Craps may look complex and difficult to learn but once you put your mind to it, you’ll realize that it’s one of the simplest casino games out there.

The most complicated thing about craps is learning the different ways to place your bets. The good news is that you don’t have to learn it all at once. All you need to do is to learn the basics and you’re ready to roll.

Whether it’s a live casino, or an online casino, playing craps is basically the same. Here are a few things to know about playing craps as a beginner.

  • Know the basic objective of craps

Craps is purely a game of chance. It’s about placing your bet and waiting for the outcome of the rolling of two dice by the designated shooter. 

Everyone standing at the craps table will get a turn to roll the dice. However, you don’t have to roll if you have no desire to do so. The dice are passed around the table in a clockwise manner and when it’s your turn to roll you simply take two dice and roll them to the opposite end of the craps table.

craps table

A variety of bets can be made on a craps table

Most players at the table will be betting with the shooter in what is called a “pass line” bet in the hope that the shooter will get on a lucky roll and make many passes.

Your first roll of the dice is called the “come-out” roll. If a 7 or 11 is rolled that’s called a “natural.” The pass line players win and then you get to roll again. If you roll a 2,3 or 12 those numbers are all referred to “craps.” All pass line bets lose, but you still get to roll again. The only other possible numbers you can roll are 4,5,6,8,9 or 10. So if one of those numbers is what you have rolled, then that number becomes your “point” and the object of the game is to roll that number again before you roll a 7.

If a 7 shows up before your “point” number does then you lose and the dice move on to the next shooter. If your “point” number shows up before a 7 does, then you have made a “pass.” You then win your bet and you start all over again with a new roll. That is the basic objective of the game of craps.

All pass line bets are paid at even money (1-to-1), but if you’re not too keen on making a bet with a near 50-50 chance, there’s still a variety of bets that offer higher payoffs, although the odds of winning are also worse on those riskier bets!

Actually, the best bet you can make in craps when betting on the shooter is one that offers the casino no mathematical advantage at all! It’s called the “free odds” bet and it’s not marked on the table so you need to know how to make that bet in order to take advantage of it.

A typical craps layout showing a pass line bet with double free odds

A typical craps layout showing a pass line bet with double free odds

To make the free odds bet you simply need to put your betting chips directly behind your pass line bet after the point has been established. 

  • Know the other types of craps bet

The number of craps bets available is many, and frankly, they are a bit complicated. But you don’t need to know all the types right now. Just pick whichever seems easier to you and go along with it.

Some of the wagers you can place when playing craps include pass line, don’t pass, come, don’t come, don’t pass odds, come odds, don’t come odds, place bets, buy bets, lay bets, big 6/big 8, hard ways, field, any 7, any 11, any craps and a few others.

Sounds complicated, right? Don’t worry you’ll get used to them soon and realize that they are just names.

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