Craps Rules

Craps is one of the most popular casino games in the world and is frequently played by casino patrons who crave excitement in a social gaming atmosphere.  Unlike other casino games which rely on sole decisions, craps is truly a community driven game where one players roll can affect everyone’s bet at the table.  As you can imagine, this can lead to some very exciting and very unpleasant moments in craps games, where a good shooter is a hero and an unlucky shooter can bring the entire table to ruin.  This page provides a detailed overview of Craps rules and teaches you how to play the game.  We recommend starting with this page if you have little to no experience with craps before you move onto the more advanced sections of strategy, craps betting and probability of playing craps.

How To Play Craps

Craps can be a very confusing game for new players particularly when you are just starting out learning to play.  Below is a quick guide to how a normal game of craps would run in the casino and how you can get involved in the game.

To start out, the player will approach the table and lay their buy-in on the table which is then taken by the box man (person who controls the money) who will give you the chips you need in order to be able to play.  Once you have received your chips, there are a ton of different bets you can make based on the state of the game once you have bought in.  For a complete overview of bets, see our craps betting section for full details.  The main thing that you need to know about craps is the premise of the game is betting on various points which are established by the roll of the dice.  In craps, the player can bet both with and against the shooter depending on how they feel at the time of play.  If you are betting with the shooter, you are betting that they will roll the “point” before rolling a 7 and if you are betting against the shooter you are betting that they will roll a 7 before they roll the point.

When there is no established point, the shooter will roll what is known as the come out roll which is meant to establish a point for that round of play.  The points which can be established on the craps table are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.  Two dice are rolled by the shooter and if the combination results in any of these numbers than the point is established for that particular round of play.  If the total of the dice are 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 no point is established on the come out roll and the shooter will continue shooting until they roll one of the points.  Before the point is established a player may bet on any of the non-point numbers being rolled.  For example with a pass line bet if a 7 or 11 is rolled, you will win even money and if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled you would lose that particular bet.  You may also bet on what is known as the don’t pass line where if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled you win and if a 7 or 11 is rolled you lose.

Once the point is established, the player will continue to roll until they either re-roll the point or roll a 7, whichever comes first.  If a 7 is rolled before the point, the point is turned off and the rounds starts all over with a come out roll to establish a new point with a new shooter.  If the shooter rolls the point before a 7, the point is turned off and a new round starts with a come out roll, however the shooter remains the same.  This continues on indefinitely as players come and go and there are a number of different bets which can be made once the point is established as well as in other areas around the table.

If you take a pass line or do not pass line bet and a point is rolled, you will not lose your bet right away.  Instead, the point will be established and the win or loss of your bet will depend on whether the shooter rolls a 7 or the point first.  If you had taken a pass line bet, you would want the shooter to re-roll the point before a 7 and if you had taken a do not pass line bet you would want the shooter to roll a 7 before the re-rolling the point.

This is the most basic and first bet that is made by most craps players and is a great way to start getting into the swing of the game before placing the more advanced bets.  While learning, it’s a good idea to just place pass line or do not pass line bets until you get a feel for some of the other options on the table.

Casino.com
100% up to $200 Bonus

Lucky Red Casino
200% Unlimited Bonus

Slots Oasis Casino
400% up to $4,000 Bonus

Cherry Red Casino
200% up to $2400 Bonus

Mansion Casino
100% up to $200 Bonus

Aladdin's Gold Casino
100% up to $500 Bonus

English Harbour Casino
100% up to $777 Bonus

SlotsPlus Casino
100% up to $577 Bonus