The craps table is often the noisiest and most chaotic area of a casino, because it is easy to get involved in, both for players and spectators. The game is often seen as scary and complicated by beginners, but the truth is that you can make it easy by starting at one end and learning the rest while playing.
Craps is a dice game that many believe evolved from the much older “Hazard”. The origin of the name “Craps” is unclear, but one theory suggests that it comes from the French word “crapaud”, which means toad – a funny reference to the game's French influence and the French's insatiable appetite for frog legs.
Craps: Rules and the course of the game
To join the game, you must make a bet. As a rule between €0.50 and €100. The green areas on the table are possible betting areas, while the red ones mark what you cannot bet on. There are primarily 4 ways to bet. Read more about these below.
The first roll of the dice is called “come out roll”. If the dice show 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 on the first roll, the round ends immediately. But if the dice show 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, the game continues.
In that case, the dealer places a white piece on the table that marks “the point” (the sum that just landed) and the dice roll continues until someone gets the same sum as “the point” or 7.
Pass Line is perhaps the most widely used bet in Craps. At “come out roll” and the dice land on 7 or 11, the player wins with this bet. But if they land on 2, 3 or 12, the player loses the round (all other numbers become “the point” as mentioned earlier).
Don’t Pass Line is the exact opposite of Pass Line. Then the player wins by 2 and 3, and loses by 7 or 11 (by “come out roll”). The sum of 12 is considered a draw, then the player gets back his bet (all other numbers become “the point” as mentioned earlier).
Come Bets are bets made after “the point” has been set and otherwise function the same as “Pass Line”.
Don’t Come Bets are similar to Don’t Pass Bets: The player wins if the dice show 2 or 3, loses if they show 7 and 11, and draws if they show 12. All other numbers give new “the point”.
When the round ends, the dice are dealt to the next player (this happens clockwise).
Craps House Edge
There are many more bets available for Craps Online than the simple “Pass or” Don't Pass “, and all the different bets give the casino a different house edge. Here you get the overview:
| Throws | Possible combinations | Odds (probability) |
| 2 | 1+1 | 35:1 |
| 3 | 1+2, 2+1 | 17:1 |
| 4 | 1+3, 3+1, 2+2 | 11:1 |
| 5 | 1+4, 4+1, 2+3, 3+2 | 8:1 |
| 6 | 1+5, 5+1, 2+4, 4+2, 3+3 | 6,2:1 |
| 7 | 1+6, 6+1, 2+5, 5+2, 3+4, 4+3 | 5:1 |
| 8 | 2+6, 6+2, 3+5, 5+3, 4+4 | 6,2:1 |
| 9 | 3+6, 6+3, 4+5, 5+4 | 8:1 |
| 10 | 4+6, 6+4, 5+5 | 11:1 |
| 11 | 5+6, 6+5 | 17:1 |
| 12 | 6+6 | 35:1 |
As you can see from the table, it is much easier to beat losing sum 7 than winning sum 2. Follow the table above so that you know how good your odds are for the different outcomes (and remember that in order to use it you must place a “Pass ”Or“ Do not Pass ”bet first.
If you want to read more about casino games, you can do so on our collection page about all the most popular casino games.
Best Craps Online Casinos
These online casino sites are great places to play Craps at:
Let's play Craps Online for Free!