If you're unfamiliar with how to play craps for fun, we’re here to guide you through this widely enjoyed casino dice game. We’ll explain the essential rules and gameplay, as well as how to place bets in craps and explore the various versions of the game. After you've got a handle on it, you'll be ready to dive into the excitement at an online table.
Craps is a dice game where players bet on the outcomes of a pair of dice being rolled. The casino game is played with a table, the layout of which shows the bet types available. Players wager against the bank (casino) on outcomes like Pass or Don’t Pass.
To play craps, you essentially predict the outcome of a roll of two dice. While there are additional elements such as the betting options and table layout, craps is easier to grasp than it may first appear.
Let’s start covering what you need to know:
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We go into more detail on possible bets below, but you’ll likely be kicking things off here with a Pass line/Don’t Pass bet, along with any other bets you want to make.
In rounds that haven’t been won or lost on the come out roll, your initial roll is followed up with additional opportunities to bet until you roll that point number again, or a 7.
As you can see above, understanding craps basics hinges on having some knowledge of which numbers win/lose on the come out bet, and how a round ends based on 7 or the point being rolled first. We’ll get into this in some more detail below.
We’ve covered how to play casino craps above, but let’s take a quick look at how a round works:
Before diving into the most effective craps strategies, it’s essential to grasp how the various bets function. This can be a bit confusing since they use terminology that isn't commonly found in other online casino games. The following explanations will help clarify these concepts:
With a Pass line bet, players will win with a come out roll of 7 or 11 and lose if 2, 3, or 12 is rolled. If any other number is rolled – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 – you need to roll that number again before 7 to win.
Here, players will win if the come out roll is 2 or 3 and lose if it’s 7 or 11. In this case, however, 12 is a push. If a point is established, 7 must be rolled before that number appears again to win.
Come bets are placed once a point of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 has been established.The Come bet is similar to the Pass line bet, in that it wins on 7 or 11 and loses on 2, 3, or 12 on the roll that immediately follows the bet. If any other number is rolled, that becomes your point and your bet moves to that number. Hit it again before 7 and you’ll win, but you’ll lose if 7 comes first.
Like Don’t Pass is to Pass, this bet is (for the most part) the inverse of the Come bet. You’ll lose on 7 or 11 and win on 2 or 3 on the roll that immediately follows the bet. But, once again, 12 is a push. Any other number becomes your point, and you’re betting that 7 will be rolled before your point.You can also remove or decrease a Don’t Come bet after a point is established.
Odds bets, which can be considered a type of side bet once the point has been established, pay if the point is rolled before a 7. They’re an extremely appealing wager, with no house edge, but you can only wager a certain amount compared with your Pass bet; this figure, e.g. 3x or 10x odds, varies from table to table and describes how much you can wager on Odds.
A proposition or prop bet is a side wager on a game that has nothing to do with the overall outcome. In craps, this includes bets like Snake Eyes (a 1 on each die), any 7, or a Hard 8 (a 4 on each die). Many, but not all, of them are one-roll bets and are accompanied by a high house edge.
A place is a wager that a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a 7. The house edge, and your associated odds of winning, vary depending on the number you bet on. A Place to Lose bet is the opposite of a Place bet, wagering that 7 will be rolled before the number you’re betting against.
These are similar to Odds or Place bets, wagering on a number appearing before a 7 is rolled. They pay fair odds, but you need to pay a commission (vig) to make the bet. Because of the added complexity that can add in a brick and mortar venue, many players opt to stick with Place bets.
Lay bets are similar to Place bets (and Buy bets), except you’re wagering that a 7 will be rolled before the number you lay. These also require the payment of a commission, or vig.
With this single-roll bet, you’re wagering that the shooter will roll 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Results of 2 and 12 may pay double, or even triple, depending on the casino you’re using. 5, 6, 7, and 8 all lose.
These bets, which are not one-roll bets, are bets on any combination totaling 6 or 8 will appear before a 7 is rolled. They may be eye-catching, being big and bright red, but there are better ways to bet on the numbers 6 and 8 than these bets…which have a prohibitive house edge of around 9%.