Craps is played on a special table and two dice are used. The dice are made after very strict standards and are routinely inspected for any damage. As a matter of course, the dice are replaced with new ones after about eight hours of use, and casinos have implemented rules in the way a player handles them similar to how cards are used in blackjack. The numbers 2, 3, and 12 are called craps numbers and mean bettors lose. The winning and losing numbers vary depending on the stage of the game. If the player establishes a point, 7 becomes a losing number.

• 2 Dice Craps Rules For Beginners
• 2 Dice Craps Rules Dice Game
• 2 Dice Craps Rules
• 2 Dice Craps Rules Against
• 2 Dice Craps Rules How To Play

Craps can be one of the most entertaining games in the casino. Ever seen a bunch of people cheering together around a craps table? The beauty of the game is that when a player is on the roll, everybody playing at that table can win! This is because everybody is betting on the same roll of the dice. So you just have to spot a lucky player, and play with him/her.

Read our Craps Bonus page to find the best casino’s where you can clear a casino bonus while playing Craps.

History of Craps

Games with dice have been around for thousands of years, some even date from the Roman Empire. There are also known storys about the Indians who used square bones to force decisions. The craps game originates from a game that was played in England during the 18th and 19th century; the game ‘Hazard’. This game became very popular in France around the year 1800 and they gave it the name Craps.

The basics of Craps

At first glance Craps seems to be a rather complicated game, which is because of the many betting options the game offers. But if you study the rules closer, it appears to be a very easy game. For every round of betting two dice have to be thrown, and players get a chance to bet the amount of pips that will be thrown. Betting is done at a table such as the one shown on the right here.

The standard opening bet has to be placed on the ‘pass line bet’ (number one in the picture). This bet is placed before the first role of the dice and is called the ‘come out roll’. In case the total value of the pips of the two dice is 7 or 11, the player wins, for a total value of 2, 3 or 12 the players looses. Every other value will become the ‘point’ and will be marked with the ‘ON’ button in the corresponding box. The player will now throw again until he/she throws the ‘point’ number again (player wins) or he/she throws a seven (players looses). The bet can not be replaced/removed in between, the player has to roll over and over again until a seven or the point number is thrown.

Other betting options

Next to the ‘pass line bet’ there are several other betting options that will be discussed now.

Pass Line Bet (1)

Has just been described. Player will be payed twice the wager.

Don’t Pass Line Bet (2)

This bet is the opposite of the Pass Line Bet. In case you throw a two or a three, you win. In case of a seven or eleven, you loose. A twelve will make a tie and you will get your bet back, this is called a ‘push’. Every other number will become the point number. When the player next throws a seven he/she will win. In case the point number is thrown first, the player looses.

Opposite to the Pass Line Bet the Don’t Pass Line Bet can be modified/removed in between.

Come Bet (4)

The Come Bet is the same as the Pass Line Bet, with the only difference that no opening roll is required.

Don’t Come Bet (5)

2 Dice Craps Rules For Beginners

The Don’t Come Bet is similar to the Don’t Pass Line Bet, with the only difference that no opening roll is required.

Odds Bet (3)

2 Dice Craps Rules Dice Game

With the Odds Bet you can raise your earlier bet on the (Don’t) Pass Line or (Don’t) Come Bet. This can be a maximum raise of three times the wager.

Field Bet (6)

With a Field Bet you gamble that the next role will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. For every 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 the bank will pay you double your bet (1-1), for every 2 or 12 the bank will pay you three times the bet (2-1). Every 5, 6, 7 or 8 will make you loose your bet.

Place Bets (7)

There are two kinds of ‘place bets’. A place bet is betting on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 before a seven is thrown. A ‘place bet’ is placed at the bottom of the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 box. A ‘place lose bet’ means betting on a seven before a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. A place lose bet is placed in the top of the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 box.

Buy Bet (8)

A buy bet is similar to the Place Bet. Difference is that the win odds are exactly similar to the chances you get. Because the bank has to have an edge you will have to pay 5% of your winnings to the bank. Another option is to place a ‘Place Lose Bet’ which in turn is similar to the Don’t Lose Bet.

Big 6 and Big 8 Bet (9)

Betting on the Big 6 is betting that a six is thrown before the seven. Betting on the Big 8 is thinking that an eight will be thrown before a seven will appear. Winning the bet will get you twice your bet.

Any Craps (10)

The ‘Any Craps’ bet will let you win if the next roll is a 2, 3 or 12. This bet will pay you 7 times your bet.

Hardways (11)

This one is betting on the combination of the dice. The picture says it all.

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2 Dice Craps Rules

We’ve played craps a time or two during our innumerable Las Vegas outings, but until recently had never heard the term “burning the dice.”

A helpful yet surly floor supervisor at one of our favorite casinos shared that “burning the dice” is a method cheaters use, so it’s not permitted.

“Burning the dice” is when a player rubs the dice against the table felt repeatedly in an attempt to dull the corners and influence the roll.

Players should take care to avoid friction with the felt, as well as casino management.

Casinos are always on the lookout for cheaters, of course, so there are a number of rules and procedures to prevent tampering with the dice or making rolls less random, the way Mother Nature intended.

Longtime followers of this blog will recall we compiled a list of 11 Casino Dice Security Measures to Keep Players From Cheating. It was the one time we did “research” and “took notes.”

Security steps include the serial numbers on dice, making dice translucent, backfilling the pips, canceling used dice and the aforementioned sharp corners.

The dots on dice are pips. When they’re drilled, they’re filled back in (backfilled) to ensure perfect balance.

Here’s a fun game. Whenever you see an advertisement for a casino, make sure to notice whether the dice have rounded or sharp corners. If the corners are rounded, you know somebody slipped up, as dice with rounded corners are never used in casinos.

Dice with rounded corners are typically used in board games and for other non-gambling purposes.

Once you start noticing dice corners, you can’t not see them!

Even bigtime movies get casino dice wrong. Check out this still from the popular documentary starring Bruce Willis, “Armageddon.”

We trust this prop person never worked in Hollywood again.

We call “no roll” on that one! Landing on an asteroid to divert it from a collision course with Earth is a lot more believable than a casino using dice with rounded corners.

Now, you know.

2 Dice Craps Rules Against

Knowing what “burning the dice” is will win you a bar bet someday, or at least help you avoid the wrath of a casino pit boss.

2 Dice Craps Rules How To Play

Note: Yes, we know a pit boss is different from a floor supervisor. We honestly didn’t expect you to read this far.