In this guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about the exciting game of craps, including its history, rules, terminology, and strategies.
Whether you're a beginner looking to learn the basics or an experienced player seeking to enhance your skills, this guide is the perfect resource for learning exactly what is Craps from a pro player's perspective.
With Bill's expert insights and insider tips, you'll be well on your way to mastering this popular casino game and increasing your chances of winning big.
Here's what you'll learn:
So, let's dive in and discover the world of craps together!
Craps is a gambling game that uses a pair of dice that most casinos feature in one form or another, offering more different ways to bet than any other casino game.
For each toss, with bets down, you win if you bet the outcome correctly, have no decision reached, or lose if you don't bet wrong.
The Importance of Understanding the Game
There are probably more than 100 ways to play craps by combining different bets. That makes craps a challenging game to learn.
If you need help understanding the game, you are likely giving the casino a huge advantage over you.
Each player gets a turn to toss a pair of dice as the play moves around the craps table. Before the first roll, the shooter must bet the pass line or don't pass line.
If 2 or 3 rolls before any other number, the don't pass bets wins, and the pass line bets lose. If the 7 or 11 rolls before any other number, the pass line bets win, and the don't pass bets lose.
When any other number rolls first, the point is established on that number, and the line bet player must repeat that number a second time before rolling a 7 for pass line bets to win.
If the 7 rolls before he repeats that number, the don't pass bets win, and the pass line bets lose.
A player's turn shooting the dice can last from as few as 2 rolls to as many as it takes for him to 7-out.
If the player keeps avoiding the losing 7 after his points have been established, his turn shooting could last for a long time.
Game’s Objective
The only fundamental objective in the game of craps is to try to win more craps sessions than you lose, with your wins being much larger than your losses each time.
Phases of the game
Knowledgeable players often play craps in two phases, especially when it is their turn to shoot.
The first phase is called the Game-within-a-game, which occurs before the pass-line point is established.
The pass-line-betting shooter uses a dice set that favours him tossing winning 7's and 11's, while also best avoiding losing craps rolls of 2's, 3's and 12's.
They will do their best to get several come-out wins before establishing the pass-line point. Those hits add up when the shooter is successful.
When the first phase ends, players settle into using their regular betting strategies and use tossing sets that favor their way of betting until the shooter's turn ends.
All told, there are probably about 40 different craps bets listed on the craps table that can be made individually or combined.
Below, you can find a full breakdown of all the craps bets and their payouts:
Pass Line/ Come Odds
| Rolls | Payout |
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 |
Don't Pass Line/ Don't Come Odds
| Rolls | Payout |
| 4 or 10 | 1 to 2 |
| 5 or 9 | 2 to 3 |
| 6 or 8 | 5 to 6 |
Field Bets
| Rolls | Payout |
| 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 | 1 to 1 |
| 2 or 12 | 2 to 1 |
Place Win Bets
The Craps Place bet represents a non-contract, player-controlled bet that can be made anytime during play on any or all of the box numbers.
| Rolls | Payout |
| 6 and 8 | 7 to 6 |
| 5 and 9 | 7 to 5 |
| 4 and 10 | 9 to 5 |
Place Lose Bets
| Rolls | Payout |
| 6 and 8 | 4 to 5 |
| 5 and 9 | 5 to 8 |
| 4 and 10 | 5 to 11 |
Buy Bets
The buy bet in craps requires you to pay a vig(commission) in exchange for better odds that a specific number will be rolled.
| Rolls | Payout |
| 6 and 8 | 6 to 5 |
| 5 and 9 | 3 to 2 |
| 4 and 10 | 2 to 1 |
Lay Bets
Lay bets are the opposite of buy bets. You win when the 7 rolls before the number your lay bet is rolled. It loses when the number that your lay bet is on rolls before the 7 rolls.
| Rolls | Payout |
| 6 and 8 | 5 to 6 |
| 5 and 9 | 2 to 3 |
| 4 and 10 | 1 to 2 |
Any Craps
| Rolls | Payout |
| 2,3 or 12 | 7 to 1 |
Horn Bets
| Rolls | Payout |
| 3 and 11 | 15 to 1 |
| 2 and 12 | 30 to 1 |
Hardway Bets
| Rolls | Payout |
| 4 and 10 | 7 to 1 |
| 6 and 8 | 9 to 1 |
All craps betting strategies work until they don't. Some of the popular craps strategies include:
- Three Point Molly: A pass line bet with two subsequent come bets that work like pass line bets but are made after the point is established by putting chips in the Come Bet box area on the craps table.
- Iron Cross: Betting 5, 6 and 8, with a smaller bet on Field (which bet all the numbers except the losing 7). It's popular because you win every time 7 isn't rolled. The drawback is the Field bet reduces the better-paying wins on 5, 6 and 8 hits. The best way to play IC is to use winnings to pump up bets on 5, 6 and 8, so those frequently rolled numbers win more when they roll.
- Place Betting: Betting that numbers you chose to place bet on the win before the 7 makes them lose.
- Power Pressing: Adding your winnings each time to the bets you've already made to use "house money you've won" to win even bigger
- Regressing your bets: Reducing the amount bet after getting ahead on a roll. Regressing keeps you from giving back many of your winnings when the 7 finally claims all your bets at the end of the roll.
- Playing the dark side: Betting against the shooter making their point. Best played on a cold table with short shooting turns happening.
- Laying the back line: On a shooter's come-out rolls, you make lay bets on all six place numbers, 4 thru 10. That way, if the shooter tosses a come-out 7, all six lay bets win on that roll. If he tosses one of your six numbers you've bet, you only lose that one bet. The lay bets come down as soon as a pass line point is established. If a craps number is rolled, it does not take down your lay bets, either. Some players see this bet as easy money through smart betting.
I bet double my regular bets starting when I shoot, going for a couple of good paying hits on my place bets, then regress all my bets by 50% for the rest of my turn shooting; that will usually pay for my remaining bets and keep me from ending up in the hole for that turn shooting.
If I play the Iron Cross, I use the even-money-paying field bet wins during early rolls to pump up my bets on 6 and 8 with "house money", so they win more when hit.
After 6 tosses, if I haven't hit a bigger win on 5, 6 or 8, I will regress all bets by 50% and remove and rack all the raises I've made up to that point. (I see no point in leaving my past winning on the table to now be lost.)
That way, I give back far less when the losing 7 rolls. I even rack all additional wins after that regression until I've won an amount equal to my bets currently on the table before I raise my 6 and 8 place bets again with field bet wins.
I'll be tossing my best dice for hitting 6 and 8, while also best avoiding 7. If you don't raise your place bets, the Iron Cross is more of a grind.
Bet on what is being rolled by the shooter. Some shooters have signature numbers that they roll a lot more often than they should expect to roll them.
If you see that the table is rolling a ton of, say, 4's, bet them and probably cash in on wins.
Simple bets with Lower House Edge
Place betting 6 and 8, the 2nd and 3rd most frequently rolled numbers, right behind the 7.
Betting vertically, which concentrates your bets on a few numbers, wins more on each win because of the larger bet, but when any other number is rolled 6 and 8 bets don't win.
Pass line with odds and don't pass line with odds carried a meager house advantage but infrequently win when any other numbers roll.
Bankroll Management
If you bring $100 to gamble with at craps and bet $80 of it at the first opportunity, expect your stay at the craps table to be extremely short usually.
You need a bigger bankroll to allow you to remain at the table longer, and you don't want to bet more than about 10% of it on any one shooter.
In other words, don't bring a knife to a gunfight and don't risk too much on any one-turn shooting. A realistic win goal at craps is from 15% to 20% of the money you brought with you.
Observation of Other Players
You want to avoid being an action freak who bets on almost all shooters. That usually spells disaster. Watch each player to see if their turns last long, only betting on a couple of those getting long turns shooting.
The longer a turn shooting lasts, usually, the more you win.
Practice Craps for Free
You can practice your betting strategies during practice at home or online. It's better to learn without risking real money. Try to learn your craps lessons by playing for free.
Avoiding Proposition Bets
Greatly limit, or avoid, making the high house advantage prop bets in the center of the craps table. Most are simply sucker bets designed to take you away your money quickly.
Knowing When to Stop
Setting a stop limit for each session and sticking to it will keep you from going bust at the table, which can make you cuss like a sailor. A reasonable loss limit is about 30%-50% of your playing stake. It takes control to make your loss limit work. Sometimes that has to be learned the hard way.
Staying Focused on the Game
You want to get to where betting is second nature to you, to where you don't even have to think about how to bet at the table.
If you are the shooter, that frees you up to concentrate on your toss. Also, gameplay on a craps table can be fickle, quickly changing from turns lasting forever to only quick 7-outs.
Learn to read the craps table and its changes as they happen.
Be prepared to quit or change betting strategies when you see changes in play happening. Three quick losses in a row is an excellent quitting time, too.
Craps originated from the game of "kraps" and "hazard" in ancient times and distant lands. Craps has a long, complicated history.
Its popularity spread over time, finally finding its way to America, where the soldiers of WW2 made its popularity explode after the war ended.
Dark side bets, don't pass and don't come, were finally added to the game, which gives players more flexibility in how they play.
Conclusion
While the game of craps may seem complicated at first, with the right knowledge and practice, anyone can master it.
Understanding the rules, the different bets, and the strategies involved is key to success in craps. However, learning how to play craps can be a challenging task.
That is why I highly recommend checking out my other Craps guides, which provide comprehensive and detailed instructions on how to play craps like a pro. This way, you can better understand the game and increase your chances of winning.
So why wait? Visit the Craps Academy today and start your journey to becoming a craps expert!
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