Learn how to play craps. While the game looks difficult, our experts are here to help you get started with a beginner's guide to craps.
Craps is a famous casino table game with just as infamous table setup. The game can be found in almost every brick-and-mortar casino and is often shown in movies, but it is not the game beginners play.
We can show how do you play craps, tell you what to bet on and show how craps works.
To play craps at a casino, follow these steps
Craps is a fast-paced game and may seem confusing at first. If you are unsure, just watch a few rounds before joining the table. By following what the players and staff do, you can quickly see what is expected from the players.
Craps has a reputation for being a confusing game, but the rules are very simple. It is all about guessing what the dice roll for that round will be.
Here are the basic rules of craps:
When the round is over, all remaining bets are checked and paid out. Then, a new person becomes the shooter, and another round begins.
You have a lot of options when it comes to placing bets in craps.
The craps table might be a bit intimidating at first, but it is actually very quick to understand. You simply have a long list of options you can put your chips on.
Here is what a common craps table looks like.
Some, like Line Bets, are common for beginners, as they are simple and pay often. They also have a low house edge, making them a good bet.
After you have watched how the game plays out, you can start making more complicated bets.
You can see which craps bets are available, what the payouts are, and what is the house edge below.
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Pass / Don't Pass | 1:1 | 1.41% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | 0% |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | 0% |
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | 0% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 5:6 | 4% |
| 5 or 9 | 2:3 | 3.23% |
| 4 or 10 | 1:2 | 2.44% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 | 1:1 | 5.50% |
| 2 or 12 at 2x | 2:1 | 5.50% |
| 2 or 12 at 3x | 3:1 | 2.78% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 9:1 | 9.09% |
| 4 or 10 | 7:1 | 11.11% |
| Bet Type | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 30:1 | 13.90% |
| 3 or 11 | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Horn Bet (3 or 11) | 15:1 | 12.50% |
| Horn Bet (2 or 12) | 30:1 | 12.50% |
| World Bet (3 or 11) | 15:1 | 13.33% |
| World Bet (2 or 12) | 30:1 | 13.33% |
| World Bet (7) | 4:1 | 13.33% |
| Any Craps | 7:1 | 11.10% |
| Hi-Low | 15:1 | 11.11% |
| Any 7 | 4:1 | 16.67% |
Craps may look intimidating, and there are a lot of different bets you can make. But for a beginner, you just need to focus on simple bets.
Start by playing with a small bankroll and make what are called safe bets. Pass Line bets are a great place to start. They are easy and have a low house edge. Just place your chips on the Pass Line sector, and you win if the point number is rolled again before a 7 is rolled.
💡 Betting on the Pass Line is a great way to start playing.
You don't actually have to make any complicated bets if you don't want to. They have higher risks and higher rewards, but only playing the Pass Line is perfectly acceptable.
When you feel more adventurous and have seen how the game plays out, you can move to other bets.
Like many table games, craps strategy comes down to two things, keeping your bankroll in check and finding the bets with the best odds. When you master these, you know how to win at craps.
The first part of a successful craps strategy is that you know how much you can spend in total and how many bets that sum comes down to. You don't want to make too large bets relative to your total, so the natural variance won't cause you to lose too quickly. Just make sure you can play multiple rounds rather than blow everything in one go.
The second part is all about the odds. You want to find the right balance between a decent payout and a low house edge. Beginner-friendly Pass Line bets are always good, but if you want to play with more risk, wide Field bets are the next step. Pass Line bets are often called the best bet in the casino, even though the payout is low.
You should always avoid Prop bets if you want to play optimally, as the house edge on those is too high.
Just like every other table game, craps has its own unspoken rules considering etiquette. Breaking these rules may cause other players to give you the side-eye or eventually ask you to leave the table.
A lot of it can be boiled down to just being considerate of other players. Don't act inappropriately, be polite and keep the game going at a good pace. If you bring the speed down by thinking your bets too long, other players might get impatient.
💡 The biggest etiquette rules in craps are to be considerate and play at a good pace.
The most obvious etiquette rules are related to being the shooter. Making fancy throws like in the movies is not required. Just keep the dice where the dealer can see them and throw them with just one hand.
Now that you know how the game works and what the rules are, you can try it yourself online. There are numerous online craps casinos that offer you basic tables, as well as some unique variants.
Our experts have picked here a couple of high-quality online casino sites that offer craps tables. You can try these sites first.
See the best craps casinos listed below:
