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Craps is a dice game played against other players or a bank. Craps
developed from a simplification of the Old English game hazard. Its
origins are highly complex and may date to the Crusades, later being
influenced by French gamblers. What was to become the modern American
version of the game was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier
Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana
landowners and a gambler and politician. The game, first known as
crapaud (a French word meaning "toad") reportedly owes its modern
popularity from its being spread through the African-American
community.
In craps, players may wager money against each other (street craps) or
the bank (bank craps) on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of
rolls of two dice. Because it requires very little equipment, craps
can easily be played in less formal settings, and is said to be
popular among soldiers. In such situations side bets are more
frequent, with one or several participants covering or "fading" bets
against the dice.
Types of wagers
Line bets
The shooter is required to make either a Pass Line bet or a Don't Pass
bet if he wants to shoot. Line bets are based around points.
Pass line bet: The fundamental bet in craps is the pass line
bet, also called the win line in some countries. A pass line bet is
won immediately if the come-out roll is a 7 or 11. If the come-out
roll is 2, 3 or 12, the bet loses (known as "crapping out"). If the
roll is any other value, it establishes a point; if that point is
rolled again before a seven, the bet wins. If, with a point
established, a seven is rolled before the point is re-rolled, the bet
loses ("seven out").
Don't pass line bet: The opposite of the pass line bet is the
don't pass bet. The don't pass bet is opposite in that it loses if the
come-out roll is 7 or 11 and wins if the come-out roll is 2 or 3. A 12
will draw (this depends on the casino); either way a player cannot
lose if 12 is rolled. A draw (the word "BAR," printed on the Craps
layout, means "Standoff") on 12 is done to ensure the
Casino maintains
a house edge regardless of whether players are betting pass or don't
pass. If a point is established and that point is rolled again, the
don't pass bet loses. If a 7 is rolled instead of the point being
re-rolled, the don't pass bet wins. There are two very slightly
different ways to calculate the odds and house edge of this bet. The
table below gives the numbers considering that the game ends in a push
when a 12 is rolled, rather than being undetermined. Betting on don't
pass is often called "playing the dark side," and it is considered by
some players to be in poor taste, or even taboo, because it goes
directly against conventional play.
Come bet: A come bet is played in two rounds and is played
similar to a pass line bet. If a 7 or 11 is rolled on the first round,
it wins. If a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, it loses. If instead the roll is
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 then the come bet will be moved by the base dealer
onto a box representing the number the shooter threw. This number
becomes the come bet point and the player is allowed to add odds to
the bet. The dealer will place the odds on top of the come bet, but
slightly off center in order to differentiate between the original bet
and the odds. The second round wins if the shooter rolls the come bet
before a seven. If the seven comes before the number (the come-bet),
the bet loses. On a come-out roll for the pass line the come bet is in
play, but traditionally the odds are not working unless the player
indicates otherwise to the dealer.
Don't come bet: A don't come bet is played in two rounds. If a
2 or 3 is rolled in the first round, it wins. If a 7 or 11 is rolled,
it loses. If a 12 is rolled, it is a standoff and the player has the
option to revoke their bet. If instead the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
then the don't come bet will be moved by the base dealer onto a box
representing the number the shooter threw. The second round wins if
the shooter rolls a seven before the don't come point.
Don't come wagers can only be made after the come-out roll when a
point has already been established. Odds can also be placed on a don't
come-bet just like a pass line bet; in this case the dealer (not the
player) places the odds bet on top of the bet in the box, because of
limited space, slightly offset to signify that it is an odds bet and
not part of the original don't come bet.
Fire Bet: Before the shooter begins, some casinos will allow a
bet known as a fire bet to be placed. A fire bet is a bet of between
1-5 dollars (the Rio in Las Vegas allows up to $10) in the hopes that
the next shooter will have a hot streak of setting and getting many
points of different values. As different individual points are made by
the shooter, they will be marked on the craps layout with a fire
symbol. The first three points will not pay out on the fire bet, but
the fourth, fifth and sixth will pay out at increasing odds. The
fourth point pays at 25-1 (a maximum of $125 for a $5 bet), the fifth
point pays at 250-1 (a maximum of $1,250 for a $5 bet) and the 6th
point pays at 1,000-1 (a maximum of $5,000 for a $5 bet). Note that
the points must all be different numbers for them to count towards the
fire bet. For example, a shooter who successfully hits a point of 10
twice will only garner credit for the first one on the fire bet.
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