If you walk through any major casino, you will immediately notice a table that is much louder and more energetic than any other game in the building. Players are yelling and celebrating while a single player throws two red dice down the green felt. This chaotic scene is called Craps. To an absolute novice, the game seems terrifyingly complicated. There are dozens of different betting sections, and the dealers are shouting slang. Yet, this is completely false. While it looks complex, the core game is incredibly basic, and most mathematically player-friendly games in the entire casino. By understanding one rule, you can join the fun.
The Core Mechanic: The Come-Out Roll
The secret to start playing this game is to ignore all the crazy bets in the middle. The confusing center sections are designed to steal your money designed specifically to drain your bankroll. You only need to focus on one single, massive stripe that wraps around the entire edge of the table: the "Pass Line". Betting on this line is how you play the game. When a new shooter gets the dice, the person rolling the dice (the "Shooter") rolls the dice for the first time. With your money on the Pass Line, you get paid 1:1 immediately on a 7 or 11. You instantly lose your bet if the Come-Out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as "Crapping Out"). That is the first step: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses.
The Ongoing Game: What Happens on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10?
What if they roll a different number? If the result is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that specific number officially becomes "The Point". The pit boss takes a marker and moves it directly onto that specific number on the table layout. The phase of the game shifts. To win the money, the player keeps rolling until that specific number hits. When the Point rolls, the table cheers and wins. Here is the danger: if the shooter rolls a 7 prior to the Point, this is called "Sevening Out". All Pass Line bets are swept away, the round completely ends, and the dice are passed to the next player at the table. The entire excitement is just players cheering trying to avoid the 7.
- Taking Odds: After the Point is set, you can place an 'Odds' bet behind your chips. This is called "Taking Odds," and it is a mathematical anomaly with absolutely zero house edge. The casino makes zero profit on this bet.
- Don't Pass Line: You can bet that the table will lose. You win when others lose, or if they Seven Out before hitting their point. It has a lower house edge, but you will be the most hated person at the table since you win when the table loses.
- The Sucker Bets: The 'Hardways' and 'Any Seven' bets with the pictures of dice are terrible math traps that will drain your cash. Do not touch those bets.
Simplifying the Math: A Quick Summary
To make your very first trip to the craps table, to make things easy, look at this basic chart. It explains the basic rules of the only bet you will ever need to make: how to play the Pass Line.
| The Dice Roll | What the Shooter Rolls | The Result |
|---|---|---|
| Come-Out Roll | Shooter rolls a 7 or an 11. | You instantly WIN even money. The round resets. |
| The Come-Out Roll (First Roll) | 2, 3, or 12 | You instantly LOSE your bet. The round resets. |
| The Middle Phase | Any other number | The number becomes the Point. The game moves to the next phase. |
| The Grind | Point is hit | Table cheers, you win |
| The Ongoing Game | The Deadly 7 | Total Loss |
Ultimately, craps is actually incredibly simple. The casino purposefully designs the table layout to look like a math puzzle so that amateur players will make bad bets. By simply walking up, placing your chips exclusively on the Pass Line, avoiding the middle of the table, and completely ignoring the screaming center of the board, you are playing a nearly even game game on the floor. Join the fun, and experience the greatest social gambling experience on the floor.
