Craps Game Tips – Learn Popular Strategies
Craps Key Points:
- Craps is a dice-based gambling game where players bet on the outcome of dice rolls.
- The Shooter rolls the dice, aiming for a 7 or 11 to win on the Come-Out Roll, while 2, 3, or 12 results in a loss.
- Basic bets include Pass Line Bet (bet with the Shooter) and Don’t Pass Bet (bet against the Shooter).
- Advanced bets feature Come Bets and Don’t Come Bets, placed after the Come-Out Roll, and Odds Bets, which have no house edge.
- House edge varies: 1.41% for Pass Line Bets and 1.36% for Don’t Pass Line Bets, while Place Bets range from 1.5% to 6.7%.
- Key tips: Know the rules, set a budget, choose best bets, mix wagers, and practice with free games before betting real money.
How to Play Craps
Admittedly, not as popular in the online casino world as it is in brick-and-mortar venues, craps is not everyone’s cup of tea. It can also be a bit tricky to find a decent number of variants to play online. However, none of that should dissuade you from having a punt at the craps table. By the time you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll know all about the world’s most popular dice-based gambling game as well as where and how to play it.
Throughout this guide, we’ll look at the history of craps, how the table looks, the bets you can make, and of course, how the game itself is played. If you haven’t played craps before, you’ll soon know enough to give it a run for its money. Let’s begin, then, by looking at where this game originated and how it came to take pride of place among so many other top titles at casinos.
Basic Strategies for Craps Beginners
The History of Craps
Like so many gambling games, the true history of craps is shrouded in a bit of mystery. Dice games have existed since time immemorial. Romans and early Arab peoples almost certainly played dice-based games. The Crusaders played Hazard (with dice), and both the English and French would continue to play that game during the Middle Ages and on into the age of empires.
Colonization would see the game end up in New Orleans with French settlers. It was popular with Louisiana landowners and eventually entered the first fledgling riverboat casinos. There was a flaw in this newly redesigned game, known as “craps,” though. To counteract the flaw, John H. Winn (a dice maker by trade) introduced the Don’t Pass bet. Craps – with his Don’t Pass bet included – would go on to become the legendary game we know today. Unsurprisingly, it made its way into Las Vegas casinos in the 1930s, like so many other up-and-coming gambling games.
Craps remained virtually unchanged for decades until the 1990s, when the game was – like many table games – incorporated into the very first online casinos. From there, mobile-friendly editions of the game were developed for players on smartphones and tablets. The most recent incarnation of the game has been created using live human dealers instead of RNGs (random number generators) and is played over an internet video stream. The number of live dealer craps games is still minimal compared to its more famous sister games such as baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. However, the game can still be found in a plethora of places online.
The Ins and Outs of Craps
For those of you who aren’t familiar with craps, it is a game played with dice. Players essentially wager on the outcome of a dice roll. Street Craps sees players wager money against one another, but we’re more interested in Casino/Table Craps, whereby players wager money against the house/casino.
Players will win their bet if whatever they happened to have wagered money on appears on the dice. That seems simple enough, but there are few more ins and outs to craps than that. We’ll smooth over those cracks in our guide on how to play craps. Let’s begin then, by looking at how a bet is made.
Setting Up Your Bets
The craps table looks intimidating. There are many different aspects to it. Fortunately, we’ll go over those in detail in just a few moments.
One player will be the Shooter. For those of you without knowledge of craps lingo, the Shooter is the one who rolls the dice. The honor will be passed around the players as time passes. Most players (who aren’t rolling the dice) will bet with the player, hoping that the player will roll the number they need to win before a losing number comes up. Not everybody will bet this way.
Bets are always made on the outcome of a pair of dice being rolled by the Shooter. Much like roulette, your chips are placed on the relevant spots on the craps table. Table limits vary from game to game.
How to Play Craps: The Come-Out Roll
The Shooter is aiming to roll an accumulated total of 7 or 11 on the two dice. If this is achieved, they win their bet. If the two dice add up to 2, 3, or 12, the Shooter loses. If they fail to get either of these totals on the first roll (known as the Come-Out Roll) the total they achieve on the dice will become the Point Number. The objective of the Shooter now changes. They must now roll the Point Number again before they roll a 7, which is now a losing number.
Basic Betting: Pass Line Bets
For first-time craps players, the Pass Line Bet is the way to go. It is the most straightforward, most fundamental bet that any craps player can make. Your chips must be placed in the Pass Line spot on the craps table for your bet to count.
A Pass Line Bet indicates that you are betting with the Shooter. Alternatively, a Don’t Pass Bet (placed in its relevant spot) indicates that you’re betting against the Shooter, and most probably, many others at the table.
Winning a Pass Line Bet: You will win a Pass Line Bet if the Shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on their Come-Out Roll. You will lose if a 2, 3 or 12 comes up.
Winning a Don’t Pass Bet: You will win a Don’t Pass Bet if the Shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on the Come-Out Roll. You will lose if a 7 or 11 comes up.
If any other total is revealed on the dice, and nobody wins or loses on the Come-Out Roll, the game moves on to the next stage, which is the Point Round.
Playing the Point
Should a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 appear on the dice and no winner be declared, that number now becomes the Point Number. The fate of your bet once again hinges on the Shooter.
Winning a Pass Line Bet: You will win a Pass Line Bet if the Shooter rolls the Point Number before they manage to roll a 7.
Winning a Don’t Pass Bet: You will win a Don’t Pass Bet if the Shooter rolls a 7 before they roll the Point Number.
Gameplay will carry on, with the Shooter continually rolling the two dice until either the Point Number or a 7 appears. Once this happens, winnings are paid out to the lucky players, and a new game begins.
Placing Come Bets After the Come-Out Roll
If you’re late to the party and the game has already begun, you can still place bets. These are known as Come Bets, and they work in a similar way to the original Pass Line Bet, with a few tweaks.
Winning a Come Bet: You will win a Come Bet if the Shooter rolls a 7 or 11. You will lose if a 2, 3 or 12 comes up.
Winning a Don’t Come Bet: You will win a Don’t Come Bet if the Shooter rolls a 7. You will lose if they roll their Point Number.
If the Shooter rolls something which doesn’t decide a Come Bet or a Don’t Come Bet, the total on the dice will become your Point Number for the next roll. The croupier will automatically move your chips into the relevant Come-Point Number spot on the board.
For instance, let us say that the Shooter’s original Point Number is a 6. You turn up late and place a Come Bet. On the next roll, the Shooter lands a 5. On the following roll, the Shooter’s original Point Number will remain a 6, and they need that to win. If that happens, you’ll lose. However, your Come-Point Number is a 5, and if the Shooter lands that, you will win while the game continues for others.
Other Craps Bets
A few other craps bets exist, too. Players are advised to stick with the bets already mentioned when they are first starting out, as the other types of craps bets require a lot of patience to understand. For those who want to learn, we’ll cover a few of them here, though.
Odds Bets
Many craps players will consider Odds Bets like side-bets. Pass Line Odds/Come Odds bets will see players win if the Shooter rolls the Point Number before a 7. Don’t Pass Odds/Don’t Come Odds bets will pay out if a 7 is rolled first. These have their own unique odds (based on the Point Number) and are paid out as true odds – meaning that there is no house edge.
| Bet Type | Point Number 4/10 | Point Number 5/9 | Point Number 6/8 |
| Pass Line/Come Odds | 2:1 | 3:2 | 6:5 |
| Don’t Pass/Don’t Come Odds | 1:2 | 2:3 | 5:6 |
Place Bets
Players can also wager on Place Win or Place Lose bets. These can only be made after the Point Number has been established, and are based on a specific number of your choosing from 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Place Win bets will pay out if the Place Number (the number you choose) is rolled before a seven, and offer prizes of 7:6, 7:5, and 9:5 for the 6/8, 5/9, or 4/10 numbers coming up, respectively.
| Bet Type Place | Number 6/8 Place | Number 5/9 Place | Number 4/10 |
| Place Win Bets | 7:6 | 7:5 | 9:5 |
| Place Lose Bets | 4:5 | 5:8 | 5:11 |
Other Craps Bets
Some of the other craps bets you can make include Buys, Lays, Big 6 and Big 8, Hardways, Fields, and Proposition Bets. These types of bets are reserved for seasoned pros and can be overwhelming for first-time craps players. Moreover, not all craps tables (especially when playing online) accept these bets.
House Edge
The house edge in craps depends on what you have wagered on. Typically, the house edge for Pass Line bets is around 1.41%, but it drops to 1.36% for Don’t Pass Line bets. Come and Don’t Come bets have the same house edges.
| Bet Type | House Edge |
| Pass Line Bets | 1.41% |
| Don’t Pass Line Bets | 1.36% |
| Come Bets | 1.41% |
| Don’t Come Bets | 1.36% |
| Place Bets | 1.5% to 6.7% |
| Other Professional Bets | 2.44% to 16.9% |
Craps Lingo You May Want to Learn
If you plan on playing craps online, you’re almost good to go. However, if you fancy trying your hand at craps in a land-based casino, you might want to learn a bit of the lingo. Here are a few craps terms you might want to memorize:
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- Aces/Snake Eyes: A term used when betting on a “2”
- Big Red: A term which describes “7”
- Bones: Slang for dice
- Box Numbers: Place Bet numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10
- Craps Numbers: Losing numbers 2, 3, and 12
- Croupier: The dealer who handles the bets in craps
- Marker: An ON/OFF chip which used to decide what stage the game is in
- Natural: A term referring to a winning Come Out Roll of 7 or 11
- Point: The number a Shooter must land before a 7
- Shooter: The man or woman currently rolling the dice
- Stickman: The dealer who uses a stick to push the dice towards the Shooter
- Wrong Bettor: A player who wagers against the Shooter
What Can I Win When Playing Craps?
What can be won in craps depends on what type of bet you have made. Some craps variants have their own odds. Most successful basic craps bets will deliver winnings of 1:1. This is undoubtedly true for all successful Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come Bets.
The prizes for winning Odds and Place Bets can be found in the section dealing with “Other Craps Bets” in this guide.
Craps Variants
There are a few different craps games you can find online. Craps is not as commonly found as other casino games, so in most cases, the basic game is what you’ll find. However, if you’re playing at a domain that has a few different options, those may include the following variants:
High Point Craps: High Point Craps can be advantageous for players. It does away with a 2 and 3 being losing numbers on a Come-Out Roll. Moreover, it requires the Shooter to land an 11 or 12 to win directly on that all-important first roll. All other totals are deemed to be point numbers.
Simplified Craps: We’ve mentioned that craps can sometimes be a little difficult to learn to play, but Simplified Craps is as its title suggests. This game ignores most other aspects of craps (such as Point Numbers) and focuses solely on the Come-Out Roll. If the Shooter rolls a 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, or 12, they win. If the number is anything else, they lose. What could be simpler?
Live Craps: Admittedly, there aren’t too many live dealer craps games around, but they do exist. These are played with a human dealer, and the action is considerably slower than in real-life, owing to the sheer number of people who may be wagering on the game. Live craps is played over a video stream at live casinos that specialize in offering such games. In terms of gameplay, it isn’t really any different from the original rules of craps.
Some people like to consider the Asian hit, Sic Bo, like craps. While it is true that Sic Bo is also a dice game, it has just as much in common with roulette as it does with craps. True craps players won’t consider Sic Bo a variant of craps, or vice-versa. That doesn’t mean that having a crack at Sic Bo isn’t worth your time, though.
Where Can I Play Craps Online?
As mentioned, craps is not as commonly found at online casinos as baccarat, blackjack, roulette, or table poker games. However, most leading internet casinos will offer at least one form of the game. You are not as likely to find the game in bingo or poker rooms, nor at online sportsbooks, although it is not impossible to do so.
When opting to play craps online, we’d always recommend choosing an online casino with a robust and extensive library of table games. The more software providers that supply an online casino with RNG (random number generator) table games, the more craps variants you are likely to see at such a site.