Players will first roll the dice to determine who will roll for that particular game, and then all the participants will place bets on whether or not the person rolling will “pass” on the first roll (by rolling a 7 or 11), or “crap out” (by rolling a 2, 3, or a 12). [2] X Research source If one of those values is reached on the first roll, the game is over and the bets are distributed accordingly. The player shooting the dice is the first to bet and the other players must at least match his bet before the game can continue. If the bet cannot be matched, the shooter can either lower the bet to accommodate the other players, or handicap the odds. Once the shooter’s bet has been matched, the other players may place side bets.
The player must continue rolling until either the point or 7 is reached. All bets that the shooter would “pass” are now bets that the shooter will re-roll the value of the point before rolling a 7, and all bets to the contrary are bets that 7 will be rolled first. If the game goes to point, as soon as the shooter rolls the point or 7, the game is over and the bets are awarded accordingly.
The shooter is the player who rolls the dice, and will be a different player for each game The come out is the initial roll To pass is to roll a 7 or 11 on the come out roll To crap is to roll a 2, 3, or 12 on the come out roll The point is any value between 4 and 10 rolled on the come out To seven out is to roll a seven before rolling the point
Because no one is watching the action, make sure that the piles stay even throughout the game and the tokens or money are distributed fairly. Tempers can flare if you don’t take the game seriously and keep it clean.
What you’re paying for is basically the right to be considered for shooting. You don’t have to place a bet after you’ve anted up. Like in cards, if you want to sit out for a game but still watch and think about betting, you need to ante up first.
The other players must cumulatively come up with enough to at least match the shooter’s bet before placing side bets or increasing the wager. To match the shooter’s bet is to come up with the same amount of “money,” in support of the opposite outcome. If you’ve anted up, you can throw in to match, or you can wait and bet on the side. Say the shooter makes a $10 pass bet. The other players must cumulatively come up with $10, but betting crap. So, if you throw in $2 on the initial bet toward the crap, the most you stand to win back is your $2 and $2 of the shooter’s money. If the other players match the shooter’s bet, you can place a side bet with other players who are willing to match more bets if you still want to play. This might include betting either pass or crap.
7 is the most likely roll on any particular shot. There is a 17% chance of rolling a 7 each time, because there are a total of 6 ways to get that value between the two dice, out of 36 possible value combinations between the two. [8] X Research source The probability of rolling the other values makes a pyramid. 6 and 8 are the next most likely rolls, with five different ways to get each value, making them 14% likely. 5 and 9 are the next most likely values, and so on. 2 and 12 are the least likely rolls because there is only one way to roll them, snake eyes and a double six, respectively.
Say you’re in a game and you’ve betted crap, and the shooter rolls a 4. Now the likelihood is reversed, and the shooter’s in the corner. It’s more likely on the next roll he’ll roll a 7, so your initial bet paid off. Now your odds are better.
Usually, there’s a designated surface the dice have to hit. In casino craps, the dice must go all the way to the back wall of the table for it to count. This is why most street craps games are played against walls. Generally, you’ll be a few feet away and roll against the wall, or some other kind of backdrop.
It’s also important to distinguish between playing street craps and playing other kinds of dice games, some of which involve betting and some of which don’t. If someone asks if you want to “shoot dice,” they could be referring to some other game, though craps is the most likely.
The highest possible combination is to roll a 4, 5, and a 6. This is like a royal flush in poker. The next highest combination would be triples. Even if you rolled all ones, rolling three ones would be the next highest category of score, only beaten by triples of any other number, or the 4, 5, 6 combo. The next highest combination is called a “pair and a spare,” which is sort of like a full house. This would be a matched pair, plus some other value. In the event two players rolled double 4’s, the higher value of the other die would be the winner. If a player rolled two twos with an extra six, while another player rolled two sixes with an extra two, the first player would win. Ties are awarded to the highest value on the extra die, the pair doesn’t matter. If two players roll exactly the same thing, generally a re-roll is performed.
The first player rolls the dice and carefully looks at the value so the other players can’t see, then says aloud the value, either choosing to bluff by reporting the wrong value, or telling the truth. The player then passes the cup carefully so as not to tip over the dice to the player to his right. The next player can either challenge or accept the value as reported by the previous player, or can up the ante by making a guess of their own. Eventually, the game must continue until someone challenges. If, upon challenging, the initial report was correct, the challenger and all other players lose, unless a subsequent player had reported or guessed correctly. If a challenge is upheld, the liars are the losers, and usually have to take a drink. The point values vary from game to game, though generally a 1-2 combo is considered the highest possible value. It’s also possible to play the game “blind,” meaning that no one ever looks at the value until someone challenges.
The first player rolls all six dice, keeping some by setting them aside, and returning the rest to the cup. Keepable dice include any that show 1, which are worth 100 points, and any that show 5, which are worth 50 points. If you roll 3 of a kind (say, three 2s) you’ll also keep those, worth that many hundred points. In other words, three 2s would be worth 200 points, while three 6s would be worth 600. Return all dice that can’t be counted back into the cup and roll again. The player continues rolling until he’s either “kept” all the dice, or has rolled something that can’t be counted (like a 2, 4 and 4). On subsequent rolls, you can improve previous 3 of a kinds that you’ve kept. Say you rolled three 3s on your first roll and returned the other three dice back to the cup. If you rolled a 3 on your subsequent roll, the value of your 3 of a kind would be doubled.
