Craps 101 – Brief How-To Guide on Craps
There has been an unending debate on the exact origin of craps with different theories formulated trying to explain the same. However, having read scholarly books and published articles from reliable sources, the game seems to trace its roots back to the English. The game is believed to have originated from Hazard, a game that was widely popular among the nobles in the old times.
Sir William of Tyre, a crusader who lived in the 11th century is credited with inventing the game. During their conquests, it is believed that the Crusaders, led by Sir William of Tyre, played craps for real money as a pastime as they laid siege upon the Asarat castle.
Five centuries later, the game became such a huge hit in England that it became a common pastime in almost every tavern in the kingdom. The game also found its way to the casinos, where the noblemen and high rollers started wagering fortunes on it.
A few years later, the French started playing the game as well but changed the name from Hazard to Craps to distinguish themselves from the English. Craps is a corruption of the word Crabs, which is a word used to describe a losing roll of 2 in the craps game.
However, it’s John H. Winn who is credited with inventing the modern-day craps.
How to Roll With Craps
So, you just look for an online casino offering craps, roll your dice and walk away a winner, right? Doesn’t seem to be any complicated!
But even though craps is one of the easiest game to play, there are far too many rules (bets) that you have to master before you can actually start betting. Below are some of the basic bets and rules that should get you started.
Basic Rules
Different players usually take different turns to roll the dice. The person rolling the dice automatically becomes the shooter – and since you are playing against the casino, you’ll always be the shooter. When gambling, you are required to stake on either the Don’t Pass Bar or Pass Line.
You’ll be playing craps in rounds, and every round has two different phases; the Point and Come Out.
- Come Out – During the come out, you are required to make at least one ‘Come Out’ roll to start the game. If the outcome of this roll is 2, 3 or 12, the round ends as you shall have lost your pass line bet. If you happen to roll a 7 or 11, then you’ve got yourself a natural, and you win the pass line bet. You are required to continue rolling the dice until you get a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 in order to establish a point.
- Point – As for the point round, if you happen to roll a point number, you’ll win if you had placed a Pass Line bet. If you roll a seven (you seven-out), then you lose your wager if you were playing for the Pass Line Bet.
The Craps Table and Basic Bets Explained
The table is split into two sections – the center part where the One Roll and Hardways bets are placed and the end of the table where each of the wagers below can be placed.
Pass Line Bet:
It’s the simplest of all bets, and you’ll be placing the wager on the pass line. Should the outcome of your roll be a 7 or 11, you are a winner. If you shoot a 2, 3, or 12, your wager loses. If you shot any other number, then you establish what is referred to as a point number. You roll the dice to get the point number before number 7 shows up. If you achieve this, then the casino pays out at odds of 1:1. However, should the number 7 roll out before the point number, then your bet is automatically a loser.
Don’t Pass Line Bet:
Just as the name suggests, the Don’t Pass Line wager is the complete opposite of the outgoing bet. In other words, your bet is a winner if you roll a 2 or 3. Likewise, you lose if you happen to roll a 7 or 11. Any other number showing up on the Come Out wager results into a point number and you have to throw a 7 before this number in order to win. Should you throw the point number before the 7, then your bet automatically loses.
Other types of wagers that you can place while playing Craps include the odds bet, 2, 3 12, 2 or 12, any craps, any seven, the horn, C&E, on the hop, field and Whirl wagers. They all offer lucrative payouts more especially if you are playing at a reputable online casino.