| Craps Strategy and Craps Game Rules!
Craps does not look as simple as BlackJack. It has a huge variety
of betting options, and many casual players can easily find themselves
confused. And, since Craps players are notoriously noisy, yelling
and screaming a lot, and calling for strange things, like, Double
Odds, Box Cars, Horn, High-lo, All Across, Press It, Hard Ways,
and other seemingly alien terms. Craps can appear to be an intimidating
game. But there is plenty of fun, excitement, and profit to be had
at the Craps table with just a simple minimum of solid information.
Learn To Play Craps
Craps is a dice game played inside a large sunken table not unlike
a bathtub, on which is painted a rather complicated looking layout.
There are no seats around the table because the game is played standing
up. The player rolling the dice is called the Shooter. Across the
table, closest to the pit, the dealer's side, are the numbers 4,
5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, painted is squares, and called the Box Numbers.
To the left of these numbers is another box with the words, "Don't
Come Bar 12" with a picture of two dice showing sixes on them,
(the combination known as Box Cars). Between these numbers are the
Pass and Don't Pass lines, in a large area with the word Come on
it. Between this and the Pass lines is an area marked Field, with
the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. In the corner of this layout
, is the Big 6 and Big 8. In the center of the table is a betting
area marked Hardway Bets, for the numbers 4, 6, 8, and 10. Just
above this center layout is an area marked Any 7. Below the center
Hardway layout is a combination of symbols for one roll bets, and
to each side of this center layout are rows of two Circles, one
beside the other in staggered formation, each circle alternately
marked with a 'C' or 'E', (C=Craps and E=Eleven).
How To Play Craps
The Casino game of Craps is played with a set of two perfectly balance
dice, red in color, each die with six faces numbered 1 through 6
by means of white dots. The Shooter must toss both dice from one
of the short ends of the table to the other, making sure that both
dice hit the opposite side wall of the table. The inside walls of
the table are covered with a kind of serrated egg-carton foam, designed
to make the dice bounce around to assure randomness. Each throw
of the dice is called a Roll. The first roll is called the Come-Out
roll. When the previous Shooter fails to make a winning roll, known
as Not Making The Point or Seven Out. A new game then begins with
a new Shooter directly next to the left of the previous Shooter.
On the Come-Out roll, the Pass line bet wins if the Shooter rolls
a 7 or an 11. The bet loses automatically if the Shooter roll a
2, 3, or 12, (this is known as Rolling Craps). If the Shooter rolls
either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 0r 10, winning your bet now depends on the
Shooter rolling the same number again Before Rolling Any 7. Rolling
any of these numbers on the Come-Out Roll is called Establishing
The Point. Establishing a point is an event that happens as the
immediate result of the Come-Out roll, unless that Come-Out roll
results in a 7, 11, 2, 3, or a 12, in which case more rolls must
be made until a point it is establish. A devise that looks like
a hockey puck, called The Puck, is white on one side and black on
the other side. The Puck, (white side) is on the point until the
Shooter either makes his point or sevens out. When this happens
the Puck is moved to the Don't Come bar 12 area, and turned black
side up. White side up over a point indicates the game is in progress
and that this Box number is the point. Black side up means a new
Come-Out roll is next.
Rules Of Craps
Craps is based on the various probabilities that any given number
will be thrown. With two dice there are 36 possible number combinations,
called Permutations. Of the 36 ways, here is a breakdown of all
the two-dice combinations to make your point:
Number 2 - One Way - (1+1)
Number 3 - Two Ways - (1+2, 2+1)
Number 4 - Three Ways - (2+2, 3+1, 1+3)
Number 5 - Four Ways - (1+4, 4+1, 2+3, 3+2)
Number 6 - Five Ways - (3+3, 1+5, 5+1, 2+4, 4+2)
Number 7 - Six Ways - (1+6, 6+1, 2+5, 5+2, 3+4, 4+3)
Number 8 - Five Ways - (4+4, 2+6, 6+2, 3+5, 5+3)
Number 9 - Four Ways - (3+6, 6+3, 4+5, 5+4)
Number 10 - Three Ways - (5+5, 4+6, 6+4)
Number 11 - Two Ways - (5+6, 6+5)
Number 12 - One Way - (6+6)
Craps Odds
The probability of throwing a Seven in any given roll is 6 in 36.
For a Six or Eight, it's 5 in 36. For a Five or Nine, it's 4 in
36. For a Four or Ten, it's 3 in 36. For Two or Twelve, it's 1 in
36.
In Craps you may play the Pass Line, (Shooter will make his or
her point). Remember, the Come-Out roll; 7 and 11 wins, but 2, 3,
and 12 lose. After that, you want the Shooter to make his or her
point before rolling a 7. If you bet a $5 chip on the Pass Line
and win, you will profit $5. In most casinos you can bet up to Double
the amount of your Pass Line bet. This is called Taking Full Odds.
Therefore, you can bet $10 odds on your $5 Pass Line bet. Some casinos
offer up to 10-times odds which means you can bet up to 10-times
the amount of your Pass Line bet. The payoff for your odds, depending
on the Point, are as follows;
Four and Ten - Pays - 2 to 1 odds
Five and Nine - Pays - 7 to 5 odds
Six and Eight - Pays - 6 to 5 odds
In Craps you may also play the Don't Pass line, (Shooter will not
make his or her point). Remember, on this side; the Come-Out roll,
the 7 and 11 lose, you win on 2 and 3, and you push, (tie) on 12.
After the point is established, you want a 7 to show before the
Shooter rolls the point. If you bet a $5 chip on the Don't Pass
line and win, you will profit $5. If you are to bet odds, however,
you would have to lay the same odds that the House would pay. For
Example: if the point is 4 or 10, you lay $10 to win $5. (Note:
House pays 2 to 1 odds on the 4 and 10). If the point is 5 or 9,
your lay $7 to $5. If the point is 6 or 8, you lay $6 to win $5.
It is important that we understand the concept of True Odds. The
fact is that casinos do not pay off winning bets at True Odds, but
rather at reduced odds. This is what provides the House with its
healthy edge over the player, a situation most acutely visible in
the ONE ROLL bets. For example: earlier we noted a 2 or 12 will
be rolled on an average, once in every 36 rolls, true payoff would
be 36 to 1. You will notice, however, that casinos only pay off
on such bets at 29 to 1, (30 for 1). These variances provide the
House with an overall 16.6% edge over the players on such bets.
This disadvantage for the player is offset by players who are smart
enough to take odds on their Pass Line and Come bets. Taking advantage
of the full odds reduces the House edge over the player to about
0.85% on such bets, as opposed to about 1.4% on bets without odds.
Source: Casino Gold Book
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