How to Play Craps: A Beginner’s Guide to the Casino Game

Craps is the fastest game in the casino. In fact, to run a craps table a casino generally assigns four workers. Because there’s a lot of action, it’s particularly important to know the rules and strategies so as not to get lost or slow down the game.

The History and Popularity of Craps

Craps is believed to have derived in the United States from a game popular in England in times past. The basic game is quite simple, requiring only two dice and a little open area to toss them.

The popularity of craps peaked during World War II, as many soldiers enjoyed playing the game whenever and wherever they could gather a few comrades with some money. While craps is no longer as popular, it still draws crowds of players in a casino.

If you hear a group of people in a casino making a lot of noise, they’re probably playing craps. On a single throw of the dice, players can win a lot of money or lose a lot of money, so you’ll often hear either cheers or loud groans of disappointment.

Craps is played with two dice on a table that’s about twelve to fourteen feet long and looks kind of like a giant bath tub. Each half of the table has an identical craps layout. The image below shows a typical craps layout. In the middle of the table is an area that’s shared by both sides of the table. A game of craps can involve anywhere from one to sixteen players, with eight on each side of the table being about the maximum.

Anatomy of a Craps Table

A craps game is run by four casino employees: a boxman, two dealers, and a stickman. The boxman (or boxperson) is responsible for counting all cash that’ll be changed by the dealers, arranging the bank of casino chips, and supervising the game.

The two dealers each work half of the table and are responsible for taking losing bets, paying winning bets, and helping players make bets.

The stickman (or stickperson) is responsible for keeping up the pace of the game, moving the dice to the shooter (using a rattan stick), calling the dice (what was rolled), and instructing the dealers to make payoffs for winning proposition bets.

Gameplay: Shooting the Dice Bets

Each player at the table gets a turn at throwing the dice. The player who’s rolling or throwing the dice is called the shooter. The game starts with the stickman offering the shooter a choice of two dice out of five.

The shooter must use only one hand to choose the two dice and roll or throw them to the opposite end of the table against the back wall. Everybody at the table bets on the outcome of those two cubes of plastic.

Understanding the Come-Out Roll

The shooter’s first throw is called the come-out roll. If the dice come up seven or eleven (called a natural), he or she wins. If they come up 2, 3, or 12 (craps), he or she loses and the next player takes over as shooter.

Either outcome is known as a decision roll. But if the dice total anything else (4, 5, 6, 8, or 9), that total becomes the shooter’s point, which the dealers mark on the table with a puck-a black and white marker placed white side up in that numbered space.

The shooter then continues rolling until one of two things happens: he or she throws his point again and wins (called a pass) or throws a seven and loses (called a miss-out). It’s that simple. It’s the bets and the terminology that complicate the game.

Everyone at the table bets on the shooter. There are many bets you can make in a craps game. Refer to the layout above to understand where the various bets are placed.