casino crapsCasino Craps is a complicated game. There barebones structure of it is the same as street craps. However, table craps has dozens of possible bets, and requires a "dealer" to keep track over the table and to call bets. Below are links to a craps primer, and a free online craps game.
Dice termsin craps, as well as many other games, there's a particular vocabulary to go along with the action. Here's a little insight into the language of crapshooters.
Aces: A roll of one and one. Snake eyes. Craps. Bones: The dice Bounce: In a craps game, the dice must bounce off of something else - a box, the raised side of a table, a wall - to count. If the dice do not bounce, the roll does not count, and the shooter re-rolls. Boxcars: A roll of six and six. Craps. Coming Out: A shooter's first roll - determines if they win, crap out, or make a point. On the coming out roll, 7 or 11 is a win for the shooter. 2, 3, or 12 (craps) is a lose for the shooter. Any other number becomes the established "point," and the shooter rolls again. Craps: A roll of 2, 3, or 12 on the coming out roll. A loss for the shooter, but a win for "don't pass" bettors. Easy: A roll is referred to as "easy" if the numbers are not doubles. For example, an "easy 6" could be comprised of a 5 and a 1, or a 2 and a 4. "The easy way" can also be used, as in "a 6, the easy way." Fade: To cover someone's bet with your own money Hard: A roll is referred to as "hard" if the numbers are double. For example, a "hard eight" would be comprised of two fours. "The hard way" can also be used, as in "an 8, the hard way." Natural: A roll of 7 or 11 on the coming out roll. A win for the shooter. and "pass" bettors. Seven Out: After the point has been established, if a shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, he has "sevened out," and lost. Snake Eyes: A roll of two - a one and a one. The ones on the dice are thought to resemble beady eyes - like snakes'. |
street crapsStreet Craps - sometimes referred to as "ghetto craps," or "throwing dice" - is a watered-down version of the casino game, often played in informal settings.
The most notable difference is the lack of a "dealer" or a formal craps table, making some of the complicated casino betting impossible in this setting. The dice-holding player (the shooter) simply throws the dice, with other players covering his wager. The first roll is called the "come out" roll. On the come out roll, players are betting on the first outcome of "Pass" or "Don't Pass." If the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11, Pass bets are winners (including the shooter, who is automatically on a pass bet) and the round is over. However, if the Player rolls "craps" - that is, a 2, 3, or 12 - all Don't Pass bets are winners (the shooter and all Pass bettors have lost) and the round is now over. However, if the shooter rolls any of the remaining numbers - 4,5,6,8,9, or 10 - said number (4,5,6,8,9 or 10) becomes the "point," If a point is established, the round continues on with some new rules. Once a point is established, all Pass bets turn into Come bets - betting that the player will roll the point number again before they "7 out" (roll a 7). Don't Pass bets turn into Don't Come bets, meaning that the gamblers are now betting that the shooter will 7 out before rolling the point number. At this point, the bettors can increase their bets, or place additional bets, if they choose. Once a point is established, the shooter's turn is over when he rolls either the point number or a 7, and the dice are passed on to the next shooter. Let us say that Sky Masterson is shooter in a craps game. On the come out roll, Sky shoots a 4. Now, the point is established as a 4. The bets change. The players who bet on Pass are now betting Come - their money is riding on Sky rolling a 4 before he rolls a 7. The Don't Pass bets become Don't Come bets - they have their money riding on a number 7 - before a 4. Sky rolls again, and this time rolls a 9. Basically, nothing happens. Sky rolls a third time - this time, he rolls a 7. All the players with Come bets - including Sky - have lost their money, and the players with Don't Come bets have won. The round is over, and Sky gives the dice to the next player. Though Craps seems like an all chance and luck game, it is possible to be good at craps. Knowing the odds of any particular roll helps immensely, and any career gambler will factor this in. For example, there are more ways to roll a 7 (3 and 4, 6 and 1, 5 and 2) than there are to roll a 4 (2 and 2, 3 and 1) - if the point is 4, a Don't Come bet is more likely to win than a Come bet. Though cheating in a chance game is difficult, it was possible to tip the odds with the use of weighted dice. Thus, using one's own dice at a craps game was highly suspect. |
information drawn from:
"Street Craps." Craps.net. PokerCompany.com, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.