Craps is one of the most popular games both in the streets and in professional casinos.  This is perhaps because it’s so easy to play and it really attracts a wide range of players.  You can go to the extreme and act like you’re the son of Nostradamus by making an improbable (but cool) bet such as Snake Eyes or play safe and make a simple and safe line bet.  It thus attracts new and seasoned players alike.  But we’re getting a bit too far ahead of ourselves here.  Perhaps the first thing we should do is learn the basics of playing craps.

The Basics

First of foremost, let us define what craps is.  Craps is a dice game played either against other players or against a bank.  In street craps, you usually play against other players.  But in the casino version of craps, you’ll have to play against the house.  A game of craps has three participants in all.  First, there’s the stickman.  The stickman is the one that represents the house.  He is the one who facilitates the game, managing the bets and distributing the dice.  Next, there’s the shooter.  The shooter is perhaps the most important person in the game.  He is, in a sense, the “Star” of the show.  The shooter holds the dice and rolls it.  The third component in a game of craps, the players, are the ones who bet on the outcomes of the shooter’s throws.

The Game

First, the shooter makes a “pass line” or “don’t pass line” bet.  At this point, the other players, who are essentially just spectators, may also place their bets.  The stickman then presents the shooter with a set of dice.  There are usually five, but the shooter only has to pick two.  Then, the shooter proceeds to roll the dice – this is called a come out roll.  If he rolls a 2, 3, or 12, then he’ll have rolled “craps”, and thereby loses.  If, however, he rolls a 7 or 11, then he automatically wins.

Any other number rolled would become the point.  For example, if the shooter rolls a 5, then this number is the point.  From here on in, the number 7 will be an enemy.  A bet wins if the shooter rolls the point again before the number 7 is rolled.  But if the number 7 comes out first, then he loses.  Once this happens, the dice is given to the next shooter which is usually the person beside the last shooter, determined in a clockwise manner.  The bets made are usually just predictions of the outcome and can be anything from the numbers that will appear next on the dice or the number of dice rolls before the point is rolled again.