Craps Rules and Terms

How to Play Craps

Roll the dice. That's all you need to know to play craps. Pick up the pair of dice and throw them against the far wall. If you are playing craps online, click on the graphic of the dice. If you roll a seven or eleven, you win an amount equal to your bet. If you roll a two, three, or twelve, you lose your bet. If you roll anything else, you keep rolling until your first roll comes up and you win, or a seven comes up and you lose. While there are lots of ways to bet and all different odds, that is all you need to start playing craps. Now, let's talk about the language of craps.

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

The first craps roll is called the 'Come Out" roll. On the Come Out, if you don't roll a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, the number you roll is called the "Point". If you roll the point again, you've just won your craps game. If you do roll a seven or eleven, you just rolled a "natural." If you rolled a losing come out roll, that means you either rolled "Snake Eyes" (2), "Loose Deuce" (3), or "Boxcars" (12).

What's the Point in Craps?

Each point has its own name. For example, a four is either an "easy four" (3 and 1) or a "hard four" (double twos). A Five is always called a "fever five." Sixes, Eights, and Tens can be hard or easy depending on whether they are formed by rolling doubles. Nines are "Ninas." Finally, elevens go by the strange name "Yo." Call out these numbers during the "shoot" and people will think you have been playing craps for years.

Don't Pass, Don't Be Rude

Craps is one of the few games that you can actually bet with the House, against the player. If you bet "Don't pass", you are actually betting that whoever is rolling the dice is going to lose. That's right, if the shooter rolls a seven or eleven on come out, you lose. But if the shooter hits seven before the point is taken, he or she will be sad as the big stack of cash is placed in front of you. For this reason, it may be better to bet on Don't Pass when you play craps online. It is actually considered a bit rude to bet against the shooter in a casino.