Craps

The players

In the real Craps dice game, many players can play at the same time. In online casinos usually one player plays alone against the bank. Here the player generally has more time to think through his game tactics. What makes the live game exciting, however, is that every player takes his turn and becomes a shooter, i.e. the one who throws the dice in a Craps hand. All other players, the so-called faders, can place their bets on the Craps table at any time.

Players bet on whether certain numbers on the dice will fall or they bet against them, i.e. that they will not fall. While the game of Craps depends on the lucky chance that the dice fall correctly, players can increase their chances of winning very well if they acquire some skills and know the dice possibilities and ratios of the bets. Although the shooter throws the dice for the bank, all players do not play against him but against the bank, i.e. the casino.

The craps table

The craps table can be very confusing. Players can play at real tables almost all the way around standing up and the betting area is therefore shown twice – once on each half of the table. In the online Craps game, only one half of the table is shown virtually at a time. The various betting offers printed on the table may sometimes vary slightly. The following betting options are usually available and are in English:

pass line bet
Don’t Pass Line bet
Place bets
Come bet
Don’t come bet
One roll bets (also known as proposition bets):
Hard Way bets, Any 7 bets, Any Craps, Horn bet, Field bet, Big 6/8 bet

Behind each betting option is the corresponding payout.

craps cubes

In Live Craps, the game of dice is quite exciting because the dice have to be thrown by hand onto the opposite wall of the table. In addition, after a completed Craps hand, the dice change clockwise to the next shooter. The shooter can choose two dice from a collection of five dice. This option does not exist in online Craps. The player triggers the roll of the virtual dice by clicking a button.

The possible combinations of the dice eyes are the deciding factor when betting in the Craps game. With two dice, 36 of the following number combinations are possible, so the corresponding probabilities of a certain number of dice rolling are as follows:

Number of the dice Probability
2 (1 + 1) 1/36
Number of points 3 (1 + 2 / 2 + 1) 2/36
Number of points 4 (1 + 3 / 3 + 1 / 2 + 2) 3/36
Number of points 5 (1 + 4 / 4 + 1 / 3 + 2 / 2 + 3) 4/36
Eye number 6 (1 + 5 / 5 + 1 / 4 + 2 / 2 + 4 / 3 + 3) 5/36
Eye number 7 (1 + 6 / 6 + 1 / 5 + 2 / 2 + 5 / 3 + 4 / 4 + 3) 6/36
Eight (2 + 6 / 6 + 2 / 5 + 3 / 3 + 5 / 4 + 4) 5/36
Number of points 9 (3 + 6 / 6 + 3 / 5 + 4 / 4 + 5) 4/36
10 (4 + 6 / 6 + 4 / 5 + 5) 3/36
Number of points 11 (5 + 6 / 6 + 5) 2/36
Number of points 12 (6 + 6) 1/36

The fallen numbers of the dice add up to the so-called roll. Players should memorize the probabilities well in order to place their bets accordingly and profitably.

If the dice fall with two identical eyes, this is called “hard” in the Craps game. For example, two 4’s then make a Hard Eight.

Similarly, a “soft” is when the sum of the dice is made up of two different dice eyes, for example, a “soft eight” can consist of the dice combinations 2 + 6 / 6 + 2 / 5 + 3 / 3 + 5.

In the game of Craps, the following groups of rolls are particularly important:

7 and 11
2, 3 and 12
4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10

The play money

Craps is played with game chips that replace real money. The bankroll of Craps players has no limit. The game chips have different values, which are distinguished by colors. When Craps is played on online platforms, the stakes are only displayed by virtual game chips.

game description

The game of live craps cannot do without one or more dealers or a stickman. The Stickman is a type of croupier who uses a special Craps stick to push the dice or game chips. Dealers are only responsible for placing the game chips on specific bets and for the payout of winnings. These players do not exist in the online Craps game. However, this changes the game flow in online Craps only slightly.

craps game play

A Craps hand is divided into two phases. In the first, the shooter rolls a first roll, called the come out roll.

If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, he has a natural and wins immediately.

If the shooter rolls 2, 3, or 12, the hand is crapped and the player loses immediately, also called a crapping out.

If he rolls one of the eye totals 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, this becomes his Point.

The shooter may then continue rolling. The Craps hand enters the next phase.

From the second roll of the dice, the following applies:

Faders place their bets on the come field. They bet that the Shooter will roll a Point. The Game Button is changed from OFF to ON and placed on the Point number on the dice. This indicates what the shooter must roll to win.

If the shooter throws the same eye total as in the very first roll, i.e. his Point, he wins. It doesn’t matter how many throws it takes. Then this Craps hand is over.

However, if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the Point, he loses his bet. (The 11 does not count as the elimination point in phase two). This Craps hand is then finished.

If he rolls a different sum of points, he may continue rolling the dice, and the Faders may place their bets on the come field again. Previously placed player bets on Come are moved to the last roll of the dice.

The shooter then rolls the dice until a 7 makes him lose. In live craps play, the shooter would then pass the dice to the player to his right. In online Craps, the Craps hand then simply starts over.

Overview:
The 7 wins in the first phase and loses in the second phase.

The Craps numbers 2, 3 and 12, as well as the 11 do not count as lost in phase two.

Craps stakes and betting opportunities

inserts:

At the Craps table, all players must abide by the table limit when betting. Basically, the shooter bets a certain amount at the beginning and the faders bet against it. These bets are placed on the pass line. Bets cannot be increased or decreased during the course of a Craps hand. Other bets may be made for this.

betting opportunities:

The basic idea of the Craps game is to bet for or against the dice on every roll of the dice. And for this there are the following fields:

pass line bet

To play in a Craps hand, all players must place their bets on this pass line. Passing can be considered “moving forward”. This is a bet that the shooter will win or advance to the next stage. Players are betting that the bank will lose. The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 take the Craps hand to the next stage. The pass line bet remains in place.

Don't Pass Line Bet

This bet is the exact opposite of the pass line bet. If you bet on Don’t Pass, you are betting that the shooter will not advance or win. So you’re betting that the bank wins. To do this, the shooter must roll a 2 or a 3 on the first roll of the dice. The 12 is a stand-off or a bar roll. On Don’t Pass, the bet is also lost if the shooter gets a 7 or 11 on the first roll – he wins, but does not advance to phase two. However, if the shooter gets a point, the don’t pass bets that he will pick a 7 in phase two and lose.

Come Bets

The come field does not come into play until phase two of the craps hand. Once the shooter has progressed, bets are placed in this box. Bets are placed on whether one of the Point numbers will fall. If one of the Point numbers falls, no winnings are paid, but the bet is moved to the Point number on the dice. If the shooter rolls a 7, all bets in the Come box and on the Points are logically lost.

Don't Come Betting

This bet is the opposite of the Come bet. There is no separate field for this bet. The Don’t Come bet is placed after each roll of the dice in an extra (empty) space behind the desired Point number, indicating that you are betting against that number. Since you are betting that it won’t come, it will win if the shooter rolls a 7. Twelve is always an invalid roll, so it’s called a stand-off.

Odds Betting

These bets can be placed in addition to the four bets mentioned above, but only after the first roll of the dice after a Point has already been established. They are not marked by a box on the Craps table. Players place their odds bets under the Pass or Don’t Pass box. Odds bets can only be placed if the player has already bet on Pass or Don’t Pass. An odds bet on Don’t Pass is also known as Laying the Odds.

Place bets (Point numbers)

Players can bet on any Point die number. To do so, their bet must first be placed in the Come box and then on the number on which they are betting. Therefore, place bets are not possible in the first phase of a Craps hand. The interesting thing is that the player wins on that number until the shooter rolls a 7. This means that the winnings may be paid out more than once in the same Craps hand. The base bet should therefore remain in place until the end of a Craps hand. The casinos punish the fact that you can win so well with the payout. In the Place field, viewed from outside to inside, the probabilities are as follows:
Since there are 3 ways to roll the 4 or the 10, the payout is 9:5
Since there are 4 ways to roll the 9 or the 5, the payout is 7:5
Since there are 5 ways to roll the 6 or the 8, the payout is 7:6
Place bets on the 6 and 8 always require an additional chip to be placed. This is because casinos do not pay out half bets, such as €2.50. The 0.50 € would be lost to the bank.
If the shooter rolls a 7, all remaining bets on the Place bets are logically lost.

Proposition Bets

The term “Proposition Bets” or “Prop Bets” covers a certain category of bets in the Craps game. They are all quite risky bets that have nothing to do with the pass line, that is, whether or not the shooter manages to make his point. Proposition bets are placed in the middle of the Craps table. In the live Craps game, the faders must announce all proposition bets, as these are operated exclusively by the stickman. These are one-roll bets – the bet only applies to the next roll of the dice. The following betting options are available:
1 + 1 – Aces, or snake-eyes. Payout 30:1
1 + 2 – Ace-Deuce also known as Three Craps. Payout 17:1
6 + 5 / 5 + 6 – The Yo. Payout 15:1
6 + 6 – Boxcars or Twelve. Payout 30:1

Horn Bet

The horn is a combination bet that is not printed on the Craps table and covers the Yo and Craps numbers. The horn bet is divided equally among the four numbers. Therefore, the bet should be an even number divisible by 4. If one of the Horn numbers wins, the payout is 30:1 on the numbers 2 and 12 and 15:1 on the 3 and 11, but it is not worth betting on the Horn numbers.

Any 7 Bet

The Any Seven, also called the Big Red, is also a bad betting opportunity. This bet wins if one of the three possible combinations of rolling a 7 falls. Here, players bet that a 7 will be rolled in phase two. The payout is usually 4:1, since the probability of rolling a 7 to roll a dice is 6:36.

Any Craps

This bet is also called the Three Ways bet and it is bet on the Craps numbers 2, 3 or 12 to fall. The payout is high, usually at 8:1, sometimes 7:1.

Big 6/8 bets

Here, in phase two, you can bet that a 6 or an 8 will be rolled before the 7. The payout is 1:1.

Field Bet

This bet applies to a single roll of the dice in phase two. The payout is immediate. This is done by rolling one of the following numbers: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12, which have the better payout and are therefore highlighted differently on the Field betting field. This bet can be played at any point in a Craps hand.

Hard Way Bets

These bets are a sub-category of proposition bets, where the outcome of a bet is determined by several dice. In most general terms, Hard Way bets only win when a pair of the same numbers is rolled. We can distinguish between four subtypes of Hard Way bets, namely Hard 6 (3-3), Hard 8 (4-4), Hard 4 (2-2) and Hard 10 (5-5). The shooter rolls the dice until the Hard Way pair is rolled. If the number 7 is rolled before the pair, the Hard Way bet loses.
Hard Way bets are placed on the table in front of the stickman. They are often called in composite numbers. A Hard 6 would be 33, Hard 8 would be 44, Hard 10 would be 55, and the numbers 2 (double 1) and 12 (double 6) are not considered Hard Way combinations.
The bet on Hard Way bets will remain on that one bet until the shooter rolls a 7 or one of the Soft Way numbers to create the matching bet. For example, on a Hard 8, this would be the Soft 8 such as 5 + 3 or a 6 + 2.

Craps Jargon

Bank

Online players always bet against the bank

Stickman/Croupier

Game chip distributor in the real Craps game

Shooter/Würfelspieler

The one who throws the dice

Fader/Spieler

takers who bet against the dice

Dealer/Croupier

The one who manages the game chips

Crapping out

In the second phase, eliminate by 2, 3 or 12

Come out roll

The first litter in the second phase

Hard way

Even number of points (double)

Soft way

Odd number of points

Roll/dice sum

Sum of all dice eyes of a throw

Odds

Probability bets on Pass or Don’t Pass

Dark Side

Don’t Pass or Don’t Come are called