|
» About
It's the noisiest game in the house and only
spectator game in the casino that's worthy of the name. Next
to Blackjack it's got some of the best player odds in the
house and only Roulette has more betting options for the player.
It's the one and only Craps.
Picture your average Poker game: stone faces, few words,
cagey players and cut-throat action. Craps, god bless it,
is the complete opposite. Players yelling bets, hangers-on
pumped on the action, fellow bettors your companions with
the chips flying and the dice right behind them. It's not
just a game, it's the King of Dice.
And while it's true that a smart player can step in with
$100 and with a little luck walk away minutes later with $10,000,
it's also true that there are more sucker bets than you can
shake a stick at. Few games show you the line between a smart
bet and a bad one, inked right on the felt for all to see.
Strategy, opponents, long odds and smart bets. Craps has it
all.
Unfortunately Craps can be pretty intimidating for the newcomer.
There are such a large number of betting options, special
rules and exceptions that you'll feel as if you'll never get
a handle on it. Personally, I avoided the Craps table for
the longest time simply because it was so noisy and confusing.
But hang in there because the smarter you play the easier
it is. The trick is to take it one step at a time.
» Basics
When you are rolling the dice you are the "shooter".
Your first toss in a round of Craps is called the Come Out
roll. If you roll a 7 or 11, you win and the round is over
before it started. If you roll a 2, 3, or 12 that's a Craps
and you lose: again, it's over before it started. Any other
number becomes the Point. The purpose of the Come Out roll
is to set the Point, which can be any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or
10. The Dealer places a puck marked "On" above the
Point number printed on the table.
» Objective
The basic objective in Craps is for the shooter to win by
tossing the Point again before he tosses a 7. That 7 is called
Out 7 to differentiate it from the 7 on the Come Out roll.
If the Point is tossed, the shooter and his fellow bettors
win and the round is over. If the shooter tosses Out 7, they
lose and the round is over. If the toss is neither the Point
nor Out 7, the round continues and the dice keep rolling.
» Betting and payoff
Here's where life at the Craps table can get complicated.
There are an overwhelming number of betting options and it'll
make you dizzy trying to figure them all out at once. Like
I promised though, it's easy to play smart. Let's talk about
those smart bets first.
Pass bets
The typical -- and simplest -- bet is called a Pass bet. It
is placed on the Pass Line before the Come Out roll. Assuming
that the round goes past the Come Out roll, you're betting
on the chance that you'll roll the Point again before you
roll an Out 7. Pass bets win at even odds, 1:1. Since any
Pass bets are typically betting with the shooter, Pass bettors
are said to be betting "right", they're supporting
the shooter in his attempt to win.
To Win: win on the Come Out roll if the dice show 7 or 11.
Win on any subsequent roll if you roll the Point.
To Lose: lose on the Come Out roll if the dice are Craps
(2, 3, or 12). Lose on any subsequent roll if it's an Out
7.
Don't Pass bets
A bet placed on the Don't Pass line is basically the opposite
of a Pass bet. Assuming that the round goes past the Come
Out roll, you're betting that the shooter will roll Out 7
before making the Point. In other words, you're betting against
the shooter, which is why it's called a "wrong"
bet. Rest assured though, there is nothing wrong with the
odds on a Don't Pass bet.
To Win: win on the Come Out roll if the dice show Craps (2,
3 or 12). Win on any subsequent roll if it's an Out 7.
To Lose: lose on the Come Out roll of 7 or 11. Lose on any
subsequent roll if it's the Point.
Come/Don't Come bets
Come and Don't Come bets are basically the same as Pass and
Don't Pass except they are placed while a round is in progress.
They are designed for players who join the game late. The
same rules apply: win if the next roll is 7 or 11, lose if
it's Craps. Otherwise the roll becomes the Come Point.
Odds bets
An Odds bet is a backup bet on a Pass/Don't Pass/Come/Don't
Come bet already on the table. They're usually limited to
two or three times (2x or 3x) the original bet and pay off
at true odds: the payoff truly reflects the probability of
the dice's roll and there's no additional house edge involved.
Unlike original Pass/Don't Pass/Come/Don't Come bets, unresolved
Odds bets can be removed from the table during play.
Pass Odds and Come Odds pay 2:1 on a roll of 4 or 10, 3:2
on 5's and 9's, and 6:5 on 6's and 8's.
Don't Pass Odds and Don't Come Odds pay 1:2 on a roll of
4 or 10, 2:3 on 5's and 9's, 5:6 on 6's and 8's.
Other bets
Now for the rest of the table, the Place Number bets and Proposition
bets. Unfortunately the odds against you here vary from mediocre
to terrible which is why savvy players ignore almost all of
them. These bets are mostly designed for players who either
have money burning a hole in their pocket or feel they have
to bet on every little toss of the dice. The price of such
impatience and risk-taking is higher house edges, sometimes
dramatically higher.
A Place Number bet is where you are betting that a particular
number will roll before a 7 does, or vice versa. These include
the Place, Buy, Lay and Lose bets, the Big 6 and Big 8, and
finally the Hard 4, Hard 6, Hard 8 and Hard 10.
The Proposition bets are where you bet that the next roll
will be a specific number. These include the 2, 3, 7, 11,
and 12 bets, the Any Craps bet, the Field, Hop and Horn bets.
|
