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CRAPS
Description & Objective
Craps can be an intimidating game for the beginner. The table seems to have
about a hundred different kinds of bets. Critical to the understanding of craps
is that it is a game of rounds. The first roll in a round is called the come out
roll. Sometimes the outcome of a round will be determined on the come out roll.
In particular a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 on the come out roll immediately ends a
round. If any other total is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that number is called
the point. The dealer will place a white puck on an area of the table to
designate what the point is, in case you forget. If a point is rolled the dice
will be rolled continuously until the same point is rolled again or a 7.
Game Play
To play the game of Craps, place your bets by placing chips on the Craps table.
Click the casino chip icons to add chips to your hand. Click the chips in your
hand to remove them.
To place a bet, click on the region of the table for the type of bet you wish to
place. The chips in your hand will be placed on the table. Green areas indicate
bets that can be placed (added to); conversely, red areas indicate bets that
cannot be made.
To remove a bet from the table, right click on the bet. The amount of chips in
your hand will be removed from the stack on the table.
When you have finished placing bets on the table, click the Roll button to start
the dice rolling.
After the dice come to a rest, losing bets are removed from the table, and
winning bets are paid. For winning bets, the original bet amount is returned
after the winnings are paid out. Also, any bets that tie (push) are returned.
If you wish to make the same bets again for the next roll, press the Repeat Bet
button and all of your previous bets will be placed again (those that can be
validly placed).
All bets have to be made prior to rolling the dice.
Craps Bets
The Pass Line
The pass line is the most fundamental bet in craps, almost every player at the
table bets on it. The house edge on the pass line is only 1.41%, which is not
bad compared to most other bets on the table and other games in the casino.
The pass line is an even money bet. You start by placing your bet on the pass
line area on the table on a come out roll. If the come out roll is a 7 or 11 you
win, which is also called a "natural". If the come out roll is a 2, 3, or 12
(craps) you lose. If any point is rolled on the come out roll if the point is
rolled again before a 7 you win. If a 7 comes before the point you lose. That is
all there is to it. Once you understand the pass line bet you are ready to play
craps. You may want to practice using fun money a few times before playing for
real money.
Buying the Odds
Have you ever wanted a bet with no house edge? Craps offers just such a bet, as
long as you bet on the pass line first. Once a point has been thrown you may bet
up to some multiple, usually 2 times, your pass line bet on the 'odds.' The odds
are simply an additional wager that the point will be rolled before a 7. Because
the probability of the point being rolled first is less than 50% you win more
than you bet if it happens. Specifically if the point is a 6 or 8 the odds pay
6:5, if the point is a 5 or 9 the odds pay 3:2, and if the point is a 4 or 10
the odds pay 2:1.
The multiple you may bet on the odds is usually twice the pass line bet for
points of 4, 5, 9, and 10, and two and a half times the pass line bet on the 6
and 8. The reason you may bet more on a point of 6 or 8 is so that you can place
a $5 odds bet on top of a $2 pass line bet. A $4 odds bet on a 6 or 8 would win
$4.80. A $5 odds bet on the 6 or 8 wins an even $6.
Point
Odds
Bet
Win
Total Winnings
4 or 10
2:1
$10
$20
$30
5 or 9
3:2
$10
$15
$25
6 or 8
5:6
$10
$12
$22
The table below shows the house edge when you combine the pass line and odds:
Combined house edge on the pass line and buying odds
1X odds
0.848%
2X odds
0.606%
Full double odds
0.572%
3X odds
0.471%
Don't Pass
The don't pass is almost the opposite of the pass line bet. If the come out roll
is a 2 or 3 then you win, a 7 or 11 you lose. A 12 is a push. Otherwise the dice
are rolled over and over until either the point or a 7 is rolled. If the 7 comes
before the point you win.
A person betting on the don't pass is not the wager of choice by many players,
since this bet is betting against the shooter. This is also called a "wrong"
bettor and is usually winning when everyone else is losing, and vice versa.
The house edge on the don't pass bet is 1.364%.
Laying the Odds
This is the opposite of buying odds, in other words betting that a 7 will be
rolled before the point.
If the point is a 4 or 10 the don't odds pay 1:2.
If the point is a 5 or 9 the don't odds pay 2:3.
If the point is a 6 or 8 the don't odds pay 5:6.
Come
Have you ever become bored waiting for a point to be thrown and didn't want to
waste your money on the sucker bets to guarantee a money flow on every throw? If
so then try the come bet. It is like the pass line bet but may be made at any
time. Like the pass line bet you might also put money on the odds if a point is
thrown on the first roll after the come bet is placed and has a house edge of
1.41%.
There is a nuance to the come bet the player should know about. If a point is
thrown and there are still active come bets on the table waiting for a different
point then special rules apply for the following come out roll. The come out
roll will still apply to active come bets but it will not apply to their
respective odds bets. In the event a come bet is resolved on a come out roll
then the odds bet will be returned.
A good strategy for the player who likes constant action is to have a new bet on
either the pass line or come on every throw, and to always take the maximum
allowable odds.
This bet is one of the more exciting bets to make in Craps. A lot of players use
this bet to get more numbers working for them at the same time, six in all.
Don't Come
What the don't pass is to the pass, the don't come is to the come. If the
shooter rolls a 2 or 3, you win. A 12 constitutes a tie. You lose on 7 or 11.
Any other number is the "come point". You win if a seven is rolled before the
come point and lose if the come point is rolled before a 7 is rolled.
The Place Number Bets
In craps the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 are known as the "place numbers." For the
player who must have money on some or all of them immediately they may make
certain bets to cover any place number(s) they desire. These bets work just like
the odds but pay worse odds, with the exception of the "hard way" bets, which
are described below. Like odds bets on top of come or don't come bets, place
number bets are on during a come out roll. These bets can be removed at any
time.
There is a high price for impatience in craps in the form of a higher house
edge. To further exploit the impatient or ignorant player there can be two or
three different bets on the exact same thing, and they will all pay different
odds. You might think players would only bet on the option with the best odds
but you would be quite wrong, it is routine to see players throwing their money
away on the higher house edge versions of the same bet. For example the place
bet on 6, the buy bet on 6, and the big 6 all are betting that a 6 will be
rolled before a 7 but pay 7:6, 24:21, and 1:1 respectively, for house edges of
1.52%, 4.76%, and 9.09%. Specific descriptions of the various bets are below.
Big 6: A bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7. Pays even money, house edge of
9.09%.
Big 8: same as the Big 6 only that an 8 will be rolled before a 7.
Buy Bets: This is essentially the same as the place bet, only with a different
payoff. The player may "buy" any of the points (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10), which
means to bet that the number will be rolled before a 7. When making a buy bet,
you must pay a 4% commission and your bet will pay fair odds if it wins. Fair
odds are 2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, and 6:5 on the 6 and 8.
Another way to look at it is that the buy bet pays 48:25 on the 4 and 10, 36:25
on the 5 and 9, and 144:125 on the 6 and 8. The pay out on all bets will be
rounded down to the nearest quarter. The house edge on all buy bets is 4.76%.
Hard Ways: There are four different hard way bets. For example a hard 4 bet is
betting that a pair of twos will be rolled before a 7 or any other way to roll a
total of 4. This is called "the hard way" because it is harder to roll two twos
than a one and a three. Likewise you can bet on a hard 6, 8, or 10, each of
which is a bet that the hard way of rolling the given number will occur before a
7 or any "easy" way.
The casino pays 7:1 on a hard 4 or 10 with a house edge of 11.11%.
The casino pays 9:1 on a hard 6 or 8 with a house edge of 9.09%.
Lay Bets: The lay bet is the opposite of the buy bet and the same as the place
bet to lose but with different paybacks. The lay bets may be placed on the 4, 5,
6, 8, 9, or 10. The bet itself is that a 7 will be rolled before the number you
choose. Because the 7 is the most likely number to be rolled you will wager more
than you can win. The player must pay a 4% commission on the possible winnings
and the fair odds are paid on the bet itself. Fair odds are 1:2 on the 4 and 10,
2:3 on the 5 and 9, and 5:6 on the 4 and 8. Another way to look at it is that
lay bet pays 12:25 on the 4 and 10, 16:25 on the 5 and 9, and 12:15 on the 6 and
8. The house edge on the 4 and 10 is 2.44%, on the 5 and 9 it is 3.23%, and on
the 6 and 8 it is 4.00%. Note that the house edge on the lay bet is lower than
the place bet to lose on the 4 and 10 only, if you want to make a lay bet on the
5, 6, 8, or 9 you would be advised to make a place to lose instead.
Place Bets: This is very similar to laying odds. You may bet on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9,
or 10. If the number you bet on is rolled before a 7 then you win according to
payoff schedule below. Unlike laying odds you don't need to have a pass line
bet, you don't have to bet on the point, but there is a house edge.
A place bet on 4 or 10 pays 9:5 with a house edge of 6.67%, you bet $10, win $18
A place bet on 5 or 9 pays 7:5 with a house edge of 4.00%, you bet $10, win 14
A place bet on 6 or 8 pays 7:6 with a house edge of only 1.52%, you bet $12, win
$14
When a place bet wins, you are paid your winnings and your original bet is
returned. You may take back an active place bet at any time.
The table below is a summary of the various place number bets for quick
comparison
Bet
Description
Pays
House Edge
Big 6
6 before 7
1:1
9.09%
Big 8
8 before 7
1:1
9.09%
Buy (4)
4 before 7
48:25
4.76%
Buy (5)
5 before 7
36:25
4.76%
Buy (6)
6 before 7
144:125
4.76%
Buy (8)
8 before 7
144:125
4.76%
Buy (9)
9 before 7
36:25
4.76%
Buy (10)
10 before 7
48:25
4.76%
Hard 4
Hard 4 before 7 or easy 4
7:1
11.11%
Hard 6
Hard 6 before 7 or easy 6
9:1
9.09%
Hard 8
Hard 8 before 7 or easy 8
9:1
9.09%
Hard 10
Hard 10 before 7 or easy 10
7:1
11.11%
Lay (4)
7 before 4
12:25
2.44%
Lay (5)
7 before 5
16:25
3.23%
Lay (6)
7 before 6
12:15
4.00%
Lay (8)
7 before 8
12:15
4.00%
Lay (9)
7 before 9
16:25
3.23%
Lay (10)
7 before 10
12:25
2.44%
Place (4)
4 before 7
9:5
6.67%
Place (5)
5 before 7
7:5
4.00%
Place (6)
6 before 7
7:6
1.52%
Place to (8)
8 before 7
7:6
1.52%
Place to (9)
9 before 7
7:5
4.00%
Place to (10)
10 before 7
9:5
6.67%
Field Bet
A field bet is a one-roll bet. If the shooter rolls a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12,
you win even money with the exception of 2 which pays 2:1 or 12, which pays
either 2:1 or 3:1. Please see below for more explanation on field bets under
Proposition Bets.
The Proposition Bets
Proposition bets either win or lose on the next throw. In general these have the
highest house edge of all the craps bets and for the player with any sense are
to be avoided completely. Specific descriptions of the various bets are below.
Craps 2: A bet that a 2 will be thrown on the next roll. Pays 30:1. House edge
13.89%.
Craps 3: A bet that a 3 will be thrown on the next roll. Pays 15:1. House edge
11.11%.
7: A bet that a 7 will be thrown on the next roll. Pays 4:1. House edge 16.67%.
11: A bet that an 11 will be thrown on the next roll. Pays 15:1. House edge
11.11%.
Craps 12: A bet that a 12 will be thrown on the next roll. Pays 30:1. House edge
13.89%.
Any Craps: A bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, or 12. Pays 7:1. House edge
11.11%.
Field Bet: This is a one time bet that the next roll will be a 2,3,4,9,10,11, or
12. The 3,4,9,10, and 11 pay even money. The 2 pays 2:1. The 12 usually pays 3:1
but some tight casinos only pay 2:1. If the 12 pays 2:1 the house edge is 5.56%,
if the 12 pays 3:1 the house edge is 2.78%. On the surface this seems like a
great bet because 7 numbers win and only 4 lose. However the 4 that lose are
much more likely to be rolled.
Button and Table Bet Descriptions
Roll
Clicking on the Roll button after placing a bet starts a new round.
Repeat
Clicking on the Repeat button will repeat all the bets made on the previous
round that can be validly placed now.
Clear
Clicking on the Clear button removes all the bets on the table that can be
removed.
Most bets can be removed, added to, or deducted from at any time. Exceptions
would be the pass and come bets, and you cannot exceed the maximum bet on the
odds.
Table Min/Max
Look here to find the minimum and maximum total of the bets allowed.
Bet Regions
When moving the cursor over the bet regions a yellow "tag" will appear that
gives the name of the bet, the current amount placed for that bet, and the
minimum and maximum amounts that can be placed on that bet.
If a green highlight appears in a region, that indicates this bet can be added
to (changed). If a red highlight appears, this bet cannot be increased (but
sometimes can be removed).
Some of the information contained herein was obtained from: http://www.thewizardofodds.com
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