Craps is one game you are virtually certain to find in any reputable brick-and-mortar casino or online gambling room. It seems that people just cant get enough of this game, which is not surprising when you see the kind of nonstop excitement it can generate. All it takes is one good night at the craps table to hook a player for life. Though considered a game uniquely suited to the American national character (whatever the heck that is) craps actually derives from an Olde English diversion known as hazard. This article will take a look at some of the most basic nuts and bolts aspects of the modern form of the game. At its core, craps is a casino dice game in which players place money bets against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls with two dice. In a casino setting, the craps table is run by four individuals. The Boxman is at the top of the pyramid, responsible for guarding the chips and overseeing the dealers. Two Base Dealers flank the Boxman, collecting and paying bets. The Stickman stands directly across the table from the Boxman, announces the results of each roll and then collects the dice with a wooden stick. The players take turns rolling the dice. When rolling, a player is known as the Shooter. A new shooter, who must bet the table minimum on either the pass line or the don't-pass line to play, is presented five dice by the stickman and picks two. All the betters bet on the same roll, regardless of who the shooter is at any point of the game. The first roll of a new round is called the come-out roll. All bets are based on the total of both dice together, never on just one die. A typical game of craps can encompass a wide range of different bets, but the most fundamental is the pass line wager, which is a bet most of the players will make. On a come-out roll, the pass line betters win when either a 7 or 11 is rolled. A 2, 3, or 12 loses, and is called craps. When any other number (namely 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is rolled, this is known as the point. Once the point is set, the pass-line better wins if the point is rolled again, and loses if a 7 is rolled first. This fairly common type of occurrence is referred to as a seven-out. Following a seven-out, the dice pass to the next shooter for a new come-out roll. The opposite of a pass line bet is the dont-pass bet, which wins on a come-out roll of 2 or 3, loses on 7 or 11, ties on 12, and goes to the point round when any other number is rolled. In the point round the dont-pass bet wins if a 7 is rolled and loses if the point is rolled. People who bet on the don't-pass are called wrong betters, while those who bet on the pass are called right betters. Why? For the simple reason that most craps players make the pass line bet more often than the don't-pass bet. |
