If you walk through any major casino, you can always hear one game that is completely chaotic and crazier than the rest. People are screaming, high-fiving strangers, and cheering while someone rolls the dice down the green felt. This highly intimidating game is the game of Craps. To someone who has never played, the game seems terrifyingly complicated. There are confusing boxes and numbers, and players are throwing chips everywhere. Yet, this is completely false. Despite its terrifying visual appearance, craps is fundamentally one of the easiest, and best games in the entire casino. By understanding one rule, you can play craps like a seasoned professional.
The Only Bet You Need to Know: How the Game Starts
The only logical way to start playing this game is to ignore all the crazy bets in the middle. The confusing center sections are mathematically terrible "sucker bets" designed specifically to drain your bankroll. You only care about one line that borders the felt: the famous Pass Line. Betting on this line is the foundation of craps. At the start of a round, the shooter makes the Come-Out Roll. If you have a bet on the Pass Line, you win instantly if the Come-Out roll is a 7 or an 11. You lose immediately if the Come-Out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as "Crapping Out"). The math is that basic: 7/11 wins, 2/3/12 loses.
The Second Phase of the Game: Chasing the Point
But what happens if the Come-Out roll is not a winner or a loser? If the dice land on one of the other numbers, that number is now the Point. The dealer takes a white puck and flip it to the "ON" side onto the corresponding box. The rules of the game now completely change. To win your Pass Line bet, the shooter keeps throwing until they hit that exact "Point" number a second time. When the Point rolls, the table cheers and wins. But there is a fatal flaw: if a 7 is rolled before they hit the Point, the round ends. All Pass Line bets are swept away, the round completely ends, and a new shooter takes the dice. The entire excitement is a group effort praying the shooter hits their Point before rolling a deadly 7.
The Secret Odds Bet: After the Point is set, you can back up your bet. This is known as taking odds and it is a mathematical anomaly that pays true mathematical odds. The casino makes zero profit on this bet. Don't Pass Line: You can also bet against the shooter. You win when others lose, or if the shooter fails. It has a lower house edge, but the other players will hate you because you are betting with the house. The Sucker Bets: All the bets in the middle of the table with the pictures of dice are terrible math traps that will drain your cash. Avoid them completely.
Simplifying the Math: The Only Rules You Need
For a quick reference before you play, to guarantee you know what to do, review the simple cheat sheet below. It explains the basic rules of the fundamental craps bet: the Pass Line.
The Dice RollWhat the Shooter RollsThe Result The StartA NaturalYou instantly WIN even money. The round resets. The Come-Out Roll (First Roll)CrapsYou lose Establishing the PointAny other numberThe puck flips ON The Ongoing GamePoint is hitMassive Win The Ongoing GameRolls a 7 (Seven Out)Table groans, you lose
In conclusion, do not let the loud table intimidate you. The casino purposefully designs the table layout to confuse beginners so casual gamblers will make bad bets. When you arrive, betting only on the Pass Line, avoiding the middle of the table, and ignoring the proposition bets, you are playing a nearly even game game available. Join the fun, and enjoy the absolute most thrilling, high-energy time in the world.