Craps may be a lesser popular online casino game but that does not make it inferior to the likes of Poker or Blackjack – in fact the game of Craps is actually a simple and fun-packed game that involves far less complicated strategies and mind-boggling tactics than other casino games.
This game is said to have been created off the back of the old English Hazard game also played with 2 dice that can be traced as far back as the 14th century! That’s right – the history of Craps is steeped in Olde English wonder and is first documented in Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, making this the oldest casino game of the bunch. However it wasn’t until a good 400 years later that the game developed fully into the game we all know and love today! Unlike a lot of the other online casino games Craps does not appear to have changed much since it’s early days. In fact, this is one of the only casino games that does NOT have any variations – just straight up Craps in its most simplistic form.
Craps tends to scare away a lot of potential fans because it looks overly complicated and multi-faceted thanks to the details Craps board, but once you have the basics down you will soon get the hang of it and reap the benefits of this excellently fun online casino game!
How to play Craps
Again, don’t be put off by the board which looks a lot more complicated than it actually is, because the game of Craps is simply a 50-50 game! Played with 2 six sided dice, this game is an extremely sociable one and can be played with up to 24 players who are all wining sand losing together! It is fast paced and extremely action packed and provides casino fans with hours of entertainment.
The typical Craps table features a double layout, with the box-man in the centre supervising the game. The table may well look very complicated, with a Pass Line, Don’t Pass Bar, Don’t Come Bar, the Field filled with numbers, a Come section and the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 it certainly does look intricate.
The fundamentals of Craps is that you are betting on the outcome of the game – pure and simple: you bet on the outcome, you roll the dice, if you were right then you win and if you were wrong then you lose. The only complicated thing is the betting.
Craps Rules
When it is your turn to roll you have to have placed a bet on either the "Pass" line or the "Don't Pass" line. The game of Craps is then played in rounds and the aim of the game is to simply bet on what you think the outcome will be. Each round has 2 phases: the "come-out" round and the "point" round and the round begins when the player takes his "come-out" rolls. If you land a 2, 3 or a 12 then this is called “Craps” and any other players in the Pass line loses. If you land a 7 or an 11 – aka "natural" – then the Pass line wins. It is also possible to roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 – in this instance; the number that you land on (say 10) will be the “point”. To then "pass" or "win" the player must roll the “point” number again – so roll a 10 again – before a 7 is rolled. If the player manages to roll the “point” (10) again before rolling the number 7, a new round starts and the Pass line wins.
Craps Lingo
As this is such a complicated game, you will find that there is tonnes of lingo. But it is all based on the different types of bets that you can make within a Craps game, of which there are a whopping 120! However seeing as we are trying to have you grasping the basics right now, here are the most common:
Big 6 and 8 – to place a bet on the Big 6 and Big 8 sections of the Craps board - betting on these will bag you a win if either of these are rolled before a 7
Any Craps - Win if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, other numbers are losers
Two Craps or Aces - AKA Snake Eyes and wins with the roll of a 2
Twelve Craps or Two Sixes - Wins on the roll of a 12, other numbers are losers
Three Craps or Ace Deuce – Winds on the roll of a 3
Eleven or Six Five - Wins on the roll of 11
Horn Bet – The 4 in 1 bet – to place a bet on 2, 3, 11 and 12
Craps Strategy
Craps is another casino game that can purely be based on the roll of a dice and the shining favour of Lady Luck, however there are of course a few things that you could do make sure that you stand in better stead of wining or at least make more educated decisions! The well-known Craps strategy that is utilised by pretty much all players is to simply play the best odds that are available to you. This involves getting to grips with the many, may odds surrounding Craps and so will take a little bit of research on your part. Of course, practise really is needed to understand the game fully! Utilise that demo play feature, people!
Wiki’s Final Thought Ok, so we may not have done you any favours if you started out reading this under the assumption that Craps is a very complicated game but trust us – once you get the hang of it is one of the most enjoyable online casino games! It will have our heart pumping and hopefully your bank balance swelling! It really is as simple as getting to know the complex betting.