If ever a game existed that could draw a crowd and keep them coming, it’s got to be Craps. It’s the most social of all table games for a reason.
Ever since the ancient Romans threw dice made of pig knuckles against their shields, the game has really gotten around. First England, then France, then the US.
The point is – across the span of time and the spread of the Earth, people have been eagerly learning how to play Craps. Luckily for us, we can play Craps online for an easy, prosperous run at one of the world’s oldest games. No pig knuckles required.
Before you bolt off to play Craps online, take a second to make sure you know how to play Craps the best way – AKA the way to victory.
How to Bet the Pass Line
The first step in knowing how to bet and play Craps is understanding the Pass Line. This is the fundamental bet in online Craps, and the very first move of the game.
On the online Craps board, the first thing you do is drag your chips to the bottom on the area that says Pass Line. What you’re doing here is betting on the dice to land on either a 7 or 11 on the come out roll (the first roll of the dice). If the come out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (which is called a Craps), you lose the Pass Line bet.
If any other number comes out on the come out roll (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), that’s called a point. The dice is rolled again. If the established point number comes out again before a 7, you win your bet. If a 7 is rolled before the point number, you lose.
How to Bet the Don’t Pass Line
The Don’t Pass Line is the exact opposite of the Pass Line. With a Don’t Pass Bet, rolling a 2 or 3 on the come out roll means you’ve won your bet, and rolling a 12 means it’s a push. If the come out roll is a 7 or 11, you’ve lost the Don’t Pass bet.
If none of those numbers are rolled, the dice continues to roll until either a point is established or a 7 comes out. If a 7 is rolled before the point is established, you win the Don’t Pass bet.
In both regular and online Craps, both the Pass and Don’t Pass bets pay out even money.
Come and Don’t Come Bets
The Come bets are the next step after the Pass Line.
You can only make Come/Don’t Come bets after a point is established from the Pass Line bet that just occurred. The dice will roll again, which is also called the come out roll.
To start this bet, drag your chips onto the area that says “Come”. If you’re playing on mobile, you’ll know it’s time for this bet because the section will be lit up.
Once your chips are in place, click on “roll”. From here, the same rules apply as the Pass and Don’t Pass bets. If it’s a Come bet, you must roll either a 7 or 11 to win. If it’s a Don’t Come bet, you win on a 2 or a 3. For the Don’t Come bet, a 12 is a tie.
Ok, those are the main bets when you play Craps online. Let’s look at what really draws the crowds.
Odds Bets
The beauty of online Craps is in the side bets. There are a multitude of ways to make money from all angles in the game. One of the most popular ways to pad out the Craps payday is with Odds bets.
You can do odds bets in two ways: Buying the Odds, and Laying the Odds. Both of these bets can only take place after a point is established. They’re both based on whether or not a 7 or 11 is rolled after the point.
When you buy the odds, you can bet on the odds up to three times your Pass Line bet. If a point is rolled before a 7, you win the bet.
When you lay the odds, you want just the opposite: a 7 to be rolled before a point.
Place 6 and Place 8
You can make a Place 6 or Place 8 bet on any come out roll and you can remove it at any time. It means you’re betting on either a 6 or an 8 to come out before a 7. You can do a Place Bet with any other point as well, but 6 and 8 have the highest odds of winning at 13.89%, so naturally they’re more popular.
Other Bets in Craps at Casinos
But wait… there’s more! When you learn how to play Craps, you’ll quickly see there’s practically no limit to the betting options. These are some other popular bets to spice up the game while playing at an online casino.
Buy Bets: This is when you bet on any of the points to be rolled before a 7. If you win this bet, you pay a 4% commission to the house, but you also get paid at true odds. (Pro tip: go for 6 and 8).
Lay Bets: Yep, you guessed it – the opposite of Buy Bets. This time you’re betting on a 7 to be rolled before a point. You also get paid at true odds minus a 4% commission.
Hard Ways: You’re essentially betting on a pair to be rolled before a 7. So if you bet on a Hard 4, you’re betting on a pair of 2s. You can also do Hard 6 (pair of threes), Hard 8 (pair of fours) or Hard 10 (pair of fives).
And that, my friends, is how to play online Craps. Don’t worry if it sounds kind of confusing. You can get the hang of the flow on practice mode before you deposit and play Craps for real money. Once you get going, you’ll be stoked at how fun and exciting it is! Until next time – Bodog out.