The Rules of Craps
The Rules of Craps
General Rules
The most important fact regarding the rules of Craps is that although they may be simple and consistent, some of them are likely to differ somewhat from country to country, region to region, casino to casino, and table to table. This also applies to online casinos.
Major casinos in downtown Las Vegas may have different rules from those at Las Vegas Strip. The latter may also differ from the rules of those in Laughlin, Vancouver, Reno, Winnipeg, or Tahoe. A wise player, therefore, will always study the rules in any casino before s/he chooses to play.
Table and Layout
Before we go into detail with the rules, let us take a look at the layout of a typical Craps table. The felt-covered Craps table is rectangular and has low walls on all four sides. The inside felt walls are padded with a firm plastic foam material that allows them to bounce whatever hits them. The better the bounce, the better the dice perform, rolling enough times to show a great variety of numbers.
The felt layouts over the table surface may differ from casino to casino. Normally, all casino layouts share the same kinds of bets, clearly stated on the felt, available to shooters and players.
There is a betting strip marked as ?Pass,? or ?Pass Line? located along two or more sides of the layout nearest to the players. Further inside and parallel to the previous options, you can find another betting area marked as ?Don't Pass Bar? or simply ?Don't Pass.? In the center of the table there is another betting area marked ?Come,? and near it you can see the opposite option to the latter, called ?Don't Come.? There are several areas for other kinds of bets, which are also neatly printed on the layout. They are referred to as ?Proposition bets.?
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The Dealers
You can find two dealers and a box man assigned to each Craps table. The dealer, who controls the game, is called the stickman. He stands in the middle of one side of the table, between the players. Close to the end of the opposite side of the table, there is a dealer facing the side of the players. The other dealer stands near the other end on that same side of the table, also facing the side of the players. The box man, who is a casino executive, is in charge of the Craps table and is normally seated between the dealers. The chip tray is located right in front of the stickman. On the stickman?s right is the money drop slot where all currency and tips, in the form of chips, are deposited.
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Buying Chips in a Land-Based Casino
In order to play Craps, players must first convert their wagering cash into chips. To get their chips, they simply have to place their cash on the table and ask for chips. It is recommended that they verbally request them by saying "Change Please" loudly enough, especially if they expect to be heard over the usual commotion around the table, usually coming from the other players. For best results, change should be requested only between each dice rolling.
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The Roll
Each throw of the dice is called a roll. Players take turns rolling the dice, clockwise, around the table, and the player rolling is called the shooter. When a new shooter is given the dice, his first roll is called his/er Come Out roll. This begins a new roll, or new series of rolls by the shooter, and lasts only as long as he is able to make winning rolls.
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Winning / Losing Combinations
Winning or losing in Craps depends on a variety of possible outcomes on any dice rolling. Dice can create many different number combinations, some of which can be obtained in several ways, and others in only one way. For example, a five can be obtained in four different combinations: four and one, three and two, two and three and one and four. A two can be rolled in only one way: one and one. By reviewing the chart below, you can see the different odds corresponding to all dice number combinations. The odds for any particular number being rolled are as follows:
Combinations in Craps Using Two Dice
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Total Points Rolled With Two Dice
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Possible Two-Dice Combinations
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Total of Two-Dice Combinations
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Odds Against Rolling a Seven
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2
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1 - 1
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1 (only)
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6 to 1
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3
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1-2, 2-1
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2
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3 to 1
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4
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1-3, 3-1, 2-2
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3
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2 to 1
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5
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1-4, 4-1, 2-3, 3-2
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4
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3 to 2
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6
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1-5, 5-1, 2-4, 4-2, 3-3
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5
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6 to 5
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7
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1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, 4-3
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6 the maximum
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Even
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8
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2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, 4-4
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5
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6 to 5
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9
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3-6, 6-3, 4-5, 5-4
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4
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3 to 2
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10
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4-6, 6-4, 5-5
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3
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2 to 1
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11
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5-6, 6-5
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2
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3 to 1
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|
12
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6-6
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1 (only)
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6 to 1
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A number such as eight, which can be rolled in several ways, does not pay as much as numbers that can be rolled in only one way, such as numbers two and twelve.? A player may bet, however, that the shooter will roll an eight in a particular way, such as a four and a four.? Rolling a pair in this manner is called ?Hardway.?
All winning payoffs are determined by the frequency with which any combination of numbers can be rolled.? For any number from two to twelve, the fewer possible two-dice combinations, the better odds that number will pay, and vice versa.
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