Comfortable and Furious

A Basic Intro to Craps

Casinos are among the most exciting and fun places to spend a night out. Casinos are all over the world.

Depending on the type of casino you can experience a fairly high energy party atmosphere or a very sophisticated and elegant one. 

The number of games in a casino can sometimes be a bit daunting. In addition to the standards, like blackjack and roulette, you’ll find odd games, like Let it Ride, Blackjack Switch, Caribbean Stud, and Free Bet Blackjack to name just a few. Dealers call those the “carnival games.”

However, if you want to play the most exciting game in the casino just listen for the sound of the most boisterous people in the casino. Follow the sound and you will find yourself at the craps table.

craps1

Part of the excitement of craps comes from the fact that the table basically wins, or loses, as one. A “hot” shooter who makes point after point and rolls lots of numbers means everyone wins. Craps offers a huge number of different wagers as well. In no other game can a $5 bet return anywhere from $5 to $150 on a single roll.

However, craps can be intimidating at first glance to a new player. First of all it takes four people to run the game:two dealers, a stickman, and the boxman. The table is huge, the layout looks confusing, there are stacks of chips everywhere, and some of the terminology sounds like another language.

a basic intro to craps

The important part to remember is that craps looks far more complicated than it is. The second thing to remember is that even experienced players and dealers sometimes do not know every possible nuance of the game.

introduction to craps
introduction to craps

Craps is also incredibly easy to learn and to play. You can find a craps guide for beginners and even play in the quiet comfort of your home online. This will help you feel more comfortable for when you go to a brick and mortar casino.

Here are some facts and craps etiquette that will help you get ready as well.

Craps players are superstitious. One of the biggest “no-nos” is saying the word “seven.” Craps players refer to the number as “Big Red.” There are even superstitions about how the dealer pays winners, but the main one to remember as a new player deals with the number 7.

How to read the layout. There are a lot of betting spots on the table. Betting boxes in red are always one roll bets. These bets have the biggest payout potential but also the biggest house edge.

The best bets for beginners. When you first begin to play you want to keep your bets simple. You are looking at three basic bets.

  • Pass Line Bet When the puck says Off a 7 or 11 wins on the pass line and a 2, 3, or 12 loses. Any other number becomes the point, and the puck switches to “On” and is placed on that number. To win the shooter has to roll that number before rolling a 7.
  • Odds Bets A pass line bet pays 1-1. The odds bet pays true odds and has no house edge. You make and odds bet by placing an amount that is at least equal to your pass line bet directly behind the bet. Two times odds are better. (4 and 10 pay 2:1, 5 and 9 pay 3:2, 6 and 8 pay 6:5)
  • Place the 6 and 8. Six and eight are rolled almost as frequently as a 7. To place the 6 and 8 place your chips on the table and tell the dealer you want the 6 or 8 or both. Don’t try to place the bets on the numbers yourself and do’t try to hand the dealer the chips. A place bet on the 6 or 8 pays 7-to-6. In most casinos your minimum bet has to be one that can be divided by 6, i.e. $6.00)

That really is all you really need to get started and ease into the game. You’ll quickly catch on to some of the other bets. Check out the tutorial and plays some practice games and you will be ready to join in the fun at the fastest paced and most fun game in the casino.


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