People head to the casino for a variety of different reasons. Some enjoy the social atmosphere while others look forward to the potential for achieving real money wins that playing lottery games, table games and slots for cash offers. Many come to the casino to play craps, one of the oldest games featured at the casino.
Craps is often misunderstood. To the observer, craps seems to be a world of its own – complex, intricate and involving a culture all its own. Craps players have their own language, their own social network and their own way of looking at what it means to immerse in a game of luck.
Many people don’t try to play craps because, on the face of it, it seems to be so complicated. But those who do take the time to learn the game tend to come back time and time again.
What makes casino craps so alluring?
Craps
No other game comes close to craps’ fast playing pace, complexity, special lingo and seemingly endless list of rules. It’s not easy to understand craps at the beginning but as the game gets underway and you gain experience, you’ll begin to understand it’s draw.
Craps is believed to have originated during the Crusader era when Crusader knights, under the command of Sir Willian Tyre, passed the time while laying siege on Castle Harzath. The game, which later came to be known as “Hazzard”, involved betting on thrown dice based on predictions of what numbers the dice would display after the toss. Geoffrey Chaucer mentioned Hazzard in his book Canterbury Tales and it was featured in European gambling houses of the 17th and 18th centuries and was favored by royalty and noblemen.
Hazzard crossed the ocean with European settlers who brought it first to America’s northeast coast and then, when settlers moved south to Louisiana, into the South. The rules that craps players follow today were finalized in the early 20th century and this was the game that was adopted by Las Vegas casinos when they began to be built in the 1930s.
Today craps is popular at casinos across the globe as well as at online casinos. The game generates an energetic and camaraderie-based atmosphere and appeals to gamers who want a challenge in their casino visit.
Playing Craps
Craps involves laying wagers on the outcome of a roll of the dice or on a series of dice rolls. Today, you can play craps online on your PC or your mobile device. Craps is available online for free in the Free Mode or for real money prizes in the Real Mode. You can also play craps at land-based casinos but there are no free craps games at retail casinos to practice.
When you play craps you play on a large table diagram. Before you throw the dice, you are asked to predict what the rolled dice will display. If you’re playing for real money you then wager on that prediction. Next, you roll the dice. Your payout is determined by how close your prediction came to the outcome of the roll. You’ll win if you predicted accurately.
Winning at craps online depends on the payout table and on the phase of the game in which you're playing and. In the come-out phase of online craps it’s most desirable to roll a 7 or an 11 and wager on the Pass Line. If you roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 you establish your "Point." Once you enter the Point phase you will be aiming to roll the same number as the Point prior to rolling a 7.
In addition to the main wager you can also place side bets. These include wagers such as the "All-Small-Tall" bet in which “Small” numbers (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) or “Tall” numbers (8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) need to be rolled before a 7.
Some people prefer to play craps at a land-based casino because that’s where they can enjoy the companionship of fellow players. Increasingly, however, craps aficionados are playing online where they can enjoy a high-quality game with visual stimulation, compelling animations, a realistic sound track of casino shouts and applause and vivid graphics.
These combine to provide craps players with a genuine Las Vegas casino craps adventure that they can play at their leisure anytime and from any location.
Play Craps Online
To play craps online, choose “Craps” from the games lobby and open the game. Decide on your wager – you can play craps for free, at budget level or for high stakes. Click “Deposit” to make your bet and then "Roll." Depending on the number that you roll, you'll either establish a “Point” or win on the "Come-Out Roll."
If you establish a Point, you can click "Roll" a second time as you attempt to match the Point. If you're in the Come-Out phase, you must roll a Natural to win either a Pass Line or a Don't Pass bet.
If you meet the Point, you win the amount that's displayed in the Win box and If you win the Come-Out Roll you'll collect the amount that you see on the payout table.
If you roll a 7, the game ends. While trying to make the Point, aim to match the point before you roll a 7. When you start again, the Come-Out phase begubs.
Online Craps Wagers
Craps bets vary but in general:
- A passline bet refers to your prediction that you'll establish a Point or roll a Natural on the Come-Out roll.
- You can only wager on Come Bets after you establish a Point.
- Don't Pass Bets, also known as a Don't Pass Line Bets, involve wagers which are based on the prediction that you will establish a Point or that you will achieve Craps. You can only place a Don't Come Bet after a Point is established.
- Odds Bets/Taking Odds bets can be placed after a Point has been made on the Come Bet, the Pass Line bet, the Don't Pass Bet, the Don't Come Bet or the Place Bet after the Come-Out Roll.
Even after 1000 years, craps continues to be a captivating and dynamic game fascinates and enthralls gamers from around the world. If you like games of chance that offer a challenge, give craps a try.
