If there’s one game that combines thrill and skill into one exhilarating online gambling experience, it’s Craps. From the dice to the betting table to the excitement that seems to come standard with every roll, it’s a rollercoaster ride of adrenaline from start to finish – one that every gambler should enjoy at least once in their gaming career. So if you haven’t tried Craps before, now’s your chance to get in the game – with a little help from our gambling guide of course.

The history of Craps

If you’ve ever wondered where Craps gets its bizarre name from, wonder no more. While you might have your own theories, in fact the name is derived from the word ‘crapaud’, meaning ‘toad’ in French – used to describe the way players would squat down to roll the dice in the early days of the game. And by early we mean super early, as Craps is a game that dates all the way back to the Roman Empire, when soldiers would play the game with pigs’ knuckles, rather than the more familiar dice we use today.

Tracing its origins from this era, all the way through to the Crusades and a move to France, then England, and finally over the ocean to Columbus’s New World, Craps spread in popularity at every step of its journey, finally finding a home in New Orleans. Today Craps is still is as popular as ever, although rather than taking over the world, it’s taking over cyberspace, attracting more and more fans with its online versions, and raising excitement levels with every roll of the dice!

How to play Craps

Intrigued yet? Then it’s time to dig a little deeper into the game and find out how to place your bets before you actually put any money on the table. Start taking notes…

The Pass Line bet
If all you remember about Craps is one thing, make it this one – the Pass Line. As one of the most commonly used spaces on the Craps table, the Pass Line is where most players place their bets at the beginning of every round – as this is when it’s in play on the ‘come out roll’, the first roll in every game of Craps.

Simply place your bet by choosing your coin denomination, then clicking on the Pass Line area on the Craps table – by doing so, you’ve made a Pass Line bet. This puts a number of options in play once the dice are rolled:

7 or 11 – you win even money.
2, 3 or 12 – you lose.
4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 – you establish what’s known as a ‘point’. In this case, the dice will roll again until the same point number is hit, winning you even money. However should a 7 be rolled before this happens, you’ll lose the game.

One of the easiest bets, the Pass Line bet is the most popular as well, and if you’re just starting out and need to build your confidence, it’s a good place to stay until you’ve found your bearings.

Once you’re more comfortable with the game and want to branch out, you can try some of the other Craps bets available and see how you fare up against Lady Luck:

The Don’t Pass bet
Here you’ll be betting the exact opposite of the Pass Line bet – essentially betting against Pass Line bets being rolled. Rolling a 2 or a 3 on the come out roll will win you even money, a 7 or 11 will see you lose the game, and a 12 will result in a push. If a point is established on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, you’ll only win if a 7 is rolled before the point comes up again.

Come bet
If you’ve got the Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets covered, try moving onto Come bets – similar to Pass Line bets although they can only be placed once a point has been established on the come out roll. If you’re placing a Come bet, you’ll do it in the same way as a Pass Line bet, moving your bet to the Pass Line at the beginning of the round. Similar to Pass Line rules, a 7 or 11 will win you even money while a 2, 3 or 12 will lose the game. If a point is established on either a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, your bet will move to the respective space on the table until the point number is re-rolled and you win even money. If a 7 is rolled first however, you’ll lose the bet.

Don’t Come bet
Just as there’s a Pass Line and Don’t Pass bet, so too is there a Come and Don’t Come bet. In this instance, you’ll be betting against the favourable outcome of a Come bet once a point has been established. If the point is won, you’ll lose – however if a 7 is rolled first, you’ll win even money.

Field bet
So much for Pass Line and Come bets – can you not just place a bet on actual numbers and be done with it? Of course you can, if you place a Field bet, that is. Put your money in the Field space on the Craps table, and you’ll be betting that 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 will be rolled. If you’re right, you’ll win even money. If not, better luck next time!

Place bet
The Place bet takes the concept of a Field bet one step further. That’s because here you won’t be betting on a range of numbers, you’ll be betting on the probability of a specific number being rolled. Choose to place your bet on either a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 coming up, and you’ll have some pretty good odds in your favour, with the 4 and 10 paying 9 to 5, the 5 and 9 paying 7 to 5, and the 6 and 8 paying 7 to 6.

Place bet to lose
Here you’ll be betting on a specific number as well – the 7. Put your money on a number on the Place bet to lose line, and if a 7 is rolled before that number comes up, you’ll be a winner.

Big 6/Big 8
Want to go big? Then Big 6 and Big 8 are your best bet – usually laid out on the betting table as 6:8. Similar to a Field bet, 6:8 also involves you betting on numbers, although in this case just the 6 and the 8. It’s worth noting though that if a 6 or 8 do come up, you’ll be paid even money, whereas if you put a Place bet on either a 6 or an 8, you’ll be paid out at 7 to 6, giving you more for your money. Something worth considering…

Hardways
If you’ve heard of rolling a hard 8 or a hard 10 in Craps, here’s where that comes from – a Hardways bet. There’s nothing easy about it either, because as the name suggests, this bet is a hard one in every way. Here you’ll be betting that a 4, 6, 8, or 10 will be rolled as a pair before being rolled as a non-pair – i.e. that a 4 will be rolled as a 2 and 2 (hard 4), rather than a 3 or 1 (easy 4). Get the combination you’re looking for before a 7 comes up and you’ll be in the money, with hard 4s and 10s paying at 8 to 1, and hard 6s and 8s paying at 10 to 1.

Commission bets
Here’s something a little different to what you’ve been used to so far – bets that pay out commission. Firstly there’s the Buy bet – similar to a Place bet although here rather than betting on an actual number, you’re purchasing it, and will receive a commission paid on all possible winnings as a result. Then there’s the Lay bet, paying out commission after you’ve chosen a number that won’t be rolled before a 7 comes up. More options, more winning opportunities!

One Roll bets
Finally, there are the One Roll bets, and as their name suggests, they’re a bet on one single roll of the dice. Most often found next to the Hardways bets on the Craps table, One Roll, or Proposition bets will see you either winning or losing on the very next roll of the dice. So if you like a challenge, this one’s definitely for you. Usually you’ll have the choice of betting on two 1s, a 2 and a 1, 11, and 12, with a 2 and a 1 and an 11 paying out at 15 to 1, and two 1s and a 12 paying out at a massive 30 to 1. If you’ve got the bravery, Craps has got the payouts and then some!

And there you have it – your handy reference guide to every which way there is to bet in Craps. Obviously it’s too much for you to remember in one go, which is why the best way to familiarise yourself with the game is to actually log on and play it. Start with a simple Pass Line bet, and see where the dice and your fortunes take you!