Craps for Beginners
By
Kevin Lentz
Writer at Casinos.US Updated: 07/29/2024
Kevin has been involved in the gambling industry since the ‘80s. From winning tournaments to casino management, he’s ultimately done it all. Throughout the years, he’s written for various iGaming publications on topics such as the legal landscape of online casinos and strategies behind winning. His favorite game is blackjack.
How to Play Craps
Craps has a reputation as a challenging game to learn, with dozens of bets and each number paying a different amount. And while it may take a bit of time to understand the game entirely, learning craps for beginners is a simple process of learning the fundamental bets and then adding to our knowledge over time as we begin to understand more and more.
- How to Play Craps for Beginners?
- Where to Play Online Craps for Beginners?
- Learning How to Play Craps
- Conclusion
How to Play Craps for Beginners?
There has never been a better time to learn to play craps for beginners. There is a wealth of information scattered all across the internet, from YouTube to TikTok; countless videos will show you the basics of betting in craps, what the bets pay, and the essential etiquette for playing craps with a handful of very superstitious players who are often a bit cranky just to start.
As if that weren’t enough, many of the online casinos will allow you to play in demo mode, so you can work on how the game plays out, basic craps strategies, and understand what the many hop and prop bets pay without ever having to risk a dollar.
Then, when it is time to play online craps for real money if you are fortunate enough to be living in or visiting a state where these online craps games are legal, you can often play for 25 cents a roll, whereas in a real casino you may be looking at $25 a roll.
We will walk you through some of the best online casinos to get started learning. Show you some of the basic craps rules for beginners and help you understand just what is going on in this fun and exciting casino game.
Where to Play Online Craps for Beginners?
Online casino companies like BETMGM or Caesars Palace Online will allow you to register and play their Craps games in demo mode no matter where in the country you live. Suppose you are fortunate enough to live in or visit New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, West Virginia, or Michigan. In that case, you can even play online craps for real money.
By starting out playing these games online, you can understand how to bet them, what they pay, when they pay, without putting real money at risk. Many have detailed help/info pages to explain the basics of the game before you get going or if you run into trouble. The ability to play many hours of craps before risking even a nickel should not be overlooked.
And of course, there are many different types of craps games, like Crapless Craps, New York Craps, Or High Point craps, that you can learn online for free as well. These lesser-known versions of Craps are also great games to get to know and understand and can offer hours of gambling excitement. Keep an eye out for the fastest paying online casinos so that you can get your payouts quicker.
Learning How to Play Craps
The three bets that any beginner needs to know are the Pass Line Bet, The Come Bet, and the Place Bet. With these three bets fully grasped, a beginner can begin to look at the many other bets on the layout. But we need to learn these three things first, mostly because we will need a Pass Line Bet to shoot the dice, but also because these bets have a house advantage far below the other bets on the table and will help us be able to bet without putting our entire bankroll at risk.
Pass Line
The Pass Line bet is made after the last shooter sevens out. The Stick Man will dump the bow with all five dice on the table and announce New Shooter. The Online game is similar with announcing “new shooter, dice coming out”.
We place our bet on the Pass Line directly in front of us; it will need to be at least the table minimum, which might be 25 cents on an online game but will probably be at least $10 on a real craps table.
On the come-out roll, seven or eleven wins, a two, three, or twelve loses, and any number becomes the point. If the shooter rolls one of the craps numbers (2,3,12) on the come out they lose their money, but they get to keep shooting until they establish a point.
Point numbers are four, five, six, eight, nine, or ten. Once one of these is rolled, the dealer marks it up with the puck. We have to roll that number again before we roll a seven. Word of advice: Never say seven on the dice table. It will get you ugly stares. And that is all there is to the pass-line bet. In most casinos, you can place odds behind that pass-line bet once you or the shooter has established a point.
Odds bets are a bit different everywhere, but you can bet two to ten times your original pass line wager, and this bet is made directly behind that wager. Ask your dealer or look through the help screen to see the maximum odds allowed on the game you are playing.
Odds bets are paid at true odds, meaning that there is no house advantage, almost certainly the only bet in the casino where this is true. This means you get two to one on the points of four or ten, 1.5 to 1 on the points of five and nine, and 6 to 5 on the points of six and eight.
Come Bets
Come Bets are exactly like the Pass line bet but can be made after the point is established. These bets are placed in the Come section of the layout, and win on seven, eleven, lose on two, three, or twelve, and travel to whatever number is rolled otherwise. You must roll that number again before seven to be paid, and you can place odd bets on top of it, just like a pass line wager.
Place Bets
Place bets can also be placed after the come-out point is established, but in this case, we can choose which number we wish to bet on. Every $5 on the four and ten pays $9, every $5 on the five and nine pays $7, and every $6 on the six and eight pays $7.
Make sure and always bet the six and eight in multiples of six, or the house will pay you short on the payout, which can have a disastrous result on the house’s advantage. For instance, a $10 bet on the six would get $11, while a $12 bet would get $14. These place bets are placed in the come section, and you inform the dealer verbally of your bet, and they will place them on the number. In the online game, simply click the number and how much you would like to bet.
Conclusion
While there are no hard and fast rules of Craps for dummies, certain etiquette is expected. Don’t say “Seven”. Don’t buy in in the middle of a roll; wait for the seven out or at least for the shooter to roll their point. Once the dealer says “dice out,” what they mean is to get your darn hands out of the layout and never have your hands in the way of the dice. One, the corners are sharp and can cut you, and two, you’ll never hear the end of it if they hit you and then seven out.
Never dangle your drink over the rail; spilled drinks mean shutting down a whole end of the table; there’s a shelf for you to use. Encourage the shooter, but don’t distract or get them in a conversation; they are meant to pay attention. When it is your turn to shoot, pick two dice, hit the back wall, and don’t take too much time futzing with the dice; these people came to play, not watch you playing with the bones.
Stick with those rules, watch the people around you, and learn; make the pass line bet and a couple of either come bets or place bets, and you will be well on your way to learning how to play craps.
