Beginner's Intro to How to Play Craps

Don't have an idea what Craps is? Just look for the table in a casino that has dozen or so players excited and yelling - most probably they'd be playing craps. Let's check out how to play this game.

Craps (it used to be known as crabs) is a casino dice game that can be played by 1 or more players. The player who rolls the dice is designated as the "Shooter". All players at a Craps table would take turns rolling the two dice or play the roll of "Shooter". The players get to bet on the results of the dice roll.

Unlike casino card games that have a dealer to manage the game, Craps has four casino employees to run, manage, and assist customers who are playing the game. The man who is in charge of the whole game is called the boxman. His job includes guarding the chips and supervising the two dealers. He sits behind the center of the table opposite the players' side.

There would be two dealers (a.k.a. base dealers) on a Craps table - they would be giving out pay-offs to the winners and rake in the loser's chips. There would be one dealer to each side of the table and they get to assist the players on their side. The Stickman would be positioned on the players' side of the table. He gets to control all of the action that occurs during play. He is the one who gives out and collects dice using an elongated wooden stick (thus the name "stickman"), announces results of the different dice rolls, and manages the bets made at the center of the table.

Here's how to play the game. At the start of the game all players at a craps table get to place their bets. The stickman then offers several sets of dice to the designated shooter. The shooter then picks a pair of dice from the sets that were given him. The shooter (standing on one end of the table) then rolls the dice. When a shooter rolls the dice, the dice ought to hit the wall at the opposite end of the table.

Here's the part that brings the riot - the results of the dice roll. On this first roll, if the shooter makes a 7 or an 11 you win. That roll is called a 'natural'. If the shooter makes a 2, 3 or 12 on the dice roll you lose. This roll is called 'craps'. The name of the game is derived from this roll. The dealers then pick up the chips of the losers and hands out the pay-offs to the winners.

If the shooter doesn't roll a natural or a craps this roll is called a Point (a roll that basically gets a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). If the shooter rolls a point he gets to roll the dice a second time. Players get to place a second bet to their original bet; you get to bet on the results of the dice roll. The shooter keeps tossing the dice until he either gets a 7 or another point. If the shooter rolls a point a new round is played with the same shooter. If the shooter gets a 7 (known as "seven-out"), a new round is played with a new shooter.