Craps The first time you load up Craps into your casino software you'll wonder what on earth's going on! The good news is that the rules of craps are very simple. It's fast paced and exciting and it conjures up mental images of Las Vegas. It's the huge range of bets that puts newcomers off playing Craps but you only need to know the basics, and which bets to avoid. The Rules: The shooter (dice thrower) steps up to the table and rolls two dice. If the total of the scores on the dice is 7 or 11 then he wins immediately. If the total of the scores on the dice is 2, 3 or 12 then he loses immediately. (2, 3, or 12 is known as Craps) If the total of the scores on the dice is any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) then this number becomes "Point". A white puck is placed above the point number on the craps table to make the game easier to follow. The game is on… The shooter then continues to roll the dice, for as long as it takes, until he either scores the point number or 7. If he scores point, he wins. If he scores 7, he loses. A winning shooter stays at the table and starts again, a losing shooter hands the dice to the next player, and the game starts again.

In Craps, winning or losing depends on a variety of different possible outcomes on any roll of the two dice. The two dice can produce many different number combinations; some can be made several ways, others only one way. For example, two dice can roll the number 6 as follows: 5/1, 4/2, 3/3, 2/4 and 1/5. But the number 2 can only be rolled one way: 1/1.

Just as the come wager resembles the pass line bet, the don't come wager resembles the don't pass line wager. At any point in a game can a don't come wager be made by placing chips on the Don't Come Bar. The next dice roll immediately thereafter serves as the come-out roll for that particular wager. If the come-out roll comes up a 7 or 11, the bet loses. If it comes up a 3, the bet wins. All other numbers rolled are considered point numbers, which if rolled again before rolling a 7 or 11, will cause the don't come wager to lose. (If the point number is established, the dealer will move the wager to the corresponding box number on the craps table) Rolling a 7 or 11 before the point number is hit again, will produce a winning don't come bet.

This is known as the cancellation system. Pick a series of numbers, say 1,2,3,4,5. Your first bet is the total of the two numbers on the end, or 6 units in this case. If you lose it, you cancel out the 1 and the 5, add the six to the end of the series and bet the 6 and the 2, for a total of eight units bet. Lose that one and you add the eight to the series, cancel the 2 and the six and bet a total of 11 (3+8) and so on. If you win, you proceed to the inside numbers until they are all cancelled out. Again, a loser, but an insidious one.