Craps - Online Craps Information & Guide

Craps is, of course, a dice game, as you probably know. And it is a very popular one, though perhaps not so much for beginners because there are a lot of bets to learn and a format that may take a while to absorb. But anyone who has been to a craps table in a physical casino, say in Las Vegas, knows that the game can generate a lot of excitement, because all the players at the table can capitalize on the good fortune of one player.

That same atmosphere doesn't necessarily exist in the online casino world, but the truth is that most of the online gaming establishments have craps games that are superior graphically and allow you to play at your own pace, which is important if you are just starting out.

There really is no such thing as a short capsule description on how to play craps, but there is a very good place to start, and that is with the odds on the various combinations being rolled. We won't go through all of them, but we can take a look at the most common. For example:

The seven (7) is rolled 16.66% of the time, with the odds at 5-1 against it be rolled. This makes it very much a "key" number in craps.

- The six (6) and eight (8) will each be rolled 13.88% chance of the time so the odds against either of them coming up would be 6.2-1.

- The five (5) and nine (9) will be rolled 11.11% of the time, so that means the odds are 8-1 against either of these combinations being the result of a roll.

Your concern might be what the odds are of any of these combos being rolled before the seven is rolled. The SIX or EIGHT are 6-5 against being rolled before the 7.For the five and nine it is 3-2; for the six or eight it is 6-5.

The reason we relate these numbers to a seven (7) is that this is the number that will knock the "shooter" out of action. The shooter is the player who is rolling the dice at any given time. Players place wagers that will win or lose relative to what the shooter does. In online craps, you are actually the shooter, unless you are in a multi-player game.

A round of play starts with something called the "come-out roll," the purposes of which is to establish the "point." The players who are active in the game will place either a "pass" or "Don't Pass" bet. A come-out roll of 2, 3 or 12 means that the player has "crapped out," and those people who bet the Pass line lose. When the come-out roll is a 7 or 11, this means that people who bet the Pass line win.

The "point" is established when the come-out roll by the shooter is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. If the point number is rolled again before a seven is rolled, then the Pass bettors win and a new round starts. If the seven is rolled before the point, then the Pass bettors lose.

There are a whole lot of other bets to learn when you endeavor to play craps. There are "inside," "outside" and 'across" bets; There is a "lay bet" and a "hardway bet." You can choose to "buy" a number. There are the "Come and "Don't Come" bets. There are "Horn bets," "Field bets," not to mention bets on "Any 7," the "Big 6" or the "Big 8." There are the concepts of "no odds" and "free odds," along with bets on specific numbers, and "place bets" which can be removed and placed elsewhere between rolls.

Yes, there is a lot to master, but it's well worth it if this is the kind of casino excitement you're looking for.