Learn Craps
Craps is a quintessential casino game. Its fast and loud tables draw players and attract onlookers alike. It is absolutely one of the most exciting games in the casino.
What makes craps even more exciting, especially for those participating, is that with a little bit of cunning, the house edge can be leveled to zero. That’s right, craps is the one game in the casino where the player and the house remain on equal standing.

Tables
Similar in size to a pool table, the craps table is surrounded by a wooden railing. The purpose of this railing is for the players to throw their dice against. Additionally, this railing is also lined with sponge and arbitrary patterns in order to bounce the dice randomly. Often the top of the rail have grooves allowing players to balance their chips.
Again like pool, the craps table is fitted with a snug green felt. Patterns have been laid upon this felt which signal what bets are available. While all these appear very complicated, all that really need concern a craps beginner are two strategic areas: the pass line area, and the don’t pass area.

Basic play
Although the game appears complicated and intimidating, in fact on a filtered level it is very simple and basic.
A player continues to shoot (roll) the dice until he hits a 'sevens out'. A sevens out occurs when he rolls a seven. Following this his turn is ended and a new player is able to enter the game. To start, the new player has to make a bet, either a pass line bet, or a don’t pass bet. S-/he then plays a come-out roll, that is, his first turn.
If the new player's come-out roll equals an eleven or a seven, then all those who betted on the pass line are winners, while all those who placed their odds on the don’t pass line are losers. This is known as 'making a pass'. Alternatively, ' craps' occurs if the pass line betters lose while the don’t pass line betters win. Craps occurs when the come-out role is a two, three or twelve. In this regard, craps rules can be slightly fluid between different casinos. For example, in Las Vegas the number twelve is not considered a win for don’t pass line bettors, similarly the two has the same fate in Reno and Tahoe.
The house is able to exert some edge over participants. It does this by barring one of the three craps numbers mentioned above. This means that don’t pass line bettors odds of winning are decreased against the casino. If one of these barred numbers is rolled the don’t pass bettor takes a stand-off with the house. If the house were not able to bar one of the numbers the bettor would maintain an advantage over it. Because this would defeat the purpose of their business, no casino would play without barring.
On a come-out roll, for any number rolled, other than the ones already mentioned above, is known as a place number. A place number is a number in point which the participant tries to achieve a second time. Indeed, s-/he continues to roll the dice until this number comes up again. This is known as making a point. When a point is made, pass line bettors win and, clearly, the don’t pass line bettors lose. However, as mentioned above, is a seven is rolled prior to making a point (sevening out) his/her turn is discontinued and a new player begins the game anew.
However, once a place number has occurred (4.5.6.8.9.10), several options in terms of betting become available on each new roll of the dice. These options continue until the player sevens out. However, it is important to note that on all but two of these options the house enjoys the edge. In some cases this edge is far more imbalanced towards the house than in others.
Besides the two bets that don’t favor the house, it is wise to ignore all other bets. Indeed, those that do play on these bets may seem impressive, but really that are suckers for punishment and clearly don’t realize the odds stacked against them.
Alternatively, the two bets which do not favor the house are known as 'odds on a line' and 'come' bets. The 'come' bet can be extremely complicated and confusing for an initial explanation. However, the 'odds on a line' bet is worth noting for beginners.

Placing line bets
Making line bets is not complicated business. In fact the explanations above almost clearly explain what they are. Making a line bet entails placing your money/chips either on the part of the table labeled 'pass line' or the part that has been designated as the 'don’t pass' area.
If a player has chosen the pass line area, s-/he is places the odds on the shooter throwing a seven or eleven on the come-out roll. If the shooter does not achieve either of these numbers, and instead rolls a place number, the pass line bettor can still win if this place number is re-thrown before the shooter sevens out.
Alternatively, the opposite is true if the bettor places his/ her chips in the don’t pass line area. In this case, the better hope that the come-out roll will be either a two or a three, or if not that, then the shooter will seven out before s-/he rolls the place number twice.
There is another bet in craps known as 'odds on a line' bet, or, quite simply, as 'odds bets'. This type of betting occurs once a point has been established on the come-out roll. When this happens participants are invited to place odds against a seven being rolled prior to the point number. The odds bets allow players to place additional bets on top of and equal to the amount of their line bet. However, today, more and more casinos today are allowing odds bets that exceed the line bets.
Unlike the other bets which favor the house, the casino doesn’t advertise how or where to place the odds bets. This is because; placing odds bets doesn’t have a house edge. To place and odds bet the player him-/herself has to know that this is permissible. Odds bets are made directly behind the pass line bet. This is the case even though there are no indications on the table that odds bets are played in this manner.

The Math
The number seven can be rolled is six different combinations. Similarly, the numbers six and eight can be rolled in five different ways. There are slightly better odds that a seven will be rolled before a six or an eight. These odds are six to five. In terms of payment, therefore, if the point number is a six or an eight the odds bet will be paid off at the ratio of six to five. For example, for a ten dollar bet, a player will win twelve dollars at these odds.
Accordingly, the odds of a five or nine occurring prior to a seven are three to two. Hence the odds bets are paid in accordance to the same proportion, that is: fifteen dollars for every ten dollar bet. The odds for four or ten are much lower, indeed, theirs is a two to one ration. Thus for every ten dollar bet on these numbers, the payout is twenty dollars if they win.
Important considerations:
Don’t forget that it is permissible to place odds bets at any time once the come-out roll has taken place. This means they do not have to be placed immediately. Nonetheless it is advisable not to wait, as these bets have the best odds on the table. Odds bets are very fluid. That means, not only are you allowed to make them at any time, but you can also withdraw and reinstate them also. The only clause on an odds bet is to have placed them or changed them according to you desire before a seven is rolled.
It is integral to take the chips off the table once an odds bet has been won. If not stated otherwise, the chips will be considered automatically off. Therefore the onus is on the player to alert the dealer that the chips are down for the following play. Caution is necessary. Because of the speed and verbosity of the game, often the dealer may not hear this request, therefore in order to avoid complications it is recommended to remove the chips and replace them for each new game!

Where to play Craps online?
All of the casinos on our site have Craps.