There is a very popular game in casinos – Craps, and the Craps Rules must be understood to play the game. The rules are actually quite simple, the odds of winning and betting strategies take a lot longer time to master – if it can ever actually be mastered because luck still has an overwhelming influence in this game. This is a very popular game because it requires minimal equipment – just a pair of dice is all that is really needed, but casinos have built specific tables for this very exciting game.
Terminology
Before getting into the rules, there are several terms that new players need to understand:
Shooter – the person rolling the dice
Come Out Roll – the total of the dice when rolled the first time
Point – the number set by the “Come Out Roll”
Craps – the roll of two, three, or twelve, which loses all bets
Natural – the roll of seven or eleven on a “Come Out Roll” which wins
Pass Bet – betting that the shooter throws a point or natural
Don’t Pass Line Bet – bets the shooter won’t throw the point or natural
Pass Line – the place where the bets are placed
Stickman – proclaims the roll of the dice and directs the winnings to the appropriate players
Dealer – collects the bets from the players and pays the winners
Boxman – exchanges the money for chips, and exchanges the small valued chips for larger values
How the Game is Played
The game begins when the players place their bets. The “shooter” is chosen and rolls the dice, which establishes the “Come Out Roll”. This is done each time a new game is started when the prior shooter doesn’t throw the dice that makes a Point or actually loses and shoots craps.
The shooter rolls the dice and, for example, rolls a three and a two, making the “Point” a five – the total of the dice. A marker is placed on the table’s number five. Now the challenge, the “shooter” must roll a five again before they roll a seven. If the shooter rolls a five before rolling a seven, then they win. When they win, the shooter rolls again in order to start another “Come Out Roll”. If they roll the point number before they roll the seven, they win, if they roll a seven before the point number they lose. If you roll any other number, other than “Craps”, they keep rolling until they roll the point number before they roll the seven.
If the “Come Out Roll’s is a seven or an 11, it is a “Natural”, and results in a winning bet for players who have placed their money on the “Pass Line”. Players who have placed their money on the “Don’t Pass Line” would lose their bets. The shooter rolls again until a “Point” is thrown.
If the “shooter” continues to playa and rolls a two, three, or twelve they have shot “Craps” and lost.
The Craps Rules are simple and makes this game great fun drawing the noisiest and most enthusiastic players.
