Think about it. When you toss a coin fairly you will get an even number of heads and tails in the long run. Every now and then you will get a run of four or five heads or tails, just by chance. After all, every time you toss there is a 50:50 chance of a head or tail coming down – and this doesn’t change depending on what the tosses before have been. If runs of 4 or 5 heads happen, it means that runs of 10 or even 20 can and will happen. Not very often at all, but they will happen. winning and losing streaks are what you can expect occasionally, just by chance. They do not need to be explained by ESP, magic or superior betting skill.

The player who's current go it is, is called the shooter. The shooter wins if he rolls a 7 or 11 and this is entitled 'Natural' and he loses if he rolls a 2, 3 or a 12. This is known as 'craps' and it is where the name gets its name from. Rolling any of the remaining numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is known as the 'point'. If the shooter achieves point on his first roll, he must roll again, if he achieves point again, then rolls again and rolls a 7 then he wins. If a 7 is rolled after the first point then the shooter loses and the dice are passed on to the next person. The next person will then become the shooter.

There are four types of craps bets: Pass Line Bets These bets are made before the come out roll and on the shooter. To make this wager you place your chips anywhere within the Pass Line area of the layout Don't Pass Bets These bets are made before the come out roll and against the shooter. To make this wager you place your chips anywhere within the don't Pass Line area of the layout. Come Bets These bets are made after the come out roll and on the shooter. To make this wager you place your chips anywhere within the Come area of the layout. Don't Come Bets These bets are made after the come out roll and against the shooter. To make this wager you place your chips anywhere within the Don't Come area of the layout.

The correct payoff for odds bets varies from point number to point number, depending on the odds of a 7 being rolled before a particular point is repeated. The payoff formula is the same whether you take single odds, double odds, or more. Correct odds payoffs are as follows: Points 4 and 10 pay 2-to-1 Points 5 and 9 pay 3-to-2 Points 6 and 8 pay 6-to-5 As an example, suppose you bet $1.00 on the pass line and establish a point of 4 in a casino that offers double odds. You now have the option of taking the adds for an additional $2.00. (You can wager a lesser amount or choose not to take any odds at all)

Basic craps terminology: Shooter: the current dice thrower. Come-out roll: The shooter's first roll. Pass: If the shooter wins his game, by any means, he is said to "Pass". Don't Pass: The term used if the shooter loses. The following illustration depicts the left half of a craps table. The bets to the bottom right, therefore, are referred to as the center bets, as they are actually in the center of a full sized table.