You can take some simple tips with you and always guide yourself according to them. For example, the best wagers that you can make are Pass Line or Come bets and bets on 6 or 8. Pass Line and Come bets have the lowest house edge in craps. But never bet on Big 6 or Big 8, because they have bad payouts.

Also, you should only play craps games where you can Take Odds for Pass Line and Come bets, and remember to never place Proposition bets. After you have learned how to play craps properly, you should see to it that you have found a strategy that suits your style of play the best. Design a system how to manage your money, however, don’t hope for a system like the Martingale, because with it you will need quite a large bankroll.

How To Play Street Craps

Summary

Craps is one of the most exciting and loudest games at land-based casinos. They even feature rules of how craps players should hold the dice when they wish to roll as well as other similar rules of conduct. This game provides the true essence of the casino world and pure entertainment. Today, online casinos feature even live craps games where a live dealer is broadcasted from a studio with a craps table in front of him and multiple players can log on to the table and play.

Useful Craps Glossary

Any Craps: this bet is when players predict that the outcome of the dice will be a total of 2, 3 or 12.

Back Line: another term that denotes Don’t Pass.

Big 6: a bet suggesting that a 6 will be rolled before a 7.

Big 8: similar to Big 6, when a player bets that 8 will be rolled before 7.

Front Line: another term that denotes Pass Line.

Visit our Craps Glossary Guide for a more comprehensive list of terms and phrases.

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