Craps Rules

Craps is one of the most exciting dice games at any casino.  It seems simple right, you toss the dice and hope for the best.  Well, there are many craps rules that go along with this game.  We will attempt to layout a number of these craps rules so you don’t do something you’ll regret the next time you play craps.  These are rules but we also have a nice article on how to play craps as well.

Main game play: The 1st roll made by the shooter is called the Come Out roll.  If a 7 or 11 is hit, the Pass Line bets are won and a new round is started by the same roller.  If a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled they have rolled craps.  The Pass Line bets are lost and a new roller can roll.  If the shooter rolls a 4,5,6,8,9,10 this is called a point.  Now, the shooter has to roll that number again prior to rolling a 7 for the Pass Line bets to win.

Handling the dice: The shooter must always handle the dice with 1 hand.  Only the shooter may handle the dice.  When throwing the dice, they must go all the way across the table and hit the back wall.  If for some odd reason the dice are thrown off the table, that roll is a “no roll” and bets are reimbursed.  The dice are then inspected thoroughly before used again.

Making bets: For Pass Line bets, Don’t pass bets, Come Line bets, Field bets, Big-6 bets and Big-8 bets – you can place your own chips on the table.  For bets on numbers or proposition bets, you must toss your chips in and tell the stickman or dealer to place your bet for you.  You may place bets anytime between rolls.  But Pass Line and Don’t Pass Line bets can only be placed if a “point” has been thrown.  If no bets are on the table, no roll will be thrown.

Who’s at a craps table: This isn’t necessarily a rule but it helps to know what to expect around a craps table.  The person throwing the dice is a “shooter”.  People betting for the shooter to win are typically called “right bettors” and people betting for the shooter to lose are called “wrong bettors”.  There are usually 2 dealers, one at each end of the table.  The dealers pay off winning bets and collect losing bets.  A stickman who does the announcing and dice handling after each roll.  A boxman who is usually the casino executive in charge of the cash at that table.

Hope these craps rules help you as you continue to learn the game of craps.  Some of these rules might not apply to online craps.  Likewise, there are probably some specific rules that each online craps table has.  Be sure to check the local craps rules at the table you are playing at before you start throwing money onto the table.