Craps Rules and Systems

From the city streets to the casinos of Las Vegas and now the internet, Craps has continued to be one of the most widely enjoyed dice games. Although it follows a basic format, with players placing bets on the outcome of the roll of two dice, the rules and wagers of Craps will take some time to learn.

How to Play Craps

The game is played on a specially laid out "craps" table, with the bets divided into different sections. The majority of craps tables are double sided, meaning that each end is identical that and centre bets are placed in the middle of the table. Traditionally a casino would have four employees at a table: a "boxman" to guard the chips; two "base dealers" to collect bets: and a "stickman", who would take centre bets and collect the dice with a wooden stick.

Internet Craps usually consists of a certain number of players competing against the casino, which will also cover all bets and also set the odds for each table. The player rolling the dice is known as the "shooter", but everyone seated at the table will be placing bets on each roll. The game is played in rounds, with the first known as the "come-out roll".

Minimum bets are placed on the "Pass Line" or "Don't Pass Line" (also referred to as "Win"/ "Right" or "Don't Win"/ "Wrong"). Players take turns rolling, with the round moving in a clockwise direction. The aim of the first roll, called the "come-out roll" is for the player to make a point. The round comes to a close when Pass line bets are lost.

But perhaps just as famous as the game itself are the names given to the different types of rolls. Certain parts of the US have coined their own nicknames through the years, (such as the '4' and '5' "Railroad Nine" from Atlantic City), but there are other more universal terms like "Boxcar" for a double 6 and, easily the most well-known, "Snake Eyes" for a double 1. It is not necessary to know all the roll names, but there are a few that should be noted: "Yo", which is an abbreviation of "Yo-Leven" is used to differentiate the call of an 11 from a 7, while a "Natural" will always refer to a 7.

How to Bet

Understanding the types of rolls can be quite confusing, but betting in Craps will also take some getting used to. The different wagers are best separated into three categories; "Line" bets, "Single-Roll" bets" and "Multi-Roll" bets.

Line Bets

Line bets always work around points, and a shooter is required to make either a Pass or Don't Pass before they roll the dice. If they throw a 2, 3 or 12 it is called a "crap out" and all Pass Line bets are lost. Should they roll a 7 or 11 – known as a "natural" – this will result in a win for Pass Line bets. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, the number will give the same value in points; the dealer will then place an "On" button over this number on the table.

The Don't Pass Line bet is effectively the exact opposite, losing on a 7 or 11 and winning on a 2 or 3. However, if a 12 is rolled it results in a "Tie" or "Standoff". Most casinos will allow players to increase their bet, usually up to five times the original wager, if a point is made on the come-out roll.

In addition to Pass Line and Don't Pass Line Bets, there are also "Come" and "Don't Come" bets, which can only be made after the shooter has earned a point. In a Come bet, if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, it counts as a win; a 2, 3 or 12 results in a loss; while a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 means the bet will be moved on the table to the point number that was thrown. The player now has the option to increase the odds, and if the point is lower than 7 it results in a win. Don't Come Bets function in an opposite fashion, with the player winning if the point is higher than 7.

Single-Roll Bets

Single-Roll bets are more straight-forward and are basically wagers placed on one roll of the dice (sometimes referred to as "Service Bets"). Some of the popular Single-Roll bets include "Snake Eyes" (when a two is rolled); the "Ace-Deuce" 3; "Yo" for an 11; and "Hi-Lo", where the shooter rolls either a 2 or 12.

Another popular single roll bet is the "Horn", which is actually one bet placed across four different numbers – 2, 3, 11 and 12. Each time a player wins on a number, the other three numbers lose, so the odds have to be higher for the number that's rolled. A "Whirl" is a slightly different version of the Horn, incorporating an "any-seven" bet – if a 7 is rolled the player will only lose the winnings on the four numbers of the Horn.

"On the Hop" is also a single-roll wager and is where a player bets that the next roll will show the same numbers, but on opposite die. Naturally, the odds for this bet are quite high – usually around 15 to 1. A "Field" bet is similar to On the Hop, but involves a much safer 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 coming up on the next roll.

Multi-Roll Bets

Multi-Roll Bets can be played after the shooter has earned a point and are placed over a series of rolls. There are various ways a player can place a Multi-Roll Bet:

• A "Hard Way" is when a roll, consisting of a 4, 6, 8 or 10, produces the same numbers, e.g. a 2 and 2 (known as a "Hard Way 4").
• An "Easy Way" is where the shooter throws a 4, 6, 8 or 10 before a 7, and the two dice are not identical, such as a 3-1 (known as an "Easy Way 4").
• A "Big 6" or "Big 8" is betting that the shooter will throw a 6 or 8 before a 7, although these types of wagers will have significantly lower odds.
• "Place and Buy" bets allow a player to place a wager or 'buy' a certain point number and will remain in play until the shooter rolls a 7. Place bets are given odds slightly less than true odds, while Buys are given the same value as true odds, but normally with a 5% commission (either taken on the player winnings or the initial wager).
• A "Lay" is effectively the opposite of a Buy, where a wager is placed on a 7 being rolled before the point number.

However, it is sometimes possible to put down a wager before the game begins – known as a "Fire Bet". As the shooter accumulates different points on the Craps table, a fire symbol will be placed at each number. The first three will not pay out, but the fourth, fifth and sixth, will provide increasing odds.

Strategies and Systems

To play Craps well, it is important to be able to determine the probabilities for each throw. As 2's and 12's have the least chance of being rolled, they will offer the best odds, while a 7 is the easiest of throws, as it can be made from six different combinations.

But the number one rule of Craps strategy is that there is no optimum way to win – all betting systems will eventually result in the player losing money. Casinos offer odds below true odds (except on Pass/Come Don't and Pass/Don't Come bets) and as the game is based on chance, with one dice roll not determining the next, every betting system will lose in the long run. A casino's limits are always carefully structured to ensure the house advantage is maintained; therefore, the best way to play is to place Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Don't Come Bets, as they have the highest winning percentage.

Some players do follow systems at the Crap tables. The Martingale System is where the player doubles the wager after every loss, until returning to the initial wager amount after a win. This is a common approach, but it is obvious where a player will end up if they get off to a bad start. "Dice Control" has been a popular phenomenon that has been associated with Craps for many years, and involves placing the die in a set position and throwing them in such a way that the outcome can be predicted. Naturally, casinos became wise to this tactic and fitted the back wall of the table with a diamond-shaped surface.

Of course, this sort of tactic cannot be used in the internet casinos, but since the dawn of online Craps, many new strategies and systems have been invented. None, however, can increase a players winning percentage, though many claim to do so. To highlight the growing popularity of false strategies, Quatloos, a US based online anti-fraud corporation, reintroduced the old "Parity Hedge System" – an infamous hoax strategy from the 70's that has no mathematical formula for success. This system was actually being sold on some 'strategy' websites.

Craps may not offer you a good chance of winning in the long term, but if you get on a lucky streak it is possible to make a lot of money in a very short space of time. The best approach is to always stick to your intended budget and never be tempted to go too far, even when it seems lady luck is on your side. A whole host of online casinos will offer Craps tables, but what's most important is that you know the rules and know the odds.