Your Guide on craps rules, history, strategy guide.

The Game of Craps

The Name of the Game

The North American game of Craps, which is known also as Bank Craps, New York Craps, Las Vegas Craps, Hazard, Chicken Hazard, Chuck a Luck, or just plain Crabs, is easily the most raucous, animated and physically vigorous game in the house. It has true personality. Watch a game for a minute or two and you will be struck with its colorful outbursts, player interaction, and the unbridled excitement that only few other casino games offer. Its atmosphere is playful, informal and energetically charged.

Craps differs from most casino games in other ways too. There are no seats at this game; people play standing up; any number may play; every wagering round is the same; unlike Poker or Blackjack, there

are few tactics one can attempt applying; there is no bluffing; the key player is the guy who throws the dice, who is called the shooter. The other players may bet, but for the most part they are spectators with their attention fixed on the gyrations of the shooter, and the roll of the dice. And, oh yes, the game has three casino employees at the table to ensure things run smoothly.

There is only one shooter, and he does not play against the house, the dealer, the other players, or even himself. Every player and game round focuses on the roll of the fickle dice. The throwing of the dice always determines winners and losers.

The Object of the Game

In its simplest form, the object of Craps is to win any bet laid on the table, based on the expectation that the very next dice roll will favor the player.

There are many ways to bet and various rules and odds that affect each type of bet, determining the resulting payoffs accordingly. Some experts insist that Craps has the lowest overall house advantage of all the casino games. At the same time, it is unquestionably a complicated game with many rules. The best piece of advice for newcomers is to study the game with diligent care until they are absolutely ready to play.

The Table and The Dice

The game of Craps is played on a rectangular-shaped table with low, padded walls around it. It is played with a set of two, perfectly shaped, six-sided dice. Those dice are usually made of cellulose or similar plastic material. Each side of each die (cube) has from one to six dots. The combination of the six dots plus the number of dice in a game determine the mathematical probabilities of any number being thrown.

Basic Game Description

The shooter, who stands at one end of the table, starts each game by making a random bet. Along with his bet, he places cash or chips on the appropriate layout section before he rolls. The players may then bet on the shooter, against the shooter or make side bets on the roll outcome. Once all bets are placed, the shooter takes the dice in one hand and tosses them across the length of the table, from one end to the other. He must ensure that both dice are thrown hard enough to strike the opposite wall of the table and bounce back onto the center surface of the table.

The moment the dice stop moving, the dealer declares the number ?rolled.? That number is based on the total from adding the dots showing on each die, and all winning bets are paid accordingly.

The dice dots also determine whether the player wins, loses, continues to throw, or loses the dice to another shooter. If the new shooter wins, he may continue betting and rolling or he may decide to quit and give up the dice. Either way, all players get their turn to be shooters and toss the dice for a winning combination.

Although variations of Craps are played in Europe, especially in England, France, and Monaco, Bank Craps (Las Vegas Craps), and New York Craps, are the versions of the game played most often in the major gambling casinos in North America. All of them use specially designed tables and easy-to-read printed layouts, and all bets are made against the house.