Craps
is a dice game played against other players or
a bank. Craps developed from a simplification
of the Old English game hazard. Its origins are
highly complex and may date to the Crusades, later
being influenced by French gamblers. What was
to become the modern American version of the game
was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier Philippe
de Marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana
landowners and a gambler and politician. The game,
first known as crapaud (a French word meaning
"toad") reportedly owes its modern popularity
from its being spread through the African-American
community.
In
craps, players may wager money against each other
(street craps) or the bank (bank craps) on the
outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of
two dice. Because it requires very little equipment,
craps can easily be played in less formal settings,
and is said to be popular among soldiers. In such
situations side bets are more frequent, with one
or several participants covering or "fading"
bets against the dice.
The
rules of play against a bank or casino
Bank
craps is a game played by one or more players
against a casino. The casino covers all player
bets at a table and sets the odds on its payout.
Players take turns rolling two dice. The player
rolling the dice is called the "shooter."
Other players at the table will make bets on the
shooter's dice rolls. The game is played in rounds,
with the first roll of a new round called the
"come-out roll". The second round resolves
with a point being rolled or a seven.
To
begin, a player wishing to play as the shooter
must bet the table minimum on either the "Pass"
line or the "Don't Pass" line (pass
and don’t pass are sometimes called “Win”
and “Don’t Win” bets for the
outcome of a shooter’s round). A player
next in turn to become shooter may refuse the
dice, but may still play; the dice then pass to
the next willing player in turn. The shooter is
then presented five dice by the stickman, and
must choose two to roll with. The remaining dice
are returned to the stickman's bowl and are not
used. The shooter then makes a "come-out
roll" with the intention of establishing
a point. If the shooter's come-out roll is a 2,
3 or 12, it is called "craps"; the round
ends with players losing their pass line bets.
A come-out roll of 7 or 11 is called a "natural,"
resulting in a win for pass line bets (and a loss
for don't pass bets). Either way, the come-out
roll continues until a point is established. If
the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled on
the come-out, this number becomes the "point"
and the come out roll is now over. The dealers
will move an "On" button (or puck) to
the point number which identifies the point number
to all players at the table. The shooter will
now continue rolling until either the point is
rolled or a seven. If the shooter is successful
in rolling the point, the result is a win for
the pass line (and a loss for the don't pass).
If the shooter rolls a seven (called a "seven-out"),
the pass line loses (and the don't pass wins).
A seven-out ends the round with the dice being
passed (clockwise) to the next player who wishes
to become the new shooter.
A
player wishing to play craps without being the
shooter should approach the craps table and first
check to see if the dealer's "On" button
is on any of the point numbers. If the point number
is "Off" then the table is in the come-out
round. If the dealer's button is on, some casinos
allow a pass/don't pass bet to be placed in either
round. All proposition bets may be placed in either
of the two rounds.
Players
can make a large number of bets for each round
or each roll. Most bets are on the way the round
will end (point comes or a seven-out). Other betting
can include betting on a specific total being
rolled, or some other specific total besides the
point being rolled before a 7. In a casino, players
will make bets with chips on a specially made
craps table.
A
casino craps table is run by four casino employees:
a boxman who guards the chips, supervises the
dealers and handles colouring out players; two
base dealers who stand to either side of the boxman
who collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands
directly across the table from the boxman, takes
bets in the center of the table (hard ways, yo,
craps, horn etc), announces the results of each
roll, collects the dice with an elongated wooden
stick, and directs the base dealers to pay winners
from bets in the center of the table. Each employee
makes sure the other is paying out winners correctly.
Occasionally, during off-peak times, only one
base dealer will be attending the table, rendering
only half the table open for bettors.
The
dealers will usually insist that the shooter roll
with one hand and that the dice bounce off the
far wall surrounding the table. These requirements
are meant to keep the game fair (preventing switching
the dice or making a "controlled shot").
If a die leaves the table, the shooter will usually
be asked to select another die from the remaining
three but can request using the same die if it
passes the boxman's inspection. This requirement
is used to keep the game fair (and reduce the
chance of loaded dice). (Credit: Wikipedia).
