Winning Money Articles & Resources
Craps is one of the most exciting casino games, but surprisingly few regular casino gamblers know how to play. We've devoted this page to show you how craps is played, and to give you expert tips to reduce the house edge to virtually nothing.
It's a game that has the best odds in your favour than any other game of chance, and actually offers the chance to place a bet where the casino has no edge at all. True odds!
Every casino site offers craps practice for free, and gives you a great chance to learn this game. Anyone who's played in a Las Vegas casino will have heard the excited noise from players at a craps table. It's often known as the king of casino games for good reason, with playing online a good way to play. But if you have the chance don't miss up on the opportunity for some live craps action.
How To Play Craps
Craps is played by a 'shooter', the player rolling the dice. You throw a dice from one end of the craps table to the back wall at the other end, and establish a 'point' number.
'Making the point' is achieved by throwing a 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 and is shown with a white puck getting placed on the table on the rolled number.
Any 7 rolled means the round is over, and the dice are passed to the next player.
Once the point is made, the shooter continues trying to roll that number again - a huge number of side bets can take place, and there are no time limits. Other players will bet on what number the shooter will roll.
Basic Craps Bets
The pass-line bet is the most basic bet. It pays evens, and has a low house edge of 1.4%. You place it before the first roll of the dice in a new game, and win if the shooter rolls 7 or 11, and lose if they roll 2,3 or 12.
Any other number rolled becomes the 'point'. If the shooter rolls a point before a 7, your pass-line bet wins. If the shooter rolls a 7 again, before rolling the point, you've lost.
If you miss the start of a game, or want additional action, the come bet is used by placing a bet on the come bar. This is exactly like placing a bet on the pass line, and it pays out in exactly the same way.
The don't pass line bet is the reverse. If the shooter rolls a 3 or 12 you win immediately, but if the roll is 7 or 11 you've lost. Any 2 returns your stake. If the shooter makes his point, bets win if the shooter rolls a 7 before making the point again.
Further bets include don't come, place, field, proposition, horn, and hardway. Full details of these can be found on the Intercasino website.
Craps Bets To Avoid
There are a number of side bets in craps with terrible odds, and these are the bets to avoid:
Backing a 7 at a payout of 4/1 when the true odds are 5/1 is a mistake. The house edge on this is 16.6%.
It's the same for a bet on 11 - payout 14/1 but true odds are 17/1.
The horn bet gives a house edge of 16.66% too - this is betting on a 2, 3, 11 or 12.
Any craps and hardways are also poor value bets.