Craps

On GamblingID.com you can find information about the history of Craps, the game rules, strategies and terms used. It will also be possible to try craps for free in order to get a better understanding of the rules.

Don’t want to travel all the way to Las Vegas for this game? Then this is the place to be! You can play for free or with real money right from the comfort of your armchair.

Basic Craps Rules

You play craps against the house. You can place bets on the betting options on the table and try to guess the outcome of the roll of 2 dice. Normally one of the players is the ‘shooter’ who throws the dice. It can seem intimidating when, as a novice player, you are the shooter and therefore have to roll the dice.

The game seems to have hundreds of bets and also the terms that pass by you will not immediately understand. It feels like a foreign language and the pace is often very fast. Nevertheless, we will try to explain this dice game to you in the easiest way possible. This way you too can play this game with some more basic knowledge.

Bets

As a player you must place at least one bet on, for example, the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line. The dealer shifts five dice to the shooter at the beginning of the game. Now he can pick two dice and then throw them. The remaining three dice stay with the dealer. Dealers constantly check the dice present.

Each round at Craps has two phases. These are the ‘Come Out’ and ‘Point’. To start a round, the ‘shooter’ will roll one or more ‘Come Outs’. A Come Out is a number of eyes of 2, 3 or 12 and will end the round of play for players who have placed a bet on the Pass Line. They will lose their bet. A Come Out with a roll of 7 or 11 will result in a win for the Pass Line. The shooter will continue to roll the dice until he rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. This will become the “Point.

Then the dealer will place a puck/disc with “ON” on the Point number and enter the second phase of the round. If the shooter now throws the Point one more time it will result in a win for the players with bets on the Pass Line. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the Point then the players lose their bets and the round is over.

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Hardways bets

On the Craps table you will also see the Hardways bets displayed. You can place bets on 2-2 (Hard 4), 3-3 (Hard 6), 4-4 (Hard 8) and 5-5 (Hard 10). These bets are difficult to predict and they therefore pay out more than an easy bet. Hard 4 and Hard 10 pay out 8 times your bet. You win if the shooter rolls these before he rolls 7 or 4 in the normal way. These are bets where you can stay in one spot longer with the chips.

One Roll

The level of difficulty is high when placing a bet on One Roll. Here you place a bet on 1-1, 6-6, 1-2 or 5-6. Bets such as 1-1 and 6-6 immediately pay out 30 times your own bet. This bet only lasts one round so if the shooter does not roll this, you lose your bet. Bets 1-2 or 5-6 will pay out 15 times your own bet. Furthermore, you have betting options such as ‘Any Seven’ and ‘Any Craps’. An Any Seven bet means that if shooter rolls a 7 you win money immediately. This bet pays out 5 times your bet. Any Craps means that if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12, you win 8 times your own bet.

Tips and strategies

Our website also offers useful tips to help you become a more complete craps player. Use the tips while playing and understand the rules better. It will also make it easier for you to apply a strategy and ultimately increase your chances of winning as an advanced player.

The successive bets begin with the “Come Out roll”. On the Come Out roll, it is time to place “Pass Line” bets. You can do this by placing a chip on the Pass Line. When you want to bet on the “Don’t Pass Line” bets, you need to place the chips on the Don’t Pass Line. In Pass Line bets, you bet on the thrower (the person who is currently rolling the dice). With the Don’t Pass Line, you bet against the thrower instead.

A player designated as the “Shooter” will throw the dice at an opposite table wall. The outcome of the dice count is then examined. The number of pips on the dice will determine who wins or loses. Is the Come Out roll a 7 or 11? Then the “Pass Line” bets win and the “Don’t Pass Line” bets lose. Is the Come Out roll a 2, 3 or 12? Then it is called “Craps” and the “Don’t Pass Line” bets win with a 2 or 3. On a 12, the player wins or loses nothing.

Point number

When the Come Out roll is any number of eyes other than 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12, this will become the “Point”. If the “Point” is rolled again for the next 7, then all Pass bets will lose and the Don’t Pass bets will win. If the thrower fails to make a point, then this is called “Sevens Out””. Now the thrower gives the dice to the next player. The chance to shoot will be passed around the table clockwise.

The moment a “Shooter” begins the Come Out roll, a plastic disc with the black side up and the words “Off” will be placed in the corner of the table. When the plastic disc is flipped over and the white side is up, “On” will be displayed. This is only when a “Point” has been thrown. The plastic disc will be placed on that point at that time. So the next roll is not a Come Out roll.

You also have “Field” bets. This is for a one-time roll and in this you are going to bet that one of the seven numbers will appear. With this bet, you don’t have to wait for the “Come Out” roll. To bet on this, you can place a bet on one of the areas where “Field” is displayed. Similarly, it is possible to place a bet on the “Hard Ways”.

The best Craps bets

Pass / Don’t Pass

The basic bets as mentioned above, are at the same time also the best bets when you start looking at the odds. The house edge is 1.41% for Pass bets and 1.4% for Don’t Pass bets. Most players will place a bet on the “Pass Line” because this is how you bet on the “Shooter”.

The Come Out roll is the best part to the Pass Line bet. This is because there are six ways to roll a 7 with two dice and two ways to roll an 11, making a total of eight ways to “Come Out”. There are four ways to lose with this bet, one way to make 2 or 12 and two ways to make 3.

With the Don’t Pass Line bets, you have three ways to win because the 12 is excluded. There are eight ways to lose in this process. After a point is established, the Don’t Pass bets will be the favorite to win.

The “Pass Line” and “Don’t Pass Line” bets have a 1-to-1 payout.

Come / Don’t Come

These bets work the same as the Pass / Don’t Pass bets. Only now the bet is made on the number of eyes instead of the Come Out. For example, if a 5 is established as a “Point” on the Come Out, you may now place a bet on the area marked as a “Come”. If the next roll has a result of 7 or 11, then the Come bet will win. Is the next roll a 2, 3 or 12? Then the Come bet loses.

And any other outcome will become the “Point” for the Come bet. Once the shooter rolls 9, then the dealer will place your chips to the area called “Nine / 9”. If the shooter rolls 9 again before a 7 comes, then the Come bet will lose. If you want you can also place another “Come” bet.

The Don’t Come bets work exactly the same as the Don’t Pass bets. Here, if the outcome is 7 or 11, you will lose the bet and if the outcome is 2 or 3, you will win and if the outcome is 12, you will neither lose nor win anything. If a Point is made, then the Don’t Come bets will lose if it is rolled again before a 7 comes and it will win the moment the 7 comes first.

Free Odds

The Free Odds bets are the only bets where no house edge is present in the casino. After a point is established, a player can choose to take back his/her Pass Line or Come bet and place a similar bet in return. This is done by placing chips behind the Pass Line bet.

On a Come bet the player must tell the dealer that it is “Odds” on the Come bet. The dealer will then move the Odds bet to the same area as the Come number.

If the point is rolled before the 7, then the Pass and Come bets will offer 1 to 1 payouts, but the Odds bets are paid out with real odds to roll this number. For example 6 to 5 payout for a 6 or 8, 3 to 2 payout for a 5 or 9 and 2 to 1 payout for a 4 or 10.

Combining a Pass or Come bet with Odds, can reduce the house edge by .8%. Most modern casinos will offer double odds, where the player gets paid twice his original bet on Pass or Come at true odds. This reduces the house edge in Craps even more.

Players who have bet on a Don’t Pass or Don’t Come may place the Odds bet only after a point has been established. As a result, the house will offer the same odds for this bet as for the Pass and Come bets.

As an example, if the point is a 4 or 10, then a player with a 5 euro bet on the Don’t Pass Line may place an additional 10 euro bet to win an extra 5 euros if a 7 is rolled (2 to 1 payout). Players placing their bets on Don’t Come will reduce the house edge by .7% at single odds and by .5% at double odds.

Place / Buy

It is possible to place chips on the playing field or tell the dealer what you want to place a bet on. You don’t have to wait for a point to be established for the Pass or Come bet. If that number comes up in the next roll before a 7 comes up, you win. The player may ask the dealer to remove the bet at any time, which is also not possible with the Pass & Come bets. The Pass / Come remains in effect until a point is reached.

After a result of 7 with two dice, 6 and 8 are the most frequently rolled results. There are five ways to roll both a 6 and 8. A 7 can be rolled six ways. So the real odds are 6 to 5. If the player places his bet on 6 or 8, this offers winnings of 7 to 6. This leaves the casino with a house edge of 1.52%, not as good as the Pass / Come with “Free Odds” bets. But better than most other bets in the casino. It is an alternative for a player to get some quick action on these two numbers.

The rest of the bets at Craps are not as favorable. For example, these pay out 9 to 5 for 4 or 10 with a house edge of 6.67%. Or it pays out 7 to 5 for a 5 or 9 with a house edge of 4%.

Hardways

There are a total of four Hard Way bets possible, namely 4, 6, 8 and 10. The Hard Way is rolled when two dice show the same number of pips and then form the total number. As an example, a Hard 4 is when two twos are rolled. A Hard 6 is on two threes rolled. A Hard 8 is on two tossed fours. A Hard 10 is for two fives thrown.

In a “Hard Way” bet, you must choose the number from the total number of eyes rolled before a 7 or any of the other combinations come up. The house edge on this bet is 11.1% on the Hard 4 or Hard 10. The house edge on this bet is 9.09% on the Hard 6 or Hard 8.

Proposition

“Proposition” bets will be on a one roll basis. An example on any Craps, for example that the outcome in the next roll is a 2, 3 or 12. This bet loses if any other number is rolled. The house edge is huge, being 16.67% on “Any 7”, 13.9% on 2, 13.9% on 12, 11.1% on 3, 11.1% on any Craps, 16.67% on any 2 or 12, 16.67% on any 3 or 11, 11.1% on any 11. Of course, these are all quick ways to lose a lot of money.

Field

The Field bets are just like the Proposition bets in Craps. Here you bet on one outcome/throw. This bet pays 1 to 1 payouts for 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 and 2 to 1 payouts for each 2 or 12. With so many combinations, it’s not surprising that it’s a very popular bet. However, you have to take into account the house edge of 5.6%.

Some casinos may offer a 3 to 1 payout for every 12, bringing the house edge down to 2.7%. Not that it’s good compared to standard Craps bets like the Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line, but it still offers a better house edge than most other casino games.

Big 6 / Big 8

The Big 6 and Big 8 bets work just like the 6 or 8. A Big 6 wins if a 6 is rolled before a 7. Unlike other bets, the Big 6 and Big 8 will offer a 7 to 6 payout. This gives the casino a house edge of 9.09%. These bets are not recommended. You are better off betting on the 6 or 8.

Read more because knowledge is power!

Craps Strategy

Craps Terms

DiceBall

Craps Live

Craps Tips

We offer you some tips on craps and if you follow them, you will better understand how to play craps correctly. The tips are for beginners, but there will also be some useful tips for advanced players.

Tip 1: Focus on the fun of the game

Perhaps one of the most important tips for Craps is that you should focus on the fun you have while playing. Craps can be a fun dice game, whether you win or lose. There is never anything wrong with being eager to win but you should also be prepared to deal with the fact that you may lose.

As soon as you exchange your money for chips, you should consider that this money has already been spent. This way you will appreciate it even more when you win some and if you lose some, the disappointment is less in this case. Focus on having fun and always play with money you can afford. By doing so, you will have a positive experience regardless of the outcome of the game play. With the right mindset, even if you lose, you can still have fun!

Tip 2: Use practice games to learn this dice game

The basic rules of Craps are easy to learn but the game becomes more complicated due to the many other bets available. While it is not difficult to learn Craps, it can seem intimidating during a visit to a real casino. The crowded Craps table with up to 20 people around it will make it difficult to understand all the rules.

The best way to learn how to play craps is with a practice game. You can learn the game from the comfort of your own home, without other players watching. Also, the speed per round is slower because you can click ‘roll’ yourself for when you want the shooter to roll the dice. You also now don’t have to worry about other people when you make a mistake or if it takes a little longer to place a bet.

Tip 3: Make sure you get familiar with the different bets

You can easily enjoy Craps by only placing bets on the simple bets. These are the Pass, Come, Don’t Pass and Don’t Come betting options. Thus, it is not essential to know all the options of the game when you start playing. Nevertheless, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the betting options that are available. By doing so, you’ll become a more complete Craps player and make easier decisions about which ones to use and which ones not to.

Online Craps

The craps table

The game has been popular for years

The playing field is large

Frequently asked questions

🎲🎲 Do I have to roll the dice myself when I play?

No, you can choose not to roll the dice yourself at the Craps table.

🎲🎲 Is it possible to win money with Craps?

Of course you can, if you have a good session.

🎲🎲 Can I practice/play Craps for free?

There is a practice game on our page where you can try Craps for free.

History

It is claimed that Craps descended from “an Old English game”>a noble knight named Sir William of Tyre introduced the game. Knights play this game during their crusades. The game is initially given the name Hazard. This comes from the castle Hazarth around 1125 AD. There is even more evidence where Craps may have come from. This again dates back to the Middle Ages. The Roman legions made cubes (dice) out of pig bones. They would throw the dice into the rib cage of the pig and they called it ‘to roll the bones’.

Spreading the dice game Craps in Europe

The game of dice soon spread and became a very popular game. A famous medieval writer, Geoffrey Chaucer also mentions this game often. Many of his characters play this game. Geoffrey writes about the social life of people at that time. Therefore, it is also a good indication to assume that Craps is popular at that time.

Hazard (now Craps) expands and people play it in luxury gambling houses in the late 1600s and 1700s in England. Betting between nobles is a popular pastime. Big losses and winnings alternate. People love it.

After several decades of playing Craps, the French bring the game to Europe. They change the name to “Crabs. This is because it is the name of the lowest value of a throw of dice. In 1700, the game also crossed the Atlantic and its lineage was hereby transferred to the French colony of Acadia.

Craps to America

In 1755, the French lost their colony of Acadia to the English. This territory was now renamed Nova Scotia. The French who were residing in this territory at the time were forced to leave Acadia. After traveling around for a long time, they ended up in Louisiana. They were called Cajuns and brought with them their own language and a rich culture. One part of this was the game of “Game of Crabs,” which they later called Crebs or Creps.

Some claim that the first English settlers brought Craps to America. Hard evidence does not exist. French or English, it’s all the same. The basic principles such as throwing dice are the same.

The father of modern Craps

John H. Winn holds the honorable title of “father of modern Craps. As early as 1907, he makes changes to the game of Craps. He creates options that allow for “right” or “wrong” bets. This he calls the Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line. Winn is a famous dice maker at that time. The ability for players to bet against or on the shooter makes cheating a lot more difficult.

The strategy and betting systems introduced by John H. Winn remain the same to this day. Because of all these changes, Craps is a big hit and many players still play this exciting casino game with the dice.