I just added a new section Advanced Craps by Jerry Peterson. He wrote the book on the topic (Literally) and he’s agreed to provide a three part series on Advanced Craps for the Natural Shooter. So go have a look (click here).
Casino craps is played completely against the casino, on a big felt layout set inside a large table with high rails around the side so you can bounce the dice off ‘em and still keep ‘em on the table. Up to between 12 and 16 people can play at once, depending on the size of the table (obviously). The layout looks something like:
Dealer stands Boxman sits Dealer stands
here here here
#######################################################################
# __ ____________________ $$$$$$$$$$$$$ ____________________ __ #
# | d||DC| 4| 5| 6| 8| 9|10| +---------------+ | 4| 5| 6| 8| 9|10|DC||d | #
# |Po||__|__|__|__|__|__|__| |any seven 4-1| |__|__|__|__|__|__|__||oP| #
# |An| ____________________ +===============+ ____________________ |nA| #
# |St|| C O M E | |hard 4 | hard 6| | C O M E ||tS| #
# |Sp||____________________| |-------+-------| |____________________||pS| #
# |La| ____________________ |hard 10| hard 8| ____________________ |aL| #
# |Is||2 3 4 9 10 11 12| +===============+ |2 3 4 9 10 11 12||sI| #
# |Ns||_______FIELD________| |two | three| |_______FIELD________||sN| #
# |E |_____________________ |-----HORN------| _____________________| E| #
# | don't pass bar 12 | |eleven | twelve| | don't pass bar 12 | #
# \________PASS_LINE______| +===============+ |________PASS_LINE______/ #
# | any craps | #
# +---------------+ #
# /dice\ #
#####################################################################
Stickman stands
here
Each player bets a minimum amount determined by the table.
Each die has six sides, each side with a different number of spots from one to six.
Two such dice are rolled by one player called the “shooter”. The shooter must place a “pass” bet or a “don’t pass” bet in order to be eligible to roll the dice.
The total number of spots on the tops of the dice after the shooter has rolled is called the “roll”.
A game consists of a series of rolls.
A roll of 2, 3, or 12 is called “craps”.
The first roll by the shooter during a game is called the “come-out roll”.
- If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the game is over:
- Bets on the “Pass line” win 1:1.
- Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” lose.
- If the come-out roll is craps, the game is over:
- Bets on the “Pass line” lose.
- Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” win unless:
- The “Don’t Pass” line says “Bar ” and the roll is the indicated value, in which case the bet pushes.
Otherwise, the come-out roll becomes the “point”, and a large white marker is placed on the number representing the point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10).
- For each roll in a game subsequent to the come-out roll:
- If the roll is the point, the game is over:
- Bets on the “Pass line” win 1:1.
- Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” lose.
- If the roll is 7, the game is over:
- Bets on the “Pass line” lose.
- Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” win 1:1.
- The turn of the “shooter” is over.
- Otherwise, the game continues and the shooter rolls again.
During a game, bets on the Pass line cannot be removed; they can, however, be increased. Bets on the Don’t Pass line may be decreased or removed, but not increased.
- When a game is over:
- If the game was over on the come-out roll, or because the point was rolled again, the shooter may continue to be the shooter for another game, or pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter.
- Otherwise, the shooter must pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter.
Note: The other bets that can be made and resolved are not detailed above for purposes of saving space. A description of when these bets win or lose is given in the Craps Terminology section.
So in a nut shell, if you want to start playing Craps and feel comfortable at the tables, go and start playing the “pass” bets. Drop 5-10 dollars on the player and relax. As you become more comfortable with playing, expand into a new area of play / betting until you are completely comfortable with the table. Remember to review the Craps Etiquette and Craps Superstitions sections to m.
Craps players are a small fraternity and are always helpful to up and coming players, but make sure you don’t break the rules because your warm reception can turn into a cold one rather quickly. When I was down in Vegas one time, early in my craps life, I threw down a bet on Horn without first giving the money to a dealer. The chaos that ensued on a 5 dollar bet was amazing. It took 15 minutes to sort out the win. After that I got the evil eye.
So remember you’re going into a new territory. Learn how to not offend the natives and you’ll do fine.
Exerpts were compiled from the rec.gambling newsgroups (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Alan Mintz, Ken Elliott III, Jeffrey Osier)
Click the following link
to read the Three Part article by Jerry Peterson author of “Casino Gambling” on Advanced Craps.