Craps is a very intricate dice game, whose origins can be dated back as far as the Crusades, and which has been made popular in recent decades by large parts of the African American community. Even though its rules can be somewhat confusing at first, the fact that its main tools are just two dice has made it a game which can be played anywhere, at anytime. The premise of craps is to bet on the outcome of the throw of the dice. In the case of online casinos the player is wagering money against the bank.
Players take turns rolling the dice twice; the person who is doing so is called the shooter. The most fundamental bet in craps is the pass line bet. This bet is won right away if the come-out roll, the first roll of a new round, is a 7 or an 11. However, if this very first roll is a 2, 3, or a 12 then that money is lost right away. In the case of any other number being thrown (4 ,5, 6, 8, 9, 10) that total is called "the point", meaning the shooter has to roll that same number again to win the pass line bet, but if he rolls a 7 before that he loses his bet.
The don't pass bet is fundamentally the exact opposite of the pass line bet. If on the first roll of the round (come-out roll) a 2 or 3 is thrown the bet is won, if it's a 7 or 11 the bet is lost. If the dice show 12 it's a draw and there are neither winners nor losers. All other numbers become "the point" and in order to win the don't pass bet a 7 has to be thrown before the point. In either case a 7 ends the round and the dice are being passed on to the next player in a clockwise direction.
There are also a number of other bets that a player can make in a game of craps. Single roll bets, for example, allow the player to bet on a specific number being thrown in one dice roll.
Come/Don't come bets are very similar to the pass line/don't pass bets except for the fact that it can be placed at any time in the game, even after the come-out roll has already been thrown.
Multi roll bets require more than one roll in order to being settled, they generally are made after "the point" is established. Examples are big 6 and big 8 where either a 6 or an 8 has to be thrown before the 7, the player can choose between one of the two. Another example is "the hard way", where a player has to throw 4, 6, 8, or 10 before throwing a 7 but the two dice have to have identical value (2-2, 3-3, 4-4 or 5-5), or the subsequent "easy way", where a player has to throw 4, 6, 8, or 10 but the two dice don't have to show the same numbers.
The payouts on the different bets depend on the corresponding odds. Even though a game of craps might seem challenging at first, being capable of understanding all the rules and making smart bets at the right time might provide satisfaction in itself. Online casinos provide the best possible occasion to learn the ins and outs of this admittedly complicated game. No dealer or fellow player to get impatient when the player wants to take his time thinking about which bets to make. Online casinos are so easily accessible that even for people who can only dedicate little time to it each day, becoming a well versed craps player is not off limits.
