Craps is the Hottest Casino Game

Craps gambling has become synonymous with wagering excitement and fun. American craps originated on the Mississippi River during the steamboat era of the 1800's. Since then, craps has become the loudest, fastest, and most adrenaline producing game in any casino. And as far as casino games go, it has better odds than any other game.

Craps is a simplification of the Old English game hazard. Its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers. What was to become the modern American version of the game was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana landowners and a gambler and politician. The game, first known as crapaud reportedly owes its modern popularity from its being spread through the African-American community.

In craps, players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of two dice. Craps can also be played in less formal settings and is said to be popular among soldiers. In such situations side bets are more frequent, with one or several participants covering or "fading" bets against the dice.

Craps can also be one of the most intimidating gambling games for a new player. Usually there are over a dozen players at a table, all yelling and excited. This would make almost anyone think that such a game is crazy and confusing. Heck, even the layout of the craps table seems overwhelmingly complex to a new player. But in spite of the noise and excitement at the craps table, it's actually one of the easiest games to play in a casino.

Craps is a game played by 1 or more players. Players take turns rolling two dice. The player rolling the dice is called the "shooter". The game is played in rounds, with the first roll of a new round called the "come-out roll."

The first time you ever get to a craps table, make a small bet on the pass line. The pass line is the strip that runs all around the craps table's layout.

This small bet that you just made on the pass line is called a come-bet. That's because the first throw of the dice is a come-out roll. At this point, you're hoping to roll a 7 or an 11 if you're the shooter, or hope that the person who is throwing the dice rolls a 7 or an 11. On the come-out roll, a 7 or an 11 is a winner automatically, so if that happens, you're already a winner.

On the other hand, if the shooter rolls a 2, a 3, or a 12, then he's rolled "craps", which is an automatic loss.

Any other number establishes a pass-line point. The shooter's goal at this point is to roll this number again before rolling a 7. If he does roll the pass-line point before rolling a 7, then again, you win. But if he rolls a 7 before rolling the pass-line point, then you lose, and the hand ends. In this case, the dice move to another player, who becomes the new shooter.

Players can make any of a large number of bets. Most of these are betting on the way the round will end (point comes or a seven out). Other betting can include betting on a specific total being rolled, or a specific total being rolled before a 7. In a casino players will make bets with chips on a specially made craps table.

A casino craps table is run by four casino employees: a boxman who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring out players; two base dealers who stand to either side of the boxman and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the boxman and announces the results of each roll and then collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick. He is also in charge of managing the bets made on the center of the table.

So if the shooter doesn't roll craps, and the shooter doesn't roll a 7 or an 11, he's rolled a point number. When he rolls a point number, you should put another small bet behind your original bet. This extra bet is called a free-odds bet or just an odds bet.

Your original bet (the pass line bet you made) gets paid out as even money if you win. Your odds bet, on the other hand, gets paid out as a true-odds money. So even though you have to put extra money up for this wager, it's a great bet, because the house edge on this bet is exactly 0. (Any time the house pays out money in a true odds fashion, the house edge is exactly 0. Almost all casino game bets pay out at less than their true odds, which is why a casino is a profitable business to run.)

This bet isn't even shown on the layout of the craps table. That's because it's such a great bet for the player, and not such a good bet for the casino.

Playing a pass-line bet and then a free-odds bet if the shooter makes a point is a strategy for playing craps that you can use for your entire time at the craps table with a significant amount of success. It's even more fun when you get to be a shooter, because then you have a lot of other players rooting for your success.

Anyway, to sum it up, bet the pass line. Add odds bets when the shooter rolls a point. You didn't know becoming a craps player was going to be that easy did you?