Craps (previously known as
crabs) is a casino dice game, which is especially popular in the
USA. Craps is a simplification of the Old English game hazard.
Players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll,
or of a series of rolls of two dice.
Craps can also be played in less formal settings and is said to be
popular among soldiers. In such situations side bets are less
frequent, with one or several participants covering or "fading"
bets against the dice.
The basic game
The players take turns rolling the dice, and they all bet on the
same roll, regardless of who is rolling. The player rolling the
dice is called the shooter. The first roll of a new round is
called the "come-out roll." All bets are based on the total of
both dice together, never on just one die.
Craps features a plethora of bets, but the most fundamental is the
"pass line" wager, which nearly all players make. On a come-out
roll, the pass line bettors win when either a 7 or 11 is rolled. A
2, 3, or 12 loses, and is called "craps". When any other number
(4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is rolled it's called the point. Once a
point has been set, the pass-line bettor wins if the point is
rolled again, and loses if a 7 is rolled first ("seven-out").
After a seven-out the dice pass to the next shooter for a new
come-out roll.
The opposite of a pass line bet is the "don't pass" bet, which
wins on a come-out roll of 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, ties on 12,
and goes to the point round when any other number is rolled. In
the point round the don't pass bet wins if a 7 is rolled and loses
if the point is rolled. People who bet on the don't pass are
called wrong bettors, while those who bet on the pass are called
right bettors, only because most craps players make the pass line
bet instead of the don't pass bet.
A casino craps table is run by four casino employees: a box man
who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring
out players; two base dealers who stand to either side of the box
man and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly
across the table from the box man and announces the results of
each roll and then collects the dice with an elongated wooden
stick. He is also in charge of managing the bets made on the
center of the table (hard ways, yo, horn, etc). For clarity, the
number 11 is referred to as "yo" so as not to be confused with the
number 7.
A new shooter, who must bet the table minimum on either the pass
line or the don't pass line to play, is presented five dice by the
stickman and picks two.
The dealers will usually insist that the shooter roll with one
hand and that the dice bounce off the wall surrounding the table.
These requirements are meant to retard cheating attempts by
players switching the dice or making a "controlled shot." If a die
leaves the table, the shooter will usually be asked to select
another die from the remaining three but can request using the
same die if it passes the box man's inspection. This requirement
is used in an effort to reduce cheating the game by players
substituting loaded dice for the regulation dice.
Types of craps bets
The fundamental bet in craps is the pass line bet, in which one
bets that the dice will pass (that is, roll the point number
before rolling a 7). The following discussion assumes that the
shooter, as is usually the case, is betting on the pass line.
If a point is made, most casinos allow pass line bettors to take
odds by placing from one to five times (and at some casinos, up to
100 times) the pass line bet behind the line. This additional bet
pays at the true odds, 2-to-1 if 4 or 10 is the point, 3-to-2 if 5
or 9 is the point, and 6-to-5 if 6 or 8 is the point. While the
house has a small (1.4%) advantage on pass line bets, the house
has no advantage at all on odds bets. Therefore, taking the
maximum odds (which vary by casino) can lower the house percentage
for any given bet down to as low as 0.5%.
Odds bets in craps are one of the few bets offered at a casino
that are completely free of any house advantage. Another such bet
is the "double-up" option offered to the player in some forms of
video poker after winning a hand.
Let's see why that is. There are 36 possible permutations (ways to
roll a pair of 6-sided dice):
1-1 = 1 way to make a 2
1-2 2-1 = 2 ways to make a 3
1-3 2-2 3-1 = 3 ways to make a 4, true odds pays 2-1
1-4 2-3 3-2 4-1 = 4 ways to make a 5, true odds pays 3-2
1-5 2-4 3-3 4-2 5-1 = 5 ways to make a 6, true odds pays 6-5
1-6 2-5 3-4 4-3 5-2 6-1 = 6 ways to make a 7
2-6 3-5 4-4 5-3 6-2 = 5 ways to make an 8, true odds pays 6-5
3-6 4-5 5-4 6-3 = 4 ways to make a 9, true odds pays 3-2
4-6 5-5 6-4 = 3 ways to make a 10, true odds pays 2-1
5-6 6-5 = 2 ways to make an 11
6-6 = 1 way to make a 12
There are a total of 36 possible combinations. So on the come-out
roll there are 8 ways to win, 4 ways to lose and (36-12=) 24 ways
to start a point.
The odds of making the point are the ratio of the number of ways
to make a 7 to the number of ways to make the point. For example,
there are five ways to make a 6 or 8, so the odds of making a
point of 6 or 8 are 6-5. Therefore an odds bet of $5 on 6 or 8
pays out $6.
Most experienced craps players only make pass line and odds bets
since the odds are much more favorable to the player than any
other bets in craps, and in fact most casino games.
The rules for the come wagers are the same as for the pass line
except that they can only be made after the come-out roll.
Effectively, they represent starting a new game using the same
stream of numbers being generated by the existing (pass line)
game.
Because of the come bet, if the shooter makes their point, a
player can find themselves in the situation where they have a come
bet with odds on it, and yet be rooting for the shooter to roll a
7 on their next come-out roll. Because of this, it is usual that
odds bets on come wagers are presumed to be not working. That
means that if the shooter rolls a 7 on the come-out roll, any
players with active come bets lose their initial wager but will
have their odds money returned to them, unless they tell the
dealer that they want their odds working. Conversely, if the
shooter rolls a number that matches an active come bet, the
original bet is paid off at even money and the odds money is
returned to the player (unless they told the dealer that they
wanted their odds working, in which case they are paid at the true
odds).
There is also a don't come box in which one can place bets that
the dice will not pass on the next sequence starting with the
immediate roll as a virtual come-out roll; even the shooter may
bet that he or she will miss out. Don't pass and don't come bets
are basically the opposite of pass and come bets; the player is
betting that a 7 will be rolled before the point. On the come-out
roll a 7 or an 11 is a loss, whereas a 3 and either a 2 or a 12 is
a win. Casino craps layouts bar either 2 or 12 on the don't pass
and don't come bets. This means that if 2 is barred and the
shooter rolls a 2 on the come-out roll, the wager is a stand off
and the player's money is returned.
When betting against the shooter, the bettor must put up the long
side of the bet. Thus a don't pass bettor who bets $10 when the
point is a 4 could place an odds bet of $20 behind the line. If
the shooter rolls a 7 before achieving their point, the bettor
would receive $10 for the don't pass bet plus $10 for their odds
bet. Even though the house advantage on the don't pass and don't
come bets are almost identical to the pass line and come bets, for
most players the disadvantage of putting up the long side of the
bet makes the don't pass line less desirable. Additionally, many
craps players consider don't pass and don't come bets to be in
poor taste, or even "taboo".
Other types of bets
One roll bets that the shooter will make an 11 (pays 15-1, actual
odds 17-1); Bets that a shooter will make a hard way number such
as 4-4 (before throwing a 7 or an 8 the easy way such as 6-2 or
5-3) (pays 9-1, actual odds 10-1). Indeed you can bet on any
combination of the dice on the next roll, this is called a hop
bet, example hard 8 on the hop pays 31-1 (actual odds 35-1).
Craps is a bet that the shooter will roll 2, 3 or 12 on the next
roll. The true odds are 8-1 and the casino pays 7-1.
C & E is actually two bets. A player is betting one unit on craps
and another unit on 11. One of the two bets will always lose, and
the other will pay off as above.
Seven is a bet that the shooter will roll a seven on the next
roll. The true odds are 5 to 1 and the casino pays 4-1.
Horn is a bet that involves betting on 1 unit each for 2, 3, 11
and 12 at the same time for the next roll. Most players do a "Horn
High" bet which involves betting an additional $1 on one of the 4
choices, with the most frequent being a $5 "horn high yo" bet
(which means $2 on the 11, $1 each on 2, 3 & 12).
The field bet is a wager that one of the numbers in the box
(usually 2, 3, 4, 9,10,11,12) will be rolled on the next roll of
the dice. This bet pays even money, but the true odds are 4-5.
Often 2 and/or 12 will pay 2-1. Some casinos pay 3-1 on either the
2 or 12.
Most of the one roll bets, hard way bets, and other bets in the
center of the layout are very costly/disadvantageous to the
player, the house percentage on these bets can be 11.1% and up.
The best advice for prospective craps players is to bet either on
the pass line or don't pass line with full odds. More aggressive
players can also bet on the Come/Don't Come with full odds which
can make you or break you quickly, but in statistical terms is
identical to the pass/don't pass bet.
Players can place or buy individual numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) by
placing their wager in the come area and telling the dealer, for
example, "place the 6" or "buy the 8". Both are bets that the
number will be rolled before a 7. Place bets are paid at reduced
odds. Buying the number results in a payoff at the true odds, but
requires a 5% commission to be paid to the casino.
Place Buy
Number Payoff Payoff
------ ------ ------
6 or 8 7-6 6-5
5 or 9 7-5 3-2
4 or 10 9-5 2-1
The Big 6 and Big 8 wagers are considered by craps players as
sucker bets because they pay even money while a player can bet on
the same proposition (a 6 will be rolled before a 7) by placing
the 6 or the 8, which pays 7-6 (true odds are 6-5). No veteran
craps player will ever touch those 2 bets.
Examples of basic play
Example 1:
Let's say you put $10 on the pass line. On your come-out roll you
get an 11, so you win $10. The game now starts over, with a new
come-out roll. You roll a 9, which becomes the point. You decide
to bet $10 on the come line before your next roll. On your next
roll you get a 6, which is now the point you need to hit in order
to win your $10 come bet. Your next roll is a 9, which is the
point you needed to hit to win your pass line bet, meaning you
just won another $10. You bet $10 on the pass line again, and your
new come-out roll is a 7. You win $10 for your pass line bet, but
lost the $10 you had previously bet on the come line.
Example 2:
This time you decide to bet on the don't pass line. You roll a 4,
which becomes the point. You bet $10 on the don't come line, and
your next roll is a 7. You lose your don't come bet, and win your
don't pass bet, so you just broke even. Since you just sevened-out,
the player to your left becomes the new shooter.
Etiquette
Besides the rules of the actual game, certain unwritten rules of
etiquette exist while playing craps and are expected to be
followed. Many consider these guidelines as important as the
actual rules themselves. New players should familiarize themselves
with them before approaching a craps table.
Rules related to casino security
Players are not supposed to handle the dice with more than one
hand, pass them directly from hand to hand, nor take the dice past
the edge of the table. The only way to change hands when throwing
dice, if permitted at all, is to set the dice on the table, let
go, then take them with the other hand.
When throwing the dice, the player is expected to hit the farthest
wall at the opposite end of the table. The dice may not be slid
across the table and must be tossed. They may not be thrown higher
than the eye level of the dealers.
The dice must not land in the box man's bank or on any of the
dealer's working stacks of money.
When either of the dice land on chips or markers not in the
boxmans bank or the dealers working stacks, the number that would
be on top if the object the die is leaning on were removed, is the
number that is used to make the call.
If a die hits a player or dealer and rolls back onto the table,
the roll counts as long as the person being hit did not interfere
with the die.
In most cases the shooter may "set" the dice to a particular
configuration, but if they do, they must be quick about it so as
not to delay the game. Some casinos have "no setting" rules, and
the player must throw the dice as given to him.
Do not try to place money in the dealer's hand or expect the
dealers to hand you chips. Dealers are not allowed to touch the
players at any time. Players are expected to place cash on the
layout and announce "change only" or a specific bet and amount.
The dealer will then place chips on the layout or in front of the
players.
Commonly observed etiquette
When offered the dice to shoot, a player may pass the dice to the
next player without fear of offending anyone; however, keep in
mind that at least one player must always be a "shooter" betting
on either the pass line or don't pass line for the game to
continue.
Players are expected to tip the dealers, especially if they are
winning. Most of the dealer's income is generated from tips. The
most common way to tip is simply to toss chips onto the table and
say "for the boys". Another method is to place a bet next to your
bet and call out "dealers". A "two-way" bet is one that is half
and half for the players and dealers.
After the come-out roll, it is considered extremely rude to say
the word "seven", as that is considered bad luck. This is a
guaranteed way of offending other players. A common "nickname" for
this number is "Big Red".
It is considered bad luck to change dice in the middle of a roll.
Center bets are made by tossing chips to the center of the table
and calling out the intended bet; the stickman will then place the
chips correctly for you.
It is not considered rude to correct a dealer that you feel has
made an error. Mistakes happen and disputes are often resolved to
the player's benefit, mainly in the interest of keeping their
business.
It is considered rude to "late bet", or make wagers while the dice
are no longer in the middle of the table. While entirely
permissible, excessive late betting will generally garner a
warning.
Food, drinks, and other items should remain off the chip rail.
Odds
The rules vary slightly from one casino to another, but the
expected value of most bets is only slightly negative (the most
favorable bets with the most favorable rules offer a house
advantage of as little as 0.18%). All bets have a negative
expectation except for the "free odds" bet that the player is
allowed to make after a point is established on a flat (line) bet
(this bet has a long-term expected value of 0). Since there is no
correlation between die rolls, there is no possible long-term
winning strategy. While experienced blackjack players who learn to
count cards can gain a small mathematical advantage over extended
playing sessions by diligent study, there is no comparable
strategy for craps.
Occasionally, players win several bets in a row; such players are
said to be "on a roll." Those who increase their bets during a
winning series can rapidly win substantial sums. On the other
hand, money can be lost back just as quickly, as there is no
statistical likelihood of a "hot streak" continuing for any given
duration. To counter this, experienced players take full advantage
of "free odds" -- bets on which there is zero house advantage.
Maximizing the size of your odds bet in relation to your line bet
will minimize but never eliminate the house edge. Many casinos
have limitation on how large the odds bet can be in relation to
the flat bet, with single, double, and five times odds common.
Some casinos offer 3-4-5 odds, referring to the maximum multiple
of the line bet a player can place in odds for the points of 4 and
10, 5 and 9, and 6 and 8, respectively. During promotional
periods, a casino may even offer 100x odds bets, which renders the
house edge to almost nothing but dramatically increases
volatility. Horseshoe Casino founder Benny Binion once quipped
that if every player took the 100x odds, the house "wouldn't be
able to keep the lights on," referring to the overhead required to
run casino games.
The only casino currently in Las Vegas to offer 100x odds is the
Casino Royale located next to Harrah's on the strip. The
Stratosphere offers 10x odds and most of the other casinos such as
MGM and Bellagio offer 3x4x5. Some casinos such as the Riviera,
Orleans and Gold Coast offer 2x odds which is considered an
anathema to craps players, in equal footing with 6:5 payouts on
single-deck blackjack. Most downtown casinos offer 5x (Binions) or
10x odds (Plaza and Main Street Station, with the Golden Nugget
offering the unusual 6x8x10 odds), while a handful of downtown
casinos offer the horrible 2x odds (Sam Boyd's Fremont).
Optimal Betting / Bad Bets
One subtlety of craps is that there is a huge variety in the house
advantage on the many bets available on the craps layout. Of
course the house is guaranteed to win in the long run, but by poor
selection of bets, the house can win the player's money many, many
times faster. For example,
- A player betting the pass line or come line at $10 per bet, 50
bets per hour, will lose on average $141 over 20 hours of gambling
on a gaming trip.
- A player placing the 4 and 10 at the same rates will lose on
average $667 over the same period.
- A player betting the "any seven" bet at the same rate will lose
on average $1,667 over the same period.
The house percentage advantage is an indication of the expected
loss per total amount bet. Note that the total bet amount also
drives expected loss, so betting the table minimum will give the
slowest rate of average loss. While odds bets lower the house
percentage, they do so by increasing the total amount bet. Thus,
given a fixed minimum pass line bet, the decision whether to make
the odds bet or not does not affect the average dollar loss per
game. It does, however, increase the variance, which improves the
chance (though still under 50/50) that the player will be net
ahead after a finite amount of play, as well as increasing the
chance of larger losses or larger wins.
The table below gives house advantage of various bets, as well as
expected loss over a typical gaming trip (e.g. 50 bets per hour
for 5 hours per day over 4 days = 1000 bets)
Type of bet House advantage Expected loss per 1000 bets of $10
Pass line, no odds 1.41% $141.00
Come line, no odds 1.41% $141.00
Don't pass 1.36% $136.00
Don't come 1.36% $136.00
Place 6 or 8 1.52% $152.00
Place 5 or 9 4.00% $400.00
Place 4 or 10 6.67% $667.00
Buy/Lay 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 5.00% $500.00
Field Bet 5.56% $556.00
Big 6 or Big 8 9.09% $909.00
Hard 6 or 8 9.09% $909.00
Hard 4 or 10 11.11% $1111.00
Any craps 11.11% $1111.00
Eleven (Yo) 11.11% $1111.00
Any Seven 16.67% $1667.00
In summary, the pass/don't line, come/don't line, place 6 and
place 8 are the "good" bets, and all other "bad" bets will lose
money between 3 and 12 times faster, on average. The Any Seven
bet, at 16.7% house advantage, may have the dubious honor of being
the worst bet in the entire casino. Many players like to place
numbers, but only the 6 and 8 are good bets. The player can work
"through" the come line to get money onto the other point numbers
(4,5,9,10) at much more favorable returns for the player.
Systems
Martingale System
No betting system can consistently beat casino games of pure
chance such as craps, but that does not stop hopeful gamblers
believing in them. One of the best known systems is the Martingale
in which the player starts by betting $1 and doubles his bet
whenever he loses. Upon winning, he starts over at $1. The idea is
to realize a net win of $1 after every eventual win. This system
fails because the player will either run out of money after having
to double his bet several times in a row after a streak of losing
bets, or he will be unable to bet the amount dictated by the
system because it would exceed the maximum bet allowed by the
casino.
Gambler's fallacy
Other systems depend on the gambler's fallacy, which in craps
terms is the belief that past die rolls influence the
probabilities of future die rolls. For example, the gambler's
fallacy indicates that a craps player should bet on 11 if an 11
has not appeared in the last 20 rolls. In reality, each roll of
the dice is an independent event, so the probability of rolling an
11 is exactly 1/18 on every roll, even if 11 has not come up in
the last 100 rolls.
The parity hedge system is a hoax promulgated by Quatloos. Despite
the fact that no such system exists (indeed, it is a mathematical
impossibility), several gambling-related web sites have retold the
'parity hedge' story without attribution.
Dice setting
Another approach is to "set" the dice, by throwing them in such a
way that one or both will be more likely to show certain numbers.
Unlike other systems, this one is not mathematically absurd,
because if it were possible to alter the probabilities of each
outcome, then winning systems could be devised. Nevertheless, the
casinos take steps to prevent this. The dice are supposed to hit
the back wall of the table, which disrupts the controlled spin.
Some people offer to teach dice-setting skills, for a substantial
fee, but there are no independent verifications that such methods
can be successfully applied in a real casino. Frank Scoblete and
Stanford Wong, authors of books that feature dice control
techniques, believe that it is possible to alter the odds in the
player's favor by dice control.
Dice control
Main article: Dice control
Beyond simply dice setting, the theory of dice control or dice
influencing purports that the actual throwing of the dice can be
performed in a fashion controlled enough to alter the odds of the
games in the player's favor. Whether it is possible for human
beings to consistently exercise the precise physical control
necessitated by the theory is not agreed upon universally. But
there is a small but dedicated community of controlled shooters
that maintain records and claim proof of dice influencing in
casino conditions.
Miscellaneous
Craps is such a popular game, its terminology is often found as
colloquialisms in our language. The terms "on a roll",
"crapshoot", "no dice", "crap out", "Snake Eyes" and "do it the
hard way" all trace their origins to the game of craps.
As casinos restrict players' options in blackjack, craps is
increasing in popularity, as it offers the best odds of all
standard casino games based on pure chance.
In the classic crooner song "Luck Be a Lady Tonight," most
famously sung by Frank Sinatra, the lyrics, "A lady doesnt wander
all over the room / And blow on some other guys dice," make
reference to point of craps etiquette. A lady blowing on the
shooter's dice before he rolled was supposed to bring the shooter
good luck. It was seen as inappropriate for a lady to blow on the
dice of a man other than the one she was with at the casino. Of
course, the verse can also be interpreted as a sexual euphemism.
The plot of the musical Guys and Dolls, which is the source of the
above-mentioned song, revolves around some illegal games of craps,
which "float" from location to location.
How to Play Craps
... Learning Online is Easy
For years craps has been considered the most difficult game to
learn how to play. Many gamblers have seen this to be a bit of a
pity, knowing just how entertaining and simple the game is once
you've gotten used to it. But they also concede that it must
appear intimidating to the novice. Learning how to play craps has
become significantly easier since the advent of the Internet.
Besides the numerous well-maintained websites that explain rules
and strategy for craps, free of charge online craps games lend an
extraordinary amount of value to the learning experience.
Previously, the best way to learn the game was to go to the casino
and sign up for a morning session, usually hosted free by the
casino crew. Undoubtedly, this is a great way to learn, but many
people want to learn how to play craps before they arrive in
Vegas, or simply wish to play craps online from home. It could be
argued that the majority of players would find it much more
convenient to learn on their own time, by their own schedule.
Online Crap offers some great introductory craps information to
its visitors, which you can access quickly through our dedicated
craps section. More advanced strategies and systems advice can be
found at other Internet portals.
What's the best way to learn how to play craps? Our advice is to
follow our introduction to the game while playing a free version.
Online Craps offers free craps as a part of its casino download
which uses exactly the same rules, game-play and odds as our real
money craps game. With this advantage you can learn to play the
game for free on the same software you can later play for real.
The pace at which you learn can also be tailored to your optimal
learning speed. Take as many breaks as you like, and ask as many
questions as you like.
