The game of Craps is played by wagering on the outcome of the two dice rolled from one end of a purpose-built table to the other opposite end. Players take turns in rolling the dice. The player who rolls the dice is called the shooter. Other players will make bets on the shooter’s rolls. Any player who wishes to be the shooter is required to bet at least the table minimum on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line. The casino covers all the player’s bets as stated on its payoffs.
The layout is divided into three areas — two side areas separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection of the other and contains the following bets: Pass and Don’t Pass Line bets, Come and Don’t Come bets, Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area contains the Proposition bets and is shared by both side areas.
There are four casino employees that run the game. They are positioned around the table and each has their own responsibilities. The Boxman sits in the middle of the table and serves as the referee. He guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring out players. On either side of him are the two dealers whose job is to pay off the winners and collect the losers’ chips. The Stickman (or croupier) who stands on the players’ side announces the results of each roll, collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick, and directs the dealers to pay winners from bets in the center of the table.
Every Craps table has a minimum and maximum bets established by the house which are prominently displayed. There are no maximum numbers of players that can play for as long as they could be accommodated by the space available.
The game goes this way. After the players have properly made their bets, the shooter rolls the dice. There are two kinds of rolls a shooter makes. The first roll is called the Come-out roll and the second is called the Point roll. It is a Come-out roll if it is the shooters first roll in a newly started game, or if it is the shooters first roll after the previous rolls have been concluded. You can also tell it is a Come-out roll if the round marker marked “ON” is not placed at anywhere in the point boxes. At times you will hear the stickman shouts, “coming out”. If on the Come-out roll any of these numbers appears: 7, or 11, (called naturals) 2, 3, or 12, (called craps) the bets are settled and the game starts anew. If on the Come-out roll the shooter rolled a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the number becomes the point and the next roll is called the Point roll. The shooter continues to make a Point roll until he either rolls a seven or the point.
There are about 40 different bets on Craps (the most basic are discussed below) and each one has its own house edge. House edge means the percentages the casino takes on a bet. It is determined by comparing the payoff of the bet in relation to its true odds. Odds means how often a certain outcome will show over a number of rolls. A smart player always turns to house edge as guide on his betting decisions.
Pass Line Bet: This bet wins if the Come-out roll is a natural (7 or 11) and loses if it is craps (2, 3, or 12). If a number other than these appears, it becomes the Point. On a Point roll, (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) the bet wins if the point is rolled before a 7 and loses if 7 is rolled before the point. The Payoff is 1 to 1; the house edge is 1.41%.
Odds on Pass Line Bet: Once the point is established the players are allowed to make an additional bet placed behind their Pass Line bets. This bet is known as the Odds Bet. It is the only bet in the casino that does not have a house edge as it is paid off with true odds. However, only those players who have a Pass Line bet can make an Odds bet. The Odds bet wins if the point is rolled before a 7 and loses if the 7 is rolled before the point.
The Odds bet is paid as follows: If the point is 4 or 10 the payoff is 2 to 1. If the point is 5 or 9 the payoff is 3 to 2. If the point is 6 or 8 the payoff is 6 to 5.
Don’t Pass Line Bet: This bet is the reverse of Pass Line bet. If the Come-out roll is a natural (7, or 11) the bet loses, if it is a 2 or a 3 the bet wins. If the Come-out roll is 12, it is called tie and the bet neither wins nor loses. On the Point roll (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) the bet wins if 7 is rolled before the point, and loses if the point is rolled before the seven. The payoff is 1 to 1. The house edge is 1.36%.
Odds on Don’t Pass Line Bet: Once the point is established the players are allowed to make an additional bet placed behind their Don’t Pass Line bets. This bet is known as the Odds Bet. However, only those players who have a Don’t Pass Line bet can make the bet. The bet wins if 7 is rolled before the Come point, and loses if the Come point is rolled before the seven.
The Odds in the Don’t Pass Line bet is paid as follows: If the point is 4 or 10, the payoff is 1 to 2. If the point is 5 or 9, the payoff is 2 to 3. If the point is 6 or 8, the payoff is 5 to 6.
Come Bet: Come bet has the same rules as the Pass Line bet except that it can only be made on a Point roll. Just like the Pass Line bet, the Come bet wins if the next roll is a natural (7, or 11) and loses if it is a craps (2, 3, or 12). If instead the roll is any of the numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 then it becomes the Come point. The dealer will move the bet onto a box representing that number. The bet remains there until either 7 or the Come point is rolled. If the Come point is rolled before a seven, the bet wins, but if the seven is rolled before the Come point the bet loses. The payoff is 1 to 1; the house edge is 1.41%.
Odds on Come Bet: Once the Come point is established the players making the Come bet is allowed to make an additional bet associated with his Come bet. This bet is known as the Odds bet. The player wishing to take Odds on his Come bet may tell the dealer of his intention and place his chips on the table. The dealer will then place the chips on top of the Come bet in the box, slightly offset to signify that it is an Odds bet and not part of the original Come bet. The bet wins if the Come point is rolled before a 7; and loses if 7 is rolled before the Come point. The rules that govern the payoff for the Odds in the Come bet is the same rules that govern for the payoff for the Odds in the Pass Line bet.
Don’t Come Bet: This bet is the reverse of Come bet and is also made on the shooter’s Point roll. The bet loses if the roll is a natural (7, or 11) and wins if the outcome is a 2 or 3. If the roll is 12, it is called tie and the bet neither wins nor loses. If a number other than these appears, the number becomes the point for the Don’t Come bet. The dealer will then move the bet onto a Don’t Come box representing that number. The bet remains there until either 7 or the Don’t Come point is rolled. If the Don’t Come point is rolled before a seven, the bet loses; but if seven is rolled before the Don’t Come point, the bet wins. The payoff is 1 to 1; the house edge is 1.36%.
Odds on Don’t Come Bet: Once the point for the Don’t Come bet is established the players are allowed to make an additional bet associated with their Don’t Come bets. This bet is known as the Odds Bet. The Odds bet wins if the 7 is rolled before the Don’t Come point, and loses if the Don’t Come point is rolled before 7. The rule that governs the payoff for this bet is the same rule that governs for the payoff for the Odds in the Don’t Pass Line bet.
Place Bet: Place bet is the bet on a dice roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. This bet can be made only on the shooter’s Point roll. The bet wins if the number placed is rolled before a 7, and loses if 7 is rolled before the number. A player can cancel this bet anytime he wants.
The Place bet is paid as follows: If the Place bet is 4 or 10 the payoff is 9 to 5. The house edge is 6.67%. If the Place bet is 5 or 9 the payoff is 7 to 5. The house edge is 4.00%. If the Place bet is 6 or 8 the payoff is 7 to 6. The house edge is 1.52%.
Buy Bet: Buy bet is made on the dice roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the shooter’s Point roll. Buy bet is essentially the same with a Place bet only it is paid with its true odds. The Buy bet wins if the Buy bet number is rolled before a 7, and loses if 7 is rolled before the number. Since the Buy bet is paid on its true odds, casinos charge 5% commission on the winning Buy bets.
The Buy bet is paid as follows: If the Buy bet is 4 or 10, the payoff is 2 to 1; the house edge is 5%. If the Buy bet is 5 or 9, the payoff is 3 to 2; the house edge is 5%. If the Buy bet is 6 or 8, the payoff is 6 to 5; the house edge is 5%.
Lay Bet: This bet is essentially the opposite of a Buy bet. Lay bets are made on the dice roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the shooter’s Point roll and paid with its true odds. The bet wins if the number is rolled before the seven; and loses if the seven is rolled before the number. A 5% commission is charged on the winning Lay bet.
The Lay bet is paid as follows: If the Lay bet is 4 or 10, the payoff is 1 to 2; the house edge is 5%. If the Lay bet is 5 or 9, the payoff is 2 to 3; the house edge is 5%. If the Lay bet is 6 or 8, the payoff is 5 to 6; the house edge is 5%.
Field Bet: Field bet is for one dice roll only. Unlike most of the proposition bets which are handled by the dealers or stickman, the field bet is placed directly by the player. If the outcome is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12, the bet wins. If the outcome is a 5, 6, 7 or 8, the bet loses. There is a variation in the payoff for the Field bet. If the outcome is a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11, the payoff is 1 to 1, but if the outcome is 2, the payoff is 2 to1, and if the outcome is 12, the payoff is 3 to 1. The house edge for Field bet is 2.78%.
Big Six and Big Eight Bets: The Big Six or Big Eight bets can be made at any roll of dice. They are the bets on the dice roll of 6 or 8. The bet wins if a 6 or 8 is rolled before a 7, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 1 to 1; the house edge is 9.09%.
Proposition Bets: These bets can be made at any time and, except for the hardway bet, they are all one roll bets.
1. Any Craps: The bet wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The Payoff is 7 to 1; the house edge is 11.11%.
2. Any Seven: The bet wins if a 7 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 4 to 1; the house edge is 16.67%.
3. Eleven: The bet wins if an 11 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 15 to 1; the house edge is 11.11%.
4. Ace-Duece: The bet wins if a 3 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 15 to 1; the house edge is 11.11%.
5. Aces: The bet wins if 2 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 30 to 1; the house edge is 13.89%.
6. Boxcars: The bet wins if 12 is rolled, otherwise the bet loses. The payoff is 30 to 1; the house edge is 13.89%.
7. Hardways: Hardway bets are the bets on the dice roll of 4, 6, 8, and 10. The bet wins if a 4, 6, 8 or 10 is rolled before a 7 or the corresponding “easy way”, provided both dice show identical values (also known as doubles) as in 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5. The bet loses if a seven or the corresponding easy way is rolled before the number. Hardway bets can be placed or removed before any roll. The payoff for Hard 4 and 10 is 7 to 1; the house edge is 11.11%. The payoff for Hard 6 and 8 is 9 to 1; the house edge is 9.09%.
About The Author:
Alan S. Samonte is a privy to a secret playing strategy that can consistently beat the casinos without having to cheat. In his book he reveals how this strategy was used by a fraternity of gamblers who won untold amount from casinos all over the world. These elite gamblers operate “below the radar” so that only select casino personnel have fully gauged their modus operandi. A chapter of his gambling book can be downloaded for free.
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