Craps

Craps is an exciting and fast moving casino game that is played with two dice. The bets are placed, the dice are rolled, and players hope for the outcome that they need to win their bets. Some betting takes place before the dice are rolled the first time in a round, and other bets are placed during the game. Certain bets can even be removed in the middle of the game, while most other bets will remain in place.

Brief History of Craps

Craps began as a simplified form of an Old English game called Hazard. The game may have originated around the time of the Crusades, and then seemed to have some French influence. Craps in the US started out in New Orleans, but the rules at the time allowed an advantage to players if fixed dice were used, because it was possible to bet both for or against the shooter. The don’t pass betting option was added at a later date, which sorted out this problem, and it is still used in the casino game today.

Understanding Craps

Craps, especially in land-based casinos, looks like a very complicated game. There is often a lot of noise around the craps table while people wait for the dice to land on what they need in order to win their bets. It can be somewhat intimidating for a new player who does not really know the rules. Craps, however, is not a complicated game. In very simple terms, the players are betting on the outcome of the dice that are been thrown by the shooter. The shooter is the player who is taking their turn at throwing the dice.

The shooter may be lucky, or not, but either way, the outcome of the dice rolls that the shooter throws are the ones that decide which bets win, and which bets don’t win. Either way, the other players are usually rooting for the shooter, because their bets depend upon the outcome of the shooter’s throws. The sometimes creates somewhat of a bond between the players.

Because the game is quite fast-moving and has many different betting options, players should not attempt to play craps in a casino, or in a real money game online until they have mastered enough knowledge to keep up with the game.

Craps Strategy

Any craps strategy that is used is in how to place the bets for the most optimal outcome. It is not possible to determine the outcome of the dice, so the actual game itself cannot have any strategic plays. The game of craps is a game of luck, although good betting strategies can help players to be winners.

Craps Casino Employees

While the shooter is one of the players, the smooth running of the game depends on some computer employees. The stickman ensures that play continues smoothly, and that the players take turns to throw the dice, usually in a clockwise direction. The stickman’s main responsibility is the dice, and he will use a special stick to retrieve the dice when they are thrown across the craps table.

The boxman, or the banker, is the casino employee that will settle any disputes that may arise, and will make any decisions that need to be made at the craps table. When there are a group of craps tables in a land-based casino, there is also usually a floorman that will be in charge of all the craps tables.

Online Craps

Online craps is played in the same way as land-based casino craps apart from the obvious differences. The biggest difference is that the shooter, who will still “roll” the dice, is not actually rolling them, but simply pressing a button in order to do so. The outcome of the dice is decided according the a Random Number Generator (RNG). Trustworthy online casinos will have their RNG software audited to ensure that it really does pick random numbers for the dice to fall on.

Those who are learning the game can also make use of the free games option that is offered by most online casinos. Once you have learned the basic rules, and understand the betting options that are available, craps is a great online casino game to play.