The name for the game craps comes from the French word “crapaud” which means “toad”. To play a game of craps, you need only a pair of dice. The dice are thrown and players bet on the outcome of the dice. It is a simple enough game that many play on the streets. The game of craps in a casino works in a similar way; only, the style of betting is more complex.

The players take turns at throwing the dice while all players bet on the outcomes. The player who is throwing the dice is called a “shooter.” The shooter’s first throw is called a “come-out roll”. Each shooter throws the dice until he gets to a “point.” The outcomes 7 (that is the outcomes: (6, 1) (5, 2) (4, 3) on the dice) and 11 (that is the outcomes: (6, 5) on the dice) are “naturals”; if the shooter throws a “natural”, he gets another chance to throw the dice. All the other outcomes are called “point” and if the shooter throws a “point,” he will have to give the dice to the next person to throw his “come-out roll”.  The outcome 12, (6, 6), on the dice is called “boxcars”, and has only a 2 to 3% chance of showing up. A word of caution: if the shooter’s come-out roll is a 2, 3 or 12, the outcome is called “craps” and the shooter is said to “crap out;” and the players lose all their “pass line” bets. What is a “pass line bet?” We will get to that next.

Betting on the craps is easy; you bet either over “the pass line”, or over the “don’t pass line”. The people who bet on the pass line bet on the odds of outcome of the dice being right. The people who bet on the odds of the outcome of the dice being wrong play for the “don’t pass line.” These are generally called the line bets. These differ considerably from the “come” bets. 

Come bets are similar to the line bets except that the players bet on the outcomes about the first number that the shooter will roll. It is played in two rounds. If a 7 or 11 are rolled by the shooter on the first round, it is considered a win, while if a 2, 3, or 12 are rolled, on the other hand, it loses. If a roll comes out instead some other point number then the “come” bet will be moved to the corresponding number by the table’s base dealer to the number that was rolled. The second round then wins if the shooter can successfully roll the “come bet” before a seven.

The “don’t come” works in the exact opposite way; if a 2 or 3 are rolled by the shooter in the first round then it is considered a win. If, on the other hand, a 7 or 11 is rolled instead it is a loss. If the shooter throws a 12 the players are also given the option to revoke their bets. If instead the roll is some other point number then the “don’t come” bet will be moved in a similar way by the table’s base dealer onto the box that represents the number the shooter threw. The second round then wins if the shooter successfully rolls a seven before the new “don’t come” point.

Related posts:

1. An Insight to Craps Bets
2. Learning About the Probabilities in the Game of Craps
3. Understanding the Game of Craps
4. Craps Lingo and Terminology
5. Best Tips for Online Craps