About Craps

Craps can be an intimidating casino game to the new player - but playing craps properly is actually not difficult at all. Yes I know there are plenty of different craps bets. The good news is that you don't have to learn about every single type of bet to play and enjoy the game. Most of the more difficult bets offer terrible odds for the player anyway - so why even bother to learn about such bets at all? But more about that later.

In craps, there is no maximum to the number of players allowed to place bets on the outcome of one or more rolls with the two dice. Below we are going to have a closer look at the rules for craps. Throwing the dice is handled by the betters themselves in turn. The player standing to the left of the player who has just finished a round of throws with the dice - is the next one to throw the dice - and so on.

Lets have a look at a craps table below:

A normal craps table has three sections. A middle section where the stickman and the boxman each has a side of the table. Furthermore there are two identical sections - each one of the sides is handled by a dealer and the other side of the table is for the players. The dealers handle the exchange of chips - collects losing bets - and pays winning bets. The dealers can also help players place their bets. The boxman is the one who is responsible for the real money - he can exchange your money to chips. It is also his job to make sure that the game is played properly; a difficult job with all the action going on at a craps table. The box man is the one who is on the lookout for cheaters - fake dice and stuff like that. The stickman is the one who handles everything that has to do with the dice - handing them to players and so on. The stickman is also the one who places the so called proposition bets - in the middle section of the craps table.

The craps rules are best explained by going through the process of a game.

Often the spots around the craps table will have numbers - if you are number one you start out with throwing the dice. The stickman will first hand you a collection of dice - from which you must pick two die. Don't fumble around with the dice too much as the casino will be watching for players trying to use there own fake dice. Your title is now "the shooter"; as you are the one who throws the dice and produces the outcome that will determine the fate of every bet made at the craps table.

Your first roll is called the come-out roll. This initial roll will either produce a outcome that will determine if you have won or lost immediately - OR - your first roll will start a new procedure with more rolls with the dice.

Before you start throwing the dice you will have to place either a Pass Line Bet or a Don't Pass Bet. After you have placed your bet you must take your position at one of the ends of the craps table and throw the dice pass the stickman - hard enough for the dice to hit the other end of the table before coming to a stop.

All craps shooters must throw the dice this way, because when the dice have to hit the wall and fall back on the table it makes it less likely that players can cheat.