Basic Rules of Play The dice are tossed from one end of the craps table to the other making sure that both dice bounce off of the back wall of the table. Moving in a clockwise direction, players take turns rolling the dice. The Shooter's first role is called the "Come Out" role. This Shooter continues to role as long as he or she makes winning roles. The "Come Out" role is very important in craps in that it establishes the Shooter's "Point." "The Point" is the number that the Shooter must role again before he or she roles a 7. A 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 establishes the point. Rolling a 7, 11, 2, 3 or 12 on the "Come Out" role results in the dice being passed to the next Shooter. The Puck - This two-sided disc indicates whether or not a game is in progress and if a "Point" has been established. The puck displays "OFF" and remains on the "Don't Come Bar" until a "Point" has been established by the shooter. The dealer then turns the puck to the "ON" side and moves it to the numbered location on the craps table to denote the "Point" number for this shooter. Betting On Craps Pass Line Bet - A simple and basic even money bet. You are betting that the first role of the dice will add up to 7 or 11. On this bet, a 2, 3, or 12 loses the bet. Any other number establishes the "Point." The "Point" number has to be rolled again before a 7 comes up to win, otherwise, the bet is lost.

Don't Pass Line Bet - The reverse of the Pass Line bet. You are betting that the first role of the dice will not add up to 7 or 11. A 2 or 3 wins. A 12 causes a "Push" or "Standoff" where no one wins. If a "Point" is established, you are betting that the shooter will not "Make" or role his or her "Point" again before rolling a 7. Come Bets - This bet is made after the "Point" has been established and is exactly like the "Pass Line" bet. You win if the "Shooter" roles a "Natural" 7 or 11 and lose on 2, 3, or 11, called "Craps." You place your wager in the area marked "Come" on the craps table. Your wager remains here unless a "Point" number is rolled. The dealer then moves your wager to the number that was rolled on the table. This same number must be rolled again before a 7 comes for you to win.

Pass Line A pass line bet is a bet placed before the come out roll (i.e. the first roll of the dice in a new craps round) A wager on the pass line wins immediately if the come out roll is 7 or 11 (naturals), and loses if the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12 (craps numbers) If any other number (4,5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is rolled, that number becomes "the point." If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7, your pass line bet wins. If the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, your pass line bet loses. Don't Pass Line A don't pass line bet is essentially the reverse of a pass line bet, and is also placed before the come out roll. If the shooter rolls 3 or 12 on the come out roll, a don't pass line bet wins immediately. If, however, the come out roll is 7 or 11, don't pass line bets lose. If the come out roll is 2, a don't pass line bet is returned to the player in a push. If the come out roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. Once the point has been established, don't pass line bets win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again. If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7, don't pass line bets lose. Come A come bet is placed before any roll of the dice, once a point has been established by the come out roll. Come bets win immediately if the shooter's next roll is 7 or 11, and lose if the roll is 2, 3, or 12. If the shooter rolls 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes "the come point." If the shooter rolls the come point again before rolling a 7, the come bet wins. Don't Come A don't come bet is essentially the opposite of a come bet. Don't come bets win immediately when the shooter's next roll is 3 or 12, and lose if the roll is 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 2, the bet will be returned to the player in a push. After the come point is established, don't come bets win if 7 is rolled and lose if the come point is rolled. Odds An odds bet is a "back up" bet on an original pass line, don't pass line, come, or don't come bet. Gold Club allows odds bets of three times your original bets. Field A field bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be either 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. Big Six and Big Eight A big six bet is a bet that 6 will be rolled before 7. Likewise, a big eight bet is a bet that 8 will be rolled before 7. Place Win A place win bet is a bet that either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a seven. Place Lose A place lose bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Buy A buy bet is a bet that either 4, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before 7. A vigorish (vig.) of 5% is charged when placing the buy bet. Lay A lay bet is a bet that 7 will be rolled before 4, 6, 8, 9, or 10. A 5% vig. is charged when placing the lay bet. Any 7 An "any 7" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 7. Any 11 An "any 11" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 11. Any Craps An "any craps" bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be 2, 3, or 12. Horn A horn bet is a bet that the next roll of the dice will be either 2, 3, 11, or 12. Hardway A hardway bet is a bet that the shooter will roll either a 4, 6, 8, or 10 as doubles (2+2, 3+3, 4+4, or 5+5) before rolling a 7. Rolling a number by doubles is said to be rolling the number "the hard way."

Craps can be an intimidating game for the beginner. The table seems to have about a hundred different kinds of bets. Critical to the understanding of craps is that it is a game of rounds. The first roll in a round is called the come out roll. Sometimes the outcome of a round will be determined on the come out roll. In particular a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 on the come out roll immediately ends a round. If any other total is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) that number is called the point. The dealer will place a white puck on an area of the table to designate what the point is, in case you forget. If a point is rolled the dice will be rolled continuously until the same point is rolled again or a 7.

The inside walls of the table are covered with a serrated egg-carton like foam, designed to make the dice bounce around to assure randomness. Each throw of the dice is called a "roll". Players take turn rolling the dice, clockwise around the table, and the player rolling at any given time is called the "shooter". When a new shooter is given the dice, his or her first roll is called the ""Come Out"" roll. This begins a new series of rolls by that shooter and lasts for as long as that shooter continues to make winning rolls.