Craps Instructions

Out of all the players at the table one will be asked to be the shooter. If he accepts he will get to roll the dice. This is the beginning of a craps round, and his first roll is known as a come out roll.

If a 7 or an 11 is rolled out on a come out roll, the shooter automatically wins. A new round will begin and the player will remain the shooter. He will make another come out roll since a new round has begun.

If a 2, 3, or 12 are rolled out on a come out roll, the shooter automatically loses. The round is over and that player will no longer be the shooter. The player to his left will be asked to be the new shooter.

If the shooter rolls out a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on his come out roll, this number will become the point. The main objective of craps is for the shooter to roll out the point. After the point has been established the shooter will keep on rolling the dice. He will roll the dice until he will roll a 7 and loose, or until he will roll the point number and win. The outcome of the game depends on what number will come up first. He will win if the point number comes up first and he will lose if a 7 comes up first. Sound simple enough, doesn't it.

When the shooter makes his come out roll there are two main bets that you can make: the Pass line bet and the Don't pass line bet. The Pass line bet will win automatically if the shooter rolls out a 7 or an 11. But if he rolls a 2, 3, or 12 the Don't pass line bet will win automatically. If the point is established the Pass line bet will win if the shooter rolls his point before a 7. But if he rolls a 7 before the point, the Don't pass line bet will win.

After the point number is established a puck will be placed on the table layout on the corresponding number. The puck is white side up and has the inscription "on" written on it. The puck will remain on the number until the outcome of the game is determined. After the player will win or lose, the puck will be placed on the 12 box. But this time the puck will be black side up and this side has the inscription "off" written on it. The use of the puck makes the game a lot easier to follow. The game is still active when the puck is white side up, and the number it is placed on indicates the point. But when the puck is black side up this means a new round will begin and a come out roll will be the next roll.

When playing craps you must use a pair of dice. This means that these two dice can roll out 36 different combinations. Some dice combinations have better chances of being rolled out than others. A dice combination that adds up to a 7 has the biggest chances of coming up. But a dice combination that adds up to a 2 or 12 has the lowest chances of coming up. This is because there are 6 different dice combinations that add up to a 7 and only one dice combination that adds up to a 2 or 12.

Dice combinations that have better chances of coming up offer lower payouts. You can get a better payout if you bet that a specific dice combination will come up. For example betting on a 6 does not offer a very large payout. But betting on a hard 6 offers a better payout. A hard six means that a pair of 3's will be rolled out. This dice combination adds up to a 6, and it is known as a hard 6. A dice combination of 4 and 2 also adds up to a 6, but this is known as a soft 6.

The simplest bets that you can make are the Pass line and the Don't pass line bets. These are the ones that you should stick to if you are a beginner player. Making a Pass line bet is also known as "betting with the dice/shooter" or "right bet". Making a Don't pass line bet is also known as "betting against the dice/shooter" or "wrong bet". Consequently the players making such bets are either "right bettors" or "wrong bettors".

After placing your Pass line bet the casinos usually allow you to bet additional amounts of money. Some casinos allow you to bet 3 times the amount of you Pass line bet, but others allow you to bet as much as 100 times your Pass line bet. If you bet the maximum amount allowed this is known as "taking full odds".

The Pass line and Don't pass line are just the basic bets that you can make at the craps table. There are also the Come and Don't come bets, the Place bets, Field bets and Proposition bets. You should wait until you better develop your craps skills before making such bets. Beginner players are advised to stick to the basic bets at first and only move on to more complex bets after becoming more skilled at playing craps.