- Craps is one of the very few dice games offered at a casino, and it’s known for attracting a loud and cheerful crowd. Although it’s such an entertaining game, people sometimes steer away from it because they don’t understand the rules. We are here to let you know that the basic rules of Craps are actually quite easy; it’ll only take you a few minutes to learn!
- Once a point is made on the first roll or a come point on a succeeding roll, you may.
- The Basic Craps Rules All Gamers should be Aware of. The game follows special craps rules. Each new game has a predefined minimum that players should pay if they are eager to participate. Thus, the shooter, who is one of the players, wagers the selected minimum sum on the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line of the craps table.
Craps is quite fun and entertaining casino game of chance frequently played by gamblers at online, offline as well as on mobile casino apps. The game is simple to play and with a bit of luck you can earn some nice cash. However, if you are new to the game it might be a bit complicated to understand the rules. Therefore, you should try one of the Craps variations that have more simple rules. Simplified Craps is a variation of standard Craps that is perfect for beginners. The rules are simpler compared to regular Craps and no skills are needed to play the game. Continue reading to learn more about Simplified Craps, its rules and house edge and how the game differs from the other Craps variants, namely Crapless Craps.
What is Simplified Craps?
Craps rules determine how a typical round of dice shooting happens. Craps rules are easy to learn, though the game has a lot of slang and terminology which might cause issues for beginners. Craps also has a lot of different bets, so a tutorial is needed when learning to play craps. Craps is easily the most intimidating game inthe casino. The layout looks like some kind of crazy puzzle and thereare seemingly dozens of different bets, governed by complicated rules. So we’lldo our best in this lesson to make this crash course as painless as possible.
As the name implies, Simplified Craps is a simplified version of standard Craps. The game is played on a regular Craps table with typical layout and players roll dice. Based on the outcome of a roll, players either win or lose. Winning bets are paid according to the type of bet made.
Difference Between Crapless Craps and Simplified Craps?
The house edge of Crapless Craps is about 5.4% so it is higher than the house advantage of Simplified Craps. The former also has different and more complicated rules than the later variant. For instance, in Crapless Craps players cannot place a Don’t pass Don’t come bet and if a 2, 3, 11 and 12 is rolled, they count as point numbers. In comparison, Simplified Craps has simpler rules because there are no point numbers. Players only have to pay attention on six winning numbers and five losing numbers. If one of the six instant winners is rolled, then win, if not they lose. In other words, the chances of winning are 50-50.
In this manner, even though Simplified Craps is easier than Crapless Craps, the later variant is recommended for players because they have more chances of winning if they use effective betting strategy. However, if you are new to Craps, the former variant should be your first choice. Afterwards, once you learn the rules, you can switch to a more complicated Craps game.
House Edge and Rules
Instead of having a lot of complicated bets, Simplified Craps has pretty basic betting system. The following bets cannot be made in this variant: Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line bets as well as Craps or Naturals. To win a bet you have to roll a particular winning number. For instance, if you roll a 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 or 12, you win. If you throw a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, you lose. Payouts are determined according to the specific winning number rolled. A 2 pays 3:1, a 3 or 4 pays 1:1 or even money, a 10 or 11 pays 2:1, while a 12 pays the highest or 5:1.
Unfortunately, because of the simplified rules players have to sacrifice a large house edge. The house advantage of Simplified Craps is 2.8%.
Summary
Simplified Craps is quite easy to understand and it is based entirely on luck. The game lacks a recondite betting system so new players can join in easily and they would enjoy playing the game. Therefore, it is highly recommended for beginners who want to learn more about Craps.
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How to Play Craps
Craps is one of the most exciting Casino games around as it is high in Player involvement. You will regularly hear yelling and shouting at one of the tables in a land-based casino. It is played on a purpose-built table using two dice.
Like most Casino games, you play against the House (Casino) as opposed to other players and as there are lots of different betting options you can bet on when guessing what numbers will come up when the dice are rolled, there is plenty of choices to make too.
In this article we discuss how to play craps giving you a break down of craps rules and everything you need to win at the game. This is part 1 of a two part article. After learning the basics of craps rules, the second part is about more advanced strategies and tips.
Craps Rules
Craps rules can be more difficult than in other casino games, but once learned this can be a very social and enjoyable game with some terrific betting odds.
The Objective of the game
Players need to guess the outcome of 2 standard, 6-sided dice being rolled and what the total of the 2 dice will be.
Dice Values
The game is played with a set of two perfectly balanced dice with each die having six white dots numbered 1 through 6. There is an equal chance of each number being rolled.
Possible Dice Combinations:
| Number | Combination | Ways To Roll |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1-1 | One |
| 3 | 1-2, 2-1 | Two |
| 4 | 1-3, 3-1, 2-2 | Three |
| 5 | 1-4, 4-1, 2-3, 3-2 | Four |
| 6 | 1-5, 5-1, 2-4, 4-2, 3-3 | Five |
| 7 | 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3 | Six |
| 8 | 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, 4-4 | Five |
| 9 | 3-6, 6-3, 4-5, 5-4 | Four |
| 10 | 4-6, 6-4, 5-5 | Three |
| 11 | 5-6, 6-5 | Two |
| 12 | 6-6 | One |
Simple Craps Rules
Names of Dice Rolls
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
1 | Snake Eyes | Loose Deuce | Easy Four | Fever Five | Easy Six | Natural |
2 | Loose Deuce | Hard Four | Fever Five | Easy Six | Natural | Easy Eight |
3 | Easy Four | Fever Five | Hard Six | Natural | Easy Eight | Nina |
4 | Fever Five | Easy Six | Natural | Hard Eight | Nina | Easy Ten |
5 | Easy Six | Natural | Easy Eight | Nina | Hard Ten | Yo |
6 | Natural | Easy Eight | Nina | Easy Ten | Yo | Boxcars |
Game Session Preparations:
Set your budget – As a general rule, you need enough for 50 bets when playing table games.
Choose your table – All will have a minimum and maximum amount you can place on all different bets, choose one where each of your favourites is no more than one-fiftieth of your budget. i.e. if you have a bankroll of $/€/£200, you should be looking at betting no more than $/€/£4 per time
Find a space at the table – Unlike many Casino games, players always stand and do not have a specific area where they place bets – there are many different types of bets that all players can use. This is irrelevant when playing online.
Decide how much you would like to change up and play with – You will be given chips, the sizes of which depend on how much you change up and the limits of the tables.
Game Progression
To begin, the Shooter (one of the Players) needs to bet at least the table minimum on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line
The game is played in Rounds, with the right to roll the dice by each player moving clockwise around the table at the end of each round. A player may choose not to roll but can continue to bet.
Once all players have made their desired bets, the Round begins. Each round has two phases: Come Out and Point. To start a round, the shooter makes one or more Come Out rolls.
Payouts are sometimes made after each roll, and sometimes made after several rolls; see the individual Bet descriptions for details.
Simple Craps Rules
Craps Table Layout
We will delve more into the table layout features below in the Placing Bets section. On the Craps table there are two Dealers, a Stickman, and a Boxman.
The Stickman uses a long flexible stick to push the dice around the table, gathering the dice after rolls and pushing them to the player.
The Boxman is the person in charge of the game and has final decision-making authority.
The Dealers cash chips and ensure that bets are placed on the table correctly.
Placing Bets in Craps
Out of 990 decisions at the craps table, you can expect to lose 14 decisions more than you win.
As with any Casino game, there will invariably be swings, both large and small, either way when it comes to winning or losing. In the relatively short time you will be playing, there will be fluctuations in this house edge, so at times things will be going in your favor.
You can place bets at any time, the best time to start doing this is when a new Shooter starts. The first thing he needs to do is Establish a Point.
If a Shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on his/her first roll, all other bets below can be made.
If a 2, 3 or 12 are rolled, all Players will win they are Come Out bets and the Shooter will continue rolling to establish a new Point.
If a 7 or 11 are rolled, all Players will lose their Come Out bets and a new Shooter will be designated.
Pass Line/Don’t Pass Line
When it is your turn to throw the dice, you must determine whether to bet the Pass line or the Don’t Pass line. Most Shooters, as well as most of the other players at the table, will bet the Pass line, as it is the basic bet in Craps.
The Pass line bet is an even-money bet that wins if you either roll a total of 7 or 11 on the Come-Out roll or if you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the Come-Out roll and repeat that number before you roll a 7. The Pass line bet loses if the Come-Out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as “craps”) or when a 7 is rolled before the established Point Number is repeated.
A Pass Line bet can be made at any time during a Shooter’s roll, even after he has established a Point. However, a bet placed on the Pass Line after a Point has been established is a very poor bet, since you have missed the opportunity to win on the Come-Out roll when the shooter throws a 7 or an 11. The only way you can now win is if the shooter repeats his point before he Sevens-Out.
Come Bets
A Come bet is identical to a Pass line bet, with one exception: A Come bet may be made on every throw of the dice once the Shooter has established a Point. A Come bet is made by placing the number of chips you wish to wager in the designated Come area of the table.
Once you place a Come bet, the very next roll of the dice becomes the Come-out roll for that bet. Therefore, if the Shooter rolls a 7, you will win even though Pass line betters will lose. If an 11 is rolled, you will win while the Line bets will not be affected. However, should one of the Craps numbers come up (2, 3 or 12) you will lose, but the Line bets will be unaffected.
If the Shooter throws one of the Box numbers on the first roll of the dice after you’ve made a Come bet, this number becomes an established Point for your Come bet. To win this bet, your Come point must be repeated before a 7 is rolled.
Once a Point has been established for your Come bet, the Dealer will move the chips you have bet to the corresponding numbered box on the layout to await a decision for that Point. When you win a Come bet, the Dealer will pay you off by placing your original bet, along with your winnings, in the Come section of the layout. If you do not immediately retrieve your chips, they will be in action on the next roll of the dice as a new Come bet (this is collected for you automatically when playing online).
The Don’t-Pass Line Bet
We know that a Pass line bet is simply a wager that the Shooter will win. But you also can bet that the shooter will fail to make a pass and thus lose.
The Don’t Pass line bet wins when the Shooter throws a Craps of 2 or 3, but not 12, on the Come-Out roll, or when he rolls a 7 before repeating his established Point number. This bet loses when the Come-Out roll is a 7 or 11, or when the Shooter repeats his Point number before rolling a 7.
The Don’t Pass line bet is the exact opposite of a pass line with one exception: Although a roll of 12 on the Come out loses for Pass line betters, it is not a winning number for Don’t Pass betters. It is a stand-off and neither wins nor loses. This is because if Don’t Pass betters were permitted to win in this situation, they would have an advantage over the house. So by barring (disallowing) the number 12 on the Come-Out roll, the casinos retain a small edge. Some casinos bar the number 2, but the effect is exactly the same.
Unlike a Pass line bet, a Don’t Pass bet can be removed after a Point number has been established on the Come-Out roll. Once a Point is established you have an advantage over the house, thus the casino has no objections to your taking down the bet. Of course, you should never do this. After going up against an 8 to 3 house edge on the Come-Out roll, you will have an overall average advantage of 18.8% after a Point has been established.
Laying the Odds
When the Shooter establishes a Point number on the Come-Out roll, players who have made Don’t Pass line bets are permitted to Lay the Odds. In the same way, Don’t Come bets are the exact opposite of Come bets (with the exception of a 12 is rolled on the Come bet), the Laying the Odds bet is the exact opposite of an Odds bet (which no exceptions).
Correct payoffs for Lay Odds bets are as follows:
Points 4 and 10 pay 1-to-2
Points 5 and 9 pay 2-to-3
Points 6 and 8 pay 5-to 6
Don’t Come Bets
Don’t Come bets can be placed on every throw of the dice after a Point has been established. After you have placed a Don’t Come bet, the very next throw of the dice becomes the Come-Out roll for that bet. If the Shooter rolls a Craps number of 2 or 3, you will win while Don’t Pass line betters will not be affected. If a 7 is rolled, you will lose and bets on the Don’t Pass will win. You also will lose if an 11 is thrown, although this number will not have a bearing on Don’t Pass bets. A roll of 12 is a stand-off.
Place bets on 6 and 8
A Place bet can be made on any of the Point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) at any time during a game and is simply a bet that one of these numbers will be rolled before the Shooter throws a 7. You cannot Take the Odds on Place bets.
Place bets on the 6 and 8 are paid off at 7-to-6 on correct odds of 6-to-5, which gives the casino an advantage of 1.51% on these numbers. To ensure that you receive the full 7-to-6 payoff on the 6 and 8, you must make your bet in multiples of six, such as $6, $12, $18, and so forth (this isn’t the case when playing online)
Place bets on the 5 and 9 carry a house advantage of 4%, and Place bets on 4 and 10 carry a house advantage of 6.6%.
Field Bets
This is a bet on the next number to be rolled. There are seven numbers inside the field area that if rolled, will result in a win. The numbers are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. If you make a wager in the field and any of the above numbers show on the next roll you will win. In many Casinos and some online sites, you win double or even treble your bet if a 2 or a 12 are rolled.
Proposition Bets
These bets can be made at any time and, they are all one roll bets.
Any Craps: Wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. Payoff 7:1
Any Seven: Wins if a 7 is rolled. Payoff 4:1
Eleven: Wins if a 11 is thrown. Payoff 15:1
Ace Duece: Wins if a 3 is rolled. Payoff 15:1
Horn Bet
: it acts as the bets on 2, 3, 11 and 12 all at once. Wins if one of these numbers is rolled. The payoff is determined according to the number rolled. The other three bets are lost.
Simple Blackjack Rules
Hardways Bets
This is a bet on a specific double coming out on the next roll. For example, if a player is putting money on the hard 6 the player is betting that the shooter will roll a 3,3. You can only bet on 2:2, 3:3, 4:4 or 5:5, and you are betting on a specific double to appear and not covering all of them.
Best Craps Bets
The best craps bets are the following:
Taking the Odds
When the Shooter establishes a Point on the Come-Out roll, any player who has made a Pass line bet is allowed to “take the Odds.” A single Odds bet is an additional bet, up to the amount of your original bet, that the Point number will be repeated before a 7 is rolled.
*Important* The “Odds Bet” is the best one you can make in the game because the house has no built-in advantage.
The Odds bet not only hasn’t any house edge associated with it, but also has no official designated space on the table. Therefore, to take the Odds, you must place the appropriate amount of chips behind your Pass line bet in the open area of the Craps layout (this is also the same when playing online).
The correct payoff for Odds bets varies from Point number to Point number, depending on the odds of a 7 being rolled before a particular point is repeated. Correct odds payoffs are as follows:
Points 4 and 10 pay 2-to-1
Points 5 and 9 pay 3-to-2
Points 6 and 8 pay 6-to-5
Craps Payouts
| Bet | True Odds | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Line/Come Bet | 251 to 244 | 1 to 1 | 1.414 |
| Don’t Pass/Don’t Come Bet | 976 to 949 | 1 to 1 | 1.402 |
| Pass Line Odds/Come Bet Odds/Buy Bets (5% commission) | |||
| Numbers 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 4.76 |
| Numbers 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 3 to 2 | 4.76 |
| Numbers 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 6 to 5 | 4.76 |
| Don’t Pass Odds/Don’t Come Bet Odds/Lay Bets (5% commission) | |||
| Numbers 4 or 10 | 1 to 2 | 1 to 2 | 2.44 |
| Numbers 5 or 9 | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3 | 3.23 |
| Numbers 6 or 8 | 5 to 6 | 5 to 6 | 4.0 |
| Field Bets | |||
| 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 | 18 to 7 | 1 to 1 | 5.5 |
| 2, 12 | 18 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 5.5 |
| Place Bets | |||
| Numbers 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | 9 to 5 | 6.7 |
| Numbers 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | 7 to 5 | 4.0 |
| Numbers 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | 7 to 6 | 1.52 |
| Hardways | |||
| 6 or 8 | 10 to 1 | 9 to 1 | 9.09 |
| 4 or 10 | 8 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 11.1 |
| One Roll Bets | |||
| Any 7 | 5 to 1 | 4 to 1 | 16.9 |
| Any craps | 8 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 11.1 |
| 2 craps or 12 craps | 35 to 1 | 30 to 1 | 13.9 |
| 3 craps or 11 | 17 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11.1 |
| Horn Bet (3 or 11) | 9 to 1 | 3.75 to 1 | |
| Horn Bet (2 or 12) | 18 to 1 | 7.5 to 1 | |
| Big 6 or 8 | 3.6 to 1 | 1 to 1 | 9.09 |
You can find a bet summary here.
Continue to Part II – Advanced Craps Strategy & Tips
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