THE BASIC GAME OF CRAPS

 Craps is a relatively simple game.  It is played with two dice.  Each die  has six sides numbered 1 through 6.  Thus, each cube has six equal possible outcomes when rolled.  Casino dice are distinct, unlike dice used in other games such as Monopoly, Backgammon and other board games.  Casino dice are larger with sharp pointed edges.  Dice are transparent to prevent tampering by weighting them (loaded dice).  It is virtually impossible to weight the dice with a foreign material if you can see through the dice.  Casino dice are also imprinted with the casino’s logo or name and are coded with numbers so that a casino employee can verify their authenticity and prevent switching.

The individual rolling the dice is called the “shooter.”  If the shooter’s first roll, called the “Come out roll” is a 7 or 11, the shooter wins.  If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12, the shooter loses.  If a number other than 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12, is rolled, that number becomes the shooter’s point.  The shooter must then roll that specific number before a 7 to win.  If the shooter rolls a 7 before his point, the shooter loses.  Any other number is of no consequence.  This is how craps has been played throughout history.  This is also known as “street craps.”  Non-shooting players can bet with or against the shooter independently.

Casinos designed the craps layout to accommodate numerous betting strategies.  Some of the bets available are not even shown on the layout.  Therefore, it is imperative that you learn as much about the possible types of bets that can be made as well as how those bets are paid.

In 1907 in New York City, a dice maker named John H. Winn introduced the first craps bank.  With the craps bank, players, bet against the bank, or the house, instead of each other.  Winn charged both the right bettors and the wrong bettors a quarter for a $5 bet and 50 cents for a $10 bet.  The quarter charge subsequently developed into a 5% charge.  Because the 5% charge brought in so much money so strong and dependably, gamblers took the word vigor and added a syllable of jargon and called it vigorish.  Later, some players shortened the word to vig.  Throughout the years refinements have been made to the payouts by the house so that the edge is always with the house.  This edge for paying something other than true odds for the various bets is known as the vig.