Craps: The Rules of the Game
As far as gambling games go, trust us; playing a few rounds of Craps is about as exciting as it gets.
From its fast pace of play to the raucous enthusiasm that it generates from those rolling the dice, it is a spectacle to play and watch both (indeed, just being an observer at a craps table is a lot of fun.)
For the inexperienced player, however, the thought of sitting down that first time to play Craps may seem a bit intimidating. That’s because the game seems somewhat complex (and we admit, it can seem that way due to the sheer number of different bets one can make.) But to be honest, it’s really not that hard to pick up and play as far as the rules are concerned. Let’s see if we can get you acquainted with how to play this popular game.
As with many gambling games, Craps is essentially a game of rounds. In order to start playing, the shooter will step up to either side of the table (don’t let that intricate layout fool you – the game is easy to get started). The “shooter” is the person rolling the dice, which rotates around the table (you may forgo your turn to shoot and just play as a non-shooter). The “Stickman”, who is heading up the game, will hand the shooter a pair of dice, and before they are thrown, the first round of betting will commence.
There are generally two ways to go about it in the beginning. The first bets are either the “Pass Line”, or the “Don’t Pass Line” (not everyone has to make a bet – only the shooter is required to make this first bet.) The shooter rolls the dice – this is called the come out roll (the first round). If it is a 2, 3, or 12, it’s called “craps” (pass line bets lose, don’t pass win on the 2 or 3, and push on the 12, and the dice pass to the next shooter). A 7 or 11 is called a natural, resulting in winning pass line bets (and a loss for don’t pass), and the shooter retains the dice. Any other number ( 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) is the point.
Once a point or craps is reached, the come out roll is over. The stickman places an “on button” (a marker) on the point number, and the shooter keeps rolling the dice until the point is hit again, or a seven is rolled. These are the subsequent rounds, and a multitude of bets can be made (come bet, don’t come bet, odds bets, proposition bets, multi-roll bets, etc.) Most of these bets are betting on how the round will end (what number is rolled.)
So essentially, in a nutshell, it’s this: The dice are “rolled” by the shooter, which rotates around the table’s willing participants (again, you can just be a player who bets on the rolls, and never be the shooter if you wish.) The shooter establishes a point (or craps out), rerolls until the point or seven is hit, and everyone bets along the way. Ok, we’re breaking it down to the real nitty-gritty here, but to be honest, it IS that simple.
Yes, it does take some practice to learn the different bets, but you can just bet pass lines (etc) until you are more comfortable. And trust us - pretty soon, you’ll be rolling with the best of them.
