Your Ultimate Guide to Online Craps in 2023

Dice games have been around for millennia. They are one of the simplest forms of gambling, as they only require a few pieces and two players. This simplicity allowed them to spread, often hitching rides in backpacks and travel bags. Roman legionaries spread their dice from Britain to Iran and managed to captivate the masses with simple rolls. The French, as the centuries rolled forward and gaming developed, came up with a game called 'crapaud', which means toad. The name is based on crouching groups of punters that often gambled on sidewalks and in back alleys. These gamblers eventually took it on the road and brought it to America, where the game exploded in popularity, which then led to the digital variants that we know and love today.

Craps is a relatively simple game with only a handful of terms. It will take you only a few minutes and a handful of games to master them. The most popular terms include:

• The Pass Line - A segment of the craps table where bets on the shooter are placed.
• The Don't Pass Line - A segment of the craps table where bets against the shooter are placed.
• The Point - A number set up by the come-out roll that is expected to be repeated.
• The Come Out Roll - The very first dice roll.
• The Shooter - The punter that rolls the dice.

Check out our craps glossary to learn more!

Craps has a healthy number of rules, which means that there are not dozens of complicated ones but rather a handful of cleverly designed ones. Moreover, some of them are obvious and will not require memorization. These rules are:

• Bets are placed on the pass, or the don't pass line.
• Games start with come-out rolls.
• The shooter is the only one rolling the dice.
• A 7 or 11 makes the pass line win, and the don't pass line lose.
• Conversely, a 2, 3, or 12 makes the don't pass line win, and the pass line lose.
• If the initial roll is any other number, it becomes the point.
• The point has to be re-rolled before a 7 appears in order for the shooter to win.
• Should a 7 appear before the pint, the don't pass line wins, and the pass line losses.

Note that there might be slight differences in certain craps variants, but you can always read up on them in the associated rulebook.

Strategizing and chasing a winning formula is often the folly of countless punters. You cannot plan your way to victory in craps, but you can make clever and informed bets. The most popular recommendations include the following:

• 3-Point Molly - Build up your bankroll with increased odds by betting on the pass line, come line, and odds bets.
• Place Betting - This wide net is aimed at numbers that are likely to be rolled based on previous rolls, such as 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.
• Iron Cross - This strategy sees you betting on the field and the numbers 5, 6, and 8.
• Pass Line Bets - All you have to do is bet on the pass and come line. The idea is that you target a shooter’s initial 7 or 11.
• Don’t Pass Bets - Bets are placed on the don’t pass and don’t come lines. If the shooter initially rolls 2 or 3, you win.