All Games Casino Guide
Craps Basics
I can't think of a more intimidating game for beginners than Craps. Most people are just too scared to walk up the Craps table. Perhaps it's all the options and the fear of looking stupid that keeps people away from this game. Craps doesn't need to be overwhelming. While there's a lot to the game, it's unique in that you don't have to worry about the possible options. Think of Craps as a multitude of games within a game.
Free Casino Money to Play Craps
For instance, you could just play a certain number or just the hardways. We'll go more into all the bets later, but first we need to go over the basics of the game. I can't think of a better place to start than to explain the general game flow.
Craps Game Flow
Each round of Craps begins with a come out roll. The grand purpose of this action is to establish what's called the point. Once the shooter rolls a 4,5,6,8,9 or 10, a point is established. It's then the shooter’s goal to roll that same number again before he or she rolls a 7.
Now, if a shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come out roll, those betting the passline win and those betting the don't pass lose—we'll talk about this later. Should a shooter roll a 2,3 or 12, the passline bettors lose and the don't pass bettors win—except on a 12 where the don't pass bettor push.
For now, all you need to know is that the general round cycle in Craps is that a shooter establishes a point and rolls until he or she either hits a 7 or rolls the point. A 7 would end the round. A point roll would start a new round. Okay, let's get into some bet types.
Making a Pass
Let's begin with the bread and butter of Craps. If you ignore the rest of this article, you could still have fun playing Craps just by knowing this section. Before I go on, there are two rules you must know.
- If you make a passline wager, it can't be picked up once a point is established.
- You can't make a don't pass wager after a point is established—although you can just place the bet.
Your pass and don't pass wagers are always paid even money. Once a point is established, you can take odds on the point. Those odds are paid more than even money and the pay depends on the number.
For instance, let's say you put $10 on the passline and a 4 is rolled—becoming the point. You put $20 odds down and the shooter won by throwing another 4. Your $10 passline wager is paid $10, but your $20 odds are paid $40, because the 4 and 10 pay 2 to 1.
If the point were a 5 or 9, you would be paid 3 to 2 on your odds, so $10 is paid $15. Finally, a point of 6 or 8 is paid 6 to 5, so $10 is paid $12. The difference in pay is based on the number of combinations there are to make the number—more on this later.
When you place a wager on the passline, you are hoping the shooter makes the point. So, if the point were a 6, you'd want the shooter to throw a 6 before a 7, which would end the roll. However, if you make a don't pass wager, you want the shooter to "7 out," which means the shooter will roll a 7 before rolling the point number.
Come On
There are two other bets, which function just like the pass and don't pass wagers, but these two are active after a point has been established. Well, technically, you could place them whenever, but if you do it on the come out roll, it's the same as the pass and don't pass.
The two bets are Come and Don't Come. The Come betting area is a huge space above the field. The Don't Come betting area is a smaller space next to the row of numbers on top of the layout—by the dealer.
These bets work just like the pass and don't pass described above. When you make a Come bet, for instance, the next number rolled becomes the point for the wager. And just like the passline wager, you win on a 7 or 11 and lose on a 2,3, or 12.
Just like your pass and don't pass wagers, you can place odds on Come and Don't Come wagers and those odds can be removed or added at any time.
Betting the Field
The field is that big universe of numbers on the layout—right above the passline. It takes up a lot of space and includes the 2,3,4,9,10,11 and 12. The field bet pays even money—except the 2 and 12, which pay 2x or 3x depending on the casino.
The field is what's called a one-roll wager. In other words, once placed, it either wins or loses on the very next roll. If you make a field wager, you win if the very next roll is a 2,3,4,9,10,11 or 12 and lose if the roll is a 5,6,7, or 8. Sounds like a good deal right? I mean, look at all those numbers. Ah, not so fast.
We'll talk about number combinations later, but for now just know that there are more ways to lose a field bet than to win one. There are 36 possible dice combinations in Craps and 16 of those resulting in field rolls. That means there are 20 losing combinations.
Here's something to remember. Come bets, except the odds, always work on come out rolls. So if someone rolls a 7 on the come out roll, your come bets lose, but any odds are returned to you. Don't come wagers would win on a 7 on the come out roll.
Big 6 and Big 8 Betting
These are located on the lower corner of the layout—above the passline. They are there for lazy and uneducated players. This bet only pays even money. So, a $10 win pays $10. It's better to place the number to get odds.
This bet is there to trick uneducated players. If you put down a $30 wager on the Big 6 and win, you are paid $30. However, if you had placed the number—we'll go over this soon—you would be paid $35. You're losing almost 17% of your profits by not knowing any better.
By the way, this wager stays up until it loses—when a 7 is rolled.
Place Your Numbers
Okay, since we talked about placing numbers in the last segment, it's best to explain that right now. On the top of the layout, you will notice a series of numbers in a horizontal row. Those numbers are: 4,5,6,8,9 and 10. You can place these numbers at any time.
When you place a number, you're betting on the hunch that the number will be rolled again. Place wagers stay up until they lose, so you could win repeatedly from a single wager.
Here's the payout for each of the place numbers:
- 4 and 10: Pays 9 for 5, unless you buy it.
- 5 and 9: Pays 7 for 5
- 6 and 8: Pays 7 for 6
Let's imagine that you put $30 down on the 5 and the next 10 dice rolls are: 2,11,5,3,5,6,8,3,5, and 4. As you can see, the 5 was rolled three times. Each time the five was rolled, you were paid $35. So, after 10 rolls, you have $105 in your pocket and $30 still on the 5.
You can take your place wagers down at any point. The amount of money paid per win is based on the number of combinations that each number has. We'll go over this later.
As with most things in Craps, there's also a way to bet against the numbers. You could put down a don't place wager on the 5. If you do this, you want the shooter to throw a 7 before throwing a 5. Basically, the odds work in reverse.
Let's imagine you put a don't place wager down on the 5. If you wanted to win $30, you would need to make a wager of $35.
Prop Bets
Smack dab in the middle of the Craps layout is an area full of prop bets. These bets are house favorites, because their advantage is larger than the other wagers. In this section, we'll go over all the prop bets. While they aren’t the smartest bets in the world, they can be fun and lead you to big paydays.
Hardways
The first set of prop bets we'll discuss is the hardways. There are four hardway wagers—hard 4, hard 6, hard 8, and hard 10. There is only one way to hit each hardway wager and here are the ways:
- Hard 4: Must throw two 2's.
- Hard 6: Must throw two 3's.
- Hard 8: Must throw two 4's.
- Hard 10: Must throw two 5's.
Hardway wagers stay up until they lose. They lose if the shooter rolls either a 7 or the non-hard version of the number. For instance, let's say you have a hard 8 bet on the table. You would lose if the shoot throws any of the number 7 combinations, a 6 and a 2, or a 5, and a 3.
The hard 4 and 10 pay 8 for 1 and the hard 6 and 8 pay 10 for 1. The 4 and 10 pay a little less, because it's technically easier to hit those. There are only two combinations to hit a 4 (2-2 and 3-1) and one of those is the hardway. The same is true for the ten.
It's very common for people to bet the hardway version of a number when that number is the point. Like I said, it's not the best fiscal decision, but it can be fun—if you win.
Craps & Eleven
Two other common prop wagers are Craps and Eleven—also called Yo. You'll see these wagers fly in on the come out roll. Many players call them "protection." A Craps wager wins when the very next roll is a 2,3 or 12. The Eleven wager wins when the very next roll is an 11. These are one-roll wagers.
The Any Craps wager pays 7:1 when hit, so a $1 wager pays $7. The Eleven bet pays 15:1, so a $1 wager returns $15. Again, these aren't the best wagers in the house, but it's nice when they hit. You have a 5.5% probability of hitting your Eleven wager on any roll and a 11.1% probability of hitting an Any Craps bet on any given roll.
Other Numbers
The prop area also gives you a way to make a one-roll wager on a 2,3,7 and 12. The three pays 15:1, while the 2 and 12 pays 30:1.
The Any Seven wager won't win you any friends at a crowded table, but some people like playing it when they get a hunch. The Any Seven bet pays 5 for 1.
Combos and Probabilities
Okay, here's the section you have waited for. I will break down all the combinations and probabilities.
Two: There's one way to make a two (1-1), so it has a 2.7% probability of showing up on any given roll.
Three: The three can be rolled two ways (1-2 and 2-1), so it has a 5.5% probability of showing up on any given roll.
Four: The four can be rolled three ways (1-3, 3-1 and 2-2). It has an 8.3% probability of showing up on any roll.
Five: The five has four combinations (1-4, 4-1, 2-3 and 3-2). It has an 11.1% probability of showing up on any roll.
Six: The six has five possible combinations (1-5, 5-2, 4-2, 2-4, and 3-3). It has a 13.8% probability of showing up on any given roll.
Seven: The seven has the most possible combinations of any number with six (1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, and 4-3). There's a 16.6% probability that a seven will be rolled at any time.
Eight: There's five possible ways to make an eight (2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, and 4-4). The eight has a 13.8% probability of showing up at any time.
Nine: The nine is just like the five in that it has four combinations (4-5, 5-4, 3-6, and 6-3). Like the five, the nine has an 11.1% probability of being rolled.
Ten: Just like the four, there's three ways to make a ten (4-6, 6-4, and 5-5). The ten has a 8.3% probability of showing up at any time.
Eleven: The eleven can be made two ways (5-6 and 6-5). It has a 5.5% probability of being rolled.
Twelve: The twelve only has one possible combination (6-6) and it has a 2.7% probability of being rolled.
Now that you know all the possible combinations, you can look at something like the Field Bet and see that since there are only 16 possible winning combinations, you have a 44.4% probability of winning. Knowing the combinations and probabilities are key pieces of information for the winning Craps player.
It's Time
It's time to put down the reading material and to venture off to the Craps table. You know enough information to have fun and win some money at any Craps table in the world. Start by practicing with small amounts of money or for free somewhere online.
As you get more comfortable, expand your knowledge by thinking up or reading Craps playing strategies. Craps is a great game and there's a reason why it's the loudest game in the casino.