Craps is one of those games that everyone is familiar with, but which remains confusing to a lot of people. Anyone who has visited a Vegas casino will know that a lot of the noise and energy surrounds the crap tables, and so we want to give you the confidence to step up and start rolling those bones! We are going to give you five solid tips that will allow you to start playing craps right now – whether online or in a physical casino – and with a much improved chance of success!
I have picked out five of the best craps picks for beginners, which have the winning combination of being easy to understand and also with some of the best odds on the board.
Let’s not waste any more time then, here are our top five tips for playing craps
5. Pass Line
This is the most basic and most popular option to go for in craps and is played at the beginning of a game. You simply place your chip(s) on the Pass Line and you win or lose based on the shooter’s roll of the dice. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 straight away you win the amount of your stake, and if they roll a 2, 3 or 12 you lose. That part is pretty simple, but what happens if the shooter rolls another number? Well, in this case this other number becomes the ‘point’ (the potential ‘point’ numbers, of course, are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, & 10). Now you DON’T want to see a 7, and you are hoping the shooter rolls the point number again before she rolls a 7. If the point is rolled again before the seven then you win, if it’s the other way around you lose.
This is a great place to start for newbies as it is pretty straightforward, and a low house edge of just 1.41% gives you a good chance of claiming a win!
4. Don’t Pass Line
This is basically the exact opposite of the Pass Line, so if you got the idea for the Pass option then just reverse it for Don’t Pass.. This time you are playing ‘against’ the shooter, because if a 2 or 3 is rolled on the come-out roll, you win, and if a 7 or 11 is rolled, you lose. A 12 is a push (meaning it’s neither a win or a loss) and your chip stays on the table while you wait for the next roll. Once a point is established, this time you’re hoping a 7 is rolled before the point number.
As I say, the ‘Pass Line’ is a fantastic option for beginners but in fact the Don’t Pass pick has even better odds, with a house edge of just 1.36%. That edge would be even lower if the 12 was a winning roll, which is why casinos make it a ‘push’ for the Don’t Pass option.
3. Come
This one is very similar to the Pass Line option, but you can make it at any time after the come-out roll so you don’t have to wait for a new game to start. After placing your chip one Come, the next roll determines if you win or lose. A 7 or 11 wins, while a 2, 3, or 12 loses. Any other number becomes your “come point,” and if that number is rolled before the next 7, you win. Again this option has a low house edge of just 1.41%, same as the Pass Line.
2. Don’t Come
You’ll never guess how this one works… or maybe you will! This is the opposite of the Come pick and can be made after the come-out roll, and as you may have predicted, you’re betting that a 7 will be rolled before the come point. A 2 or 3 wins, 12 is a push, and 7 or 11 loses on the initial roll. Like the Don’t Pass option, the generous odds mean it’s got a temptingly low house edge of 1.36%.
1. Odds
We have saved the best for last: introducing the Odds pick, with a house edge of precisely 0.00%, making it one of the best options not only on the Craps table but anywhere in the casino. When you choose this one, after a point is established you can place your chip on behind your Pass Line or Come chips to make your Odds pick. So if you went for ‘Pass Line’ and are hoping for a 6 to be rolled before a 7, then the Odds option boosts the amount you can win and the house doesn’t have an advantage over you. This selection has no house edge, meaning the payout is true to the odds of the dice roll. It’s a great way to increase your potential payout without increasing the house advantage.
Hopefully these tips have helped you to navigate the Craps table – whether you are playing online or in a bricks-and-mortar casino. Craps can be a little off-putting to newbies, but once you understand the 5 options outlined above then you are ready to take on the shooter and win!
