Fast-paced thrills and action-packed gaming comes with every throw of the dice when you shoot craps. The most boisterous cheers in the casino usually come from the craps table.
How to Play Craps
One player, called the shooter, throws the dice. All bets must be placed before the dice are thrown. Different types of bets can be made. You can start playing even if you are not yet familiar with all the bets on the table—you will easily learn all of them as you play.
In a round of craps, the first roll, or throw of the dice, is called the “come out roll.” If the total is 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, the round ends. If the dice total is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, that becomes the “point” and a puck is placed to mark it. The shooter keeps rolling the dice until that point comes out again, or until a 7 is rolled.
Pass Line
You may place your bet on Pass Line before the come out roll. This bet pays even money if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11. You lose the bet if the result is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as craps). Any other number becomes the point. If the shooter rolls the point again before a 7 comes out, your Pass Line bet wins even money. If the 7 is rolled before the point, you lose.
Don't Pass Line
This is simply the opposite of the Pass Line bet. If you bet on Don’t Pass Line, you lose if the shooter’s come out roll is a 7 or 11. You win even money if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 (12 is a tie). Any other number becomes the point. You lose if the point comes out again, and win if a 7 rolls.
Come Bets
These are bets made anytime after the first roll, when the shooter still has to make a point. You win on a 7 or 11 and lose on a 2, 3 or 12. Any other number becomes the “come point” and must be repeated before a 7 for you to win.
Don't Come Bets
Made anytime after the first roll, when the shooter still has to make a point. This is the opposite of the Come Bet. You win if the roll comes out a 2 or 3 (12 is a tie), and lose if it comes out a 7 or 11.
Odds
Once a point is made on the first roll, or a come point on a succeeding roll, you may bet the odds and win if the point or come points are made before a 7. Payoffs are: 2 to 1 on 4 and 10, 3 to 2 for 5 and 9, 6 to 5 on 6 and 8. “Don’t pass” or “don’t come” bets are in reverse: you must lay the odds in order to win.
Place Bets
Once the shooter makes a point, you may make a “place bet” on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. If the shooter rolls any of these numbers before a 7, you win the following payoffs: 9 to 5 on a 4 and 10, 7 to 5 on 5 and 9, and 7 to 6 on 6 and 8.
A place bet may be taken off anytime before the next roll.
Field Bets
A one roll bet. You win even money on 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11. You win 2 to 1 on 2 and 12. You lose on 5, 6, 7 or 8.
Proposition Bets
These are one-roll bets found in the center of the table. You are betting that on the very next roll of the dice, any of these numbers will come up:
• Any craps (2, 3 or 12) pays 7 to 1
• Aces (2) or Twelve (12) pays 30 to 1
• Ace-Deuce (3) or Eleven (11) pays 15 to 1
• Seven (7) pays 4 to 1
Hardways
This is not a one-roll bet. You are betting that the shooter will roll a pair. Hardways win if the dice roll as a pair and lose if a 7 rolls or if the number is thrown “the easy way.” Example: If you bet a hard 8 and the dice roll comes out a 4, 4 you win. If the dice roll ‘easy’ 5, 3 or 6, 2 you lose. Hard six or eight pays 9 to 1. Hard four or ten pays 7 to 1.
