Online Craps Guide

I have always called this the “party game” because there always seems to be a party at a craps table. The shooter, the bettors, even the staff around the table all add their part to the near-carnival like atmosphere by shouting out words of encouragment, yelling out bets, and jumping with delight at a successful throw. Although this is as intimidating as the rules, the lingo, and the betting structure, the game itself is actually very simple.

The Object of Craps

Ok, don’t be frustrated by the craps table. I know it can be very intimidating but aside from appearances, the object of craps is actually quite simple. I get further into detail on how to play craps and how to bet craps in other articles in this online craps guide but for the purposes of this article, I will give a quick overview of craps.

An Overview of the Rules of Craps

In Craps, the person rolling the dice is known as “the shooter”. As the shooter, you win if the first roll is a 7 or 11. Likewise, if the first roll is a 2, 3, or 12, you lose or “crap out”. If, on the first roll, you roll any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) you keep rolling the dice until you roll that number again, which is known as “the point” or “the pass-line point”. When this happens, your goal is to avoid rolling a 7 on your next rolls.

For example, if your first roll is a 4, you keep rolling until you hit a 4 again. If you roll a 7 before you hit a 4, you lose. You made 4 “the point” by rolling it on your first roll and you have to roll “the point” before you roll a 7 to win in this scenario.

The Other Players in Craps

The other players around the craps table can either bet with you or with the house. Typically, players in craps bet with the shooter, contributing to the party atmosphere of the table and further increasing the fun.

Betting in Craps

There are so many options for betting in craps, properly using them to your maximum profit requires knowing the odds for each bet placed and payouts of the bet if it wins. In my article, how to bet at craps, I cover this in great detail. Here, I will give a brief synopsis of each bet in craps.

Types of Bets in Craps:
• Pass-Line Bets
• Don’t-Pass Bets
• Come and Don’t Come Bets
• Place
• Buy
• Lay
• Field
• Big 6 and Big 8
• Proposition Bets
• Odds Bets

Of course, there are many different strategies that go hand in hand with each of these bets and most successful craps players use a combination of each of these bets to maximize their profit potential. This strategy usually depends on a number of factors depending on what the point is and who is shooting the dice.