Craps

History
Rules
Strategies

History

Craps is a descendant of an ancient game called Hazard and the origins of both are a matter of debate. Hazard was claimed to have been invented by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre and his knights, during the crusades. It is said to have been a pastime for the crusaders while laying siege to a castle called Hazarth or Asart in 1125 AD. The name of Hazard is therefore supposed to be a corruption of the castle's name.

However the Encyclopaedia Britannica says the name came from the Arabic words 'al zar' or 'azzah' which means simply 'the dice'. This would seem to imply the game is Arabic in origin.

Whoever invented it, Hazard became a hugely popular English game. Geoffrey Chaucer mentions it in the Canterbury Tales frequently and it was played by the English through the centuries. Luxurious gambling houses in 17th century England staged games of Hazard and fortunes were lost by the higher classes and noblemen.

The French took up playing Hazard and it is claimed that they changed the name to Craps, using and corrupting the name given to a losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as crabs. However there is no documented evidence to support this and the name is almost certainly American in origin.

Some claim that the French took the game to America while others think it probably went with the British. The earliest British settlers, perhaps on the Mayflower, would almost certainly have played with dice.

Whoever took Craps to America it was there that the game was simplified to become the game of Craps that we know today. The French settlers where displaced by the British and moved south to eventually become Cajuns. It has been said they took the game of Hazard south with them. It is in the south that the development and invention of the game of Craps is attributed to African Americans in the early 19th century. An American slang for Crap shooting and dice play is African Dominoes.

The game spread to the riverboats on the Mississippi and then from there to the rest of the country until a dice maker called John H Winn developed the game further so that players could bet with the shooter or against him. This development negated the usefulness of playing with crooked dice, a common practice at the time. John H Winn is known as the father of modern Craps and his development became the modern 20th century casino game of Bank Craps with layouts and tables.

Today Craps is the biggest gambling game in the history of the world in terms of money wagered. Played with just 2 dice in a casino or as a private game in an alley or backroom the game captured the public's imagination and is portrayed in countless Hollywood films as the low and high rollers game of choice. All from its beginnings as Hazard hundreds of years ago and people's desire to throw dice and win or lose by tempting the gods and fate.

Rules

Craps is one of the most exciting casino games. It is common to hear yelling and shouting at a craps table. It is played on a special table and 2 dice are used. The dice are made after very strict standards and are routinely inspected for any damage. Also the dice are replaced with new ones after about 8 hours of use, and casinos have implemented rules in the way a player handles them.

The player must handle the dice with one hand only when throwing and the dice must hit the walls on the opposite end of the table. In the event that one or both dice are thrown off the table, they must be inspected (usually by the stickman) before putting them back into play. The Craps table can accommodate up to about 20 players, who each get a round of throws or at 'shooting' the dice. If you don't want to throw the dice, you can bet on the thrower. Several types of bets can be made on the table action. The casino team consists of a stickman, box man and 2 dealers.

The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the Come Out roll; a new game in Craps begins with the Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is, fails to make the Point or seven out.

A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically, the Come Out roll identifies a new game about to begin.

When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the dice are then offered to the next player for a new Come Out roll and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter will be the person directly next to the left of the previous shooter; so the game moves in a clockwise fashion around the craps table.

The dice are rolled across the Craps table layout. The layout is divided into 3 areas; 2 side areas separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection of the other and contains the following: Pass and Don't Pass line bets, Come and Don't Come bets, Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area is shared by both side areas and contains the Proposition bets.

Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the 'Bar' roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).

Below is a list of the various bets you can make at Craps:

Strategies

5-Count
Hedge Betting
Progressive Betting
Anything But 7

There are many methods used to beat the game of online Craps but not a single one is capable of doing this in the long run. However your long run Craps strategy will help improve your play, hence reducing the overall exposure to the house edge making it possible for your Craps strategy to work. Maybe they'll work for you or maybe they won't; it's gambling after all.

Only several of these methods are worth mentioning:

5-Count

This method aims at improving the quality of shooters you're betting on. It will help you select the possibly hot players while dumping the others.

Here's how this Craps strategy works:
The new shooter is on the come-out roll. If he/she throws a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), that's Count 1. If not, you wait until the player does this and then start counting. Count 2, 3, 4 will follow after Count 1 no matter what the player rolls. To achieve Count 5 the player must throw again a point (the counting is stopped until this happens). The fact you reached Count 5 makes this player a hot one. Begin betting.

Hedge Betting

The Hedge Betting Craps strategy consists of placing a bet that almost entirely cancels out another one. Almost any roll will bring you profit (a small one, but a profit) in online Craps. You'll lose when the dice roll is not covered by the hedge bet. Besides the fact you get to play online Craps longer because your bets have now a smaller risk, this method will substantially increase your complimentaries offered by the online casino. Almost any bet can be turned into a hedge bet.

For example, a pass line bet can be hedged from Crap (2, 3, 12) by betting the proposition bet any Crap. More, you can make place bets before the come out and hedged them by the pass line bet.

Progressive Betting

This is a very simple Crap strategy. So you have placed your online Crap bet. Each dice roll you win your wager you will increase the current bet by that initial one. Every time you lose you'll bet the current amount minus the initial one. As long as you are winning you will continue to raise your bets and when you start losing you'll bet the same bets but in a descending order.

Anything But 7

To win on any number thrown except a 7. Don't place any bets on the Don't Pass or Pass Line, but wait until a point has been established. Place 2 units on 5, 6 and 8. Place 1 unit on the Field. Results: This method is a little riskier than the previous online Crap strategies. Therefore, it is suggested that you remove all bets after 3 rolls.