Craps – it’s the fastest game in town, and the most exciting. Introduced from Europe to New Orleans in the l800’s, this dice game reached its peak of popularity in World War ll. That’s when American Gls discovered it, and it’s still a casino favorite. The layout looks complicated until you realize that both ends of the table have the same diagrams, and the middle is filled with proposition bets, which you’re better off not knowing about anyway. It’s fast and furious, but just like it’s neighbor Keno you can win a lot of money with a modicum of luck. You can also try out the rules in various freeplay online casinos – try this one through the link to play Keno online for real money.
There are four people who run the game of Craps and it’s important to understand all their roles. The boxman, sitting in the middle behind the table, watches the dice . . . settles all disputes . . . and crams all the money in the box, hence his name “boxman.” The two dealers, one on each side of him, pay off the bets on their section of the table. The stickman, who stands on the player’s side of the table, controls the pace of the game and barks out the numbers as they roll. He is called a stickman because of the limber rattan pole he uses to push the dice to the shooter.
Other equipment of the game includes the dice bowl, where spare dice are kept; the puck, which marks the point during each hand; and the marker buttons, some- times known as “lammers,” which are used to keep track of call bets and lOU’s. To start a hand, the shooter selects two dice and rolls them across the table so that they hit the wall at the other end. If he rolls 7 or ll he wins whatever he bet on the “Pass Line.” If he throws a 2, 3 or 12 he has rolled a “craps” and he loses his “Pass Line” bet.
He hasn’t lost the dice, though——just his money and his friends. lf he rolls a 4, 5,6, 8, 9 or 10 that becomes the “point” and he must roll that number again before he rolls a 7. And that’s it. The most important thing to remember about craps is that at no time are you betting with or against the house; you are betting with or against the dice. lf you bet with the dice or with the shooter, bet on the “Pass Line.” To bet against the dice, bet on the “Don’t Pass.”
When betting the “Pass Line” you should take the odds, once a point is established. This money, up to double the amount you have on the “Pass Line” (in casinos that have double odds) goes behind your original bet, and pays you the true house odds on any point number. It’s the only fair bet in the casino! You get two to one if the point is 4 or 10; three to two if the point is 5 or 9; and six to five if the point is 6 or 8. “Come Bets” are also popular if the shooter is rolling lots of numbers. This money comes to the next number thrown with the exact same rules that are applied to “Pass Line” bets too. Remember you can also place bets and take odds on these too.