Learn to Play Craps
In Craps, the players place their bets and the casino bank "covers" them. In addition to covering every player's bet, the casino-banked craps game offers many other types of proposition bets. The different types of Craps bets are described here.
There are four people actively running a Craps game. The boxman, who sits behind the middle of the table, is the boss. He keeps a constant watch over the game. The two dealers on each side of him pay off the winners and "rake" in the losers' chips. Each dealer handles all the players on his side. The table is divided by the center box of proposition bets and also by the stickman, who stands on the players' side of the table.
The stickman controls the action of the dice and the pace of the game. After seeing all bets are down, the stickman pushes a few sets of dice to the shooter (player). That player selects a pair of dice and rolls them across the table so that they hit the wall at the opposite end. If, on the first roll, the shooter makes a 7 or 11, he rolls a "natural" and he wins the equivalent amount of chips he bet on the pass line.
If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 on his first throw, it is called "craps" and he loses. The dealer picks up the shooter's pass-line bet. However, the shooter does not relinquish the dice. He continues to roll until he "sevens out."
If, on the first roll, the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, that is his established "box point." The object then is to keep rolling the dice until the shooter rolls that number again. The shooter loses, however, if he rolls a seven before rolling his box point.
Our advice is to play the Line and the Come, either pass or don't pass. These are the two best areas to bet, offering the best possible odds. If you're betting on the pass line, always take the full odds of your pass line bet. Some casinos offer double odds or higher; if so, take advantage of these options. One last piece of advice: increase your bets when you wins and do not double up on losses.