How To Win Shooting Craps At The Casino
When you’re shooting the craps dice personally, you want to avoid throwing the dice too hard. Craps is a mathematical game that is based on random probabilities and chance – for as long as the game is entirely random, the casino will always win against you over time. You win based on whichever number you choose to bet on. Lay odds: These are used by don’t bettors to lay the odds. Dice Shooting related terminologies (vocabulary) If you are looking to shoot better dice in craps, you should definitely get yourself familiar with the following terminologies. Shooter: the player who has to roll the dice. Craps is undoubtedly the most exciting games at every online casino. Players can have huge percentages of their bankroll out on the table at any given time, and can only hope that the shooter makes them rich. The camaraderie among players and fast-paced action make craps many a player’s favourite. Of course, the casinos love the game, too. Craps is among the simplest and easiest games to play at a physical or online casino. Craps is also among the most played dice games due to its low house edge and multiple types of bets that can be placed. Learn how to play craps and win by following our step by step guide below. Craps Gaming Essentials.
The craps table is one of the most noticeable facets of any casino because of the frenzy of activity, noise and excitement usually surrounding it. Though the craps table may seem intimidating at first glance, the rules of the game are actually quite simple once you take a few minutes to understand them. Craps is a table game where you place wagers on the outcome of one roll, or the sequence of rolls, of a single pair of dice. Unlike other games where a dealer does all the work, players at the craps table are each given an opportunity to be the “shooter” (the person who rolls the dice).
Craps has managed to become and remain one of the most popular game throughout casinos across the world for decades. Read on to learn more about the rules and how to play.
Helpful Articles on Craps
– Low House Edge Craps Strategies
– Playing Craps Online
Basic Craps Rules and Table Etiquette
Before elaborating on the different types of bets that can be made while playing craps, it is important to first learn the basic rules and etiquette of the craps table. When you arrive at the table, the first order of business is converting your cash into casino chips. In order to do so, you simply place your preferred cash on the table and ask the dealer for “change only.” Dealers will never take money directly from your hand so it is important to remember to put cash on the table only when the shooter does not have the dice in hand.
Placing Bets Yourself vs Dealer Placing Bets
Another craps rule to remember is that for making pass/don’t pass bets, odds bets, field bets, and come bets you are able to place the chips on the appropriate betting area yourself. For most other bets, however, you must place the amount you wish to wager on the table and ask the dealer to move your chips to the appropriate betting area.
Selecting and Shooting the Dice
When shooting the dice, always make sure to throw them to the opposite end of the table, avoiding the sides. Something else you want to avoid is throwing the dice into the air; no one at the table, especially those working the table, wants to see this happen. This is proper etiquette and should be followed at all times when playing at any casino.
When it is your turn to shoot, you will be greeted with up to 5 dice from the stickman to choose from. With one hand only, you are to select the two dice you wish to roll. It is important that you never use two hands when handling the dice. Though it is discouraged, a prospective shooter may choose to pass and let the next person in line assume the role. This is more of a superstitious precedent and in all reality will not change the outcome tremendously.
Finally, because the craps table is a lot longer than most other tables at the casino, you have to really fling the dice to ensure that they hit the back wall and bounce back off. If the dice roll off the table or do not roll far enough you will have to roll again and all bets will be void and re-placed on the next throw.
Placing Line Bets
The craps table is intimidating to so many people because of the plethora of wagers that are presented on it. While there are a large amount of wagers possible, the most common type of bet is pass or don’t pass. This part is very simple to understand and we’ll go over it in further detail below.
Before the start of a round of craps, there will be a black/white button on the table which reads, “OFF”. This means that no point has been established and that players may still place bets. In order for a round to start, the shooter must place a bet on the pass line. A player wagering on the pass line is hoping that the first roll of the dice (the come-out roll) will add up to 7 or 11.
If the first roll is a 7 or 11, all those who bet on the pass line will win even money. For example, if you place a $10 bet on the pass line and the dice show a 5 and a 2, you will win an additional $10. If, on the other hand, the come-out roll adds up to 2, 3, or 12, all those who bet on the pass line will lose.
Don’t Pass Line
Another riskier bet that can be wagered before the come-out roll is on the don’t pass line. In contrast to a pass line bet, a don’t pass line bet will earn you even money if the come-out roll adds up to 2 or 3 (a sum of 12 is a “push”, meaning you neither win nor lose).
If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, a point has now been established. If any of these dice sums appear, your pass line bet will be retained and the button on the table will be placed on the newly established point number. This means you do not win or lose, and your bet stays out on the table. If, for example, the point is a 6, the shooter will roll the dice any number of times in an attempt to hit a sum of 6 without first hitting 7.
If the shooter hits any numbers besides 6 or 7 in this hypothetical example they will continue to roll free of consequence. If the shooter hits a 6, everyone who bet on the pass line will win even money and a new round of craps will begin. You are then able to keep your bet out there, or place additional bets. A roll of 7 means everyone on the pass line loses their bet and the dice will also be passed to the next player.
Odds Bet
An odds bet can be placed once a point is established (assuming your bet still sits on the pass line). An odds bet pays out true odds depending on the point that is established. If the point is a 4 or 10, you will be paid 2:1, a point of 5 or 9 pays 3:2, and a point of 6 or 8 pays 6:5. In most casinos, you are able to place an odds bet up to double (and sometimes even greater than) your pass line bet. Odds bets are able to be increased, decreased, or removed at any time too.
Come Bet
Another wagering option once a point is established is come bet. A come bet can only be placed if you are also wagering on the pass line and works by treating the shooter’s next roll as your own come-out roll. The difference between the come-out roll on a come bet and the one played at the beginning of a round is that this bet affects only you. If you wager a come bet and the next roll of the dice does not add up to 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, you have now established a come point. At this juncture, the rolls of the dice are treated in much the same way they would be for a normally established point. If the shooter rolls a 7 you lose your bets, but if he rolls your come point, you win both the come point and pass line bets.
Don’t Come Bet
A don’t come bet works in the exact opposite fashion of a come bet. In terms of a don’t come bet, if a 2 or 3 is rolled, the player wins, if a 7 or 11 is rolled the players loses, and a 12 is a push. If you establish a point in a don’t come bet, the player who placed the wager will be hoping that a 7 shows up before the established point. You are also able to place an odds wager on a come bet by simply articulating to the dealer that you would like “odds on come.”
Placing Single-Roll Bets
Another more advanced type of bet is known as a “service bet.” These wagers are placed by players who are trying to guess the exact outcome of the next roll of the dice. Wagers of this type include snake eyes (wagering that the next roll will be a 2), ace-deuce (wagering that the next roll will add up to 3), hi-lo (wagering that the next roll of the dice will yield a 2 or 12), and many more.
Yo Bet
A yo bet is only won if the next roll is an 11 while a boxcar (midnight, or cornrows) bet hopes that the next roll will add up to 12. A three-way bet wins if the next roll of the dice adds up to 2, 3, or 12. A C&E bet is a combined wager that hopes either craps (2, 3, or 12) or yo (11) will be the outcome of the next roll. In regards to a C&E wager, one of the two bets will always lose while the other bet stands the chance to win, but is not a guaranteed win.
Any 7 Bet
An “Any 7” bet is a wager that the outcome of the shooter’s next roll will add up to 7. This wager is rarely placed due to the superstition that saying the word “seven” at a craps table is bad luck. The Horn is a type of bet that is actually 4 separate bets. With a Horn wager, you are betting that a 2, 3, 11, or 12 will show up on the next roll. The payouts for a winning Horn wager vary depending on the number the dice sum up to. For example, if you place a $5 chip on the table and say “Horn high boxcar”, you are wagering 4 $1 bets on 2, 3, 11, and 12, with the extra $1 being placed on a 12.
An Any 7 bet is a wager that the outcome of the shooter’s next roll will add up to 7. This wager is rarely placed due to the superstition that saying the word “seven” at a craps table is bad luck. The Horn is a type of bet that is actually 4 separate bets. With a Horn wager, you are betting that a 2, 3, 11, or 12 will show up on the next roll. The payouts for a winning Horn wager vary depending on the number the dice sum up to. For example, if you place a $5 chip on the table and say “Horn high boxcar”, you are wagering 4 $1 bets on 2, 3, 11, and 12, with the extra $1 being placed on a 12.
Field Bet
A field bet is made in hopes that the next roll of the dice will yield a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. The payout odds for a field bet are different depending on what the outcome of the roll of the dice is. Hitting a 2 or 12 on a field bet typically pays 2:1 or 3:1 while hitting a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 pays 1:1. A field bet is a type of service bet, though unlike most other service bets players are allowed to place the wager without consulting a dealer first.
An On the Hop bet is a wager that the next roll of the dice will yield an exact dice combination. For example, if you bet 6 and 3 on the hop, you are placing a wager that one die will show a six while the other shows a three. On the Hop bets have true odds of 17:1 and 35:1; or, in other words, a house edge ranging from about 11% to 14%.
Placing Multi-Roll Bets
As you become more comfortable with the flow of craps, you will be able to entertain more complex, riskier bets. A hard-way bet is a proposition wager that the next roll of the dice will yield a hard-way number (4, 6, 8, 10). For this bet, you are hoping the dice will show 2 2’s (4), 2 3’s (6), 2 4’s (8), or 2 5’s (10). In order to win this bet you must land a hard-way number before a 7 or any other dice combination that adds up to 4, 6, 8, or 10. For example, if you make a hard-way bet on 8 and the next roll of the dice shows a 2 and a 6, you lose.
Easy Way Bet
An easy-way bet hopes that the outcome of the next roll will be 4, 6, 8 or 10. Unlike a hard-way bet, however, a player is only able to win if one of the 4 sums of the dice is reached without showing 2 of the same numbers. For example, if you place an easy-way bet on 4, a 2 and 2 on each of the die would be a loss, but a 3 on one die and a 1 on another would be a win.
Big 6 and Big 8 Bet
Big 6 and Big 8 bets are wagers placed hoping that the shooter will roll a 6 or an 8 before a 7. This type of bet pays out at 1:1.
Place and Buy Wager
A place and buy wager is a bet that one of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) will show up before a 7. Players make this bet by placing the amount of money which they wish to wager in the come area and explaining how much they want to be on what numbers to the dealer. The payouts on a place wager are slightly worse than true odds while the payout on a buy wager are true odds less a 5% commission.
Lay Bet
A lay bet is the opposite of a buy bet because the person making the wager is hoping a 7 will show up before the laid number. A lay bet pays out true odds in a reverse manner. For lay bets, a 4 or a 10 will bay 1:2, a 5 and 9 will pay 2:3, and 6 and 8 will pay 5:6. A lay bet will also see 5% commission being taken.
Craps Summary
In summation, the game of craps is a lot easier to understand than most people originally think. It just takes time and willingness to learn the proper rules and etiquette. Players are able to wager bets that are as simple or complex as they like and there are many different ways to win (and lose), and different payouts to accompany them. So long as you take heed of the basic rules and etiquette of the craps table you will have minimal issues when playing. Craps is arguably the most exciting game in the casino for a reason, so don’t be afraid to play.
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One of the most confounding casino games for rookie gamblers visiting Las Vegas is real money craps.
And that’s a shame too, because the classic dice rolling affair is also one of the most entertaining experiences on any casino floor. Even better, despite the trappings of exotic bets like the “hard way,” the basic wagers in craps offer odds which are among the most favorable around.
Unfortunately, due to the craps table’s reputation as the domain of hardcore gamblers, many beginners who want to learn the game never step up to take the dice in hand. This phenomenon can be attributed to many reasons, but first and foremost is the intimidating atmosphere presented by a traditional Las Vegas craps table.
And even when you’re not rolling the bones yourself, a crowded caps table can feel more like a frat party than a casino game. Everyone is shouting their desired number, yelling to the dealer to get bets down, and celebrating in unison when the shooter nails their point number.
As for the craps table itself, this elongated piece of equipment is always home to no less than five casino staff members working the game. You’ll see a boxman supervising the action, a stickman sliding the dice to shooters, and three dealers scanning bets to collect losers and pay out winners.
Throw in one of the more complex betting layouts found in any casino – one featuring several dozen unique wager types listed using all variety of slang terminology – and traditional craps can easily dissuade would be beginners from giving the game a try.
For these reasons, whenever I encounter a craps rookie lingering near the rail and showing hesitation, I politely suggest that they try a “Bubble” craps machine first.
Officially known as “Shoot to Win Craps,” these innovative machines manufactured by Aruze Gaming manage to recreate the game to perfection in a personalized play format.
The only thing is, many Las Vegas gamblers simply ignore these Shoot to Win Craps machines out of hand, mistakenly believing them to be bastardized versions of the real deal.
That’s what Scott Roeben of the popular Vital Vegas blog used to do, as the experienced local simply didn’t see Shoot to Win Craps as a viable alternative. Here’s what Roeben had to say about this first impression of the machine:
“We love traditional craps, at a craps table, with the chips and the cussing and the dice you can fondle, so we spent months just walking right by the Shoot to Win Craps game.
Until recently, when we sat down and played, and we loved it right from the start.”
After taking the time to play Shoot to Win Craps – which takes its “Bubble Craps” moniker from the plexiglass bubble used to house and roll large foam dice – Roeben took to his Vital Vegas page and spread the new game’s gospel to the masses:
“Craps can be intimidating. While craps tables are often the most boisterous parts of a casino, the jargon and fast pace of the game can be a little off-putting.
The table layout and bets can take some time to learn, so many just watch and move on to game they’re more comfortable with.
Shoot to Win Craps makes craps accessible to everyone, and even provides a lot of benefits more experienced players will appreciate.”
If you’ve ever wanted to play craps for yourself, but couldn’t quite muster the courage to put chips down on a real table, this page is here to tell you that Shoot to Win Craps provides the perfect entry point.
Shoot to Win Craps Machines Won’t Hit You With Hidden Changes
First things first… you’re probably wondering how the house uses Shoot to Win Craps machines to get one over on players.
In other machine-based replicas of traditional table games, the casino can easily adjust the odds ever so slightly in their favor to increase the house edge. Video blackjack machines largely eschew the more favorable 3 to 2 payouts on a natural 21 for the inferior 6 to 5 reward. And on a video roulette machine, you might find 34 to 1 payouts on a single number hit instead of the standard 35 to 1.
But on a Shoot to Win Craps machine, the payouts and house edge rates are identical across the board to those offered on a genuine craps table:
Payouts and House Edge Rates for Common Bets on the Shoot to Win Craps Machine:
| Bet/Rules | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Odds 4, 10 | 2 to 1 | 0.00% |
| Odds 5, 9 | 3 to 2 | 0.00% |
| Odds 6, 8 | 6 to 5 | 0.00% |
| Don’t Pass/Don’t Come | 1 to 1 | 1.36% |
| Pass/Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41% |
| Place 6, 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% |
| Field (3:1 on 12) | 1 to 1 | 2.78% |
| Place 5, 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% |
| Field (2:1 on 12) | 1 to 1 | 5.56% |
| Place 4, 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% |
| Big 6, 8 | 1 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 6, 8 | 9 to 1 | 9.09% |
| Any Craps | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Hard 4, 10 | 7 to 1 | 11.11% |
| Hi-Lo (2 or 12) | 15 to 1 | 11.11% |
| 3; Yo-leven (11); Easy Hops | 15 to 1 | 11.11% |
| 2; 12; Hard Hops | 30 to 1 | 13.89% |
| Any Seven | 4 to 1 | 16.67% |
This may not seem like much at first glance, but knowing that Aruze Gaming chose to design their Shoot to Win Craps machines with integrity is very important. I would never advise my readers to take a shot on an inferior wager, so rest assured that you’ll be facing the exact same odds and house edge rates, while playing for the same payouts, when you try the Bubble Craps alternative.
The Minimum Bet Limits and Odds Offered Can Be Much Better on Bubble Craps
Speaking of odds, one of the most popular and profitable wagers in craps – and all of casino gambling for that matter – is known as the Odds bet.
After you’ve placed an introductory bet on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line, and the shooter sets a point number on their come out roll, you are then free to “take the Odds.” Essentially, this is a second bet placed behind your Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line wager which pays out at true odds when based on the point number.
In other words, you’ll receive a payout of 2 to 1 on your money when the shooter rolls the point of 4 or 10 again; 3 to 2 odds on a 5 or 9 point; and 6 to 5 on a 6 or 8 point. And as the table above makes clear, the Odds bet offers one of the rarest sights in all of casino gambling – a wager with no house edge whatsoever.
Of course, casinos aren’t in the business of offering fair odds like this, which is why you have to place a perfunctory Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bet first. Furthermore, craps tables nowadays have ditched the old 100x limit on Odds bets which once made Las Vegas the craps capital of the world. Instead, you’ll often see physical craps tables in Sin City limit the Odds bet to 3x on 4 or 10 points, 4x on the 5 or 9, and 5x on the 6 or 8.
Here’s how the various limitations on Odds betting can affect your overall house edge rate when the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line wagers are factored in:
House Edge on Craps Odds Bet (by Odds Limit):
| Odds (Taken) | Pass Line | Don’t Pass |
|---|---|---|
| 0x | 1.41% | 1.36% |
| 1x | 0.848% | 0.682% |
| 2x | 0.606% | 0.455% |
| Full Double Odds | 0.572% | 0.431% |
| 3x | 0.471% | 0.341% |
| 3x-4x-5x | 0.374% | 0.273% |
| 5x | 0.326% | 0.227% |
| 10x | 0.184% | 0.124% |
| 20x | 0.099% | 0.065% |
| 100x | 0.021% | 0.014% |
Now that you know how the Odds bet works, check out the list below to see how various Las Vegas casinos choose to limit this crucial wager:
Survey of Craps Tables in Las Vegas:
| Casino | Minimum Bet | Maximum Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Aria | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Bally’s | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Bellagio | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Binion’s | $5 | 5x |
| Caesars Palace | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| California | $5 | 2x |
| Casino Royale | $3 | 100x |
| Circus Circus | $5 | 2x |
| Cosmopolitan | $15 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Cromwell | $5 | 100x |
| Downtown Grand | $5 | 10x |
| El Cortez | $5 | 10x |
| Encore | $10 | 2x |
| Flamingo | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Four Queens | $5 | 5x |
| Fremont | $3 | 2x |
| Golden Gate | $5 | 10x |
| Golden Nugget | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Joker’s Wild | $1 | 10x |
| Linq | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Luxor | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Main Street Station | $5 | 20x |
| Mandalay Bay | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Margaritaville | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| MGM Grand | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Mirage | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Monte Carlo | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| New York New York | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| O’Shea’s | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Orleans | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Palazzo | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Palms | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Palms | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Paris | $5 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Red Rock Resort | $5 | 10x |
| SLS Las Vegas | $5 | 10x |
| South Point | $5 | 2x |
| Stratosphere | $5 | 10x |
| The D | $5 | 10x |
| Treasure Island | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Tropicana | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
| Venetian | $10 | 3x-4x-5x |
As you can see, almost all of these venues like to cap their Odds bet action using the 3x-4x-5x structure. And when you can find higher limits than that, you’ll usually need to place a higher minimum wager on the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line to “earn” that right.
Conversely, players sitting at a Shoot to Win Craps machine can almost always limit their initial liability via lower minimum bets.
Almost every casino in town uses a $5 or $10 minimum on the initial bets when you play at a traditional table. But when you try the Shoot to Win Craps machine, you’ll be able to learn the game at a more leisurely pace thanks to lower limits – all while still enjoying up to 5x on your Odds bet:
Survey of Shoot to Win Craps Machines in Las Vegas:
| Casino | Minimum Bet | Maximum Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Aria | $5 | 2x |
| Bally’s | $3 | 2x |
| Binion’s | $2 | 5x |
| Cosmopolitan | $5 | 2x |
| Cromwell | $3 | 2x |
| Downtown Grand | $1 | 4x |
| Excalibur | $1 | 2x |
| Flamingo | $3 | 2x |
| Harrah’s | $3 | 2x |
| Linq | $3 | 2x |
| Luxor | $2 | 3x |
| Mandalay Bay | $3 | 2x |
| MGM Grand | $5 | 3x |
| Monte Carlo | $3 | 5x |
| New York New York | $2 | 5x |
| Palms | $2 | 5x |
| Slot-A-Fun | $2 | 5x |
| Tropicana | $2 | 2x |
How To Win Shooting Craps At The Casinos
Comfort Is Key on the Shoot to Win Craps Machine
Enough about the intricacies of craps mathematics for a moment though… the real hook offered by Shoot to Win Craps machine is ease of entry.
How To Win Shooting Craps At The Casino Game
When you play Bubble Craps, you won’t have to worry about anybody else at the table sizing you up and pegging you as a rookie.
That means no dirty looks if you decide to dance with the “dark side,” a colloquial craps term used to describe Don’t Pass Line bettors. Similarly, when you want to splash around on some of the more longshot exotic wagers like the Any Craps, Hard Way, or Yo-Leven, you can feel free to indulge yourself without receiving a lecture from more conservative players.
And for pure beginners who are simply trying to learn the rules and basic gameplay, Shoot to Win Craps uses a convenient touchscreen input to make the betting layout easy to read and navigate.
You can watch this short video provided by Aruze Gaming to see exactly how Shoot to Win Craps machines present the game from the player’s perspective:
Conclusion
I’ll be the first to admit that as a longtime craps player, adjusting to the machine-based Bubble rolling can be a bit tricky. Cradling the dice in hand and letting them fly is all part of the fun, as is high-fiving and back-clapping your fellow players when the right number comes in.
But for folks who have little to no experience rolling real dice at the tables, sitting down for a session on the Shoot to Win Craps machine is definitely the next best thing. When you’ve learned the ropes there, feel free to take your newfound knowledge and confidence to the tables to complete your evolution from student to master.