How to Play Craps in UK Casinos

Written by Amelia Thompson

Amelia Thompson

Author

Updated: March 14, 2023

Craps remain one of the traditional table games found in casinos. Our experts clarify in this craps guide the rules and gameplay so you can master the game.

• Understanding the Layout
• Insights of the Most Popular Craps Bets
• Setting Up the Game
• Playing the Game
• Common Craps Lingo
• You Are Now Ready to Play Craps!

Understanding the Layout

In order to learn the basics of Craps, you must first understand the layout of the game.

Know Your Way Around the Table

The layout of the craps table is universal, and you can expect the same diagram in both land-based venues and top online casinos. 

Typically, the table’s colour is green, and a diagram with the bet types is superimposed over the table, divided into three sections. 

The table includes two separate and identical side sections and a central section.

The table sections include all the game’s available bet types, and it’s the surface on which the pair of dice gets rolled.

Are Online Craps Different?

The Personnel Responsible for Managing the Craps Table

• Box person – responsible for exchanging cash for chips
• Dealers – craps features two dealers, one at each end of the table, focusing on cashing out winners and collecting losing bets
• Stickman – distributes the dice and announces the outcomes of the roll
• Shooter – its main task is to roll the dice

Other Craps Terminology

Once you understand the table’s structure, learning the bet types is crucial. 

It can be confusing for novice players, having to juggle a multitude of bet types, all with different payout odds and house edges.

The Critical Parameters Are:

• True Odds: The probability of a given number landing on a roll
• Payouts: Shows how much the bet will pay
• House Edge: The game’s in-built advantage, showing in percentage how much the casino wins in the long term

With a grasp on the key concepts influencing bets, the next step is learning the arsenal of various bet types at players’ disposal.

Insights of the Most Popular Craps Bets

There are several bets in craps, grouped as single-roll and multi-roll bets. A bet made with a single roll is only in effect for one throw, and you will only win if the number that lands is the one you chose. 

Alternatively, multi-roll bets take several dice rolls.

Most Promising Bets

• Pass Line Bet – the bet is won when the players predict correctly that the dice will land a 7 or 11; the bet fails if the dice show up a 2, 3, or 12
• Come Bets – wagerers can set the numbers they bet upon before the point number is picked. The players lose the best if 7 lands
• Place Bet – players place bets on numbers from 4 to 6 and 8, to 10; the winner is the one

Different Types of Bets You Might Pass

• HardWays – this bet implies wagering on double numbers such as 4, 6, 8 and 10
• Big 6 and Big 8 Bet – the players are betting that 6 or 8 will show up before 7 lands
• Any Craps – betting the upcoming roll will result in a 2, 3, or 12

Setting Up the Game

1. A standard craps table can accommodate up to 20 players.
2. Players alternate as the shooter in clockwise order, while in online casinos with both RNG games and live dealer games, you are always the shooter.
3. When throwing the pair of dice, they must hit the other end of the table and stay on the table’s surface for the outcome of the roll to get accepted as valid. 
4. Before registration, players make their bets and wager on or against the shooter.

Playing the Game

1. The dealer controls a puck with ON and OFF sides, signalling in which of the two phases the game is currently in. 
2. When a new shooter takes the dice for the first time, he’s making the Come-out roll, and the puck is on OFF.
3. This is the opening of a craps game. 
4. The shooter attempts to set a Point number for the rest of the game.
5. Several bets are unavailable at this stage, such as Pass Line Odds, Don’t Pass Lay Odds, Come Bets, and Don’t Come.

How Does a Come-out Roll Work?

During the Come-out roll, the shooter wins if 7 lands, while a 2, 3 or 12 ends the round.

However, any other number will become the Point number, and the dealer places the puck with the ON side on that number.

This is what comes up next:

This signals the commencement of the game’s second stage. Other gamblers can place their chips on the desired bet on the table. 

The shooter attempts to land the Point number before rolling a 7, which ends the round.

All combinations are valid if the point number gets rolled ahead of 7. After a shooter craps out, another gambler takes on the role, and the game starts anew.

Common Craps Lingo

• Aces: Aces or Snake Eyes means a 2 landed on the table
• Big Red: Another term for the number 7. Players believe it’s bad luck to say “seven” at the table
• Bones: Term for dice
• The Boys: Slang for the Croupiers
• Any Seven: The following roll results in a 7
• Cold Dice: Phrase for when no one is making their point
• Crap Numbers: The numbers 2,3 and 12
• Garden: Lingo for the field bet
• Rack: Refers to the rail for keeping your chips
• Any Craps: Betting the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12
• Odds Bet: An extra bet placed in addition to the pass line bet
• Yo or Yo-leven: Expression for when 11 lands; it’s an excellent method to escape the possible confusion with ‘seven’

There are many terms in craps; hearing players talk, you would think they are using a different language. That’s why it is crucial to master the basic lingo used around the table.

You Are Now Ready to Play Craps!

If you are new to the thrilling game of craps, this guide will ease your anxiety and reveal that despite the first overwhelming impression, it’s not a complex game. 

There is a lot of math, but most of the odds are readily available, and the dealer is willing to help. However, you must understand the bet types and table etiquette. Moreover, the dealer will be automated in an online casino, so you need to focus more.

Although you cannot control the outcome of a dice roll, you can avoid costly mistakes by getting a better grasp of the basics and successfully navigating your craps adventure.