Read this article and find out everything about craps rules and learn to efficiently play craps both online and in real life casinos. Being a successful craps player means to know and understand how this game works.
How to Play Craps
If you don't know already, craps is a dice game, and in order for you to win, you must predict the result of a roll of two dices. You will be paid out depending on the amount of money you've bet and the type of the bet you've made.
A game of craps can be played with even up to 20 players at the table, with one player always being the shooter, meaning the one that rolls the dices. After a craps round ends, a new player will become the shooter, usually the one that follows the last shooter in a clockwise fashion.
Before the game begins, the shooter must place either a "pass line" or "don't pass line" bet. The first part of a craps round is called the "Come Out" and begins with the shooter making one or multiple so-called come out rolls. If the come out roll results in a 2, 3 or 12, then anyone betting on the "pass line" will lose, but if the come out roll results in 7 or 11, then anyone making a pass line bet wins.
The second part is called "Point", and if the shooter's roll results in numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, then this establishes the point, meaning that in order for anyone to win, this number needs to be rolled again, before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a 7 before the established point number, the pass line bettors will lose.
Remember: Every craps betting possibility has a different winning probability and the lower the probability, the higher the potential payout. But make sure to place lower probability bets only if you understand the risks.
The Craps Table
The craps table is divided in three areas, namely two side areas that are similar to each other and a middle area. The two side areas contain the pass and don't pass line bets, come and don't come bets, odds bet, place bets and the field bets. The middle area is the place where the so-called proposition bets are made.
In order for a player, to place one of the above mentioned bets, he or she must put the desired number of chips on the field denoting the respective bet. It's not necessary to join the game at the very beginning, meaning that players may enter anytime they want, unless the point number was already established and the shooter began rolling the dices again. In this case, players must wait for the next round to begin.
A craps game is managed by four casino staff members, namely a boxman, two dealers and a stickman, making cheating not possible. When rolling the dices, the dealers will make sure the player uses only one hand, and the dices bounce off the wall that surrounds the table. You must remember these rules if you intend to play in a real casino.
Online Casino Craps Rules
Online craps rules are identical with the craps rules in land based casinos, but the gameplay is generally simpler in the online variant. In online craps, you manage the game by clicking certain buttons and letting the software manage the game.
The results of a virtual roll of dices are determined by sophisticated random number generators that never fail and can't be cheated in any way. The only thing that is extremely important in this case as well is the different craps betting possibilities.
Tip: Check out or additional craps game guides to find out everything about each different craps bet and its winning chances.
Online casino craps games can be played whenever you like right from your computer. Usually you must download a casino application to your hard drive, but this is most of the time only a few MB large, so it won't create you many problems.
The big part of online casinos is also licensed in one or multiple states, which means it was verified by specific government agencies and determined to be secure both payment and software wise.
But no matter if you play craps online or offline, understanding the rules of craps is the most essential thing in this game.