If you walk through any major casino, you can always hear one specific table that is significantly louder and more crowded than blackjack or roulette. Players are yelling and celebrating while someone rolls the dice down the green felt. This highly intimidating game is the game of Craps. To an absolute novice, the craps table looks like an impossible mathematical nightmare. There are dozens of different betting sections, and the dealers are shouting slang. But this is a huge misconception. Despite its terrifying visual appearance, craps is fundamentally one of the easiest, and most mathematically player-friendly games in the entire casino. By understanding one rule, you can confidently roll the dice.
The Only Bet You Need to Know: The Foundation of Craps
The only logical way for a beginner to learn how to play craps is to look away from the center of the board. The confusing center sections are terrible traps designed specifically to drain your bankroll. You only care about one line that wraps around the entire edge of the table: the famous Pass Line. Betting on this line is how you play the game. When a new shooter gets the dice, the player throwing makes the Come-Out Roll. With your money on the Pass Line, you win instantly on a 7 or 11. Your bet is taken away if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled. That is the first step: 7/11 wins, 2/3/12 loses.
The Ongoing Game: The Goal of the Shooter
What if they roll a different number? If the dice land on one of the other numbers, that specific number officially becomes "The Point". The dealer will take a large plastic puck and places it directly onto that specific number on the table layout. The goal now changes. To secure a win, the player keeps rolling until they roll the Point again. If the Point hits, you win. However, there is a catch: if a 7 is rolled before the Point hits, the round ends. All Pass Line bets are swept away, the round completely ends, and the next person shoots. The entire excitement is just players cheering trying to avoid the 7.
Taking Odds: After the Point is set, you can place an 'Odds' bet behind your chips. This is known as taking odds and it is literally the only bet in the entire casino that has a house edge of exactly 0.00%. It is a perfectly fair bet. The Villain Bet: You can bet that the table will lose. This means you win if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 on the come-out, or when the shooter sevens out. It has a lower house edge, but nobody will high-five you because you are betting with the house. The Sucker Bets: All the bets in the middle of the table (like 'Any Craps', 'Hard 8', or 'Snake Eyes') have astronomical house edges that will drain your cash. Avoid them completely.
Craps Basics Cheat Sheet: How the Pass Line Works
To make your very first trip to the craps table, to guarantee you know what to do, memorize this table. It breaks down the math of the fundamental craps bet: the Pass Line.
Phase of the GameThe NumbersThe Result The Come-Out Roll (First Roll)7 or 11You get paid The Start2, 3, or 12You instantly LOSE your bet. The round resets. The Middle PhaseShooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.Bet stays on the table The GrindPoint is hitTable cheers, you win The Ongoing GameThe Deadly 7Total Loss
Ultimately, craps is not a game you should be afraid of. The felt is designed to look incredibly complex and confusing so casual gamblers will make bad bets. By stepping up to the table, sticking to the basic rules, taking your odds, and ignoring the proposition bets, you are playing the best games in the entire casino industry. Roll the dice, and have the best casino experience Las Vegas has to offer.