Craps 101

One of the most common reasons that I hear when I ask people why they choose not to play craps in a casino is that the game seems too "intimidating" to them. Unfortunately, that means that I am usually exposed to the exact same players on a day-to-day basis (who are almost exclusively locals) instead of the fun tourist crowd who tend to gravitate over at the roulette or blackjack tables.

So I thought I'd give this very brief explanation of how to play craps so that anyone who hasn't given it a try (including my friends who may be in town in March) might mosey up to the dice table without fear.

While it's true that you'll get swamped if you tried to understand EVERY bet that can be made at the table, you only really need to understand ONE very basic bet to play competently. A bonus is that this one bet, along with an "odds" bet, is the best way to play as it has the very lowest house edge of any bet in the entire casino.

This one bet is called the pass-line bet. When you step up to the table, just throw down your money on the felt like you never want to see it again, and the dealer will give you chips. See that round "puck" in the picture that is white, or "on"? Well, the other side is black, or "off". Just wait until the puck goes to black, put a $5 chip on the pass-line, and your ready to play!

If the puck is black, then 7 and 11 are the numbers you want to see since they are winners. 2,3 and 12 are the bad numbers when it is black, since these are the "crap" numbers and you lose. ANY other number is neutral (4,5,6,8,9,10). If one of these neutral numbers are thrown, then it becomes the "point" and the dealer will turn the puck over to white and set it on that number (as has happened in the picture with the #4). So if the #4 is rolled BEFORE a 7, you win. If a 7 is rolled before the 4, you lose. It's that simple!

The one addition that you will want to make though is the "odds" bet. When the dealer turns the puck white and sets it on the number, which is the point, you'll want to put an odds bet directly behind your pass line bet. I won't go into detail why, but I will tell you that this bet is paid "true odds" and thus, is the ONLY bet in the entire casino that has NO HOUSE EDGE associated with it. It kind of depends on what number is the point to decide exactly what your odds bet is. However, $10 will work for ANY point number, no thinking involved.

So to recap,
1. Wait until the puck is "off", or black.
2. Put $5 on the pass line (7,11 are good....2,3 and 12 are bad....the rest are neutral)
3. Wait until a point is established (the puck turns white and is placed on a number)
4. Put $10 in "odds" right behind your pass line bet.

Oh, and most importantly, don't think about ANYTHING else. Forget all of those confusing bets in the middle of the layout. Forget the "field". Forget the Big Red 6 and 8. AND DON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE AT THE TABLE when they try to "teach" you how to play. Most likely, they are pathetic local fleas who have nothing better to do than to prey upon the unsuspecting ear of a happy-go-lucky tourist.

Good luck!