Craps Online vs. Craps in Land-based Casinos

When visiting a land-based casino, it’s not hard for anyone to find the craps table. All you have to do is follow the utter commotion. Just walk straight to where the screaming and shouting is coming from and you’ll come to the craps tables. This environment may be intimidating and a little tiring to all but the most fervent Craps fans, but when playing craps online, you will get none of this. You won’t get the nerve-wrecking croupiers, the unapproachable players, or any of the overwhelming sights and sounds traditionally associated with playing craps. It’s simply you, the virtual craps table on your computer or mobile screen and that precious volume control button.

This comparatively tranquil environment can work wonders to increase players’ success rates, as it allows them to take their sweet time, refer to game guides such as this one while they play and manage their bankroll. Also, there are many online casino enthusiasts who do not live within a reasonable distance of a land-based casino. Playing online does not pose this problem, since you will find an online craps game to play 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You won’t have to wait for a space at the Craps table to play either, and if you’re playing on a smartphone or tablet, you can play from any place with an internet connection.

The bonuses and promotions offered online are another crowd puller to the craps online tables as you can play craps online for money from extra bonuses and promotions. You simply won’t get the same offers in land-based casinos. High-rollers might get some preferential treatment, but when playing online, deposit bonuses are not uncommon and they’re offered to everyone, whether high-rollers or not.

How to Play Craps Online

For a beginner, learning how to play may seem a little daunting. The table looks busier than any other popular online casino game table and is riddled with abstruse words, numbers and symbols. Players seem to yell out instructions in an alien language and forget asking any questions as to how to play the game; it’s just way too quick-paced and with cash on the line, tensions may run high. We sympathise with you novices, for we all went through the same experiences when learning how to play ourselves. Lucky for you, despite it being a dice game, craps translates well into an online casino game, meaning that if you are a beginner, you may take a shot at a low stakes table or play a craps online game such as our Free Online Craps and learn the ropes as you go along. Additionally, this guide will help you get well acquainted with the game. If you don’t know how to play craps online, it’s well worth learning. It’s fun, fast-paced and full of suspense!

Online craps may seem a little hectic if you’re new to the game, but trust us, it’s not rocket science by any means. The players around the table in turn act as ‘the shooter’ – the one rolling the dice. There are two phases of the rolling; the ‘come-out roll,’ which is the first throw, and the ‘point,’ which are the following rolls for the shooter. The game requires players to place bets on the outcome of the roll. They choose whether to bet with or against the shooter and whether a particular number is rolled (the point) prior to or after an outcome of 7. Players may also make additional bets on the outcome of any given roll.

For an in-depth look at the rules and gameplay, take a look at our Online Craps Rules page, where you will find information about all the bets available to Craps players and how to place them. Below you will find a quick how-to guide if you want to dive straight into the game, we are using the most popular and familiar pass line bet as an example.

Rules to Follow

1. Check with the online casino and bet the table minimum on the pass or don’t pass bet, or any other craps bet of your choice. This has to be done before the come out roll when no point has yet been established. You will see the word ‘OFF’ on your screen.

2. The shooter, ie. the player with the dice, rolls the dice on the craps table. This first roll is called the ‘come out roll’.

3. If a 7 or 11 is rolled, you win the bet on the pass line.

4. If a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled, you lose the bet on the pass line (or ‘crap out’ as these numbers are any craps numbers).

5. If any other number is rolled (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) on the first roll of the dice, this number becomes the ‘point number’ which allows the game to carry on. Then the game continues as follows: - If the point number is rolled before rolling a 7, you win the bet. - If a 7 is rolled before the point number, you lose the bet. - The shooter continues rolling the dice until he/she ‘seven’s out’ (rolls a 7), in which case the dice are passed to the next shooter.

6. Throughout the game pass line bets cannot be removed, but they can be increased. Don’t Pass bets can be decreased or removed, but not increased.

7. The shooter can roll for a second time if the game was won on the come out roll, or the point was rolled for a second time. The shooter can also choose to pass the dice on to the player in a clockwise direction. In any other situation the shooter has to pass the dice to the next player to be the new shooter, and the whole process starts again.

How to Use Strategy When Playing Online Craps

One of the reasons craps online is so popular is because it allows a wide range of different playing styles, from the patient plodder who wants to stretch their gambling dollars as far as possible, to the action junkie who wants to let it ride and try for a big score. Our craps strategy articles will teach you all you need to know to develop your own craps strategy and playing style.

The key to a successful craps strategy is choosing the right bets. You can elaborate with betting patterns all you want, but if you make bets where the house has a big edge – and god knows, there are a lot of them – you are bound to lose your entire bankroll. At our Craps Strategy page, we teach you what bets to make in craps, and if you stick to our guidelines, craps online is a very player-friendly game in comparison to most games you’ll find in a casino. There are so many bets you can make in this game, but below we have outlined the best and the worst bets from the most commonly made game plays amongst players.

The Best Craps Online Bets to Make

Pass

As described in the craps rules outlined above in this article, the pass bet is the most common and also one of the most advantageous bets you can make not only in craps, but of all casino game bets as the house edge is a very low 1.41%. You will be betting for the shooter to make the game point. You win the bet when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, lose with a 2 or 3, standoff with a 12. Any other number establishes the point number. If you/the shooter rolls the point number before a 7 you win the pass bet, and lose the bet when the 7 is rolled before the point number.

Don’t Pass

This bet works in the complete opposite way of the pass bet. Instead of betting for the shooter to win, you’re betting for the shooter to lose. It’s a bit more unpopular to be a wrong way bettor in a land-based casino as you celebrate when all the other players lose. However in an online environment you don’t have to worry about this as nobody else will know. And you will feel no social pressure to bet in the same way as the majority of other players. In the pass bet the shooter wins by rolling a 7 or 11, so the don’t pass bet loses if a 7 or 11 is rolled, and wins if a 2 or 3 is rolled. Just like in the pass bet, any other number becomes the point number. After the come out roll and the establishment of the point number, a 7 must be rolled before the point number in order to win. If the point number is rolled before a 7, then the bet loses.

Come

This is practically identical to the pass line bet, except that you can place this bet at any time once the point number has been established and the game is in play or ‘on’. You win the come bet with a 7 or 11, the same as the pass bet, lose with a 2,3, or 12, and any other number becomes your own individual point number , separate from the come out roll point number. If your point number is rolled before the 7 you win.

Don’t Come

Just like the don’t pass bet works in the opposite way of the pass bet, the don’t come bet also works in the exact opposite way of the come bet, and can also be placed at any point after the point has been established after the come out roll, and the game is in process and turned ‘on’. You win the don’t come bet if a 2 or 3 is rolled and loses with a 7 or 11. The bet pushes with a 12. If your point is established instead, you win if a 7 is rolled before this individual point number.

Placing Odds on Pass/Don’t Pass/Come/Don’t Come

In terms of strategy, the very best bet you can make in this game is the odds bet, which can only be placed on the pass, don’t pass, come, and don’t come bets, however the payout is slightly lower for the wrong way bettors. These bets are normally placed right behind your original bets on the table.

Odds on Pass and Come Bets

Once a point is established after the come out roll, you are free to take odds on either your pass or your come bet. You can take odds at any time as long as the bet is still alive and playing. Check with the online casino you’re playing at to determine the limit you are allowed to bet, as some allow only three times your original bet, whilst others allow a lot more. You need to look for the maximum odds in the rules and regulations of your online casino. This bet is so advantageous because it effectively reduces the house edge to even less than 1% - the reason the odds bets are called the very best bets out of all the casino games. If the point is rolled before the 7, you win both the original bet and the odds bet, if the 7 is rolled before the point number, you lose both bets. In order for the payouts to be easier, try to place your bets in easy increases for the casino, so check the odds for winning on particular point numbers. The average payout for the point numbers are typically 2 to 1 for point numbers 4 or 10; 3 to 2 for point numbers 5 or 9; and 6 to 5 for point numbers 6 or 8.

Odds on Don’t Pass and Come Bets

Wrong way bettors can lay odds on their don’t pass or don’t come bets in the same way that right way bettors can take odds on the pass or come bets. You win in the same way you win the don’t pass and don’t come bets, if a 7 is rolled before the established point. You can normally make multiples of your original bet for your odds bets. Just like in pass and come odds bets, the payout will depend on the point, and this varies from casino to casino, but typically this will be 1 to 2 for point numbers 4 or 10; 2 to 3 for point numbers 5 or 9; and 5 to 6 for point number 6 or 8.

The Worst Craps Bets to Make

Big 6/Big 8

One of the worst bets you can find in craps has to be the big 6 and big 8 bets. This is a bet which you make by placing chips in the corner of the table where the big 6 and big 8 are marked. You win this bet if a 6 or 8 is rolled before the 7, and it pays even money. Even though this sounds good it’s the house edge which makes this such a dangerous bet, which stands at a very high 9.1%. If you want to be very adventurous and you’re not too attached to your money, go ahead, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

Proposition Bets

The proposition bets are one roll bets which typically have high payouts, but just as high house edge. They can only be placed on either the 2,3,7,11 or 12. You make this bet by placing your chips in the middle of the table where the proposition bets are. Your chances for winning these bets are extremely low as you only have a chance to win on one roll or the dice. The proposition bets which are quite dangerous to play are Any 7; Any Craps; the 2,3,11 or 12; Craps-Eleven; and Horn bets. If you are feeling adventurous then be my guest and take a chance, but try to only do it once every blue moon so you don’t finish the game with a completely empty wallet.

Field Bets

A field bet is a one roll bet on the numbers 2,3,7,11 and 12. The payout looks pretty decent; it’s at even money except for the 2 and 12 which normally pays 2 to 1. However just like the big 6 and 8 don’t be fooled by the payout, but take a look at what is really making this a disadvantageous bet which is the house edge. The field bet house edge is sitting at a very high 5.56%. Although this is a fairly simple bet to make as you it’s only valid for one roll of the dice, there are more ways to lose this one than to win it so it’s best to avoid unless the payout is at least 3 to 1.

An Overview of the History of Online Craps

One could argue that craps is the oldest casino game around. People have literally been “rolling the bones” since pre-historic times. However, even though throwing dice is a very old pastime, we can trace the roots of craps, in its more formal form, back to a couple of old games in France and England. The game we find in casinos today is not that old; the modern craps table was created in America just before the Las Vegas boom in the ‘30s. How convenient!