How to Play Craps

Overview of Our Craps Games

At Slots.lv, two variations of craps are available: Craps and Classic Craps. Both are found under the "Table Games" heading. Click on the game icon for each and you'll be able to play at the free craps online casino or opt for real money play by selecting “Real Play” mode.

When you click on the game, a virtual craps table appears which has an array of bets. Slots.lv’s "Craps" requires you to drag and drop casino chips found on the right side of the screen. The "Classic Craps" game has the chips at the bottom of the screen. One-click prompts such as ‘remove’, ‘clear all’, ‘repeat’, and ‘roll dice’ help you make bets and shoot the dice with ease. Payouts in craps are handled automatically by the software.

Whether you win or lose, you'll be able to repeat the same bet or clear all bets and pick new betting options. Keep in mind that you can make multiple bets on craps in a single set of rolls. For instance, you can make a come bet or don't come bet on the come-out roll, but many more options are available after the point is set. In subsequent rolls, you can place field bets, lay bets, buy bets, and so on. At this point, learning the various bets is important.

Craps Guide

Glossary of Craps Bets

• • Pass Line Bet: The basic bet in craps. You wager whether the come-out roll is a 7 or 11. The bet loses if the roll is 2, 3, or 12, then you lose. All other numbers set the point.
• • Don't Pass Bet: The opposite of the pass line bet. You wager that the pass line bet will lose, so a 2, 3, or 12 is a winner. If the roll is 7 or 11, you lose.
• • The Point: If the two dice equal 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this becomes "the point". The object of the pass line bet now is to roll the point again before a 7 is rolled. The object of a don't pass bet is to roll a 7 before the point is rolled again.
• • Come Bet: A come bet is made after the come-out roll happens. Otherwise, it is exactly like the pass line bet - hoping to roll the point before a seven appears.
• • Don't Come Bet: A don't come bet is made after the come-out roll. Otherwise, it is exactly the same as the don't pass bet.
• • Place Bets: You place these in the boxes marked 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and are bets on whether that number will be rolled. The house edge ranges from 1.52% to 6.67%, so study which are the best odds.
• • Field Bet: A simple bet you make by placing chips in the "Field" box. You are betting whether the next roll is a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12, but you're hoping it's not 5, 6, 7, or 8.
• • Buy Bet: The buy bet pays out true odds, but you pay the casino a 5% fee if you win. Craps has six buy bets: Buy 4, Buy 5, Buy 6, Buy 8, Buy 9, and Buy 10. You hope the number you choose is rolled before a 7 is rolled.
• • Lay Bet: The lay bet is the opposite of the buy bet. You hope a 7 appears before the number you bet on appears. Craps has six lay bets: Lay 4, Lay 5, Lay 6, Lay 8, Lay 9, and Lay 10. Once again, lay bets pay true odds, but a 5% fee is charged when you win.
• • Hard Bet: Hardway bets pay out more, because you have to roll the chosen number with a pair. For instance, a Hard 4 bet requires a pair of 2s. A hard 6 bet requires a pair of 3s. Craps has four hardway bets: Hard 4, Hard 6, Hard 8, and Hard 10.
• • Hop Bet: A hop bet is similar to the hardway bets, because the exact numbers have to appear, though it isn't a pair. For instance, a Hop 3+1 bets means that the dice have to come up 3 and 1. Hops bets pay out 15:1 but have a small chance of succeeding.
• • Fire Bet: An unlikely bet in which you would need to roll a point 3-4 times before the 7 appears. If you made a Fire 8 bet, you would need to roll “8” three times before rolling a 7.
• • Big Bet: The Big 6 and Big 8 bets are 1:1 bets on whether the 6 or the 8 is rolled before the 7. Some casinos don't include these on the layout anymore.
• • Any Craps: You wager that a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled before the 7. This is tricky, because it pays out differently, based on the number rolled.
• • Craps + Yo: This is a four-number wager on the 2, 3, 11, and 12. A bet on eleven is called "Yo-eleven", because eleven might sound like seven in a noisy casino.
• • Taking the Odds: Once a point is established, you can take the odds on whether the point is rolled before a seven. Make this bet, which pays out at real odds (0% house edge).

Craps Strategy

While online slot games have less to do with strategy and more to do with luck, craps requires some level of skill. Your craps strategy will have a lot to do with avoiding the worst bets, while learning to take the odds on the best bets. The best and worst bets are listed below, so memorize each and wager accordingly. The best craps advice for new players is to learn about "taking the odds".

Once a point is established, a player can "take the odds" on the point being rolled before another 7 is rolled. This bet pays real odds, which means it pays 2:1 when the point is a 4 or 10, 3:2 when the point is a 5 or 9, and 6:5 when the point is a 6 or 8. Because it pays real odds, players are limited to betting a certain multiplier of the pass-line bet. Each casino sets a different limit to taking the odds, though 3-4-5x odds are common.

Craps Best Bets

Unlike many games, it's best to stick with the basic bets. It might look like those betting the exotic bets know what they're doing, but they don't. Among the bets listed below, we include a couple of alternatives that won't hurt you, if you get bored making the same wagers. Also, we include the "odds" bet, so you don't forget that option.

• • Pass Line Bet: The pass-line bet has a 1.41% house edge, so this basic bet is among the best.
• • Come Bet: The come bet, made after the come-out roll, has the same 1.41% house edge.
• • Don't Pass Bet: The don't pass bet is betting against the shooter. It has a 1.35% house edge.
• • Don't Come Bet: The don't come bet is the opposite of the come bet. It also has a 1.35% house edge.
• • Place 6 Bet: The place six bet has a house edge of 1.52%, so it's a solid wager.
• • Place 8 Bet: The place eight bet also has a 1.52% house edge.
• • Taking the Odds: Taking the odds has a 0% house edge, but only applies to other bets after the point is set.

Craps Worst Bets

As a general rule in gambling, the larger the payout on a bet, the higher the house edge. Craps is no different. The basic bets in craps, which have 1.35% to 1.41% house edges, only pay 1:1. The bets with the bigger payouts, such as the any-craps bet and the horn bet, are much more difficult to win.

The following craps bets tend to pay out large odds but have the worst house edge in dice shooting. For every $100 you wager, you can expect to lose between $11.11 and $16.90.

• • Any 7 Bet: The "Any 7" bet is the worst wager in craps, because it has a house edge of 16.90%.
• • Craps 2 Bet: If you wager that snake-eyes appears for a craps roll, it has a 13.90% house edge.
• • Craps 12 Bet: If you wager that boxcars appears, this bet also has a 13.90% house edge.
• • Horn Bet: The horn bet is wagered on the 2, 3, 11, and 12. If you hit 2 or 12, it pays out 30:1. A 3 or 11 pays out 15:1, but both have a 12.5% house edge.
• • Any Craps Bet: One option is to wager on any craps happening: 2, 3, or 12. This has a house edge of 11.11%.

Craps House Edge

From best to worst, here is the house edge for the many bets in craps. This should serve as a rough guide to picking which wagers to make. Remember to take the odds after the point is established, because "odds" bets have a 0% house edge.

• • Don't Pass Bet - 1.35%
• • Don't Come Bet - 1.35%
• • Pass Line Bet - 1.41%
• • Come Bet - 1.41%
• • Place Bet: 6 or 8 - 1.52%
• • Lay Bet: 4 or 10 - 2.44%
• • Lay Bet: 5 or 9 - 3.23%
• • Lay Bet: 6 or 8 - 4.00%
• • Place Bet: 5 or 9 - 4.00%
• • Buy Bet: 4 or 10 - 4.76%
• • Buy Bet: 5 or 9 - 4.76%
• • Buy Bet: 6 or 8 - 4.76%
• • Field Bet: 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 - 5.50%
• • Field Bet: 2 or 12 - 5.50%
• • Place Bet: 4 or 10 - 6.70%
• • Hard 6 or 8 Bet - 9.09%
• • Big 6 Bet - 9.09%
• • Big 8 Bet - 9.09%
• • Hard 4 or 10 Bet - 11.11%
• • Any Craps Bet - 11.11%
• • Craps Bet: 3 or 11 - 11.11%
• • Horn Bet: 3 or 11 - 12.5%
• • Horn Bet: 2 or 12 - 12.5%
• • Craps Bet: 2 or 12 - 13.90%
• • Any 7 Bet - 16.90%

As you can see, an overview of craps looks complicated, because of the huge number of betting options. However, dice shooting becomes a lot simpler once you know the basics and the best types of wagers. Play craps on Slots.lv in practice mode to learn the game, then sign up and play real money online craps.