Very widespread across the Atlantic, craps is a dice game little known in France. Despite everything, we try it very often in casinos, and enthusiasts master it very well. How to play and win craps? Discover the basics of this practice that you may have seen in such famous films as Once upon a time the Bronx or Ocean’s thirteen.
Craps: the basics and how to win
Concretely, when we play craps, we roll dice, and we bet on the outcome of the game. The result depends on the figure made after the throw:
7 or 11: the player wins his bet.
2, 3 or 12: the player loses his bet, it’s a “craps”!
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10: the player scores a point. He must roll the dice again until he gets the same number again to win his bet. If he rolls a 7 before having the target number, the stakes are lost.
After a die roll, you can therefore win and be paid directly according to the bet. When you lose, the bet is picked up. There are also ties, which must be replayed and have no effect on wagers. Finally, when the result is suspended, another throw must also be made – but some bets may move, and others may not.
Four croupiers share the table on a game of craps. The boxman takes the role of the head of the table and controls the game. The stickman, meanwhile, announces the winning points and collects the dice with a stick to put them back in the hands of the players. Two other dealers are present: a first to support the players in their bets, a second to pay the winners, and the lost bets.
The course of a game of craps
Betting on the first roll of dice
Before the player even rolls the dice for the first time, participants make a first bet for which they have two choices:
Pass: the player will draw a number that will allow him to roll the dice a second time.
Do Not Pass: the player will roll a 2, 3, or 12, there will be craps, and the round will be stopped.
The first roll of dice
“Do not pass”: 2, 3 or 12
If the first roll of the dice ends in a 2, a 3 or a 12, the player and all those who bet “Pass” lose. The dealer recovers their bets. Those who had bet “Do Not Pass” win the round, take back their bets, and are paid (on a par). After this first lost stroke, the launcher remains the same, and we start again from the beginning, with new “Pass” or “Don’t Pass” bets.
“Pass”: 7 or 11
If the thrower gets 7 or 11, he and everyone who has bet “Pass” wins. Each stake is paid equally. Those who had bet “Do Not Pass” lose and give their best to the dealer. As a result of a “Do Not Pass,” the round is over, and we start again from the beginning, with the same pitcher and the same betting possibilities.
One point before the second phase: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10
Statistically, the pitcher is more likely to get the first point by drawing one of these figures. In this case, the game continues, because it will be necessary to make a second roll of dice.
The second roll of dice
When a point is obtained, you cannot modify the set-ups. On the other hand, we have the right to increase the “Pass” bet and to reduce or delete the “Do Not Pass” bet.
As long as the player obtains neither the point (number drawn during the first roll) nor a 7, he must continue to roll the dice.
As soon as he remakes his point, he wins. “Pass” bets are won and paid for equally. The “Do Not Pass” bets are lost and return to the dealer. The move is over, and we start a new game!
But if the pitcher obtains a 7 before redoing his point, he loses and leads those who had bet “Pass” in his defeat. The players who wagered “Do Not Pass” are the winners and pocket the equivalent of their equally paid bet. Here, since the thrower has lost his turn, he gives the die to his neighbor (following a clockwise direction).
Now that you know everything about a game of craps, you just have to try it out in real conditions, in your casino.