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Gambling on dice has been around for millennia, and craps seems to be quintessential dice game, having remained basically unchanged for decades. With a variety of different wagers to choose from craps can be a very difficult game for beginners, but with the advice we give in this column you should be well on your way to identifying the good bets while avoiding the bad bets.
Basic craps strategy
The Pass LineThe most important concept to understand when playing craps is the pass line. If you only understand one bet in craps it should be the pass line wager and how to use it. You can place a pass line bet on the first roll of the dice (known as the come-out roll). Here is a look at the possible outcomes when you make a pass line wager: - If the shooter rolls a7 or 11 you will win even money on your wager; and a new round of wagers begins
- If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 you will lose your initial wager; and a new round of wagers begins
- If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the pass line marker will be turned off, and the initial roll becomes known as the “point”. The shooter continues to roll until either the point is rolled for the shooter craps out by rolling a seven. If the shooter rolls the point number before crapping out you win even money on your initial pass line wager.
Don’t PassPlacing a ‘don't pass’ bet is the exact opposite of a pass line bet. In this case you are betting that the shooter will crap out before rolling a seven or 11, or hitting their point. - If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 you win; if the shooter rolls a 12 it's a push
- If the shooter rolls a seven or 11 you lose
- If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the same rules apply as if you had placed a pass line wager, only in this case we're hoping the shooter rolls a seven before their point number.
Since you are rooting for the failure of the other players and the shooter, you should make sure you do not cheer too loudly if you are playing the don't pass wager at a live casino.
Odds
Taking the odds is one of the only bets on the casino where you are even money against the house. To play the odds must simply make an additional wager that the point will be rolled before a seven, and since a seven is the most likely number, when you play the odds you receive better than even money depending on what the point number is.
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