The Ultimate Guide to Playing Craps

If you walk through any major casino, you will immediately notice a table that is much louder and more energetic than any other game in the building. The crowd is going wild while someone rolls the dice down the green felt. This chaotic scene is the game of Craps. To a complete beginner, the betting layout looks like an alien language. There are confusing boxes and numbers, and players are throwing chips everywhere. But this is a huge misconception. Despite the crazy layout, craps is fundamentally one of the easiest, and most mathematically player-friendly games in Vegas. By understanding one rule, you can play craps like a seasoned professional.

The Pass Line Bet: How the Game Starts

The only logical way to start playing this game is to completely ignore 95% of the table. All those fancy boxes and strange words are mathematically terrible "sucker bets" with massive house edges. You only need to look at the long line that borders the felt: the famous Pass Line. Making a Pass Line bet is the fundamental core of the entire game. At the start of a round, the player throwing makes their very first throw, which is called the "Come-Out Roll". With your money on the Pass Line, you get paid 1:1 immediately on a 7 or 11. Your bet is taken away on a 2, 3, or 12. The math is that basic: Win on 7/11, lose on craps.

The Ongoing Game: The Goal of the Shooter

What if they roll a different number? If the result is one of the other numbers, that number is now the Point. The dealer takes a white puck and places it directly onto that specific number on the table layout. The phase of the game shifts. To win your Pass Line bet, the player keeps rolling until they roll the Point again. If they hit the Point, everybody with a Pass Line bet wins. Here is the danger: if the shooter rolls a 7 before they hit the Point, the round ends. Every single Pass Line bet instantly loses, the round is over, and the next person shoots. The whole table is just players cheering praying the shooter hits their Point before rolling a deadly 7.

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• Taking Odds: Once a Point is established, you can place additional chips directly behind your original Pass Line bet. This is called "Taking Odds," and it is literally the only bet in the entire casino that has a house edge of exactly 0.00%. The house has no advantage here.
  
• Betting the Dark Side: You can play the 'Don't Pass' line. You win when others lose, or if the shooter fails. It has a lower house edge, but nobody will high-five you since you win when the table loses.
  
• Ignore the Proposition Bets: All the bets in the middle of the table (like 'Any Craps', 'Hard 8', or 'Snake Eyes') have astronomical house edges that will drain your cash. Never, ever place a chip in the center of the craps table.
  

The Rules at a Glance: A Quick Summary

For a quick reference before you play, as easy and stress-free as possible, review the simple cheat sheet below. It breaks down the math of the Pass Line bet: the Pass Line.

Ultimately, do not let the loud table intimidate you. The felt is designed to look like a math puzzle specifically so uneducated tourists will guess and lose their money. When you arrive, sticking to the basic rules, taking your odds, and completely ignoring the screaming center of the board, you are playing a nearly even game game available. Roll the dice, and enjoy the absolute most thrilling, high-energy casino experience on the floor.