How to Play Craps

Most online casino games are intentionally designed for you to pick them up in just a few minutes. Roulette is a classic example, as beginners can simply pick a number and bet on it. Craps is pretty unique, because you can only learn the rules by being taught how craps games work. It’s not particularly intuitive.

In this guide on how to play online craps, we’ll explain exactly how to play, what bets are available, and a few tips for beginners.

What Is Craps?

Craps is an online casino dice game with a funny name. The game is played with a pair of dice, one person rolling (known as the shooter), and multiple players betting on the outcome.

Although it’s one of the most iconic games you’ll have seen played in movies and TV shows, with one player rolling the dice and the players surrounding the table erupting with cheers, it’s quite underrepresented at online crypto casinos.

But you can still find it, and it’s a really interesting game.

How to Play Craps Online

If you’re reading our guide on how to play craps online, we’re gonna take a stab in the dark and assume you don’t want to kick things off with massive, complicated bets. Instead, we’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to play craps which is aimed specifically at beginners.

Once you have more experience playing online craps, you can branch out and place some more adventurous wagers.

Here’s how to play craps for beginners:

1. Place a Pass Line bet
   You don’t have to make this bet, but it’s a simple starting point for beginners. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, you win right away. If not, you want the point (whichever number the shooter rolls first) to be rolled before a 7.
2. Shooter rolls
   The designated shooter throws the first roll, known as the Come Out roll. The number rolled is known as the point for the rest of that round. When playing online craps, the dice are rolled automatically.
3. Check the number
   If it’s a 7 or 11, your Pass Line bets wins. If it’s a 2, 3 or 12, you lose. Any other number becomes the point.
4. Keep rolling
   Channel your inner Limp Bizkit and keep rolling until one of two things happen: you hit the point again (win) or a 7 is rolled (lose).
5. End the round
   When a 7 eventually hits, the round is over.

Online Craps Betting Options

There are plenty of ways to bet in craps outside of just betting on one number. Here, we’ll explain all the different craps betting options, with an explanation of what each one means.

Here’s a list of the available bets in online craps:

• Big 6 or Big 8: Betting on there being either a 6 or an 8 before a 7.
• Buy: Like a Place Win, but paid at true odds. You must pay a commission, though.
• Come: Like a Pass Line bet, but after the point is set.
• Don’t Come: Like a Don’t Pass bet, but after the point is set.
• Don’t Pass: You’ll win if the shooter loses on 2 or 3 on their first roll, or if a 7 is hit before the point.
• Field bets: A single-roll bet that wins on a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.
• Hardways: Betting not just on a number, but that it will be rolled as a double. The bet keeps going until a hard pair or 7 is rolled.
• Hop bets: Betting on the specific outcome of both dice, paying between 15/1 and 30/1.
• Lay: Betting on a 7 coming before a chosen number.
• Multi-roll bets: Bets placed on the outcomes of multiple rolls.
• Odds Bet: A side bet made after the point is set, paid at true odds with no house edge.
• Pass Line: You’ll win if the shooter rolls 7 or 11 on their first roll, or if the point is hit before a 7.
• Place Lose: Bet after the Come Out on a 7 being rolled before a selected number.
• Place Win: Bet on a specific number being rolled before a 7.
• Proposition bets: There are several prop bets available:
  • 2, 12 and all hard hop bets
  • 3, 11 and all easy hop bets
  • Any crap (2, 3 or 12)
  • Any 7
• Single-roll bets: Any bet that’s settled in one roll.

Craps Paytable

There are many different bets you can place in craps. Much like online roulette bet types, some are obvious while others are a bit more niche.

Here’s a cheat sheet of craps bets and their odds:

Useful Tips When Playing Craps

Craps can be a confusing casino game, which is why it’s best to stick to a simple strategy and focus on bets with the lowest house edge.

Here are three tips to improve your online craps strategy:

• Use the odds bet. With zero house edge, the odds bet is the best option after the point is established. This includes betting on a 4 or 10 (2/1), a 5 or 9 (3/2), or a 6 or 8 (6/5).
• Come/Don’t Come has a low edge. Whichever way you go, these bets have an average house edge of just 1.41%. It’s the same situation as the Pass Line bet, so make sure you include these in your craps strategy.
• Don’t bet on any 7. Most players know that, when you roll two dice, the most common number is a 7. But betting on any 7 offers alarmingly poor odds, paying out at 4/1 when true odds should be 5/1. The house edge is 16.67%.