Play Online Craps

How to play craps

Craps involves wagering on the outcome when a pair of dice is thrown. You choose whether you are betting with or against the shooter (in an online casino, this is the RNG) and whether they roll a particular number (the point) before or after they roll 7. In addition, players can also make separate bets on the outcome of any given roll of the dice.

A craps game unfolds in the following steps (this description assumes that players are betting the pass line):

1. Before a new game begins, players wager on the pass line
2. The dice are rolled, known as the come-out roll
3. if 2, 3 or 12 are rolled (crapping out), pass line bets are lost
4.  if 7 or 11 is rolled, pass line bets win and pay out 1:1
5. if any other number is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9,10), this is the point number and the game continues
6. players can now make odds bets in addition to their original pass line bet
7. the game continues until the shooter rolls either the point number or 7 is rolled
8. if the point number is rolled, players who bet on the pass line collect (including additional odds bets)
9. if the shooter rolls 7, all pass line bets are lost
10. the shooter rolling 7 or the point marks the end of the game and a new game begins with another come-out roll

Come bets

• At any time after the come-out roll, players can make come bets
•  these are a form of additional come-out roll, establishing a further point number
• come bets win or lose in the same way as pass line bets

Don’t pass line

If you bet the don’t pass line, all of the above is reversed e.g., if the shooter rolls 7 before the point number you win, while a 2 or 3 on the come-out roll pays out even money (12 is a push). One of the advantages of playing online craps is that betting the don’t pass line (also known as a wrong way bet) can make you unpopular with other players in a bricks and mortar casino. There is no such pressure in an online game and so you are free to bet the don’t pass line if you choose.

Odds bets

An odds bet is one of the few bets in an online casino with no house edge, and so we always recommend that you play this bet at the highest level you can afford. Most online casinos offer odds bets of 2x or 3x your pass line bet, with the payouts varying according to the point number. If you’re wagering $20 per spin, for instance, it’s recommended that you wager $5 on your pass line bet and $15 on your odds bet. (See our craps strategy page for more on odds bets.)

Crap table layout explanation

The craps table can appear daunting to the newcomer, with its many sections and their unusual names: Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, Field, etc. However, much of the table is dedicated to prop bets that you should steer clear of (see below), and so there are only a couple of parts of the craps table that should interest you:

• curving around the bottom and side of the table is the pass line where you place your pass line bets before each come-out roll
• to place an odds bet in an online casino, click on the small thin line below the pass line
• the don’t pass line is a smaller section that adjoins the pass line or is just above it
• the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 are in boxes across the top of the table. These are the point numbers and once the point has been set a small white button saying ON will appear on the relevant box

In craps you can find some of the few bets in an online casino where there is a small or no house edge. For instance, odds bets and come bets are offered at true odds and with no house edge, while pass line and don’t pass line bets have slender house margins of 1.41% and 1.36% respectively.

Proposition bets offer generous odds but the house edge on them is so significant that they aren’t worth playing. For instance, prop bets such as Any Craps, Any 7, Big 6 or 8 and Hard 4 or 10 are known as sucker bets because the house edge is so large. To read more about prop bets, visit our craps strategy page.

The bottom line about craps

Playing online craps has many advantages over its land-based counterpart. You always get a clear and unobstructed view of the table, you’re not rushed or pressured into making decisions quickly as you can be in a live craps game, while you can also bet the don’t pass line without getting hostile glances from those around you. An additional advantage is that you can learn to play craps for free in demo mode at our one of our top casinos , so you can get a feel for the game and why it’s so enjoyable to play.