Craps is based on the world's oldest gaming devices dice.The first dice were probably made of the anklebones of sheep, and had irregular shapes with dots painted on each side.  Anthropologists date these all the way back to 2000 BC.  Dice became extremely popular in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, but these games were outlawed in England for a long time because one English king found that his officers and soldiers spent too much time playing backgammon (another dice game not found at casinos).  A ban on dice-based gambling was just recently removed in Canada to make craps legal.  During World War II, the American soldiers invented and played the game of craps while on lengthy ship journeys or stationed in trenches.

    Craps is often the most fast-paced and exciting game in the casino.  However, craps can be one of the most intimidating games in the house because of the confusing betting layout on the table. (In truth, even regular players of the game often don't know all the rules or possible bets.)

    Up to 12 players can play at a rectangular table with many betting options.  The table looks confusing because of these many betting options, but all the game takes is a little getting used to.  From the diagram you'll see that the left and right halves of the table are identical, and this is where most of the play takes place.  The middle is where the riskier bets are placed.

    In craps, there are usually four dealers operating the table.  First, there are a pair of dealers who convert cash to chips, pay winnings and collect loses.  There is also a dealer called a "boxperson" who sits between the dealers and supervises all center bets made.

    The boxperson tells the dealers how much to pay to center-bet winners.  There's also a "stickperson" who supervises the dice roll, retrieves dice and passes them to the shooter.  The players, including you, are the shooters.

OBJECT OF THE GAME

    The basic object of the game is to bet on the roll of a pair of dice.  A player is offered five or six dice by the stickperson who will use his stick to slide the dice in front of the shooter.  The shooter, perhaps you, selects two.  The shooter then throws the dice to the opposite end of the table so that they rebound off the back wall.  The total of the two numbers that appear face-up, after the dice have come to rest, is the point.  The first roll of the dice is called the comeout-roll.  All players are allowed to place bets on the outcome of this roll even though only one person is rolling the dice.  Players either bet with the craps shooter and are called right bettors, or they bet against the shooter and are called wrong bettors.
There are 36 possible results from rolling a pair of dice, which is important to know when calculating the house's edge.

BASIC BETING OPTIONS

    Pass line Someone who bets with the shooter is called a right bettor, but the actual wager is called a pass-line bet.  As a player, you place your bet on the pass line in front of you before the dice are thrown by the shooter.  All bets on the pass line win if the total of the opening dice thrown are either 7 or II.  Conversely, all bets on the pass line lose if the shooter throws the numbers 2, 3 or 12 on the first roll.  This is called "crapping out;" hence the name of the game.

    The pass-line bet pays 1 to 1. You can either pick up your winnings and original bet, or leave the original bet and pick up your winnings, or leave the winnings and the bet to double your bet.

    If the dice total is other than 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12, (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), it is called a point.  The dealer will place a four inch round white puck on that number to show point.  A bet can now win if the shooter establishes a point by rolling a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the come-out roll, and then rolls the point number again before rolling a 7. If, after the point is established, the shooter rolls any other number except a 7 or the point number, the shooter keeps rolling.  If the shooter happens to roll a 7 after a point has been established, it is called sevening out, and all bets on the pass-line are losers.

    Odds Taking odds is a bet that is offered after a point has been established.  It is a means of wagering that gives you the opportunity to get paid off the true odds if the shooter makes the point.  Taking this bet means you increase your bet by the original amount wagered.  It also lowers the house advantage from 1.41 percent to nearly zero, depending on the odds offered.

    If you want to take this bet, place your odds bet outside the pass line just beside your pass-line bet.  If not properly placed, the dealer will position your chips appropriately.

    Come bet This bet can be placed anytime or on any roll after a point has been established.  The come bet wins if a 7 or 11 is rolled immediately after the bet is placed, and it loses if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled.  The same rules apply for the come bet as the pass-line bet.  So if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, then that number must be rolled again before a 7 is rolled.

    You can also take odds on a come bet.  This simply means that you are doubling your bet to achieve better odds on the roll.  If you want your odds to stop being played, simply tell the dealer to take your odds down and they will be returned to you.

    Don't pass The don't-pass bet is another even-money bet.  It is the opposite of the pass-line bet.  A player wins this bet if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, and loses if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 12, it is a standoff or draw.  All other numbers become the point on point rolls.  A player wins if a 7 appears before the point number reappears once a point has been established and loses if the point number appears before a 7 is rolled after the point has been established.

    Don't come The don't-come bet is the same as the don't-pass bet except this bet is made on point rolls.  Therefore you will win if the shooter rolls 2 or 3 on the first roll after the bet is made.  A 12 is a standoff.  You will also win if the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 and then rolls a 7 before repeating the point number.  Conversely, you lose if the shooter rolls a 7 or I I right after the don't-come bet is made.  You lose also if a point number is established and is rolled again before a 7 is rolled.

    To make this bet, simply place your chips in the don't-come section of the table layout.  You can also place odds on the don'tcome bet if you want, because it gives a wrong bettor a better advantage to win.  You will find that most dealers are quite willing to help.  As a beginner, it is better to restrict your bets on the craps table to those already described.

RISKIER BETTING OPTIONS

    These next bets are the riskier bets found in the center of the layout of the table.  These bets are called field bets and are not recommended for a beginner.  If you feel a strong urge to make these bets here is how they are played:

Field bets are made before the shooter rolls the dice.  A field bet wins if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 is rolled.  The bet loses if a 5,6, 7 or 8 is rolled.  The payoff for this bet is 1 to 1, except when a 2 or 12 is rolled, the payoff increases to 2 to I or 3 to I depending on the house rules.

Big six or big eight Players win if a 6 or 8 is rolled before a 7 is rolled.  This bet loses if a 7 is rolled before a 6 or 8 is rolled.  The common payoff odds for this bet vary from casino to casino, but are usually 1 to 1 or 7 to 6, depending on the amount of money wagered.

Any 7 is a bet that can be made before any roll of the dice.
A player wins if a 7 is the next number rolled, and a player loses if the next number rolled is anything other than a 7. The payoff odds are 4 to 1, and the casino enjoys a nice advantage of 16.7 percent.
This is obviously not a smart bet.

Any craps is another bet that can be made at any time before the roll of the dice.  The bet wins if a 2, 3 or 12 appears as the next roll, and it loses if the next roll is any other number.  The payoff odds for this bet are 7 to 1, and the casino advantage is a little less than "any 7" at 11.1 percent.

Hardways is a bet that the shooter will roll a pair of 2's, 3's, 4's or 5's to get a count of 4,6,8 or 10.  You can place this bet after a point has been established.  For example, if you make a hardway 4 bet, you are hoping for a pair of 2's to appear before a 7 is rolled (or a 4 is rolled without consisting of a pair).  You lose if a 7 appears before the hardways number or if the hardways number you bet on appears without consisting of a pair.  For example, if you bet on a hardways 8, you will lose if the dice show any of the following: 2 + 5, 3 + 4, 6 + 1, 2 + 6, and 3 + 5.

Place bet to win can be made on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.  The player making this bet wins if the number bet on appears before a 7 is rolled.  The bet is lost, therefore, if a 7 is rolled before the place number is rolled.  The payoff odds for this bet are: 5 to I I for place bets of 4 and 10, 4 to 5 for place bets of 5 and 9, and 7 to 6 on place bets of 6 and 8.
Place bet to lose is the opposite of place bet to win.  A player wins if a 7 is rolled before the place number is rolled.  The bet is lost if the place number is rolled again before a 7. The payoff odds are 5 to 11 on place bets of 4 and 10, 4 to 5 on place bets of 5 and 9, and 5 to 8 on place bets of 6 or 8.

Buy bet is the same as a place bet to win, except that the payoff odds are 2 to 1 on 4 and 10, 3 to 2 on 5 and 9, and 6 to 5 on 6 and 8. The player, however, must pay a conunission called a "vigorish" of five percent for the bet in order to buy the number desired.
 

HELPFULL TIPS FOR CRAPS

I. Stick to pass-line, don't-pass, come, and don't-come bets.
2. Never make center bets - the payoff odds are usually poor
3. Bet with a player if the shooter is on a winning streak or run.
4. Don't double your bet after a loss; if you lose five or six in a row, you'll  
    blow your bankroll.
 

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