Craps | Bovada
Craps is one of the most entertaining games you can play in the casino because of the sheer number of available bets. Craps is played by betting on the outcome of a roll of a pair of dice, and not surprisingly, is a variation of a very old dice game. Modern-day Craps is an American version of an Old English game, brought to America by settlers to New Orleans. This makes it one of America’s oldest casino games. You will even find people all over the world playing street Craps. Learn how to play Craps and bring the excitement home from the streets and casinos with Bovada online casino.
How To Play Craps
Craps is a game of rounds. The first roll in a round is called the come out roll and can determine the outcome of the round because a 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 on the come out will end a round. If any other total is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) that number is called the point. A black puck is placed on the table to remind all of what the point is. If a point is rolled, the dice will be rolled again and again until the same point or a 7 is rolled.
When the dice stop, losing bets are removed from the table and winning bets and ties are paid. For winning bets, the original bet amount is returned after winnings are paid out.
Betting
- To place a bet, the Player must click on the chip value that they wish to wager. Each click adds to the amount you bet. Click on the chip amount to change the amount you bet per click.
- Change the bet amount for different sections in the amount to bet per click section on the left. The chips will be placed on the table.
- In the mobile version, areas where bets can be placed or added will turn green, while areas where bets can’t be placed will turn red. Bets can’t be changed in red or black areas but can sometimes be removed.
- In the mobile version, you may remove a bet from the table by clicking on the clip/chip stack and dragging it back to the chips area.
- When moving the cursor over the bet areas, a yellow tag tells you the name of the bet, the amount placed, and the minimum and max amounts that can be placed.
Betting Areas and Payouts
- Pass Line – The most important bet in Craps. It is an even money bet made by putting your bet on the pass line area during a come out roll. You win if the come out roll is a 7 or 11. If the come out roll is a 2, 3 or 12, known as Craps, you lose. If any point is rolled on the come out roll and the point is rolled again before a 7, you win. If a 7 comes before the point, you lose.
- Buying the odds – When a point is rolled, you may bet up to three times your pass line bet on the odds. The odds are an additional bet that the point will be rolled before a 7. Since the probability of the point being rolled first is less than 50%, you win more than you bet if it happens.
- Don’t Pass – The opposite of the pass line bet. If the come out roll is a 2 or 3, you win even money . If it is a 7 or 11, you lose. A 12 is a push. If not, the dice are rolled continuously until a point or a 7 is rolled. If the 7 comes before the point, you win. Don’t pass bets are not removable once the point is established.
- Laying the odds – The opposite of buying the odds. You’re betting that a 7 will be rolled before the point.
- Come – Gives the player the opportunity to make what is essentially a pass line bet after a point is established. A come bet turns the next roll of the dice into a come out roll that wins even money on a 7 or 11, loses on a 2, 3 or 12, and otherwise establishes a come point that will win if the point number is rolled again before a 7, and will lose if a 7 is rolled before the point. The come bet can only be made when a point has been established for the table. Like the pass line bet, you might also put money on the odds if a point is thrown on the first roll after the come bet is made.
If a point is thrown and there are still active come bets on the table waiting for a different point, then special rules apply to the next come out roll. The come out roll will still apply to active come bets but it will not apply to their respective odds bets. If a come bet is resolved on a come out roll then the odds bet will be returned, while the original come bet will be lost. Come bet odds are off or not working on come out rolls.
- Don’t Come – Essentially a don’t pass bet made after a point has been established. If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, you win even money. A 12 gives a tie. You lose on 7 or 11. Any other number is the come point. You win even money if a 7 is rolled before the come point. You lose if the come point is rolled before a 7. Don’t come bets are not removable once the point is established. Don’t come bet odds are off or not working on come out rolls.
- Place Bets – Bet on a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 and if your number is rolled before a 7, you win. These bets work just like the odds except you don’t need to have a pass line bet. Place bets are on or working during a come out roll. You can remove this bet at any time. If your place bet wins, you get your winnings and your original bet.
- Place to Lose Bet – The opposite of a place number bet. It is a bet that a 7 will roll before the number. When you bet that 7 will be rolled before a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, the place to lose bet wins if a 7 is rolled before your number. If your number is rolled before a 7, you lose. Place to lose bets are on or working during a come out roll. You can remove this bet at any time.
- Buy Bets – Just like a place bet, but with a different payoff. The Player buys any of the points (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10) and bets that that number will be rolled before a 7. When making a buy bet, you pay a 4% commission and are paid fair odds if it wins. Fair odds are 2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, and 6:5 on the 6 and 8. Look at it is as a 48:25 pay out on the 4 and 10, 36:25 on the 5 and 9, and 144:125 on the 6 and 8. The pay out on all bets is rounded down to the nearest quarter.
- Lay Bets – The opposite of the buy bet and the same as the place lose bet, but with different pay. Place a lay bet on the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 and if the 7 is rolled before your number, you win. Because the 7 is the most likely number to be rolled, bet more than you can win. You pay a 4% commission on winnings and you get fair odds on the bet. Fair odds are 1:2 on the 4 and 10, 2:3 on the 5 and 9, and 5:6 on the 6 and 8. Look at it as a 12:25 pay on the 4 and 10, 16:25 on the 5 and 9, and 12:15 on the 6 and 8.
- Hard Ways – You can make four different hard way bets. A hard four bet is when you bet that a pair of 2’s will be rolled before a 7 or any other way to roll a total of 4, called the hard way because it’s harder to roll two 2’s than a 1 and a 3. Likewise, you can bet on a hard 6, 8 or 10.
- Big 6 – Betting that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 pays even money.*
- Big 8 – Betting that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 pays even money.*
- Proposition Bets – Proposition bets either win or lose on the next roll.
* Big 6 and 8 can’t be placed on the come out roll and do not apply to the next come out roll after a point is rolled.
- Field Bets – Field bets are bets made on the absolute next roll. Place a lay bet on the 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or a 12 and if any of these numbers is rolled, you win. Your field bet is lost when any other number is rolled (5, 6, 7 or 8).
Craps Bets and Payouts
Button Descriptions
- Roll – Used after placing a bet. The dice will start to roll and a new round begins.
- Repeat – Used to repeat all bets made on the previous round. Only valid ones will be made.
Quick and Easy Guide to Craps
The Craps table is one of the liveliest and best places you’ll find in any casino. The game itself is actually quite easy at any casinos, but there are so many different ways you can bet for real money, it can be a bit overwhelming at first. While most table games at casinos have a few betting options, Craps has around 20 or so. Despite this learning play curve, Craps is a very popular game at casinos, and learning how to play it online for real money is definitely worth the time and effort.
Craps players are loyal fans who love to play for the best reason at all casinos – this is one of the casino games with the lowest house edge you’ll find anywhere, and there’s even a bet with no house edge at all like it’s for free. This quick free online Craps game tutorial will show you how to get started with the simplest real money bets on the layout, and we’ll introduce you to some of the more complex bets, so you can get a better grip on how Craps games work at our casino.
How to Bet the Pass Line
We begin with a bet that comes with a modest house edge of 1.41%. It also happens to be the most popular Craps game bet at casinos: the Pass Line. If this is your first time playing Craps games for real money online at Bovada Casino, the Pass Line bet is one of the best Craps bets you can make.
When you fire up a Craps table at Bovada Casino (both Classic Craps and “New” Craps games are available), you’ll see the layout, which contains areas for all the different bets you can make. At the start of the betting round for Craps games online for real money, put your online chips in the Pass Line area, which is near the bottom of your display, and then roll the dice.
There are three possible results with your first throw, which is known as the come-out roll:
7 or 11: Instant win (at even money)
2, 3 or 12: Instant loss
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10: Point is established
The third result is the one that takes a little know-how. If you roll one of the numbers listed, the “Off/On” puck at the top of the display gets flipped to ON and placed above the corresponding number on the layout. Then you start rolling the dice again in Craps games even when you play online. The play objective is to roll that same Point number before you roll a 7. If you do, you get paid out at even money. If you “seven out” instead, your bet loses. Then the puck returns to the OFF position, and it’s time for the next betting round at the Craps online table game at our casino.
Let’s go through two examples of the Pass Line bet at Casinos:
When one puts $5 on the Pass Line and play “Roll.” The dice add up to 4, so 4 is the Point. You re-roll and get a 7. Your bet is removed from the online Craps table game at casinos, and the round ends.
You put $5 on the Pass Line and hit “Roll.” The dice add up to 10, so 10 is the Point. You begin rolling, landing a 6, a 12 – and then a 10. Your bet is returned and you win $5 at casinos.
How to Bet the Don’t Pass Line
Now that you know how to place the Pass Line bet, our free online Craps game guide moves to the next play you should learn: the Don’t Pass bet. If you look to the left-hand side of the layout on the table, you’ll see the Don’t Pass Bar. This is where you place your chips for this play at all casinos. The Don’t Pass bet has a house edge of 1.36% and is the near-mirror image of the Pass Line. Here are the three possible results for your come-out roll when you play Craps games at casinos:
7 or 11: Instant loss
2, 3: Instant win (at even money)
12: Push – all bets returned
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10: Point is established
This time, once the Point is established and you start rolling again, the object is to roll a 7 before you roll the Point number in Craps at all casinos. If you do, you get paid at even real money; otherwise, the play loses. It’s a very easy bet to understand once you’re familiar with the Pass Line bet – just keep in mind that your bet will be a push if you throw a 12 (known as Boxcars) on your come-out roll in Craps at casinos.
Come and Don’t Come Bets
Next in our comprehensive free online Craps guide, we have the simple Come and Don’t Come bets, each with its own area on the layout. These bets can be made once a Point has been established; if you’re betting the Pass Line, you can place a Come bet, and if you’re betting the Don’t Pass Line, you can place the Don’t Come bet.
These bets work exactly the same way as the ones we’ve already covered and can be considered a mini round within the round you play Craps at our casino online. When you place a Come bet, the next throw will be treated the same as the come-out roll for a Pass Line bet; if you roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, instead of the Off/On puck moving, the chips that you placed on the Come area will move to the number in question, then you’ll keep rolling. It’s the same procedure for the Don’t Come bet.
Odds Bets
These are very important bets to remember when you play Craps online for real money at Bovada Casino – they’re the ones with zero house edge. After a point has been established during a Pass Line bet, you have the option of taking odds when you play at our online casino, which bolster your original bet, up to 3X. Then you’ll get paid out the following amounts if you roll your Point before sevening out:
4, 10: 2/1
5, 9: 3/2
6, 8: 6/5
If you establish a Point during a Don’t Pass bet in all casinos, you can lay odds by increasing your bet, again up to 3X. And once again, the payouts are mirror images of the ones for taking odds when you play Craps at our online casino:
4, 10: 1/2
5, 9: 2/3
6, 8: 5/6
To place either of these bets at all casinos, just put the desired chips on either Pass Odds or Don’t Pass Odds once the Point has been established. You can take these bets off the layout or put them back on at any time before the betting round ends when you play Craps online at our casino.
Place 6 and Place 8
Now we get into some of the best exotic bets when you play Craps. At any time after the come-out roll, you can make a Place Bet on any of those six Point numbers (also known as Box numbers): 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. Just put your online chips in the desired box, and every time that number gets rolled before a 7 comes up, you’ll win. You can take your bet away at any time, or you can leave it in place until the bet is resolved in the online Craps table game.
For the lowest, and best, house edge, Place 6 and Place 8 are your best bets. Each comes with a house edge of 1.52%; they also have the lowest payouts of the Place bets at 7/6. As the payout goes up, the house edge increases, to 4% for Place 5 and Place 9 (paying out at 7/5), and 6.67% for Place 4 and Place 10 (paying out at 9/5). Once you’ve got the basic bets (Pass Line, Don’t Pass and so on) in online Craps game at our casino mastered, spread your wings by trying out Place 6 and Place 8 first.
Other Bets in Craps at Casinos
There are so many other bets you can make you play online Craps table game at our casino, it’s impossible to cover them all here, but keep in mind that each comes with its own casino house edge. For example, you can bet on the two rarest outcomes in Craps at casinos: 2 (known as Snake Eyes), and 12 (the aforementioned Boxcars). These “Single” bets will pay out at 30/1 if they come up on the next roll of the dice. That’s the largest payout possible when you play in online Craps games, but these bets also have a casino house edge of 13.89%, so try sprinkling them in here and there, while making the standard Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets most often at this online game at our online casino.
To find out more about all the different bets you can make in online Craps games at our casino, consult for free the online casino game description to the left of the display, and tap or click on the hamburger icon at the top-left corner to read the rules for free online. And don’t forget to check out our other free Craps games articles here at Bovada Casino for more information. See you at our online casino tables.
A Basic Guide to Start Playing Craps
Craps comes from an older English game that dates back to the 11th century but it can be complicated to those looking to get in on the action. You can’t just pick up a pair of dice or sit down at your online casino and start playing craps; you have to understand the basics, and then go about learning different strategies for success.
Once you get into it, it’s quite the exciting – just as you’ve seen in many Hollywood movies – as the crowds around watch you take home big winnings. Before we get to that point, though, here are the basics for what you’ll need to play online from the comforts of your own home:
Pass Line betting
If you are just playing the pass line, then the game of craps becomes much simpler for players to start up. It starts like this: you place your bet on the pass line, then take your dice and fire away. The person with the dice is called the shooter, but you don’t have to be the shooter to make a pass-line or don’t-pass bet in craps. The first roll is called the come-out roll, and if a seven or 11 is rolled right off the bat, the pass-line wins, while it loses on two, three or 12. The rest of the values on the dice are known as the shooter’s points, and these numbers need to be repeated until the shooter rolls a seven. Betting on the shooter is basically a don’t-pass bet.
The easiest way to look at it is to think of when you roll your pair of dice and turn up a five and a three, which totals eight and that number then becomes the point. The shooter has to roll an eight before he turns up a seven; if an eight is rolled up first, the pass-line bet wins and the shooter gets to go again. But if a seven is rolled, then the player loses their turn and the next person in line will turn into the shooter.
Other wagers
You can also make other wagers outside of the pass-line bet once the point is established. These wagers are called “odds bets” and it is the only wager you’ll find in a casino with true odds where the house doesn’t have a huge edge. For example, if the point is a four or a 10, you can win as much as 2/1, while it is a 3/2 winning for five and nine, and 6/5 for a six or eight.
These are the preliminary basics for online craps, but you should always read the guide available on the Bovada website and try out a few rounds before you dive in with two feet. Craps can be confusing, but once you play a couple of rolls, it’ll become second nature and then you can start learning the more complex nuances of the game.
Favorite and Least Favorite Bets to Make in Craps
It’s no secret that some of the best bets in the casino are exclusive to craps. This table game has been around for hundreds of years, originating from Hazard – an English dice game. Despite undergoing changes, craps has maintained a number of competitive bets – some with no house edge at all. We’ll also discuss the worst bet you can make at the craps table, so you can hit the felt ready to make the most of your craps experience.
Don’t Pass, Laying Odds
According to craps strategy, the best bets to make are Don’t Pass and Laying the Odds. The house edge for the Don’t Pass bet is 1.36% and there’s no edge when laying odds. As a result, you want to bet as much as you can on the odds, and how much you can wager depends on the point number.
After placing a $5 Don’t Pass bet at Bovada Casino and establishing a point, you can bolster your bet by laying odds up to:
$22 if the point is Nine or Five.
$30 if the point is Four or Ten.
$18 if the point is Eight or Six.
By laying odds, you’re betting that the shooter will roll a seven before the point. Seven is the most common result of rolling two dice (there are six different ways to roll a seven), and the payouts are based on true odds.
If the point is a:
Four or Ten, the payout is 1-2
Five or Nine, the payout is 2-3
Six or Eight, the payout is 5-6.
Pass Line, Taking Odds
The second -best bets you can make at the craps table are the Pass Line/Taking Odds bets. The house edge for the Pass Line bet is 1.41%, and zero for taking odds. With these bets, you’ll be betting with the shooter, which is always fun in a lively craps session.
To take odds, you must first put down a Pass Line bet, and establish a point (Four, Five, Six, Eight, Nine, Ten). Then you put your chips right behind the Pass Line bar. At Bovada Casino, you can bet up to 3X your Pass Line bet on the odds. If the shooter re-rolls the point number before a seven, you win, and because the odds of re-rolling the point are lower than rolling a seven, the payouts are higher:
If the point is a:
Four or Ten, the payout is 2-1
Five or Nine, the payout is 3-2
Six or Eight, the payout is 6-5.
Worst Craps Bet: Big Red
The Any Seven bet, aka Big Red, is the worst bet on the table. You’re betting the shooter will land a Seven on the upcoming roll, which sounds like a good bet. As we mentioned, Seven is the most commonly rolled number, but the odds of rolling that Seven are 5-1, whereas the standard payout is 4-1, making it less appealing than it looks.
