Dice games have been around for a very long time. So long in fact, that the earliest dice known to modern man dates back all the way to the Late Stone Age – dice fashioned out of baked clay and discovered in the northern parts of Iraq.
Today, Craps probably the most popular dice game around, and one regularly played in casinos all over the world. The dice used in a modern-day game of Craps have sharp corners and straight edges, are usually transparent, and are typically monogrammed with specific casino-issued serial numbers so as to eradicate the possibility of cheating.
Craps may seem daunting to the beginner because of the lingo used. But the reality of the matter is that it’s a game deceivingly easy to learn. Derived from the French slang word “krabs”, Craps literally means “a pair of ones”.
Below is a brief explanation of how to interpret the most important lingo of one of the most popular games on the casino floor today.
The Shooter
The shooter is the player who is rolling the dice at any given point in time. All the other players around the Craps table will be betting on the shooter’s rolls of the dice. The shooter will continue to roll the dice until such time as they “seven out”.
The shooter sevens out the moment a 7 is rolled that also happens to lose in the pass line. Rolling a 7 on the come out roll does not constitute the same result (“seven out”) because such a roll is a winning roll.
The All-Important Odds Bet
The Odds bet is only ever made once the shooter has established a point number. The bet is placed directly behind the pass-line bet, but while steering clear of the pass-line area.
How much you’ll be allowed to wager when placing an odds bet will depend entirely on the casino. The allowable amount bet-table for the odds bet will however consistently be more than the wager allowed for your pass-line bet. Some casinos will allow double odds bets, while others will go as high as three times the value, also referred to as the triple odds. Others still may allow bets as high as five- or even ten-times odds.
The Come Bet
This particular bet is best described as a sort of delayed pass-line bet. This type of bet is made while a shooter rolls for a point. Again, 7 or an 11 wins instantly on the come, while 2, 3 or 12 are considered losing bets.
Odds, not unlike what is allowed in the case of the pass-line wager, are allowed also on the come bet. While placing your odds on the come bet, you should announce clearly to the dealer that you’re taking odds on our come bet.
By the same token, every time the shooter repeats a come-bet point in your favour, the dealer will instantly return your come bet and odds bet to the original location of where your come bet had been positioned.
Ultimately, the golden rule of the craps table is to always keep of your chips and of where exactly you’ve placed them.
