Craps History

The first dice players date back to the Roman Empire according to several researchers. In fact some of the Roman players such as the emperors tried to cheat with the dice games they played. The first die in the cube shape was created in 600 B.C. There are also stories about Indian individuals playing dice games and losing or winning a fortune. Asia has always been into the dice games. Some options from the past for dice were knuckle bones.

Arrows, stones, bones, and sticks were thrown by fortuneteller individuals during the B.C. era as a way to gamble and tell what may come for the tribes in that year. Shaman used the dice for these purposes as well. The fact is dice have been around for a long time, and so have certain games that the dice were used for. While the dice we typically think about today are cubed with 6 numbers, there have been several other types. Wood, bones, animal teeth, nutshells, and horns were used to make the dice. Ivory for a long time was a material that would shape the cubical dice. Now we use something called hard cellulose in casinos.

Craps is not one of those games that is known for being around during the B.C. era. In fact its origins are much sooner than that. Craps or a form of craps according to some scholars is Sic Bo. Sic Bo has three dice and is an ancient Chinese game. It has some of the same types of bets with different names, but the rules do vary extremely. Most scholars actually believe the Craps began a hundred years ago. This game was started in England under the name Hazard. Other scholars have found evidence that Hazard was started much earlier, around the 12th century in fact. There are several well noted Europeans that played this game. It is thought that the Mayflower brought the game to America as Hazard.

The French also brought the game over in the 19th century perhaps late 18th century. The French on the other hand called it Craps rather than Hazard. There have been different rules and tables created for the game throughout the years, but the casinos still play the most popular table version around. In the early versions you could bet only against the house.

Winn created the rules with the right and wrong bet. He also changed the table format for a Don't Pass wager. This is the game we have learned to play in the last 70 years as it was placed in casinos around 1931. It has since become very popular in other countries outside of North America.

Craps have always tried to beat the house with several different strategy systems and much more. The fact is the craps game has changed little over time with the exception of adding such things as a progressive jackpot in some casinos.

Craps Rules

Craps is a two dice game with a layout table for the bets.  It is one of the more enjoyable table games as you are going to find a lot of shouting or hopeful voices when the dice are being rolled.  This is a game of chance that is placed on the dice.  You are going to find there are special rules for when you can bet and how you can bet.  You will also discover the dice are made of cellulose and inspected after a certain number of plays.  After 8 hours in use the dice will be removed.  This helps to keep cheating from happening as well as making sure the dice don’t get too worn.  The dice must also be handled in a specific way or you will lose your ability to be the shooter at the table.

You can only have the dice in one hand when you scatter them on the table.  The dice must also hit the wall on the other end of the table from where you stand.  If the dice is thrown off the table the casino employee must inspect the dice and may ask for a new set before play can resume.

In craps there is only one shooter at a time.  The players at the table, of which there can be twenty, will be the ones betting on the dice.  You don’t have to be a shooter to have fun, but you get a little added benefit of being the shooter and wagering when given the chance.  There are many bets to be placed in this game.  You also have several employees who will be watching the table.

The Play:

The following information is a description of the bets you can place.

House advantage:

Depending on your bet there is a different house advantage. The spread for the house edge is 2 - 17%.

Craps Strategy

Strategy for craps can be a little mind numbing when you first start to learn. We can guarantee you aren't going to remember everything from this strategy guide on the first read. It is always best for you to read the most important parts over to ascertain the simple aspects that you definitely need to know. While mathematics can be hard to grasp just remember once you learn it the strategy works for you.

In any game you want to wager on the better odds for you. This means you should stay with the pass, don't pass, come, and don't come bets. They have a smaller house edge and make winning a little better. You shouldn't play based on superstition in this game. In other words blowing on the dice is not a strategy.

Betting Options

The Pass bet typically has a probability of 1.41 percent on the house advantage. The Don't pass is about 1.40 percent. The line bets can also be a winner, but keep in mind the lower the house advantage the better chance you have of winning.

  1. The Field= 5.6%.

  2. Big 6 or 8= 9.1%.

  3. Horn= 12.5%.

  4. Craps 2 or 12= 13.9%

  5. Any 7= 16.7%.

As you can see in our above statements the any seven or craps bet has the highest percentage meaning the house is going to win more often than you ever would. While you get a great payout with the higher percentage you probably lose that or more just trying to win.

The Come or Don't Come bets are also a great thing to wager on as they are similar to the Pass bets. This means you have about the same house edge.

Improve Your Bets

Just because a bet is going to be the best think for advantage against the house, doesn't mean there aren't other things to consider. You should also look at the odds. The odds are either in the 'right' or 'wrong'. You can place the odds bets along with the Don't Come or Come bets. In other words it is like a cover bet in Roulette in which you are trying to earn at least a little something on a side bet. The odds are going to offer zero percent for the house edge. The odds bets allow you to bet on the dice not against the house.

You may not read about these odds bets. They are marked on the table, but if you don't know the game you might not realize what you are looking at. The casinos in Vegas are there to make a bit of money off of you. This means they won't teach you the game, unless you are a high roller, and even then it is to their advantage over yours.

Placing Odds Bet

To make the odds bet you need to place a second amount on the table after the come out roll. This is in addition to the don't pass or pass bet you have made. You need to place the money in the line area. You may also find that single odds are the only ones available in the land casinos.
With online casinos you have the ability to double the bet. It is double odds. In other words you get to make more from the online craps then in a regular casino. The edge on this bet is 1.4 percent.

Buying Odds

This means you are taking away the pass bet and placing a 'right bet' in its place. The point will determine your winnings. Check out the table below for more information to help you. The table is based on a Pass bet of five dollars.

Buying Double Odds ($10)

Point

Payout

Pays (Win)

4 or 10

2-1

$30 ($20)

5 or 9

3-2

$25 ($15)

6 or 8

6-5

$22 ($12)

In this table you are seeing the odds, not the actual total of winnings. This is just to help you get an idea of what you could do if you decide to play the odds over some of your other options.

Laying Odds

For this option you are playing in place of the Don't Pass Bet. Again this is based on the five dollar wager.

Laying Double Odds ($10)

Point

Payout

Pays (Win)

4 or 10

2-1

$15 ($5)

5 or 9

3-2

$16 ($6)

6 or 8

6-5

$18 ($8)

In other words the table is showing you that if a come out roll is 10 you will get 25 dollars for a wager of five dollars.

For Craps tables you can bet as little as a dollar. In some casinos that may change, and they don't always advertise that amount because they want the higher paying customers at the table. You can place odds on a dollar that will help you to win a pretty good amount. For example on 3 to 2 or 6 to 5 you can lose a small amount of the dollar rather than the whole amount. On a point of 5 or 9 you will lose 67 cents. This is not a great deal of loss, and is a nice little trick to getting a bet win. We are going to offer an example below.

You place a wrong bet of six dollars. You can double your odds to 12 dollars. In the table below you will see the payout and the win for this example. You will also only lose a small amount of your wager during this play.

Laying Double Odds ($12)

Point

Payout

Pays (Win)

4 or 10

2-1

$18 ($6)

5 or 9

3-2

$20 ($8)

6 or 8

6-5

$22 ($10)

Test the Strategy

Players who have been in this game a long time are going to bet the odds. The purpose of this game is to actually win so you might want to consider what you can win at. The smaller the odds or house edge you are playing against the more you will be able to take home. You need to look at the tables above as well as the information to determine how you want to play the tables. You can take a small wager at first to test out the craps table. Most of the individuals playing craps will not play wrong or lay odds. They will buy odds and play right.

With online casinos you are going to find that Don't Pass bets and therefore the play wrong and lay odds options are going to be more useful in getting a lot more winnings. You can also double odds online which land casinos rarely allow.

The probability of a roll is also very important. In other words look at the different ways you can get a 4 or 10. Then look at how to get a 5 or 9 and 6 or 8. There are four ways to get the 5 or 9 and 6 or 8, three for the 4 or 10, and the seven has 6 ways. The point I am trying to make is the likelihood of you getting a specific roll can be seen in the probabilities of getting the number. The more chance you have of getting a certain number the more frequent that number may appear. You should then bet on that option over the other options. It is about chance in some respect so don't forget that as a factor, but if you follow some of the strategy we have talked about you should have some success overall in your playing.