How to Play Craps

Players

• Up to 20

Materials

• Craps felt layout
• 5 Dice
• Dice stick
• ON/OFF Lammers
• Casino chips (200+)

Additional Craps Notes

• While playing craps, the two dice must be rolled at the same time. Throwing them separately is against the rules.  Additionally, the dice must hit the walls located at the opposite side of the craps table
•  Players can bet on the various rolls by placing chips directly on the appropriately-marked sections of the Craps field. All wagers must be placed before the shooter rolls the dice.
• Craps are most popularly played at casinos, but many Craps playing boards are available for those looking to bring the fun of the Vegas strip into their game night.
• Besides the standard rules of Craps, several house rules are commonly applied in the table form of Craps, especially when played in various casinos.

Craps is a high-energy dice game popular in casinos around the globe. Demanding strategy and boasting action-heavy luck, there’s nothing like the rush of placing the correct bet in a game of Craps. The objective of Craps is to place strategic bets on dice roles in hopes of collecting as many chips as possible. As players, you’re betting on rolling a number and then betting on the odds of re-rolling that number.

When playing Craps, there are several different responsibilities for those around the table. Official games feature dealers, those divvying out the dice, a box person, who supervises the game and controls chips, and a stick person, who moves the dice around the field. These are the leaders of the game, as dealers around the table work within different bases on the board. It’s important to get a lay of the land by evaluating the field before jumping into a game. 

There are two major stages to a typical game of Craps: the “come-out” stage and the “point” stage. The general gameplay centers around rolling a number (a point) with two dice and then hitting that value again before a seven is rolled. The player at the Craps table that rolls the dice is deemed “the shooter.” 

The gameplay begins with the shooter rolling the dice. If they manage to roll a 7 or 11, they win. If they roll a 2,3,12, that’s a loss. If the roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the “point” and players enter the next stage of the game.

After a number is marked by the “pucks,” that number is the “point” of the game. The shooter’s goal is to roll that number again before a seven is rolled. If the shooter rolls the point again before a 7, the game returns to the first step. If the point is made, the puck is turned OFF, and the shooter goes again. This is what’s called a “come out roll,” the roll that is made at the beginning of the game before a point is established.  

Play continues like that until the shooter loses the dice. This happens if the shooter rolls a seven before hitting the set point. The next shooter is up and starts the game again. If the next number rolled is a  4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the new point of the game. If a seven is rolled before the point, it’s deemed a “seven out,” meaning the shooter loses control of the dice and hands over the dice to the next player. 

Craps continue like this as shooters attempt to hit their points, and players place wagers on the outcomes of various dice rolls. 

Craps Betting Options

There are several betting options and terms players should familiarize themselves with before hopping into a game of Craps. Some of the most common betting strategies used in Craps include: 

• Pass Line: The most common bet in the game, players are betting that on the first rolled 7 or 11 rolls to win, 2, 3, or 12 loses. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled, the number must repeat before a seven to win. Pass Line bets are also known as ‘win bets’ because it’s a bet for the shooter to win.
• Don’t Pass Bets: The player bets that on the first roll, 2 or 3 rolls to win, 12 is a push, and 7 or 11 loses. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 rolls, a seven must roll before the number repeats. Don’t Pass bets are also known as ‘don’t win bets’, as it’s a bet for the shooter to lose.
• Place Bets: Players are betting that on the first roll, 7 or 11 rolls to win, 2, 3, or 12 loses. If 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 rolls, the number must repeat before a seven to win.
• Come Bets: Players can make this bet anytime after the first roll when a shooter has a point to make. Players win on a 7 or 11 and lose on a 2, 3, or 12. Any other number becomes your “come point” and must be repeated for you to win before a seven is rolled.
• Don’t Come Bets: Players can make this bet after the first roll when a shooter has a point to make. It is the opposite of the come bet. You win if 2 or 3 rolls (12 is a tie) and lose if 7 or 11 rolls. Any other number rolled becomes your “come point” and if repeated, you lose. If a seven rolls, you win.
• Hard Ways: Plays bet only on the numbers 4, 6, 8, and 10. For this bet to win, the chosen number must be rolled the “hard way” (as doubles) before a seven or any other non-double combination (“easy way”) totaling that number is rolled.
• Proposition Bet: Players make a one-roll bet on the numbers 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12.
• Odds Bet: An Odds Bet, which may or may not be offered within your game, is a bet made after a point is thrown. Odds bets only pay if the point is thrown before a 7.

Note for Betting Players: Any player can make a bet on Pass or Don’t Pass as long as a point has not been established. Similarly, players can make a bet on Come or Don’t Come as long as a point is established. All other bets, including increased odds behind the Pass and Don’t Pass lines, may be made at any time. All bets other than the Pass line and Come are subject to removal before the bet is lost.