Learn How To Play Craps Online
Come on 7 and 11! If this sounds familiar to you, then chances are you’ve been around a Craps table before. Famous around the globe, Craps is a game with a rich history; and although it used to be the domain of high rollers, it’s now accessible to anyone who wants to give it a try. This dice game dates back as far as the Crusades, but playing Craps online is not that different to playing at a land-based casino. Very importantly, in both cases the house edge is equally low!
The advent of the Internet has taken an incredibly popular gambling game and turned it into an online sensation. Craps has evolved from an activity that was originally enjoyed on roadsides to one of the hottest games around. The buzz, the suspense and the sheer adrenaline as the dice are thrown make this one of the most exciting forms of entertainment in any online casino.
When it comes to playing, it’s important not to go in unprepared. Yes, this is an online casino game and it’s about fun and entertainment, however, it’s also one that comes with a number of rules, and for that reason it’s of the utmost importance to become acquainted with these rules before playing for real cash. It’s also far easier to learn how to play at an online casino than in real life, since you can view the full payout card on each table, which acts as a constant reminder of the rules.
The game rules remain the same, although online results are created using Random Number Generation software instead of other players physically throwing the dice. However, recently the Live Dealer entertainment revolution has reached Craps and you can expect more Live Dealer Craps games to come your way soon. Find out the basics and finer details of this classic gambling pastime below.
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The Appeal of Online Craps
The main appeal of Craps comes from its simplicity, the low house edge and the rush of adrenaline you get when you’re waiting for the dice to reveal your fate. When you take a great game and combine it with software from one of the industry’s top developers, you can expect nothing less than pure, quality gaming with stunning visuals and exciting sound effects.
The action is smooth and seamless, and it’s also hyper-realistic, with the advantage of being faster than in a land-based casino as there’s no waiting around. For a table game that can, in some versions, appear cluttered and confusing, Playtech have done a fabulous job designing a crisp, smart and user-friendly design that focuses on the betting options and clearly labels the payouts.
Not only does it look classy, but it is also useful to new players who may otherwise be put off by the number of betting options. It is true that it can sometimes be tricky to work out what you need to do when you’re a beginner, but with a little practice, anyone can become a pro.
How to Play Craps Online
To play Craps online is actually quite easy: once you’ve logged into your casino account, simply look for the game and launch it. You can pre-select your bet sizes and decide on what you would like to bet. If you’re unfamiliar with the game, you can click on the easy-to-use help file within the game for a quick overview.
The Rules of Craps
Craps can seem quite complex to novice players, but it’s actually pretty simple once you’ve grasped the fundamentals. Your objective is to bet on the numbers and total a pair of dice will display after they are thrown across the felt of the dedicated Craps table.
In live dealer and land-based games, the person rolling the dice is known as the Shooter. Traditionally the Shooter is one of the other players at the table, although of course in a live casino it is your dealer. In a conventional online site, you’ll see the results of every “dice roll” immediately thanks to the certified RNG technology.
Whatever platform you’re playing on, you’ll be betting with or against the Shooter. That means you either predict that they will land a certain dice combination (with) or that they won’t (against). There are 2 stages of every game, known as the Come Out Phase and the Point Phase.
Different Types of Craps Bets
There are different types of bets that you can place when you play Craps online, and it’s no different when you’re taking part in online gambling in Canada, as the rules for online play are the same everywhere. The most popular bets are the Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come Bet, Don’t Come Bet, Pass Odds and Don’t Pass Odds.
Let’s take a quick look at the two most popular ones:
- Pass Line: This is the most prevalent bet and works as follows – if the come-out roll is either 7 or 11, you win, but if it’s 2, 3 or 12, your bet will be lost. If the roll is any other number, a Point is established. If that number is rolled before a 7 is rolled again, you will win, however, you will lose your bet if a 7 is rolled before the Point number.
- Don’t Pass: This is exactly the opposite of the Pass Line bet, so you will basically place the bet for a 7 or 11 to lose and the other numbers to win. A Point is also established, and again the outcome will be the opposite of the Pass Line bet.
The Come Out Phase
During the Come Out Phase, the Shooter’s objective is to land a total of 7 or 11 – which is why you might be shouting for that result the way we mentioned above! Betting with or against the Shooter is known as place a Pass or a Don’t Pass wager.
You win if you placed a Pass or Don’t Pass bet, and, respectively, the Shooter then rolls a 7 or 11, or rolls a 2, 3 or 12. If anything other than a 7 or 11 is thrown, that number is established as the Point and the Point Phase of the Craps game begins.
The Point Phase
The Point Phase of land-based, live dealer or conventional online Craps games is very similar to the Come Out Phase. This time, you bet with or against the Shooter as they try to land whatever dice total was displayed in the Come Out Phase, another number of your choosing, a 7 or an 11.
If you bet with the Shooter in a Come Bet, you win if they roll any of these 4 points and lose if they do not. In a Don’t Come Bet, where your stakes are against the Shooter, the opposite is true. As you can imagine, the different odds and potential payouts for both Phases keeps every game of Craps interesting but this is really only the beginning! There are several other wagers to intrigue you further, once you’re comfortable with the basics.
Easy Online Craps Bets
For a game that’s based on quite a simple idea, there are several fairly complicated betting options to get your head around. Line Bets, Single Roll Bets, Multi Roll Bets and Player bets will allow you to take as much or as little risk as you like, with some of the more complex bets actually narrowing the House Edge to nearly zero.
The wide range of betting options allows you to work out your own tactics and strategies for winning, and this flexibility puts the power to win in your hands.
The low House Edge can be best utilized when wagering on the pass/don’t pass and come/don’t come options, but you’ll quickly pick it up and establish a betting system that works for you. The pass/don’t pass bets are the first one’s you’ll need to learn and are incredibly simple.
Many players develop their own system or strategy over time, whilst others make use of tried and tested betting systems. Although essentially a game of chance, a betting system can see you offset your losses and improve your success rate dramatically.
Advanced Craps Wagers
Know your Point Phase from your Come Out Phase? Feel ready to add some more excitement to your gaming? These advanced bets are just what you need:
- Place Win and Lose: These stakes are laid after the Point is established. Throwing a number from 4 to 10, except for 7, is a Place Win. A 7 is a Place Lose.
- Buy and Lay: These are like Place Win and Lose Bets, but they have higher payouts and take a 5% commission.
- Hardways: In a Hardway Bet you wager that a Double will be rolled before the next 7 is landed. For example, a Hard 6 means a pair of 3s will be seen before a 7.
- Big 6 and Big 8: You’re predicting that a combination adding up to 6 or 8, respectively, will be thrown before the next 7.
- Propositions: These have the highest odds and returns in online Craps, because you are predicting specific events
Side-Stepping the Bad Bets
Online Craps is known for having the lowest house edge of all casino games. However, this very statement is a double-edged sword – reason being that this is only true when it comes to the Pass Line and Don’t Pass Bar bets. The rest of the betting options are in favour of the house. It’s important to differentiate between the various bets and thus avoid piling up the deck in the house’s favour.
Always try and avoid the big 6 and 8 bets as they are in favour of the house by 9.1%. The Pass the Line Bet is a better option than those two as it as a 1.41% edge to the house. The Don’t Pass Bar bet carries an even lower house edge than the Pass Line Bet – and it sits at 1.36%. The only major issue with the Don’t Pass Bar bet is that it goes against the player who rolls the dice. To put it in another way, the player is betting that whoever is rolling the dice will fail.
Know Your Lingo
Craps, whether played online or on your mobile, is quite complex – at least it can seem complex in the beginning - so much so that it could leave you bewildered. One of the most important things to become acquainted with is the terminology – of which there is a fair amount. Fret not though, this is still a casino game, and the main objective is still fun!
Like Bingo, the game of Craps also has a few calls, which means that instead of saying the number, the dealer would assign a specific name to it. Here are some of the calls you may hear at a land-based casino, or if you ever find yourself playing Live Dealer Craps:
- Two: Snake Eyes
- Three: Three Craps Three
- Four: Little Joe from Kokomo
- Five: No Field Five
- Six: Jimmie Hicks
- Seven: Up Pops The Devil
- Eight: Easy Eight
- Nine: Centerfield Nine
- Ten: “Dos Equis” (meaning “two X’s” in Spanish)
- Eleven: Yo
- Twelve: Boxcars
How to Use an Online Craps Strategy
There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to playing online Craps. Our suggestion would be to first find out what the game is about, by reading up about it and following the help files within the game at the online casino you’re playing at. Set yourself a budget to make sure you don’t go over your limit, and go for the most popular bets first – once you’re an old hand at the game, you can use some of the strategies that other players suggest.
When you’re playing online it is also important to remember that general gambling advice always applies, including setting a budget, managing your bankroll and never chasing your losses, apply to Craps as much as they do to any other game. Since Craps is essentially a game of chance, your only real influence on whether you win or not is which bets you decide to place.
Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers have the lowest house edges of all possible Craps bets, at 1.41% and 1.36% respectively. On the other hand, the Big 6 and Big 8 wagers have an edge of a whopping 9.1% so you might want to avoid them unless you’re feeling exceptionally lucky! Overall you have the best chance of winning if you stick to these, but adding the other stakes will make the game more exciting. Decide what is more important to you before you make any predictions.
You can also try some of the betting strategies that have proven successful for other players in the past. The most common are called “Progressive Strategies” and they fall into 2 categories; Positive and Negative Progressions. Positive Progressive systems involve upping your bet when you win and dropping it when you lose, while Negative Progression systems involve the opposite.
With both Positive and Negative Progression, if you play for long enough your wins and losses should even out, hopefully yielding a small profit. Positive Progressive systems include Parlay and Oscar’s Grid, while the D’Alembert and Martingale systems are good examples of Negative Progression.
As you spend more time online, you’ll discover other, less frequently used betting tactics that you might want to try out. We encourage you to give them all a whirl, and use the ones that work best for you. Take advantage of the no-deposit games mentioned above to do just that.
Online Craps vs. Live Dealer Craps
Live Dealer games have become extremely popular, especially amongst players who take part in online gambling in Canada. With the introduction of Live Blackjack, Live Roulette and Live Baccarat, there has been a move from playing normal online table games to live games instead. The reason? Players want to experience the hustle and bustle of real casino, and interact with other people, without leaving their homes. That is the main difference between playing online Craps and Live Dealer Craps at an online casino
We have done some research, and the bad news is that Live Dealer Craps games are very rare. While there is one software company that has created this version, with one dealer serving as the Shooter and the other dealer as the Table Host, it’s still too new to really make an educated decision about how successful the game is. The best bet is to try it out, or wait until everyone else catches on – because the more players there are around the table, the more fun you’ll have playing Live Dealer Craps.
Learn How to Play for Free
The best way to go about learning how to play is to sign up with one of our Canadian online casinos and opt for the free play/ practice play version. This way you can play over and over until you have a full mastery over the rules, the terminology and the inner workings. It’s also not a bad idea to do a Google search on how to play and to get to know more about what’s what.
Craps really can be enjoyed by anyone, and the free play option lets you become acquainted with the rules, how it works, the bets, and how you can maximize your winning potential.
Fancy some free Craps? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This free game from casino software provider Playtech is identical to the real money version, so you can practice shootin’ them dice without risking any money whilst you learning the ins and outs of one of the most popular casino games.
Playtech’s version is impressive, and is certainly one of the best I’ve played online, as it ticks all the right boxes. It is easy to learn how to play, but the table layout and different types of bets may seem a bit confusing. Don’t let this put you off though; many of the bets are considered ‘sucker bets’ so you only really need to know the important ones, and the free play options provide the perfect practice platform for you to do so.
Find Top Online Craps Action With Us
The more time you spend playing Craps online, the more you will understand and enjoy it so that you can win more. This is especially true when you play at the casinos that we recommend, thanks to their hyper-realistic graphics and sound effects, smooth mechanics and ample payouts. We bring you the greatest Random Number Generation and live dealer Craps sites, where you can play with the total peace of mind that comes from knowing your funds are secure and all results are fair. Start enjoying yourself today!
