Craps Board Explained

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  1. 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.
  2. Craps is quite fun and entertaining casino game of chance frequently played by gamblers at online, offline as well as on mobile casino apps. The game is simple to play and with a bit of luck you can earn some nice cash. However, if you are new to the game it might be a bit complicated to understand the rules.
  3. Not all craps tables have the Big 6 and Big 8 bets because the house advantage is so high that most people don’t bet them, so the casino doesn’t waste table space with them. These bets represent the “player’s area” or self-service area because you handle these bets yourself without the dealer’s help.
  4. Craps For Dummies and er.You! Craps can seem intimidating. It’s littered with strange words, odds, and numbers that seem out of context. Meanwhile, practiced players stand around the table cheering, groaning and yelling words that seem to make little sense.

Craps – It’s the name of the game, and it’s also the name for the numbers 2, 3, and 12. Pass Line – Drop your chips on the pass line and you’re betting that the dice will pass (or win). Don’t Pass Bar – Throw your chips on this section of the Craps table layout and you’re betting that a seven will be rolled before a point ends.

Craps Board Explained

The Odds: Numbers

Since craps is a game of chance, you need to understand why you have a greater or lesser chance of rolling different numbers. Because you're rolling two dice, your chances of rolling a specific number in craps are determined by the number of die combinations that can add up to that number. For example, 2 can only be rolled with two 1s, but 4 can be rolled with either a 1 and a 3 or two 2s. That means you have twice the chance of rolling a 3 as you do a 2. Because the 7 has the greatest number of combinations (six), it is the number that has the potential to come up most often, which is why 7 is the magic number in craps.

There are 36 possible number combinations in craps. Here is a chart showing the possible combinations for each number using two die.

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Craps Board Explained

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From the chart, you can see that the most likely number you'll roll is a 7, followed by the 6 and the 8, then 5 and 9, then 4 and 10, then 3 and 11, and finally (and least likely) the 2 and the 12. This means you'll roll a 7 once out of every six rolls, a 6 or an 8 once out of every 7 to 8 rolls, and so on.

Odds for Each Number

By looking at the possible combinations, the 'true odds' for each number can be established. Knowing the odds in craps is good so you have a feel for the likelihood of one number being rolled before another one (e.g., is the 4 going to be rolled before the 7?).

House Edge

Now, true odds are not what the casino pays you unless you're also betting 'free odds' on top of your main bet. Free odds, which is an additional wager you place with your original line bet, pay true odds so the casino's edge is reduced. (We'll talk more about free odds in Strategies the Winners Use.)

To better explain how the casino edge works, let's take the example of flipping a coin. You have a 50/50 chance of the coin landing on heads, and a 50/50 chance of it landing on tails. If that were a bet on which you were being paid true odds, you would be paid even money. The casino, however, has to have an edge in order to make a profit on the game. So, the payoff for any given bet is less than what true mathematical odds would dictate. For example, on a bet that had true odds of 1:1, you would think that if you bet $1 and win, you would be paid $1 in winnings. But in a casino, depending on the bet, you might only be paid $.96. The difference between the true odds and what they pay you is how they make money -- it's called casino odds.

Another way to better understand casino odds versus true odds is to look at the definition of the casino (or house) edge. WizardOfOdds.com defines it as, 'The ratio of the average loss to the initial bet,' going on to explain that it's based on the original wager rather than the average wager so that players can have an idea of how much they are going to lose when they place a bet. For example, by knowing that the casino has a 1.41 percent edge in craps, you can know that you'll be losing 14.1 cents for every $10 bet.

For charts of odds for all types of bets, visit the Wizard of Odds.com.

On the next page, we'll talk about types of craps bets, their odds and what the casino pays for each.

Craps dice

The following is a glossary of terms used in the dice game craps. Besides the terms listed here, there are many common and uncommon craps slang terms.[1][2][3]

A[edit]

ace deuce
A roll of 3

B[edit]

Big Red
The number 7 or a bet for any 7 to appear
bones
A slang term for the dice
box numbers
The place numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10)
boxcars
A roll of or bet on 12

C[edit]

center field
Nine, often called Center Field Nine
change only
when a player buys into a game specifically with cash, the 'only' means no bets are being placed at the time of the buy in. Can also be used when a player colours in. (Dealers will say this out loud so that a player can't take a shot and say he wanted a bet on X.)
Cheque change
Breaking down a chip into smaller denomination chips.
colour up
The process of changing denominations of chips to larger denominations
cold dice
also known as a cold table; an expression used when players are not hitting the established point and sevening out
come out
1. The initial roll of the shooter
2. To roll the dice when no point has been established[4]
crap out
To roll a 2, 3, or 12 on the come out roll. A player betting on the Pass line or Come loses on crap out, but the roll does not lose when a point is established. Don't Pass and Don't Come wins if a 2 or 3 craps is rolled on come out, but ties (pushes) if a 12 is rolled on come out. The shooter may continue rolling after crapping out.
craps
the numbers 2, 3, and/or 12
Board

D[edit]

double pitch
In dice control, when the dice stay on axis which rarely occurs (less than 5% of the rolls), but one turns two faces more than the other. If players set the dice with the same face, such as a hard ways or 3V set, the roll may likely result in a seven.
down
To remove or reduce a bet, players often say 'take it down'

E[edit]

easy way
Rolling an even number with any combination other than doubles. Applies to 4, 6, 8, and 10 only.
even money
Any bet that pays out at 1:1.

F[edit]

fever five
A roll of 5, also called five fever
free odds
Simply known as odds, is the odds which can be taken or laid behind the Pass/Come or Don't Pass/Don't Come. These are paid at true odds.
flea
A player who bets at or near table minimum, normally for extended periods of time; very annoying.

G[edit]

garden
Slang for the field bet
George
A good tipper

H[edit]

hard way
Rolling a 4, 6, 8, 10 with a pair of the same number
hi-lo
a single roll bet for 2 or 12
hi-lo-yo
a single roll bet for 2, 11, or 12
high
A bet on or roll of 12, also see boxcars
hop
A single roll bet for a specific combination of dice to come out. Pays 15:1 for easy ways and 30:1 for hard ways
horn
A divided bet on the 2, 3, 11, 12
horn high
A horn bet with addition units going to a specific number. For example 'horn high ace deuce' would generally mean a 5 unit bet with 2 units going on the 3.
hot dice
also known as a hot table; an expression used when players are hitting the established points or rolling for long durations without seven outs

I[edit]

inside numbers
betting on the 5, 6, 8, 9

L[edit]

lay
To bet on a seven to come before a specific point number. Lays are paid at true odds with commission taken.
lay odds
To give odds behind a Don't Pass or Don't Come. Betting against the shooter
Little Joe
Point 4
low
a single roll bet for a 2

M[edit]

mechanic
A shooter who allegedly implements dice control

N[edit]

natural
Rolling a 7 or 11 on the come out roll
Nina
Rolling or betting on a 9

O[edit]

Craps Board Explained Board

Off
1. The come out roll; when no point has been established
2. To have a bet on the table but not in play. The bet can not be won from or lost when it is Off.
On
1. When a point has been established
2. A bet that is in play (working).
outside numbers
betting on the 4, 5, 9, 10

P[edit]

parley
To parley a bet is to take all the winnings from the previous bet (or up to maximum allowed for bet if winnings exceed maximum) and add it to the next bet.
press
To double a bet, players generally say 'press it' when doubling a bet, players can also press an additional one or more units and can increase the bet less than the original bet by saying 'press X units'
push
a tie

S[edit]

same bet
To keep the previous winning bet as is. If a player says same bet it does not mean to double the bet, that is referred to as 'pressing it'
seven out
A roll of 7 when the point is On. All bets on Pass, Pass Odds, Come, Come Odds, Place bets, Buy bets, hard ways and any single roll bets not for a seven loses. All bets on Don't Pass, Don't Pass Odds, Don't Come, Don't Come Odds, Lay bets and any single roll bets for a seven wins.
snake eyes
A roll of 2
stroker
A player who makes bets overly complicated and/or gives dealers unnecessary additional work

T[edit]

take odds
To bet odds behind a Pass or Come. Betting with the shooter[5]
take down
See down
true odds
The real odds for payout where house edge is 0%

W[edit]

working
A bet which is in play and can be won or lost.
whirl
A five-unit bet that is a combination of a horn and any-seven bet, with the idea that if a seven is rolled the bet is a push, because the money won on the seven is lost on the horn portions of the bet. The combine odds are 26:5 on the 2, 12, 11:5 on the 3, 11, and a push on the 7.
world
See whirl
wrong way bettor
When a person is betting against the shooter on the Don't Pass Line.
Craps Board Explained

Y[edit]

yo
A roll or bet on 11 (6-5, 5-6), short for Yo-leven

Craps Board Explained Meaning

References[edit]

  1. ^'Craps Lingo'. readybetgo.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  2. ^'Craps Etiquette and Lingo Casino Gambling Game Rules and Strategy Guide'. VegasTripping.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  3. ^Jack Botermans (2008). The Book of Games: Strategy, Tactics & History. Sterling. pp. 545–. ISBN978-1-4027-4221-7.
  4. ^Craps A Smart Shooters Guide. Cardoza Publishing. pp. 24–. ISBN978-1-58042-576-6.
  5. ^R. D. Ellison (2001). Gamble to Win: Craps. Lyle Stuart, Kensington Publishing Corporation. pp. 42–. ISBN978-0-8184-0621-8.
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