It's the noisiest game in
the house and only spectator game in the casino that's worthy
of the name. Next to Blackjack it's got some of the best
player odds in the house and only Roulette has more betting
options for the player. It's the one and only Craps.
Basics
When you are rolling the dice you are the "shooter". Your
first toss in a round of Craps is called the Come Out roll.
If you roll a 7 or 11, you win and the round is over before
it started. If you roll a 2, 3, or 12 that's a Craps and
you lose: again, it's over before it started. Any other
number becomes the Point. The purpose of the Come Out roll
is to set the Point, which can be any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or
10. The Dealer places a puck marked "On" above the Point
number printed on the table.
Objective
The basic objective in Craps is for the shooter to win by
tossing the Point again before he tosses a 7. That 7 is
called Out 7 to differentiate it from the 7 on the Come
Out roll. If the Point is tossed, the shooter and his fellow
bettors win and the round is over. If the shooter tosses
Out 7, they lose and the round is over. If the toss is neither
the Point nor Out 7, the round continues and the dice keep
rolling.
Betting and payoff
Here's where life at the Craps table can get complicated.
There are an overwhelming number of betting options and
it'll make you dizzy trying to figure them all out at once.
Like I promised though, it's easy to play smart. Let's talk
about those smart bets first.
Pass bets
The typical -- and simplest -- bet is called a Pass bet.
It is placed on the Pass Line before the Come Out roll.
Assuming that the round goes past the Come Out roll, you're
betting on the chance that you'll roll the Point again before
you roll an Out 7. Pass bets win at even odds, 1:1. Since
any Pass bets are typically betting with the shooter, Pass
bettors are said to be betting "right", they're supporting
the shooter in his attempt to win.
