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Craps Rules
Craps Sections: Rules How to Play Payoffs

If you happen to hear a group of people making a lot of noise in a casino, they're probably playing Craps. Craps is by far the fastest table game in the casino and can often be one of the most exciting. A single throw of the dice can often win a lot of money. The game is thought to have originated in the United States, derived from a popular game that existed long ago in England.
Object of the Game

The object of the game is for the player (called the shooter) to roll a pair of dice and bet on the outcome of that roll. Payoffs are made based on the number combination displayed when the dice come to rest. Most bets are based on one of two things:

The number combination of the next roll.
That a particular total of the dice turns up before another total

Object of the Game

Come Out Roll / Pass Line and Don't Pass Bets A new game in Craps always begins with what is called a come out roll, which is the shooter's first throw. The most basic and common bet in Craps is the pass line bet (or its opposite, the don't pass bet). On the come out roll, a pass line bet wins if the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11 (called a natural), and loses his or her bet if the roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (called craps). If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the come out roll, this number becomes the shooter's point which the dealer marks on the table with a puck -- a black and white marker placed white side up in that numbered space. The shooter's new goal is to roll this same number again to win (called a pass) before rolling the number 7 (which would lose the bet). The don't pass bet, being opposite to the pass line bet, loses on a 7 or 11, and wins on a 2 or 3. A 12 is considered a "push" (tie) for a don't pass so the bet is neither won nor lost. If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this becomes the new point and the shooter must now roll a 7 (to win) before rolling the point number again (which would lose the bet).
Come and Don't Come Bets A come bet is practically the same bet as a pass line bet. Likewise, the don't come bet is similar to the don't pass bet. The only difference is that pass line and don't pass bets can only be made on the come out roll, while come and don't come bets can only be made after a point has been established. If the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the come out roll, play continues but the shooter can no longer place any pass line or don't pass bets. This is when come bets and don't come bets can made. A come bet wins if the next roll is a 7 or 11, just as on the first roll for a pass line bet. The bet loses if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12. Any other number causes the bet to be moved from the large "come" area on the table to the smaller box containing that number located just above the "come" area. Once a bet has been moved to one of these smaller boxes, the bet wins when the shooter rolls that number again or loses if a 7 is rolled first. The don't come bet is opposite to the come bet, losing on a 7 or 11, and winning on a 2 or 3. Just like the don't pass bet, a 12 is considered a push (tie) and the don't come bet is neither won nor lost. Any other number causes the bet to be moved behind the box containing that number into the don't come box. This bet will now win if you roll a seven before rolling this number again, or lose the bet if the number turns up first.
Odds Bets The odds bet can only be made after you've made a pass line bet, don't pass bet, come bet, or don't bet and a point is established. Once the point is established for your pass line or come bet, you can place an odds bet up to an additional two times your original bet. The odds bet is won or lost whenever the associated pass line, don't pass, come or don't come bet wins or loses. The difference is that player is paid true odds on the odds bet when it wins. For example, the true odds for a 4 and 10 are 2:1 (read 2 to 1). Suppose that the shooter has a point of 4 established with a $5 pass line bet and a $10 odds bet on the pass line. If the point is made by rolling another 4, he or she would win even money (1:1) on the pass line bet ($5) but would win true 2:1 on the odds bet ($20).

POINT TRUE ODDS
4 and 10 2 to 1
5 and 9 3 to 2
6 and 8 6 to 5

Odds on the Don't Come or Don't Pass Bets When a player wants odds on a don't come or don't pass bet, it is called laying odds as opposed to taking odds with a come or pass line bet. However, because don't come and don't pass bets want a seven to roll before the point, the true odds for don't come and don't pass bets are opposite those of come and pass line bets. For example, the true odds for a 4 and 10 are 2:1, which means the odds on don't come and don't pass bets will pay 1:2. Suppose that the shooter has a point of 4 established with a $5 don't pass bet and a $10 odds bet on the don't pass. If the shooter rolls a seven before rolling another 4, he or she would win even money (1:1) on the don't pass bet ($5) and would win 1:2 on the odds bet ($5).
Place Bets and Don't Place Place bets allow the player to bet that the number will be rolled before a 7. If a 7 is rolled first, the bet is lost. This is similar to a come bet or pass line bet except the number is chosen by the player (as opposed to the outcome of the following roll) and there is no chance to win on a 7 or 11 with the next roll, or lose it on a 2, 3, or 12. The only numbers that the player can place are the possible point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. Place bets are made in the box just below the box marked with the number you want to place. Place bets must be made in increments of $5 on the 4, 5, 9 and 10, and $6 increments on the 6 and 8. The reason for this is that the odds are 9:5 for the 4 and 10, 7:5 for the 5 and 9, and 7:6 for the 6 and 8.
Buy Bets A buy bet is similar to a place bet. The buy bet says that the number bet on will be rolled before a 7. However, the buy bet offers the player true odds on his or her bet by having the player pay a 5%t vigorish (a commission). The commission is paid at the time the bet is made. For example, if the player wants to make a buy bet for $20 on the 10, he or she must actually make the bet for $21 -- $20 plus $1 (5% of $21). If the roll wins, he or she is paid true odds (2:1 for the 10) on $20 which would equal $40. This version of craps assumes that every buy bet made includes the 5% commission, which his calculated by dividing the amount bet by 1.05 ($21 / 1.05 = $20).
Lay Bets A lay bet is the opposite of a buy bet. With a lay bet, the player is hoping that a seven will be rolled before the number bet on. If a 7 is rolled before that number turns up again, the bet is won. If the number bet on rolls before a 7, the bet is lost. If any other number is rolled, nothing happens to the bet. However, just like a buy bet, a lay bet pays true odds, and the player must pay a 5% vigorish (commission) to make this bet. One difference is that the vigorish for a lay bet is 5 percent of the amount the player wins if the lay bet is successful. Remember that true odds when betting against the number are opposite to the true odds when betting for the number. For example, assume the player has a lay bet of $40 on the ten. If the player rolls a ten before a 7, he or she wins true odds (1:2) on the bet for a total of $20. The 5% commission is then charged on the winning amount (5% of $20 = $1) so the player is given $19.
Big 6 or Big 8 The Big 6 and Big 8 bets are made in lower right hand corner of the table marked with a big red 6 and 8. The bet works the same as a place bet on the 6 or 8 except that the minimum bet on the Big 6 and Big 8 is simply the table minimum, and the Big 6 and Big 8 pay even money. Just like a place bet, this bet wins if whichever of the two the player selects is rolled before a 7. If a 7 is rolled first, the bet is lost.
Field Bet This is a bet that on the next roll, one of the following seven numbers with turn up: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. The bet is lost if a 5, 6, 7, or 8 is rolled. If the winning roll is a 2 or 12, the bet pays 2:1. All other winning rolls pay even money (1:1). The bet is made by simply placing an amount in the area marked "field" between the don't pass bar and the come area.
Any Seven This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll a 7 on the next roll. If the next roll is a 7, the player wins 4:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Any Craps This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll a 2, 3, or 12 on the next roll. If the next roll is a 2, 3 or 12, the player wins 7:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Horn Twelve This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll a 12 on the next roll. If the next roll is a 12, the player wins an exciting 30:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Horn Two This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll a 2 on the next roll. If the next roll is a 2, the player wins an exciting 30:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Horn Eleven This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll an 11 (nicknamed "yo" to limit the confusion of yelling "seven" and "eleven") on the next roll. If the next roll is an 11, the player wins a 15:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Horn Three This is a one-roll bet that the shooter will roll a 3 on the next roll. If the next roll is a 3, the player wins 15:1 on his or her bet. If any other number is rolled, the bet is lost.
Hard Ways When the shooter rolls and both dice turn up with the same number, it's called a hard way. Rolls of 2 and 12 are not considered hard ways because either total can only be rolled by one combination (two ones or two sixes). In the case of other hard way bets, the total can be rolled by other combinations of the dice. For example, a hard way 10 (or hard 10) means two 5's were rolled on the dice for a total of 10. However, a 10 can also be achieved by a 6 and 4. Hard 4 When the player bets a hard 4, he or she is hoping for a 2 to come up on both dice before any other 4 combination or a 7 turns up. If the shooter rolls a 1 and 3, or a 7, the bet is lost. The payout for a hard 4 is 7:1. Hard 10 When the player bets a hard 10, he or she is hoping for a 5 to come up on both dice before any other 10 combination or a 7 turns up. If the shooter rolls a 6 and 4, the bet is lost. The payout for a hard 10 is 7:1. Hard 6 When the player bets a hard 6, he or she is hoping for a 3 to come up on both dice before any other 6 combination or a 7 turns up. If the shooter rolls a 1 and 5, 2 and 4, or a 7, the bet is lost. The payout for a hard 6 is 9:1. Hard 8 When the player bets a hard 8, he or she is hoping for a 4 to come up on both dice before any other 8 combination or a 7 turns up. If the shooter rolls a 2 and 6, 3 and 5, or a 7, the bet is lost. The payout for a hard 8 is 9:1.