What is Online Craps?
Craps is a fast and frenzied dice game – and at any casino, the craps table is where the party’s at. Once a player starts rolling one seven after another, the commotion gets louder and louder.
But as fun as craps sounds, its board can inspire terror the first time you see it in a live casino. There are a billion and one betting options, and most are confusing as heck. Field. Come. Don’t Come. Pass. Don’t Pass. All those crazy dice symbols at the board’s centre.
But today? Today is your LUCKY day… because you’ve landed on our beginner’s guide to online craps! Below, we’ll untangle this game for you, knot by knot.
How Do I Win At Craps?
To win at craps, you must correctly predict dice rolls. But that’s oversimplifying things a little – you place your wager and hope a single or multiple dice roll(s) deliver victory.
One bad toss, and you’ll lose your stake. But the “how” of winning & losing is too complex to cover in this section – later in this guide, we’ll break these scenarios down.
Key Online Craps Terms
If you’re new to online craps, its terms can be confusing. As you encounter them, look them up in this handy table:
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 💰 Bankroll | Money set aside to play casino games. |
| 🎲 Come Out Roll | The first roll in a craps round. |
| 🎲 Craps | A dice game where players place bets on which numbers will be rolled. |
| 🤦 Crapping Out | Rolling a 2, 3, or a 12. Do this, and anyone wagering on the pass line (most people) loses. |
| 🚫 Do Not Pass/Do Not Come Bet | A craps wager that pays out whenever the player rolls a 2 or a 3 (before the point is established), or when they lose the point (by rolling a 7). |
| 🌾 Field Bet | A wager that pays out if the player rolls a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or a 12. Only active for a single roll of the dice. |
| 🏠 House Edge | The advantage a gaming site has over players. |
| 😮 Natural | Rolling a 7 or an 11. Do this, and anyone who wagered on the pass line (most people) wins. |
| 🤑 Pass Line/Come Bet | A craps wager that pays out whenever the player rolls a 7 or 11 (before the point is established) or when they win the point. |
| 🏆 Place Bets | A wager that the player will roll a specific number before rolling a 7. |
| 🔢 Point | Established when a player rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. To win the point, the player must roll that sum again before rolling 7. When the point is won, the craps round ends. |
| 🤞 Proposition Bet | Wagering on specific roll outcomes. Only active for a single roll of the dice. |
| 🔄 Push | The outcome of a Do Not Pass/Do Not Come bet if the player rolls a 12. The game runner returns your wager – therefore, no money is made (or lost). |
| 😞 Sevening Out | Rolling a 7 before winning the point. If you do this, people wagering on Come (most people) will lose. Sevening out also ends the round. |
| 🤠 Shooter | The person rolling the dice. |
How Do I Play Online Craps?
Now that we’ve reviewed this game’s key terms, let’s walk through an online craps round together.
- Place your bets. Before the Come Out roll, players can wager on the Pass or the Don’t Pass line. If you think the shooter will roll a 7 or 11, bet the Pass Line. But if you think a 2, 3, or a 12 is coming, plunk your chips down on Don’t Pass.
- Make the Come Out roll. If it’s your turn to roll, toss the dice onto the craps table. If the result is 7 or 11, the Pass Line bettors win. Don’t Pass wagers will be victorious if a 2, 3, or 12 comes. But if any other number is rolled, that number will become the point.
- Make additional wagers. Once the point is set, the rest of the board opens up for wagers. These include Come/Don’t Come, Field, Proposition, and Place bets.
- Will the shooter win the point or “Seven Out”? The shooter will continue to roll the dice until they win the point or until they roll a 7. All outcomes (including rolls that don’t end the round) affect post-point wagers differently.
Online Craps Strategy
For a complex-looking online casino game, craps strategy is actually quite simple. You can maximize wins and minimize losses by sticking to a few core principles. Let’s go over them below.
Stick To Pass And Don’t Come Bets
As with any pit game, you minimize long-term craps losses by making wagers with the slimmest house edge.
In craps, the Don’t Come Bar and the Pass Line have the lowest house advantage, at 1.41% and 1.36%, respectively. Because of this, it’s easier to show a profit in the short term by wagering on these options.
Avoid Single Roll Bets
Many single-roll bets cover half the die. But the math doesn’t lie – the house cleans up on these wagers.
Field bets are the least bad option, with a house edge of 2.7% to 5.5% (depending on the game). But the absolute worst choice is the “Any 7” proposition bet. On this wager, the house has a 16.9% advantage – woof.
Stay Disciplined At The Tables
It can be frustrating when your Pass Line bets get “crapped on” repeatedly. But that doesn’t mean the RNG is rigged – it’s just randomness playing out randomly. Over time, it all evens out.
But some use this as an excuse to chase losses. Please don’t do this – if you’re starting to tilt, stand up and go outside for five minutes. And if you’re still steaming, end your session. The tables will still be there tomorrow.
