Important Terms
Box man: is the craps table supervisor
who sits between the one stickman and directly
behind the thousands of dollars worth of chips
that the casino keeps on hand at each craps table.
Dealers: the two dealers at
the Craps table are responsible for all the bets
made on his half of the table. Whenever you want
to make free odds, place, or lay bet in a casino,
you should give the money to the dealer at your
end of the table and he will make the bet for
you.
Floor men: are the supervisors
who are responsible for the games in the casino
and the employees running them. Floor men spend
their time behind the tables watching over the
games.
Marker Puck: is the plastic
disk, which the dealers use to mark the "Point"
on the Craps table. When the puck is turned so
that the side inscribed with 'off' is face up,
then all free odds bets have no action on the
following roll of the dice.
Pit: is the area enclosed by
all of the craps tables in a casino. Floor men
walk around in the pit and keep an eye on the
craps games in progress and the casino employees.
Stickman: is the casino employee
who calls out the dice rolls and returns the dice
to the shooter. The stickman also is responsible
for the placing and paying the proposition bets.
Let's Begin
The basic idea behind Craps is to establish a
"point" number and roll that number
again before rolling a 7 (craps). Only the numbers
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 can be a point number and
all other rolls on the dice have special meanings
depending on when they are rolled (before or after
a point is established).
The casino game of Craps is played with a set
of two perfectly balanced dice with each die having
six white dots numbered 1 through 6. The game
is played by tossing the dice from one of the
short ends of the table to the other (make sure
that both die hit the opposite side wall of the
table). Payoffs are made based on the number combination displayed when the dice come to rest.
The inside walls of the table are covered with a serrated egg-carton like foam,
designed to make the dice bounce around to assure randomness. Each throw of the
dice is called a "roll". Players take turn rolling the dice, clockwise around
the table, and the player rolling at any given time is called the "shooter". When
a new shooter is given the dice, his or her first roll is called the "Come Out"
roll.
This begins a new series of rolls by that shooter and lasts for as long
as that shooter continues to make winning rolls.
A new game in Craps begins with
the "Come Out" roll. A "Come Out" roll can be made only when the previous shooter
fails to make a winning roll - more correctly known as "not making the "Point""
or "seven out". A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter
does make his "Point", the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new
"Come Out" roll. This is a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically,
the "Come Out" roll identifies a new game about to begin. When the shooter fails
to make his or her "Point", the dice are then offered to the next player for a
new "Come Out" roll and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter
will be the person directly next to the left of the previous shooter. On the "Come
Out" roll, the "Pass Line" bet wins if the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11. The bet
loses automatically if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12. This is known as "rolling
craps".
If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the shooter must roll this same
number again (to win) before rolling the number 7. Rolling any of these numbers
on the "Come Out" roll is called "establishing the "Point". Any number so rolled
is thereafter referred to as the "Point". Establishing a "Point" is an event that
happens as the immediate result of the "Come Out" roll, unless that "Come Out"
roll results in 7, 11, 2, 3 or 12, in which case more rolls must be made until
a "Point" is established. It now becomes important to mention a device that looks
like a hockey puck called the "Puck". It is white on one side and black on the
other, and is used by the dealers to identify the "Point". Once the shooter establishes
the "Point", the dealer will move this puck to that "Point" number and turn it
the white side up. The puck stays on this "Point" until the shooter either makes
his "Point" or until he sevens out. When the puck is moved to the "Don't Come"
bar 12 area and turned black side up. The significance of this device is only
in tracking the game. White side up over a "Point" indicates the game is in progress
and that this box number is the "Point". Black side up means a new "Come Out"
roll is about to take place.
As with all table games, you will begin by changing
your cash money into gaming chips. In Craps you do this by throwing your money
on the table and yelling, "change". If the table is playing well there will be
a lot of people crowding around and a lot of noise, so make sure you yell out.
Also it is a good idea to wait and ask for change between rolls of the dice.
In
Craps, winning or losing depends on a variety of different possible outcomes on
any roll of the two dice. The two dice can produce many different number combinations;
some can be made several ways, others only one way. For example, two dice can
roll the number 6 as follows: 5/1, 4/2, 3/3, 2/4 and 1/5. But the number 2 can
only be rolled one way: 1/1. Numbers such as 6, which can be rolled several ways,
don't pay as much as numbers which can be rolled only one way, unless you are
betting that the number will be rolled in a specific way, such has 3/3, known
as "Hard ways". All winning payoffs are, therefore, determined by the frequency
in which any two-dice number combinations can be rolled. Generally, the harder
the combination is to roll, the more it will pay, and vice versa. Although really
taking advantage of the many betting options can involve a considerable degree
of mastery, in its simplest form, Craps is a game where players bet either that
the shooter will make his "Point" or that he or she will not make their "Point".
Betting that the shooter will make his/her "Point" is called betting "with the
shooter" (also called "betting right") and betting that the shooter will not make
his/her "Point" is called "betting against the shooter" (also called "betting
wrong").
To bet with the shooter, you must place your bet in an area marked "Pass Line", before the new shooter rolls the dice. The so-called "Pass Line" is a strip on the table layout marked by two lines roughly two inches wide and it rims the entire table layout across from the Box Man. To bet against the shooter, you must place your bet in an area marked "Don't Pass". This area is also a strip on the table layout and it rims the table directly above the "Pass Line". No matter what stage the game is in, whether on the "Come Out" roll, or in progress, you can jump in immediately and place any bets.
The only exception to this is the bet called the "Pass Line" bet with odds", which can be made only on the "Come Out" roll. You can, however, bet with the shooter even while the game is in progress by placing a "Pass Line" bet without odds. Placing your chips halfway over one of the two lines framing the "Pass Line" area does this. Before the new shooter rolls the dice on his or her "Come Out" roll, there are a variety of bets that can be made. The "Pass Line" and Don't Pass Line" bet are the most common bets to make. Once the shooter establishes a "Point", you can then place an additional bet behind your "Pass Line" bet. This is called "taking odds". In most casinos you can bet up to three times the amount of your "Pass Line" bet. This is called "taking full odds". Some casinos offer up to 100 times odds! This simply means that you can bet up to 100 times the amount of your "Pass Line" bet once a "Point" has been established. Betting the "Don't Pass Line" is the exact opposite of betting the "Pass Line".
The "Don't Pass" bet wins if the shooter rolls any craps; 2 or 3 (12 is considered a push; the bet neither wins nor loses, merely stays in limbo till a decision is reached on subsequent rolls) and loses if shooter rolls a 7 or 11. Once the shooter establishes a "Point" your "Don't Pass" bet stays in action, win until the shooter rolls a 7 or make his/her "Point". Therefore, a "Don't Pass" bet wins if the shooter fails to make his "Point", but loses if the shooter does make the "Point". You can also take odds on a "Don't Pass" bet.
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