One of the oldest
gambling accessories around are the dice. Dice and the
games related to them can be discovered all over the
ancient world. Some well known dice players were Roman
Emperors Augustin, Nero and Caligula, they where also
known for trying to cheat at the game. The dice had
been traced back and founded in Egypt in the time dated
600 B.C. Stories were documented by Indian ancient epic
“Mahabharata” about warriors throwing the dice on losing
fortunes. In early days the Koreans were keen on dice.
The dice, which was known as a four-sided knucklebones,
was used by American Indians to play games.
The dice and related games have been
around for a few thousand years or more. Modern day
Craps have been around for a much shorter
length of time. The history of
Craps has been known only hundred years or
so. Evidence of the game of
Craps has been found which reports that soldiers
in the twelfth century played the game. The game of
Craps was known as the game of “Hazard”. It
is very possible that English settlers on the “Mayflower”
brought the game to America .
In the 1800’s the game of English Hazard
was very popular in New Orleans the game was then call
Craps by the French. The game of
Craps has been changed along with the rules
and odds. Newer and improved variants of the game have
came into play making them faster and simpler that the
game that had been originally founded. Table Off game
is one variant that became very popular with gamblers
toward the end of the 19 th century. Being introduced
back in those times where the casino tables, with a
simple layout with the 6 and 8, the Field, the Win and
the Come bets. Players at that time bet only with the
dice against the house.
After John H. Winn transformed the game
of Craps making it possible to bet right and
wrong. He drew a space for Don’t Pass bets and improved
the layout for that reason. The state of Nevada , casino
gambling became legalized and became popular all over
the world.
In the game of
Craps the players try to beat the house any
way they can. The game of
Craps preoccupied the minds and thoughts of
gamblers from all over.
Craps is one
of the most exciting casino games. It is common to hear
yelling and shouting at a Craps table. It is played
on a purpose-built table and two dice are used. The
dice are made after very strict standards and are routinely
inspected for any damage. As a matter of course, the
dice are replaced with new ones after about eight hours
of use, and casinos have implemented rules in the way
a player handles them.
The player must handle the dice with
one hand only when throwing and the dice must hit the
walls on the opposite end of the table. In the event
that one or both dice are thrown off the table, they
must be inspected (usually by the stickman) before putting
them back into play.
The Craps table can accommodate up to about 20
players, who each get a round of throws or at 'shooting'
the dice. If you don't want to throw the dice, you can
bet on the thrower. Several types of bets can be made
on the table action. The casino crew consist of a stickman,
boxman and two dealers.
The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called
the Come Out roll - a new game in Craps begins
with the Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made
only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning
roll, that is, fails to make the Point or seven out.
A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current
shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to
him and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is
a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically,
the Come Out roll identifies a new game about to begin.
When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the
dice are then offered to the next player for a new Come
Out roll and the game continues in the same manner.
The new shooter will be the person directly next to
the left of the previous shooter - so the game moves
in a clockwise fashion around the Craps table.
The dice are rolled across the Craps table layout.
The layout is divided into three areas - two side areas
separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror
reflection of the other and contains the following:
Pass and Don't Pass line bets, Come and Don't Come bets,
Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area
is shared by both side areas and contains the Proposition
bets.
Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while
pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12.
Don't bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and
don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't
bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos;
the 'Bar' roll on the layout indicates which roll is
treated as a tie).
Below is a list of the various bets you can make at
Craps.
Pass Line Bet - You win if the first roll is a natural
(7, 11) and lose if it is Craps (2, 3, 12). If a point
is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) it must be repeated before
a 7 is thrown in order to win. If 7 is rolled before
the point you lose.
Odds on Pass Line Bet - After a point is rolled you
can make this additional bet by taking odds. There
are different payoffs for each point. A point
of 4 or 10 will pay you 2:1; 5 or 9 pays 3:2; 6 or 8
pays 6:5. You only win if the point is rolled again
before a 7.
Come Bet - It has the same rules as the Pass Line bet.
The difference consists in the fact you can make this
bet only after the point on the pass line has been determined.
After you place your bet the first dice roll will set
the come point. You win if it is a natural (7, 11) and
lose if it is Craps (2, 3, 12). Other rolls will make
you a winner if the come point is repeated before a
7 is rolled. If a 7 is rolled first you lose.
Odds on Come Bet - Exactly the same thing as the Odds
on Pass Line bet except you take odds on the Come bet
not the Pass Line bet.
Don't Pass Line Bet - This is the reversed Pass Line
bet. If the first roll of a dice is a natural (7, 11)
you lose and if it is a 2 or a 3 you win. A dice roll
of 12 means you have a tie or push with the casino.
If the roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) a 7 must
come out before that point is repeated to make you a
winner. If the point is rolled again before the 7 you
lose.
Don't Come Bet - The reversed Come Bet. After the come
point has been established you win if it is a 2 or 3
and lose for 7 or 11. 12 is a tie and other dice rolls
will make you win only if a 7 appears before them on
the following throws.
Place Bets - This bet works only after the point has
been determined. You can bet on a dice roll of 4, 5,
6, 8, 9 and 10. You win if the number you placed your
bet on is rolled before a 7. Otherwise you lose. The
Place Bets payoffs are different depending on the number
you bet on. 4 or 10 will pay 9:5; 5 or 9 pays 7:5, and
6 or 8 pays 7:6. You can cancel this bet anytime you
want to.
Field Bets - These bets are for one dice roll only.
If a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 is rolled you win. A 5,
6, 7 and 8 make you lose. Field Bets have the following
different payoffs: 2 pays double (2:1) while 12 pays
3:1. Other winning dice rolls pays even (1:1).
Big Six, Big Eight Bets - Placed at any roll of dice
these bets win if a 6 or 8 comes out before a 7 is rolled.
Big Six and Big Eight are even bets and are paid at
1:1.
Proposition Bets - These bets can be made at any time
and, except for the hardways, they are all one roll
bets:
-
Any Craps: Wins if a 2, 3 or 12 is
thrown. Payoff 8:1
-
Any Seven: Wins if a 7 is rolled.
Payoff 5:1
-
Eleven: Wins if a 11 is thrown. Payoff
16:1
-
Ace Duece: Wins if a 3 is rolled.
Payoff 16:1
-
Aces or Boxcars: Wins if a 2 or 12
is thrown. Payoff 30:1
-
Horn Bet: it acts as the bets on
2, 3, 11 and 12 all at once. Wins if one of these
numbers is rolled. Payoff is determined according
to the number rolled. The other three bets are lost.
-
Hardways: The bet on a hardway number
wins if it's thrown hard (sum of pairs: 1-1, 3-3,
4-4...) before it's rolled easy and a 7 is thrown.
Payoffs: Hard 4 and 10, 8:1; Hard 6 and 8, 10:1
Double Odds in Online Craps
It is not essential to play “Double Odds”
for a good game of Craps, so this is a bit beyond the
scope of this beginner article. However, Double Odds
offers “zero” house advantage, and so will decrease
further the “already low” total house advantage. Also
in online Craps you do not need to understand the process
fully - the computerized system does this for you! So
I just will explain the general procedure.
To play Double Odds, you wait until
a “point” has been established by rolling 4, 5, 6, 8,
9, or 10. Now while you are trying to “make the point”
a second time--the casino allows you to increase your
bet. You click behind the icon for the original bet,
and more chips will be placed for this “Odds” bet. The
standard is “Double Odds,” meaning you can place Odds
bets for any amount up to double the original bet. For
example, if the original Line Bet was $10, you can place
Double Odds for any amount from $1 up to $20, and sometimes
a bit more. If you then “make the point,” you are paid
more than you bet, depending on the precise mathematical
“odds” as follows:
4 or 10: wins pay 2 x the Odds
bet.
5 or 9: wins pay 3/2 x the Odds bet.
6 or 8: wins pay 6/5 x the Odds
bet.
Rounding Your Odds in Online Craps
In offline Craps,
it is important to “round” your Odds bets correctly,
because the offline casino will not pay you in cents.
For example, an offline Odds bet on 6 or 8 should be
“rounded off” to the nearest $5, such as: $5, $10, $15,
$20, $25, etc. Otherwise, the win payment ratio of 6/5
will not result in an even dollar figure - so the casino
will “round down” your win payment to eliminate the
cents--thus you will win less than you paid for.
In online Craps, “rounding” is less important
because usually, the computerized system will pay you
in cents. Therefore just use the following guide for
online Craps and your Odds bets probably always will
be perfectly rounded for Pass and Come.
This guide is for Odds bets with Pass
and Come only. Playing Odds with Don’t Pass and Don’t
Come is slightly more complicated, and is unpopular.
Also if you are good at math you can figure this out
yourself - and if not good a math you are likely to
get confused. So that is beyond the scope of this beginner
article.
If the minimum Online Craps payout increment
is $0.01, then make all your Odds bets in increments
of $0.10. Example: $0.10, $0.20, $0.30...$1.00, $1.10,
$1.20, $1.30...etc.
If the minimum increment is $0.10,
then place all your Odds in increments of $1.00. Example:
$1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, etc. Minimum increment $1.00,
then make Odds bets in increments of $10.00. Example:
$10, $20, $30, $40, $50, etc.
The only way that you
can win on Craps is if you use certain
strategies
that will help boost the odds of winning no end. Bellow
is a table of the probability
of the dice landing on a certain number.
Here is a summary
of your winning probabilities in Craps:
|
YOUR INITIAL TOTAL
|
PROBABILITY OF WINNING
|
PROBABILITY WRITTEN AS DECIMAL
|
|
4
|
(3/36) (3/9)
|
0.027778
|
|
5
|
(4/36) (4/10)
|
0.044444
|
|
6
|
(5/36) (5/11)
|
0.063131
|
|
7
|
6/36
|
0.166667
|
|
8
|
(5/36) (5/11)
|
0.063131
|
|
9
|
(4/36) (4/10)
|
0.044444
|
|
10
|
(3/36) (3/9)
|
0.027778
|
|
11
|
2/36
|
0.055556
|
|
TOTAL |
0.492929 |
There are ways in which you will be able to make a profit
playing Craps. These include the "good"
and "bad" bets.
What this basically means is that there are certain
bets that would be beneficial for you to play instead
of others. These consist of the following:
Good Bets:
-
Pass Line Bet - The house edge is only 1.41%
-
Don't Pass Bet - The house edge is only 1.40%
-
Come Bet - The house edge is only 1.41%
-
Don't Come Bet - The house edge is only 1.40%
Bad Bets:
-
The Field Bet - House edge is 5.6%
-
Big 6 or Big 8 - House edge is 9.1%
-
Hard Bets - House edge is 12.5%
-
Craps 2
or Craps 12
- House edge is 13.9%
-
Any 7: 16.7%
As you can see the good bets only have a 1.405% average,
whereas the bad bets have between 5.6% - 16.7%. That
is why these bets are called bad bets. There is also
a way to decrease the house edge even further. This
is done by placing the "odds bet." The odds bet means
that you are placing more money on your "point" from
the pass/Don't pass bet or come/Don't come bet, also
to place even more you can put money on the actual "point"
to win the hand, and you can "buy" more odds by putting
chips on the "buy" square on the point number. This
actually lowers the house edge by up to 40% which means
if the house edge was 1.4% it would now be around 0.6%.
So as you can see by playing the good bets it is possible
to make a very large profit playing
Craps, which
is why Craps is so popular, especially
online.
Other useful
tips:
-
Make a betting selection(s) or establish a pattern
of play to your liking and stick to it.
-
If you want to play longer and enjoy the action,
stick to the 'pass/don't pass' and 'come/don't come'
bets.
-
If you aim to 'hit and run' and winning is a priority,
give preference to high-odds bets.
|
