In
Craps, a shooter throws a
pair of dice to establish
a Point - and bets are made
as to whether the shooter
can repeat the Point before
a 7 is rolled.
The series of throws to establish
and repeat the Point is called
a round. Each round starts
on a Come Out roll. This is
the roll where the shooter
attempts to establish the
Point. A pair of dice can
make totals ranging from 2
() to 12 (), but only totals
of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 can
be the Point. Totals of 2
(snake eyes), 3 (cross eyes)
and 12 (box cars) are called
craps, but a total of 7 or
11 is called a natural.
During Come Out, rolling
craps or a natural will immediately
end the round, whereas a total
of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 establish
the Point to keep the round
open. If the Point is established,
we move into the midgame part
of the round and the shooter
continues to throw the dice
until either the Point is
rolled again or a total of
7 is rolled - either of which
will end the round.
There can be any number of
throws between the Come Out
roll and the end of the round.
If a 7 comes before the Point,
the shooter sevens out and
the dice are passed to another
player for the start of the
next round. On the other hand,
if the shooter hits the Point,
he or she can elect to keep
rolling for the next round.
A shooter who rolls a 2, 3
or 12 on the Come Out roll
craps out and passes the dice
to the next player. Rolling
a natural on Come Out (7 or
11) lets the shooter keep
the dice for another Come
Out roll.
There are a variety of bets
that can be made on each throw,
some are conditional and some
are bets against a specific
result. Some bets can stay
on the table for the entire
round, some bets span rounds
and some are only viable for
a single throw. All the variability
makes craps interesting, fascinating
and fun to play.
The best way to start playing
Craps is with a Pass Line
bet on the Come Out roll.
A 7 or 11 on Come Out make
it an immediate winner, paying
1-to-1. If a Point is established,
then the Pass Line bet will
pay 1-to-1 if the Point is
repeated before a 7. The next
section explains all bet options
in detail.
