This is a pure game of chance. Success depends solely on chance and not on skill, strategy or decisions within the game.
Aim of the game
Basically, the game consists of the player betting on the sum of the eyes of two dice. A shooter – as the player rolling the dice is called – rolls 2 dice. In some cases one roll is enough, otherwise there can be several rolls.
If you are right with your bet on the dice result, you win. If not, the casino wins.
The basic rules
The game is played with normal dice, each with a score of 1 to 6. Before the game starts, all players place their bets on the corresponding bet they want to make.
The craps playing field is usually a green-printed cloth, similar to the table in roulette. Chips can be placed there on the corresponding squares.
Names of the dice points
The eyes that can be rolled have certain names:
- Natural: eye sum 7 or 11 in any combination.
- Crap: eye sum 2, 3 or 12 in any combination
- All other sums (i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) are called a point (draw).
Simplified Craps
Although it looks much more complicated as a game than it is, some players want to play a simpler version. In Simplified Craps there is no point, so the game is decided with only one roll. On the numbers 3, 4, 11 and 12 the shooter wins, on all others he loses.
High Point Craps
In the High Point variant, it’s all about the height of the rolled number of points. The rules are a bit different here. If a 2 or 3 is rolled, the shooter must roll the dice again. The highest values of 11 and 12, on the other hand, mean instant victory.
Everything in between requires a second roll, with the sum of the first roll becoming the target number. To win, the shooter must then roll a higher number than the first time.
Crapless Craps
There is actually also a version where you play without craps. For the corresponding numbers 2, 3 and 12, the roll is instead considered a draw, and the same for 11. So you can’t lose in the comeout roll and win immediately with the 7.
The Rich Craps
In this variant you don’t take two dice in your hand, but only one. With a 6 the shooter wins directly, with a 1 he loses. If a 2 to 5 comes up, then another roll is due. The number from the first roll then becomes the target number in Die Rich Craps. If the next roll is higher, the shooter wins, otherwise he loses.
Card Craps
By the way, there is also a Craps variant with playing cards instead of dice. For a long time, dice games were frowned upon and were not considered elegant enough to be offered in casinos. In addition, in some states such as California, dice games for stakes are still prohibited.
Card craps is played with the aces, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s of two decks. In total, you play with 48 cards. The shooter does not roll the dice, but reveals two cards at a time. Otherwise, the rules are the same as for the dice variant.
Guide: Craps betting and regular gameplay
The game consists of:
- the shooter (dice player)
- and the Faders (all other players)
It is also important to note that the shooter can always bet an amount first – this is called the banco. The other players can then follow suit.
Once everyone has placed their bets, the shooter makes his first roll of two dice (comeout roll). He can choose two dice from a total of five dice. The remaining 3 dice go back into a bowl.
- On 7 or 11 (Natural), the shooter wins immediately.
- At 2, 3 and 12 (Crap) the shooter loses.
- On other eye totals (Point), the Shooter rolls again.
If a second roll is made, the following applies:
- If the shooter rolls the same “Points” eye total again as before, he wins.
- If he rolls a 7, he loses immediately.
- For any other point total, the shooter rolls a third, fourth time, and so on.
By the way, the shooter can keep rolling the dice if he wants to. Even if he has already rolled a “crap”, he can continue to play. However, he must place a new banco to do so. Otherwise, the shooter can pass the dice to his right neighbor.