The Rules of Craps

Part of learning the rules of craps is learning how the sessions work. Another part of learning the rules of craps is learning which are the good bets and which are the bad ones. Then there is simply learning how to place the bets. If you can combine this with a good strategy for bankrolling, you will be off to a great start.

Most people are wondering many things when they think about the rules of playing craps. Some of the initial things they think about are which bets they can make, how they will go about making them, and when they can make them. They will be thinking about which are the good bets and how they can combine them with other bets to make them even better. The main thoughts would be directed toward whether or not there exist any strategies are techniques that will increase their chances at winning.

You can refer to the pages that deal with the best and the worst bets to learn more about this. These pages discuss how and when to make these bets and whether or not it is a good idea to do so.

When it comes to combining bets, craps starts to get tricky. It is common for people to bet one way and they try to bet another way at the same time to hedge their bet. An example might be if you were to bet $5 on a coin coming up heads, but getting nervous and placing a second bet of say $2 that it would come up tails. In this case if it were to come up heads you would win $5 but you would also lose $2 making a net gain of $3. if on the other hand, it were to come up tails, then you would win $2 but lose $5. So now you have contained your loses to only $3 rather than the entire 5 dollars. This is what you do when you hedge your bet. This idea of hedging one’s bet is described in more detail on the page devoted to an understanding of bet hedging.
so according to the rules of craps you can actually place bets that oppose one another. Although you may be able in many cases to remove bets during the course of play, you are not usually allowed to alter a bet part of the way through a play. In most cases casino dealers are helpful if you make a mistake and allow you to learn from them. if you are playing online however, you can't make mistakes. The software is designed to not allow you to place a bet improperly. The rules of craps generally come down to governing the placing of each individual bet, determining how and when you are allowed to place them.

You should first consider the rules governing the 'come-out roll'. In the event that the first role of the dice comes up a seven or an eleven, the pass line wins and the don't pass line less. This is called throwing a natural. At this point the round is completed. In the event that the role comes out a 2, 3, or 12 (which is referred to as 'craps') the pass line is the loser and the don't pass line the winner, or it ties. When the role comes up a twelve, the don't pass bet is a tie.

if the first or come out role comes up a 4, a 5, a 6, an 8, a 9, or a 10, then the number is referred to as the point. Now the point is indicated by the dealer’s placing the little puck with the ON side up over that number as it appears on the felt table. This has the effect of letting the players know that the session is in play and which number is the point. Previous to this placing of the puck by the dealer on the point number, the puck had been placed just off of the table with the OFF side showing. At this point the pass line or don't pass line bets are in a state of flux waiting for the next throw of the dice (or throws) to decide what will be their outcome.

The dice shooter now continues to role the dice until one of two things takes place. If the number that has been set as the point comes up they have made the point and this is a win. Then the pass line bettors win while the don't pass bettors are losers. If however, instead of this, a seven were to come up before the point number was thrown, it is a lose and is called sevening out. Those who win are the ones who but against such as the don't pass line bettors. The pass line bettors lose. In both cases the round is over. Craps rules that determine the outcome of the come-out role establish the pace and state of the game for other bets.

PLACE BETS If you bet a 4 or a 10 you are playing 9 to 5 odds, where the true odds are actually 10 to 5 with the house having an edge of 6.66%. The bet on the 5 or the 9 has a payout of 7 to 5 while the true odds are 7.5 to 5 The house edge is 4%. The odds on a 6 or 8 bet pay odds of 7 to 6, with true odds of 6 to 5. The house edge on this bet is 1.51%.

SEVEN The odds on this one roll bet are 4 to 1. The actual odds are 5 to 1 and the house takes the difference giving them a 16,66% edge.

ELEVEN This one roll bet pays odds of 14 to 1 while the true odds are actually 17 to 1 and the house’s percentage is 16.66%. This is not a good bet.

COME BETS & DON'T COME These are even bets. The edge for the house is the same as for the pass-line bet - 1.414% and 1.402%

BUY BETS With this type of bet the player pays a commission called a "vigorish" of 5% in order to get the true odds on all of the numbers played. The only bets of this type that are worthwhile are those on the 4 and the 10. Buy bets result in reducing the house’s edge to 4.76%.

HARD WAYS This is a bet that may be placed on a 4, 6, 8 or 10. The payoff is 9 to 1 on the 6 and 8 and it is 7 to 1 on the 4 or 10. Respectively, the edge for the house is 9.09% and 11.11%. This too is a bad bet.

PASS LINE This bet pays even odds and gives the house a small edge of 1.414%. The pass-line bet is on of the best available.

DON'T PASS This bet pays even money and provides a house edge of 1.402%, making it slightly better odds than those of the pass line bet.

THE FIELD This is a one-roll bet that pays even odds of 2 to 1 or rolling a 2 or a 12. The edge for the house is 5.55%.

ANY CRAPS A one roll bet. If a 2,3,or 12 comes up you get 7 to 1 odds. The house edge is 11.11%, thus making it a bad bet. The BIG 6 & 8 bet allows players to place bets in boxes marked as such and to receive even money instead of the 6 to 5true odds. This gives the house a 9.09% edge.

HORN BET : In the area marked as the ‘horn’ you are allowed to bet on the 2, 3, 12 and 11 which also may be bet separately. To make a horn bet the player hands the money to the dealer, and calls out the bet. For instance, a player might place a horn bet by calling out "$8 horn bet." This allows him to place $2 on each of the four one-roll propositions. The payoff for the 2 or 12 is 30 to 1. The 3 or 11 pays out 15 to 1. The true odds for the 2 and 12 are actually 35 to 1 and they are 17 to 1 for the 3 or 11 coming up. The edge that the house holds for all four of these bets is actually 16.66% making the horn bet a very bad bet to place. One that is highly not recommended.

ODDS : When a point is made a player can take on the odds. This applies either in the case of the shooter making his point on his first roll, or it can be a come point on a succeeding roll. The odds on the 4 and 10 are 2 to 1; on the five and nine they are 3 to 2; on the six and eight they are 6 to 5. If he is betting against the point being made the odds are the same in all cases.