ONLINE CRAPS

Craps is a classic casino game. Many an image of casino fun is one of a player shooting the dice across the felted table, surrounded by interesting bettors hoping to see the key number come up. If you enjoy the game of craps but can't get out to a casino, or just think it looks cool and want to get familiar with the game in the privacy of your own home, online craps is for you.

Playing online craps is easy. Just navigate to the virtual craps table from your main online casino screen. Once there, you'll be presented with the traditional craps table layout. To an untrained observer, this layout can be somewhat intimidating, as there are many boxes of numbers with a wide variety of side bets for you to choose from. Fortunately, since you are playing online, you can take all the time you need.

You'll start by putting a bet on the pass line. Drag as many chips as you want to bet onto the line around the edge of the layout. This is your pass line bet. Now click the dice to roll a number. If that number is a two, three or 12, it is "craps" and you automatically lose. If it is seven or 11, that's a natural, and you automatically win even money. Any other number is "the point." If you roll the point again before you roll a seven, you win. However, if you "seven out" you lose. Once the point is established, you can add an "odds bet" to your initial pass line bet. If you make your point, this bet is paid off at the true odds of rolling that particular number before a seven. Since there is no house edge on a true odds bet, the more you can wager at true odds, the better your chance of coming out ahead.

As you may have seen, there is betting action on every roll of the dice in a craps game, not just the "come out" roll, as it is called. After the point is established, you may make a come bet, which is essentially a new pass line bet. Whatever number is rolled immediately after your come bet is the point for that bet.

You can also bet don't pass or don't come, essentially betting that you will seven out before rolling your point. The other bets on the field are various proposition bets. For example, you can bet a hard way, meaning a number like eight will be rolled as double fours before it comes any other way or before a seven comes. You can bet that the next roll will be craps, or you can bet a specific number will come up even if it is not the point. These bets can be fun, but the odds on them are not as good relative to the true odds, even though they offer big payouts.