Craps is a dice game that’s played on a specially designed table,
where players place their bets on dice rolls, trying to predict what numbers will land next.
Since it’s a big table, it takes a crew of casino staff to manage. There’s the stick person;
their job is to look after the dice and the center action bets. And there are two base dealers and
a box person, whose jobs are to look after the other bets and keep the game running smoothly.
The stickperson keeps track of whose turn it is to shoot the dice first. And the
person throwing the dice is called the shooter. The first roll at the beginning of the game is
called the come-out roll. The stick person will slide five dice to the first shooter, who then
picks two to roll. The five dice are identical, and what you pick won’t influence what you shoot.
As the shooter, using one hand, toss the dice so that they bounce off the far wall of the
table. That bounce ensures a random outcome. If the roll is bad, don’t worry. Most times,
as long as an effort is made for the dice to hit the back wall, the crew will let it stand,
especially if it is your first time. If they decide not to count your roll,
they’ll call ‘no roll’ and have you re-do it.
To get in line to become the shooter, you need to make a Pass or Don’t Pass Line
bet. We’ll focus on these bets since they’re among the simplest in craps.
Everyone can make these bets, including the current shooter. A ‘Pass’ line bet
means you win if the come-out roll is a seven or eleven. And lose if a two,
three, or twelve are rolled. A ‘Don’t Pass’ line bet means you win if the come-out roll
is a two or three, tie (or “push") if it’s a twelve and lose if it’s a seven or eleven.
Consider the Pass and Don’t Pass Line bets as opposites – in almost
all cases, when one wins, the other loses. If the shooter rolls any of the other numbers,
a four, five, six, eight, nine or ten, the Pass and Don’t Pass Line bets don’t win
or lose. Instead, that number becomes the Point Number, and the bets remain in play on the table.
This is the puck. It tells you when a point hasn’t been established yet (off) or if it has (on).
Here, the point number is six. If the point number is rolled after being established,
then all Pass Line bets win, and all Don’t Pass Line bets lose, or “crap out”. If a 7
is rolled after the point is established, Pass Line bets lose and Don’t Pass Line
bets win. Whenever there is a point established, rolling a 7 will cancel that point, and return
us to the come-out roll with a new shooter. These are just two of the ways to bet. Visit
us at PlaySmart.ca to see more. Sometimes, a shooter might get what
looks like a hot streak. Just remember that dice are random, and no shooter can control
what numbers land next. “Hot streaks” are just a few back-to-back wins in a row.
With all the excitement, it can be easy to lose track of your bets. But remember,
if you have any questions, every craps crew is happy to help.
And that’s the basics of how to play craps. So, who’s ready to have fun and play smart?