Basic Craps Betting Strategy
Learning how to play craps isn’t as difficult as you might think. People are often steer away from playing the game because they think its too complex, but the only particularly complicated aspect is all the different types of bets that can be placed.
You don’t actually need to learn all of them to start playing and you can just stick to the simplest ones if you like.
You do, however, need to understand how the game is played.
Craps Strategy: Best Craps Bets The best bets to place, whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, are the Pass Line bet and Don’t Pass Line bets. These bets are similar to Blackjack and roulette in that you basically have a 50/50 chance of doubling up and the house only has a 1.41% advantage. This video covers a craps betting strategy for the pass line and come. This strategy is part of my craps for beginners series. It covers the pass line and co.
This article will help as we cover everything you need to know to play craps in a live casino or online.
We explain the main objective of the game, the craps table, the betting layout, and the basic rules. We also introduce the different types of bets.
Game Objective in Craps
The main objective in craps is really quite straightforward. Basically you are just betting on the outcome of the roll of two dice.
Craps is pure chance since you can’t affect the outcome in any way, but you do have the choice of several wagers. The majority of these wagers are ultimately based on what combination of dice will be rolled.
The goal in craps is therefore to try to correctly predict which numbers will come up on the next roll. This is, of course, guesswork, but it doesn’t stop the game being a lot of fun.
Craps is played on a specially-designed table that features a betting layout where players can place their wagers. In a live casino, a table would look something like this.
The dice are rolled on the table by one of the participating players, referred to as the shooter. Typically, a new player will become the shooter at the end of each round, although one player may remain as the shooter for several in a row.
Anyone at the table, including the shooter, can make wagers by placing their chips in the appropriate spot on the betting layout.
A craps table requires the attention of several casino employees. You’ll usually find the following people running a table.
The boxman is in charge of the chips at the table. He (or she) will exchange cash into chips for players and swap them for different denominations if required. He’s also responsible for supervising the dealers and generally ensuring that the game runs smoothly.
The stickman is in charge of the dice. He moves them around the table with the use of a stick (hence the name), passing them to the shooter at the start of each roll. He will also announce the outcome of each roll.
A craps table usually features two base dealers, one standing on either side. They are responsible for collecting losing bets and paying out winners. When requested to do so, they can also place certain bets on behalf of players.
The Craps Table (Online Casino)
The rules of craps are the same regardless of whether you are playing in a live setting or online. However, things are a lot simpler online. There’s no allocated shooter, as technically you are the shooter every time you play.
The diced are rolled automatically when you press the relevant button, and you place your bets by clicking in the appropriate place on the betting layout.
The following is an example of what an online craps table looks like:
Basic Rules
Each round in craps starts with what is known as the come-out roll. Most casinos will require that the shooter place a bet before making this roll on either the pass line or the don’t pass line.
If the combined value of the two dice on a come-out roll equals 2, 3, or 12, then this is “crapping out” and the round is over. Players will lose pass line bets and win don’t pass bets. If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the round is also over.
Basic Craps Betting Strategy
If any other value is rolled on the come-out roll i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, then a point is established, equal to the value rolled, and the round continues into the next stage.
The shooter continues to roll with players betting on the outcome of each, until they roll either a 7 or the point value that has been established.
Following a roll of either 7 or the point value, the round is over and a new come-out roll is required. It’s standard practice for the shooter to pass the dice to another player if a round ends with a 7, and to stay as shooter if the round ends with the point value being rolled.
This is essentially all there is to the basic rules of craps. What makes the game more complex are all the different bets that can be placed.
The following is a list of the different wagers you can place when playing craps.
- Pass Line
- Don’t Pass
- Come
- Don’t Come
- Pass Line Odds
- Don’t Pass Odds
- Come Odds
- Don’t Come Odds
- Place Win
- Place Lose
- Buy
- Lay
- Big 6
- Big 8
- Hardways
- Field
- Any 7
- Any 11
- Any Craps
- Ace Deuce
- Aces
- Boxcar
As you can see, there are numerous different bets in craps. Please don’t let this steer you away from playing the game as you really don’t need to learn them all.
Basic Craps Strategy For Beginners
They are pretty simple overall; it just takes a little time to familiarize yourself with each one.
You can read about all these bets in more detail here.
If you’re ready to put what you’ve learned here into action, you might want to consider trying out an online casino. You can play craps at most of the top online casinos that we recommend. If you want to play for real money, you’ll get a bonus for signing up and making your first deposit. And if you prefer to just play for fun, that’s an option at most places, too. Here are some of the online casinos we recommend playing at.
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This is an excellent strategy for beginners. One has to invest time in learning all they can learn about craps if they want to improve their skills. Understanding that the rolling of two dice determines the outcome of the game is critical, and they can fall in very different ways. The odds of one bet are dissimilar from that of another. There can be up to eight players at a single craps table, and all of them are allowed to bet on every game. When playing craps in a physical casino, one will notice the staff surrounding their table, including the boxman who handles all the money and supervises the entire game.
Try Out Free Games Online
There is no harm in practicing with free craps games at online casinos. There are plenty of them, and anyone can play them from the comfort of their homes. Among the many convenient things about playing online is that one does not have to risk any of their money, yet they still get to enjoy themselves. Additionally, they are allowed to try out many games, and this offers the opportunity to learn and understand more about craps. Players should ensure that they go for quality online casinos that offer fantastic features meant to improve their experiences.
Bets in the Table's Center Are Not Ideal
Anyone who has been playing craps for some time will agree that steering clear of bets in the middlemost area of the craps table is convenient. People should always bear in mind that while some wagers come with fantastic odds, most of them have bad ones. The house edge should enable a player to determine whether a bet is good or not. For many bets at the craps table's middle, it is almost always between 2.78% and 16.67%. This means that all of them can quickly bring about tragic outcomes. Why not just stay away from them and go for the pass & don't pass bets?
Placing the 6 and 8
A lot of experienced craps players use this strategy every time they play. With it, one doesn't have to depend on the shooter to choose a point. Instead, they select their own numbers. Apart from 7, most players love working with 6 and 8. Rolling the numbers comes with a house edge of 1.52%, which is higher than on come, pass, don't come and don't pass, although lower than a lot of other bets in casinos. The advantage of playing 6 and 8 is that one has a considerably lower house edge, plus it is impossible to be stuck with less commonly established points like 4 and 10.
Basic Craps Betting Strategy
Go for the Easy-to-Comprehend Bets
Craps players are always advised to go for the bets that they can easily understand. Complicated is not always the way to go, regardless of the experience that one has under their belt. The pass and don't pass bets are some of the common bets in casinos, and the estimated house edge for the two is 1.41% and 1.36%, respectively. They can pay money, and sometimes the anxiety can be overwhelming. Still, even if they don't bring about a lot of thrill, they are better than most other bets because of their conveniently low house edge.