When we think of gambling, there are probably a few images that come to everyone’s mind: a roulette wheel, glamorous ladies, a deck of cards, and of course, dice. The most infamous of all dice games is undoubtedly craps. Craps is one of the most exciting casino games out there, characterized by a large group of people cheering and shouting around a table while women blow on the dice and one lone person holds the fate of everyone’s bet in the palm of their hand and prays they don’t roll a seven. For the new gambler however, it can also be one of the most intimidating games to learn. There are plenty of other gambling portals, like http://www.crapson-line.com, that tell you where to play- but not how.
The table layout is a bit confusing, with no clear pattern or sensible way to understand it unless you’re ‘in the know’ already. The game is very fast-paced when you’re in the casino, and it doesn’t seem like anyone wants to tell you the rules. The payouts are somewhat complicated, and then there’s all the strange phrases. What exactly is the ballerina, for instance, and why would someone say that after rolling the die? Well, a ballerina is a roll of 4, made by 2 twos. Get it? And craps isn’t nearly as difficult as it seems, though it may take you a while to remember the names for all the different bets.
The best way to start out learning craps is to play for free online and to start by only making bets on the pass/come wagers. You place a bet on the pass line. If you look at the image, you’ll see that the Pass Line block is on the outside of the main layout.
Place your chip in this spot and roll the die. This first roll is called the Come Out roll. If you roll a 2, 3, or 12, you’ll automatically lose your wager- this is called craps. However, if you roll a 7 or 11, you automatically win. If you roll any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that number becomes what is called the Point and the dealer will place a marker onto the table just above that number so that everyone knows what you rolled. Now begins the next phase of gameplay. You have the option of placing certain other bets now before you roll for the second time. I recommend placing a chip behind the outer most line of the Pass Line block (right behind your other chip). This is called taking the odds, and it will increase your payout if you win.
Now, when you roll the second time, your goal is to roll the same number you rolled the first time before you roll a 7. A 7 will automatically end the round and you’ll lose your pass line wager. To add a level of excitement to this phase, you can also place a new bet on the Come space in the middle of the layout. The Come bet acts just like the Pass line, with the exception that you can’t place a bet on it for your first roll.
The other bets include proposition bets, field bets, and others, but start with the Pass/Come bets and as you get used to how this works, you can move into learning the other types of wagers one by one. After you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself impressing everyone with your skill and knowledge at one of the most complicated casino games out there.


