If you walk through any major casino, you will undoubtedly find one game that is completely chaotic and crazier than the rest. Players are yelling and celebrating as the dice bounce down the length of a massive, incredibly confusing green felt table. This highly intimidating game is known as Craps. To an absolute novice, the craps table looks like an impossible mathematical nightmare. There are confusing boxes and numbers, and players are throwing chips everywhere. Yet, this is completely false. While it looks complex, craps is actually one of the simplest, and most mathematically player-friendly games in the entire casino. If you just learn the basics, you can play craps like a seasoned professional.
The Core Mechanic: The Come-Out Roll
The secret to survive the craps table is to look away from the center of the board. The weird proposition bets are designed to steal your money with massive house edges. You only care about one line wrapping the table: the famous Pass Line. Placing a chip on the Pass Line is the fundamental core of the entire game. When a new round begins, the person rolling the dice (the "Shooter") makes their very first throw, which is called the "Come-Out Roll". If you have a bet on the Pass Line, you instantly win even money on a 7 or 11. Your bet is taken away if the Come-Out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as "Crapping Out"). The math is that basic: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses.
The Ongoing Game: Chasing the Point
But what about the other numbers? If the shooter rolls any other number one of the other numbers, that number is now the Point. The pit boss takes a marker and flip it to the "ON" side on top of that number. The goal now changes. To win the money, the shooter keeps throwing until they roll the Point again. If they hit the Point, everybody with a Pass Line bet wins. However, there is a catch: if a 7 appears before the Point hits, this is a "Seven Out". You lose your bet, the round is over, and the next person shoots. The entire excitement is a group effort trying to avoid the 7.
Taking Odds: When the puck is ON, you can place additional chips directly behind your original Pass Line bet. This is called "Taking Odds," and it is the only wager that pays true mathematical odds. The house has no advantage here. Don't Pass Line: You can also bet against the shooter. This is betting on the 7, or if the shooter fails. It has a lower house edge, but the other players will hate you because you are cheering for everyone else to lose. The Sucker Bets: The center layout with the pictures of dice are sucker bets that will drain your cash. Avoid them completely.
Simplifying the Math: How the Pass Line Works
To make your very first trip to the craps table, to make things easy, memorize this table. It breaks down the math of the fundamental craps bet: how to play the Pass Line.
Phase of the GameWhat the Shooter RollsThe Result Come-Out Roll7 or 11You instantly WIN even money. The round resets. The Come-Out Roll (First Roll)CrapsYou lose Setting the PointThe Point is setThe number becomes the Point. The game moves to the next phase. Trying to Hit the PointPoint is hitMassive Win The Ongoing GameShooter rolls a 7 BEFORE hitting the Point number.Table groans, you lose
To wrap it up, do not let the loud table intimidate you. The felt is designed to confuse beginners so that amateur players will make bad bets. By simply walking up, sticking to the basic rules, avoiding the middle of the table, and playing smart math, you are playing the best games in the entire casino industry. Grab the dice, throw them against the back wall, and have the best social gambling experience in the world.