Craps

The roll of the dice is all it takes to determine the winners and losers in this table game. Yet, few can resist the lure of a 7 or 11 in the first round. What if a 2, 3 or 12 shows up? Craps!

How to Play Craps

Place a bet before the dice is rolled. Click on the chips and choose the nature of bet by clicking again on that spot on the table. You can also modify and cancel your bets.

Craps is a dice game where players guess which number will be rolled. There are different ways to bet on a number. One can bet that the value of the numbers on the two dice will equal 7. Or you can wager that before the 7, a 5 will be rolled. The person rolling the dice is called the shooter.

Craps is played in rounds. This round can end automatically, depending on the bet placed. If that does not happen, the number that was rolled becomes the ‘Point’. The round following this comes to an end only if a point or a 7 is rolled. Each outcome carries its own meaning in terms of winning and losing and payouts, which is explained later. Unless you know the different kinds of bets and what they mean, you cannot play Craps.

Pass Line Bet

The Pass Line bet is the basic bet one wagers in a game of Craps. It is a series bet, where the shooter may have to roll the bet several times to determine the outcome. This also means the wager is a contract -one cannot withdraw after a round, unless the series is completed. The first roll in this series is called the come-out roll.

• In this round, if 7 and 11 appear, it is an automatic pass line win, you win even money and the game ends.
• If 2, 3 or 12 (referred to as Craps -French for ‘toad’, meaning bad luck) is thrown up, it is an automatic loss.
• The game ends with just one roll.
• Any other number rolled – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 – becomes the shooter’s Point and the series continues.
• If the shooter establishes a point, the objective of the shooter is to roll the point number again before a 7.
• If any number other than the point or 7 is rolled, the shooter merely has to roll again.
• If the point is rolled, the series ends with a win for all pass line bets. Payouts follow a pre-determined
  pattern as shown below in Table 1.
• If a 7 is rolled, it is called a ‘seven out’ and the series ends with all pass line bets losing.
• In other words, rolling a 7 after a point leads to loss of wager.

Example: The shooter throws the dice on a come-out roll and a 4 is rolled. This is a ‘point’ of 5. The dice is rolled again and an 8 is thrown up. There is a status quo on pass line bets. The shooter throws the dice again and rolls a 5. A ‘point’ is established. Pass line bets remain unaffected. The next dice roll yields a 3. It has come after the point, so nothing happens. Another roll throws up a 5 yet again. It is a win. If a 7 had been rolled as
this stage, it would have been a ‘Seven Out’ with all pass line bets relinquished.

Pass Odds

Also called ‘taking the odds’, it is an additional bet one can make midway through a Pass Line bet, when a point has been established. The bet is that the Point will be rolled before a 7. The Pass Odds bet has to be a multiple of Pass Line bet and has the same payout as shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Number Payout
4 2:1
5 3:2
6 6:5
8 6:5
9 3:2
10 2:1

Don’t Pass Line Bet

This is a series bet and is the direct opposite of the Pass Line Bet. Considered equivalent to betting against the shooter, the bet is that 2 or 3 will be rolled on the come-out roll, or that a 7 will be rolled before the Point.

• If a 7 or 11 (Natural) is rolled, you lose.
• If a 2 or 3 (Craps) is rolled, you win even money.
• If a 12 is rolled, it is a push (tie).
• If a number other than the above appears, it is the Point.
• If the Point is rolled before a 7, you lose.
• If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you win according to the payout table shown in Table 2.

Don’t Pass Odds

Don’t Pass Odds, also called ‘laying the odds’ is an additional bet and is opposite to ‘taking the odds’. Placed midway through a Don’t Pass Bet, it is wager that a 7 will be rolled before the Point. This wager is a multiple of the Don’t Pass Bet, carries the same payout as the Don’t Pass Line Bet which is given below:

Table 2

Number Payout
4 1:2
5 2:3
6 5:6
8 5:6
9 2:3
10 1:2

Come Bet

Come bet is nothing but a pass line bet, placed after a point has been established. It is a contract bet. The next roll of the dice then becomes the come-our roll for your bet. In effect, this means multiple rounds of Craps are played simultaneously.

• If 7 or 11 (Natural) is rolled in the come-out roll for your bet, you win even money.
• If a 2, 3, or 12 (Craps) is rolled on the come-out roll, you lose.
• If a Natural or Craps is not rolled in the come-out roll, the next number rolled becomes the Point.
• If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you lose.
• If the Point is rolled before a 7, you win according to payouts shown in Table 3.

If a natural or craps is not rolled on the come-out roll and a Point is established, your chip is moved to the Come box for that number. For example, if the Point is 6, your chip is moved to the Come 6 box.
When the Point for the original round of Craps is rolled with Come bets still on the table:

• The come-out roll applies to the Come bets.
• The come-out roll does not apply to Odds bets.
• If the Come bet is resolved on the Come Out roll, the Odds bets are returned.

Come Odds

A Come Odds or taking the odds is an additional bet that the Point will be rolled before a 7. You can only place this wager only after placing a Come bet and after a Point has been established. The Come Odds bet is a multiple of the Come bet and has the same payout as the Come bet as depicted in Table 3 below.

• If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you lose.
• If the Point is rolled before a 7, you win.

Table 3

Number Payout
4 2:1
5 3:2
6 6:5
8 6:5
9 3:2
10 2:1

Don’t Come Bet

A Don’t Come bet is akin to a Don’t Pass bet. However, a Don’t Come bet is placed after the Point has been established for another round of Craps. The next roll of the dice then becomes the come out roll of the bet. This allows multiple rounds of Craps to be played simultaneously.

• If 2 or 3 (Craps) is rolled in the come-out roll for your bet, you win even money.
• If a 7 or 11 (a Natural) is rolled on the come-out roll, you lose.
• If a 12 (Craps) is rolled on the come-out roll, it is a push or tie.
• If a Natural, Craps, or a 12 is not rolled in the come-out roll, the next number rolled becomes the Point.
• If the Point is rolled before a 7, you lose.
• If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you win according to the payout Table 4.

If a Natural or Craps is not rolled on the come-out roll and a Point is established, your chip is moved to the Don’t Come box for that number. For example, if the Point is 8, your chip is moved to the Don’t Come box for the number 8.

Don’t Come Odds

This is an additional bet which you can wager after a point has been established in your Don’t Come bet round.
The bet is that a 7 will be rolled before the Point is rolled again. Your Don’t Come Odds bet is a multiple of your Don’t Come bet.

• If the Point is rolled before a 7, you lose.
• If a 7 is rolled before the Point, you win according to the payout Table 4.

Table 4

Number Payout
4 1:2
5 2:3
6 5:6
8 5:6
9 2:3
10 1:2

Place Bet

This is bet which allows you to bet that a particular Point number will be rolled before a 7. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

• If the number you made a Place bet on is rolled before a 7, you win according to a pre-determined pay table. See Additional Rules for payouts.
• If a 7 is rolled before the number you made a Place bet on, you lose.

Big 6 Bet

This is a type of Place bet, wagered after a point is rolled. You bet that a 6 will be then be rolled before a 7. The Big 6 bet pays even money or 1:1.

Big 8 Bet

This is another type of Place bet. After a point is established, you bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7. The Big 8 bet pays even money or 1:1.

Buy Bet

Your wager is that a particular Point number will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. Point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 -those numbers which can be points. A Buy bet is similar to a Place bet but carries a different payout scheme, detailed under Additional Rules. You should however remember that, 4% commission is deducted from your win and the commission is rounded off to a quarter of the lowest denomination in the game. Thus:

• If the number you made a Buy bet on is rolled before a 7, you win according to the pay table below.
• If a 7 is rolled before the number you made a Buy bet on, you lose.

Place Lose Bet

You bet that a 7 will be rolled before one of the Point numbers is rolled. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9,
and 10.

• If the number you made a Place bet on is rolled before a 7, you lose.
• If a 7 is rolled before the number you made a Place bet on, you win according to the pay table included in Additional Rules.

Lay Bet

Think of the lay bet as a place lose bet, with a 4% commission for fair odds. The odds with corresponding payouts are listed under Additional Rules. You bet that a 7 will be rolled before one of the Point numbers will be rolled. Point numbers include 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If a 7 or the Point is rolled before the number you made a Lay bet on, you win according to a pre-determined payout list.In effect, it is the opposite of a buy bet.
If the number you made a Lay bet on is rolled before a 7 or the Point, you lose.

Field Bet

You bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Payout is determined by the number rolled. The numbers, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 pay even money, the 2 pays 2:1 and 12 pays either 2:1 or 3:1. Payouts are detailed under Additional Rules.

Hard Ways Bet

This is a contract wager that a pair of 2s, 3s, 4s or 5s will be rolled before a 7 or an easy way of arriving at the same sum of 4, 6, 8 or 10. As it is difficult to get two of the same number, these bets are called Hard Four, Hard Six, Hard Eight and Hard Ten respectively. The reasoning is that it is an easy way to get a four with a one and a three. This bet cannot be withdrawn once the round begins. The payouts for hard way bets are pre-determined and featured in the Additional Rules section.

Proposition Bets

All proposition bets win or lose on the next throw. There are several betting options:
Seven: You can bet the next throw will be a 7. It pays 4:1
Craps 2: You can bet that the next throw is a 2. Pays 30:1
Craps 3: You can bet that the next throw will be a 3. Pays 15:1
Yo 11: You can bet that the next throw will be 11. Pays 15:1
Craps 12: You can bet that the next throw is a 12. Pays 30:1
Any Craps: You can also bet that the next roll will be either 2, 3 or 12. Pays 7:1

Additional Rules

Reproduced below are the payout tables followed by the Palace of Chance Casino site with respect to some bets that are popular in Craps. As mentioned earlier, a 4% commission is deducted from both Buy Bets and Lay bets. Commission is rounded off to a quarter of the lowest denomination in the game.

Payouts for Place Bets

Number Payout
4 9:5
5 7:5
6 7:6
8 7:6
9 7:5
10 9:5

Payouts for Place Lose Bets

Number Payout
4 9:5
5 7:5
6 7:6
8 7:6
9 7:5
10 9:5

Payouts for Buy Bets

Number Payout
4 2:1
5 3:2
6 6:5
8 6:5
9 3:2
10 2:1

Payouts for Lay Bets

Number Payout
4 1:2
5 2:3
6 5:6
8 5:6
9 2:3
10 1:2

Payouts for Field Bets

Number Payout
2 2:1
3 1:1
4 1:1
9 1:1
10 1:1
11 1:1
12 2:1/3:1

Payouts for Proposition Bets

Number Payout
7 4:1
Any Craps 7:1
2 30:1
3 15:1
12 30:1
11 15:1

Payouts for Hard Ways Bets

Number Payout
Hard 4 7:1
Hard 6 9:1
Hard 8 9:1
Hard 10 7:1

A Probability Chart to Help You

When the dice rolls, there are 36 possible outcomes. Here is a probability chart of the possible combinations that would throw up a result of 2 to 12 with the odds against each combination.

Outcome Combinations of Dice Odds

2 1-1 35 to 1
3 1-2, 2-1 17 to 1
4 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 11 to 1
5 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 8 to 1
6 1-5, 2-4, 3-3,4-2,5-1 31 to 5
7 1-6,2-5,3-4,4-3,5-2,6-1 5 to 1
8 2-6,3-5,4-4,5-3,6-2 31 to 5
9 3-6,4-5,5-4,6-3 8 to 1
10 4-6,5-5,6-4 11 to 1
11 5-6,6-5 17 to 1
12 6-6 35 to 1

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