How to play Craps: Best Step-by-Step guide

Two six-sided dice are used and you are betting on the total of the number of the two sides that face up. For example, if one of them has a 2 and the other one a 6 on the up-facing side, the total is 8. You cannot bet on only one die.

At land-based casinos, you can bring your chips from a previous game or buy them at the table. In online casinos, you have to deposit to your account first and then you can draw on it for money to play craps online.

In land-based casinos, you can place the bet yourself in the areas marked “Come” and “Field” and for the point boxes, you must get the dealer to place the bet for you. In the online version, players select their chips and place the bet on what they want.

In online casinos, the minimum and maximum bet levels are set so you can choose whatever bet within those limits you are comfortable with. In land-based casinos, there is a placard displayed on the table where you can see the minimum and maximum bet figures.

In an online casino, the dice are virtual and when they are rolled, the numbers are randomly generated by the computer. In live casinos, players roll the dice and they take turns until each sequence ends with either a win or a loss.

The easiest bet to place is the “Pass” before the comeout roll starts. If you join the game at a later stage, you can bet a “Come” bet which is the same as a “Pass” except that now the next roll is your sequence starter.

When the player rolls the dice for the first time, it is called a comeout roll, and numbers 7 or 11 are naturals – they mean an instant win for the “Pass” betters. With 2, 3, or 12 they lose the game and if any other number comes up, it will be a point, and the object of the game changes. Now in to win, you must roll the point number before the next 7 is rolled.

Payout is done automatically in online casinos and you should be able to see your balance at a glance. In land-based casinos there is a boxman, a stickman, and two dealers to facilitate the payout and make sure that everything goes smoothly.

Pass and Come bets have low house edges so they are understandably popular. Normally players who start with a pass bet follow it up with 2 or 3 come bets to get 3 or 4 numbers working at the same time. This can be an expensive strategy with more money at risk, however, the house edge is small.
 

Essentially these bets are the exact opposite of the popular pass and come bets. The upside is that these bets have an even lower house edge than pass and come but you are playing against the shooter so you cannot cheer with the rest of the people as the majority will be playing with him.

Placing your bet on the dice totalling 6 or 8 is popular since these totals are rolled the most frequently right after 7. The house edge is higher than with come and pass and don’t come and don’t pass and you don’t have to wait for the shooter to establish a point.

Hedge bets are to compensate for possible losses on your main bets. The problem with them is that a win is still not guaranteed and the house edge on hedge bets is high. You might lose both your main bet and hedge bet in one roll.

You place a put bet if you don’t want to wait for the shooter to establish a point. This way you can choose the most frequently rolled number and you can back your bet with free odds. However, this is an expensive option so many people are not comfortable with it.