Craps

ORIGINS

One of the most popular games the world over, Craps is thought to have its origins in the Arabic dice game known as ‘Al Zar’. The game quickly spread to Europe in the 12th century with the help of merchants in the form of ‘Hazard’.

By the 17th century, the game was well established in England and was being played in every tavern in the country. The defining development emerged with the arrival of John H. Winn – the man who would change the course of the game forever. Winn managed to simplify the game, introducing the Big 6 and Big 8, Pass and Don’t Pass Bets and the chance to bet against the shooter. By World War 2, Craps was well established as the favourite game of troops and was used by many solders to pass the time between battles. With the help of U.S troops, it was not long before the game reached America and the rest of the globe.

The Name and the Game Today

The modern name, ‘Craps’, is thought to be a corruption of the French word, ‘crabs’, used to describe a losing throw of 2. Despite a small dip in popularity in the 1990’s due to the increasing popularity of slots, Craps is now making a come-back as one of the most loved games around. With fantastic online games to be played, Craps is all the rage once again!

CRAPS STRATEGY

Understanding Dice Rolls

Craps is a game of odds and one of the most important things to understand is the dice. A single die will have 6 sides with each side displaying ‘pips’ from 1 to 6 on each face. Opposite faces total 7 i.e. the number 1 will be opposite 6, the number 3 will be opposite 4 etc. Craps is played with two dice and each die has 6 sides. A total of 36 different combinations can therefore be made with totals ranging between 2 to 12.

The following Dice Chart makes this clear:

As you can see in the chart:

Only 1 combination will give you 2

2 combinations will give you 3 & 11

3 combinations will give you 4 & 10

4 combinations will give you 5 & 9

5 combinations will give you 6 & 8

6 combinations will give you 7

TERMINOLOGY & PAYOUTS

Once you understand the odds and probabilities of the dice, you are on your way to mastering the game of craps.

The following table indicates the payouts offered for different bets.

BET	DESCRIPTION	ODDS
Any 7 Bets	Pays if a 7 is rolled	Pays 4:1.
Any 11 Bets	Pays if an 11 is rolled next. If an 11 is rolled	Pays 15:1.
Big 6	Pays if a 6 is rolled before a 7.	Pays even money (1:1).
Big 8	Pays if an 8 is rolled before a 7.	Pays even money (1:1).
Buy Bets	Similar to a place bet but with a different payout, 5% commission (vigorish) is charged	6:5 on numbers 6 and 8, 3:2 on numbers 5 and 9, and 2:1 on numbers 4 and 10.
Come Bets	Pays if the next roll is either a 7 or an 11. You lose if the next roll is craps (2, 3, or 12). If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number establishes the come point. If the come point is rolled again before a 7, you win. If a 7 is rolled first, you lose.	Pays even money (1:1).
Come and Don’t Come Odds Bets	Positioned beneath the come and don’t come bets once they have been moved to the point’s box.	Pays: 2:1 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 3:2 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 6:5 on a roll of a 6 or an 8. A winning don’t come odds bet pays: 1:2 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 2:3 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 5:6 on a roll of a 6 or an 8.
Don’t Come Bets	The reverse of a come bet. If the shooter rolls a 3 or a 2, the don’t come bet wins. 7 or 11 lose. 12 results in a push.	Pays even money (1 to 1) if a 7 is rolled
Don’t Pass Line Bets	Reverse of pass line bet	Pays even money (1:1).
Don’t Pass Line Odds Bets	Reverse of a pass line odd bet	Pays true odds: 1:2 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 2:3 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 5:6 on a roll of a 6 or an 8.
Field Bets	Bets that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.	Pays 2:1 if the shooter rolls a 2 or 12. If a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 appears, you get paid even money (1:1).
Hard way Bets	Bets that the shooter will roll a 4, 6, 8, or 10 as doubles (2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5) prior to rolling a 7.	Pays 7:1 on 4 and 10 and 9:1 on 6 and 8.
Horn Bets	Pays if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, 11 or 12 next	Pays 15:1 on 3 and 11 and 30:1 on 2 and 12.
Lay Bets	A lay bet is the reverse of a buy bet	Pays true odds: 5:6 on 6 and 8, 2:3 on 5 and 9, and 1:2 on 4 and 10.
Odds Bets	A backup bet on a pass, don’t pass, come, and don’t come bet.	Pass odds and come odds pay 2:1 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 3:2 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 6:5 on a roll of a 6 or an 8. Don’t pass odds pay 1:2 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 2:3 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 5:6 on a roll of a 6 or an 8.
Pass Line Bets	Must be placed on the pass line prior to the come out roll. If a 7 or an 11 is rolled, you win and the round ends.	Pays even money (1:1).
Pass Line Odds Bets	Click on the craps table outside of the “PASS LINE” bar, under your original pass line bet.	Pays true odds: 2:1 on a roll of a 4 or a 10, 3:2 on a roll of a 5 or a 9, and 6:5 on a roll of a 6 or an 8.
Place Lose Bets	Similar to place win bets, but you are paid if the shooter rolls a 7 before the number you originally bet on.	6 and 8 pay 4:5, 5 and 9 pay 5:8, 4 and 10 pay 5:11
Place Win Bets	Bets made on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.	6 and 8 pay 7:6, 5 and 9 pay 7:5, 4 and 10 pay 9:5

PEEK INTO THE SOFTWARE

Take a look at the following illustrations which show you exactly how our Craps table will appear.