It is not uncommon for people to think of games like roulette and blackjack and poker when they consider casinos. Slot games also get mentioned a lot. However, one direction that fewer people consider when thinking of casinos is the realm of craps. This is also a game that can be accessed online, just the same as it can in the land-based casino world. The question is, what exactly is craps and how is it played?
Well, fear no more if you have wondered about this, because we have a guide for you to take notice of here. We will be looking at how to play the game, what types of strategy you can include in your gameplay and what sort of payouts you can expect from accessing it. Therefore, if you want to learn more about enjoying a few rounds of craps, you have come to the right place to learn about it.
What Is Craps?
Craps operates as a dice game in which people place wagers on the outcome of a single roll or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. When it comes to the online variation of this game, players usually place bets against the bank, which is often known as Casino Craps or Table Craps, as opposed to people betting against one another, which is Street Craps.
Because of how popular it became at land-based casinos, craps did not take long to also find itself being incorporated into online casinos as well. Several developers have crafted their own incarnations of the table game and this has led to it being found in multiple online casino lobbies.
It is not uncommon for it to be displayed in popular media as a game that people partake in at casinos. An episode of Friends sees Chandler and Monica engaging in a game of craps while on vacation in Las Vegas, for example. And it is this type of exposure that has led to it becoming as popular a casino game as it is today.
How to Play Craps
While the general setup of craps can seem quite overwhelming to a new player, its rules for basic gameplay are quite easy to follow. There are basically three main rules that you need to know for participating in a game of craps.
The first rule you need to know is that the first craps betting round is considered the come-out roll. Be sure that you remember this term. It is the first roll of the dice or the first one after the previous betting round has finished. You place a bet before this roll is taken, and once the dice have been rolled, three possible outcomes can occur, which are:
- Natural – when the dice equate to 7 or 11. You win and get to roll the dice again.
- Craps – when you roll a 2, 3 or 12. You lose, but you get to roll again.
- Point – when you roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. This requires you to roll the dice again and hit the same number again. Achieve this and you win. In this instance, if you roll a 7 though, you lose and end the betting round altogether.
What are the betting options for you when playing craps, you may be asking now? Well, the craps table can look quite confusing, as it has so many areas for the different wagers.
To begin with, you can bet on the ‘Pass Line’ or ‘Don’t Pass Line’ sections. The first of these means that you bet you will roll a Natural before a 7 is rolled. The latter is exactly the opposite – you bet that a 7 will show up before you roll a Natural. These bets are only possible prior to the Point being established.
‘Come’ or ‘Don’t Come’ bets are also available, which are possible after the Point has been determined. The former wins if a Natural is rolled out and loses if Craps are. Should the Point be rolled, it becomes the Come-Bet Point. The ‘Don’t Come’ bet is again, exactly the opposite – it wins if Craps are rolled and loses if a Natural occurs after the Point has been created. One the Point is made, you should basically hope for a 7 to occur with this bet.
Proposition bets also exist in craps, which are one-roll bets. They include options like Any Seven (which wins if a 7 is rolled), Aces (if the dice display a total of 2), Any Craps (if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled on that round) etc. These can be wagered on at any time during gameplay but will be cleared off the table after winning or losing in that round.
There have also been live dealer variations of craps introduced, such as the one from Evolution Gaming. This has a very easy-to-use interface with a selection of helpful features. This can be of great assistance to anyone who is outrightly new to playing the game, and the live dealers will help with the average-paced speed of it, too.
An Ideal Craps Strategy
The best strategy that you can make use of to win at craps is to rely on those wagers that minimise the house edge as much as possible. Naturally, this gives you, the player, much better odds of being a winner. Therefore, the best recommendation is to bet the minimum limit on the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line sections, and then lay the odds. The house edge on these bets is low, standing at 1.41% and 1.36%, respectively. A house edge is not present when laying on the odds, either.
As soon as the Point is established, you are able to take odds. This is an extra wager, and it exists as the best possible bet to utilise without the house edge being present. Therefore, you should watch out for the Point being established and take advantage of laying the odds. This is a great strategy to adhere to if you are just starting out with playing online craps. It allows you to become more accustomed to how the game works, whilst reducing your risk of losing to an absolute minimum.
