At USA casinos, there are a number of games that cannot be missed. We have classic games like Poker, Blackjack, and the always popular Roulette. However, one game that is becoming more and more popular is Craps. The game has become famous because of its simplicity.
All you need are two dice and a table. You may be familiar with the characteristic images of slums where gambling is done with dice. In most cases, they play Craps. In this article, we will take you through the history of the game, how the game is played, and what is the best betting strategy to win during the game.
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What will you read in this article
- A look back in time: the history of online Craps
- What’s the game like and what are important things to watch out for?
- What are the best game strategies in online Craps?
- What are the best online casinos to play Craps online?
What is Online Craps?
Craps is a game played with two dice. One of the players of the game gets possession of the dice and has to roll each round. The other players bet on one or more numbers, against the bank. If the player who rolls, the shooter, then rolls the correct numbers, you get paid.
If your number hasn’t been thrown, then you don’t lose your money right away, which is the beauty of the game. The shooter keeps throwing until he throws 7, then his turn is passed to the left neighbor. You can make a big profit with Craps because the house edge is very favorable for the players!
The History of Online Craps
You may be wondering, where did this game come from? Originally it comes from the game Hazard, an ancient game. Hazard came to the United States and was soon simplified by the workers who fanatically practiced it under the name Craps.
It was in the Second World War that Craps became really popular when soldiers of all social classes came together in the army. Casinos used to be able to take advantage of Craps by using fake dice, but nowadays this is no longer possible. Since 2004 the game is also offered in many online casinos.
The Beginning of Craps
One of the first things that should be clear in online Craps for US players is the principle of the game. You bet on the house or on the shooter. In practice, this is actually betting for or against the shooter as the house has no influence on the dice. The game can start in different ways:
- If at the first roll, the come-out, 2, 3, or 12 is rolled then this is called ‘Craps’. Anyone who has bet on the shooter loses his bet.
- If 11 or 7 is thrown at the come-out, everyone who has bet on the shooter wins and doubles their bet.
If a different number is thrown at the come-out, this becomes the shooter’s ‘point’. The shooter continues to roll until the same number is rolled again. Then, anyone who bets on the shooter wins. If the shooter wins, the bets are paid out once. The shooter keeps throwing until 7 is thrown, then the shooter’s round is over and it is the left neighbor’s turn to throw.
Different Ways of Betting in Online Craps
Now that the basic rules of the game are clear, it’s time to come up with an appropriate strategy for the game. The big question, of course, is how to bet in order to have the best chances of winning. To avoid ambiguity, here is an overview of all possible bets in online Craps at USA casinos.
Pass Line and Don’t Pass
This is one of the easiest forms of betting in Craps. You bet on the shooter’s first throw. If 2, 3, or 12 are thrown on the first roll, the shooter loses. If 7 or 11 is thrown, the shooter wins.
On the Pass Line, you bet on the winnings of the shooter. You double your bet if the shooter wins. In the Don’t pass line you bet on the loss of the shooter on the first roll. You double your bet if the shooter loses. In practice this looks like this;
- You bet €10 on the pass line → shooter throws 7 → You win €10 so now you’re €10 in profit!
- You bet €10 on the don’t pass line → shooter rolls 7 → You lose €10 so you are now set to lose €10!
Pass Odds and Don’t Pass Odds
It gets a little more complicated here. On this bet, we first look at the outcome of the first throw. If a number other than 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 is the outcome, players have the option to bet on a specific number behind the pass line.
If this number is thrown again then the player wins the Pass Odds bet. The bet depends on the chance that the number is thrown. In a Don’t pass bet the player wins if 7 has been thrown before the number gets thrown again. To give an example you could bet like this:
- You bet €10 on the pass odds → shooter rolls 8 in the first roll and 8 again in the second roll → You win €10 so now you’re €10 in profit!
- You bet €10 on the don’t pass odds → shooter rolls 8 and in the second roll 7 → You lose €10 so you are now set to lose €10.
Come and don’t come bet
These two bets only become available after the shooter has made a point. Then, just as with the pass or don’t pass, you choose whether or not the shooter is going to win. With the come bet you win if the shooter wins, with the don’t come bet you win if the shooter loses.
Beware, if there is a number other than 2, 3, 7 or 11 then this will be the player’s point. With a come bet you win if your point gets thrown again before the 7, with a don’t come bet this is the exact opposite. This can look like this:
- You bet €10 on come→ shooter throws 9 in the first roll and 9 again in the second roll → You win €10 so now you’re €10 in profit!
- You bet €10 on don’t come → shooter throws 5 and in the second roll 7 → You lose €10 so you are now set to lose €10.
Place bets, buy bets and lay bets
The reason we place these three bets in one category is that with all three options you are betting on a specific number. In a place bet, you win if your number gets thrown before a 7 is thrown. The same applies to a buy bet, but the difference lies in the payout.
In a place bet your bet is doubled, in a buy bet you win based on the chance that the number is thrown. In a lay bet, you bet on the chance of the 7 falling before a specific other number gets thrown. If this number is thrown, you lose. This can look like this in practice:
- You bet a place bet of €10 on 5 → shooter throws 9 in the first roll and 5 in the second roll → you win €14 so now you’re €14 in profit!
- You bet a buy bet of €10 on 9 → shooter throws 3 and in the second roll 9 → you win €13.80 so now you’re €13.80 in profit!
- You bet a lay bet of €10 on 4 → shooter throws 3 in the first roll and 4 in the second roll → you lose €10 so you are now set to lose €10.
Other Types of Bets for Online Craps at USA Casinos
We have discussed the most common types of bets for online Craps in the USA. However, there are also a number of ways to bet on online Craps that are less common. These are the types of bets where you are more at risk but also more likely to make a bigger profit. The options are:
- Any 7 – You bet that in the next roll a 7 is thrown = 4x your bet
- Any Craps – You bet that in the next roll 2, 3 or 12 is thrown = 7x your bet
- Horn – You bet on 2, 3, 11, and 12 at the same time. At 2 and 12 = 30x your bet and at 3 and 11 = 15x your bet
- Hardway – You bet on dice combinations. For example, two fours = 9x your bet
In addition to this, there are different types of bets in online Craps that depend on the casinos themselves. We’ve covered the most common types, but some very unique types of bets are only known between the walls of the casinos themselves.
Online Craps Strategy
With so many possibilities it is of course difficult to choose the right strategy. To help you on your way, we want to assist you in picking the right strategy. It’s a very active game that involves a lot of emotion where you, as a player, might have the feeling of having an influence by throwing the dice yourself.
Therefore it is all the more important to have a good strategy that is profitable in the long run. We will discuss the most important tips and tricks with you and explain why it is so important to know the odds at Craps.
The betting odds at Online Craps for US Players
The easiest way to show what the odds are in online Craps at a USA casino is through a table. As you know, the game is played with two dice, so there are a lot of different possibilities. In the overview below you can see the odds per possible combinations you can throw:
- 2 | Combination: 1-1 | 1 way
- 3 | Combination: 1-2, 2-1 | 2 ways
- 4 | Combination: 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 | 3 ways
- 5 | Combination: 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1 | 4 ways
- 6 | Combination: 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1 | 5 ways
- 7 | Combination: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1 | 6 ways
- 8 | Combination: 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2 | 5 ways
- 9 | Combination: 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 | 4 ways
- 10 | Combination: 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 | 3 ways
- 11 | Combination: 5-6, 6-5 | 2 ways
- 12 | Combination: 6-6 | 1 way
As you can see from the overview above, the casino always has the advantage since the seven has the highest probability to be thrown. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t win. With an appropriate strategy, you can easily outsmart the USA online casino.
The odds of winning your bet
In the table below we have an overview of the game possibilities at Craps. It once again shows all the possible types of bets and what the chances are that they will be thrown.
Bets | Payout | House edge |
Pass | 1:1 | 1.41% |
Come | 1:1 | 1.41% |
Don’t Pass | 1:1 | 1.36% |
Don’t Come | 1:1 | 1.41% |
Place 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
Place 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
Place 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
Field 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 | 1:1 | 5.56% |
Field 2, 12 | 2:1 | 5.56% |
Lay 6 and 8 | 19:25 | 4.00% |
Lay 5 and 9 | 19:31 | 3.23% |
Lay 4 and 10 | 19:41 | 2.45% |
Buy 6 and 8 | 23:21 | 4.76% |
Buy 5 and 9 | 29:21 | 4.76% |
Buy 4 and 10 | 39:21 | 4.76% |
Hardways 6 and 8 | 10:1 | 9.09% |
Hardways 4 and 10 | 8:1 | 11.11% |
Proposition bets | ||
Any Craps (2, 3 or 12) | 8:1 | 11.11% |
Any Seven | 5:1 | 16.8% |
Any Eleven | 16:1 | 11.11% |
Ace Deuce (3) | 16:1 | 11.11% |
Aces (2) | 30:1 | 13.9% |
Boxcars (12) | 30:1 | 13.9% |
Horn 3 or 11 | 15:1 | 12.5% |
Horn 2 or 12 | 15:1 | 12.5% |
Let one thing be clear: the higher the potential payout, the lower the chance this will actually happen. As you can see in the overview, the house has a much better chance since the odds are in favor of the proposition bets, so be careful with this.
We advise you not to even play with these types of bets. It can be exciting and challenging, but in general, this is not a profitable and sustainable strategy. It is best to choose the Pass, Don’t Pass, or Come and Don’t Come bets. This is where you have the best chances.
The Best Online Casinos To Play Craps
As you now know Craps is a very exciting game which is especially fun to play in a real casino. The annoying thing, however, is that sometimes casinos often only have the game available on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Luckily we live in a modern world where you can play Craps online. The game is not available everywhere, but if you take a look at the online casinos we recommend, you can start playing Craps right away! The time to win is now!
USA Live Casinos with Online Craps
If you still want the feeling of a real casino, but don’t want all the trouble of going to the casino – or can’t go at all – then the live casinos are perfect for you.
Here you can play a game of Craps with a live dealer in the USA, which is pretty much the same experience as in a real casino. You play with a dealer and have several fellow players around you who take turns as a shooter. Take a look at our live dealer page to find out where to go for playing online Craps.
Conclusion
Craps has a rich history because of the simplicity of the game. But if you look a little further and do a little more research, there’s a lot more to the game than you might think. With many different betting options, it’s important to use the right strategy.
If you have read the article correctly you are now ready to play online Craps in a profitable way. The only thing missing is a good bonus or promotion to get twice as good a start on your USA online casino experience!
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