Concepts of the game of Craps

This page will introduce you into the world of playing craps and the concepts of the game, the important pass line bet and set you up to read about the other bets available on the board.


Craps in the most basic terms is a dice game and is played on a large long flat felt table, which has walls built along the sides. There are four people actively running the game. The boxman, he is the manager of the table and keeps a constant watch over the game. The two dealers who keep track of your bets, pay out your winnings and take in your losses. The fourth person is the stickman, he controls the action of the dice and the pace of the game.


After seeing all bets are down, the stickman pushes a few sets of dice to the shooter ( the player who's throwing the dice). The players selects a pair of dice and is ready to roll them across the table so that they hit the wall at the opposite end. The set of dice goes around the table in clockwise motion and one by one players roll to dice. The player is the shooter only for one round and then he pass the dice to the next player. This happens when a 'session' ends, and the new dice-holder starts the next session.


The very first roll the new shooter throws is called the 'come-out roll'. In order to start a come-out roll for a session, you must place the minimum bet on the table, either on the Pass line or the Don't Pass line. Other players will likely also make a pass line bet at this point, although it isn't necessary.
The game consists of two distinct phases - the coming out phase and the point phase and what the shooter rolls on the come-out roll is important.


In the coming out phase, if on the first roll the resulting dice total is a 7 or 11,while betting on the pass line. That means you have rolled a "natural" and you win. What you win is the equivalent amount of chips you have bet on the pass line. If you roll a 2, 3 or 12 on your first throw, that is called "craps" and you lose. The dealer picks up your pass-line bet, but you continue to roll until you "seven out"( until the shooter rolls a 7 and than it means he lost the bet ).


When the come-out roll doesn't instantly win or lose for the pass line bets, it means a different number must have been rolled. If, on the first roll, you shoot a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, this other numbers are known as the "box point." This is the point phase and your aim then is to keep rolling the dice until you make that number again. You lose, however, if you roll a seven before making your box point.


A second option for betting is to bet on the Don't Pass line. On the come out roll, you will win on craps and lose on 7 or 11. Should a point be established this would win if a 7 is rolled before the corresponding number.


Everyone else who chooses to make a pass line bet along with the shooter is said to be playing 'with the dice'. The pass line bet itself is a bet that is 'with the dice'. In the case of someone placing a bet that wins when the pass line bettors lose, they would be known as 'wrong bettors' or 'betting against the dice'.


The betting strategy takes a while to learn but once you get the hang of it, you'll see how easy the game is to play. To get on the right track with this tutorial, you should take a proper look at the pass line bet and the cycle of play so you're clear, then you'll be ready to learn the rest of the bets. After doing so you'll be able to look at the whole craps board and know what everything is and what it's for.