craps bet

Developed in the 1700's, Hazard was played by members of the European aristocracy before arriving to America through the French Louisiana colony of Arcadia.
By 1813, Bernard de Mandeville of New Orleans took the game of hazard, simplified it, and transformed the game into the first version of craps. His adaptation of Hazard traveled up the Mississippi River on steamboats, spreading throughout the United States. Mandeville's craps had one major flaw; the game was vulnerable to the use of fixed dice due to its betting rules. John H. Winn fixed the problem by introducing the possibility for players to bet 'right' or 'wrong' in the layout of the craps table, including a space for 'Don't Pass' bets. His adjustments revolutionized the game, eliminating the usefulness of fixed dice and making it possible for players to bet for or against the roller.
Stepping back further into the past, some believe craps to have originated from soldiers of the Roman Legions playing with pig knucklebones shaped into cubes at the time of the Holy Roman Empire. They would "roll the bones" onto their shields for entertainment.
World War II also witnessed soldiers using craps in its modern form as entertainment, which gained immense popularity as a way for them to break the monotony of war. Even movies included the game in their story lines as casino craps took over the gambling world.
Over the years, particularly in the 1990's, craps lost much of its popularity as slot machines and other casino favorites began pulling in the majority of gamblers. Only recently, craps has shown signs of making a comeback into the gambling scene since entering the 21st century. Technological advances, such as the option of playing craps online, have also contributed to the return.
One thing can be sure: the game of craps has been around for hundreds of years and will continue to hold an important place in gambling tradition. Craps is a casino dice game. Craps is a simplification of the Old English game hazard. Its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers. What was to become the modern American version of the game was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana landowners and a gambler and politician.[1] The game, first known as crapaud (a French word meaning "toad") reportedly owes its modern popularity from its being spread through the African-American community [2].
In craps, players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of two dice. Because it requires very little equipment, craps can easily be played in less formal settings, and is said to be popular among soldiers. In such situations side bets are more frequent, with one or several participants covering or "fading" bets against the dice.Craps is a game played by 1 or more players. Players take turns rolling two dice. The player rolling the dice is called the "shooter." The game is played in rounds, with the first roll of a new round called the "come-out roll."
On the come-out roll, if the total of the two dice is 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, the round ends immediately and the shooter must roll another come-out roll. A result of 2, 3 or 12 is called 'craps' while a result of 7 or 11 is called a 'win' or a 'natural.' When any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is rolled on the come-out roll, this number becomes what is called the point. If a point is established, then the shooter will re-roll the dice continuously until either a 7 is rolled or the point is rolled again. If the shooter rolls the point again, the round ends and the game starts over with the same shooter rolling another come-out roll. If the shooter rolls a 7 instead of the point, this is called a 'seven-out,' the round ends, and the dice pass to the next player to the left, who becomes the new shooter.
Players can make any of a large number of bets. Most of these are betting on the way the round will end (point comes or a seven out). Other betting can include betting on a specific total being rolled, or a specific total being rolled before a 7. In a casino players will make bets with chips on a specially made craps table.
A casino craps table is run by four casino employees: a boxman who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring out players; two base dealers who stand to either side of the boxman and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the boxman and announces the results of each roll and then collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick. He is also in charge of managing the bets made on the center of the table (hardways, yo, horn, etc).
A new shooter, who must bet the table minimum on either the "pass" line or the "don't pass" line to play, is presented five dice by the stickman and picks two.
The dealers will usually insist that the shooter roll with one hand and that the dice bounce off the wall surrounding the table. These requirements are meant to prevent cheating attempts by players switching the dice or making a "controlled shot." If a die leaves the table, the shooter will usually be asked to select another die from the remaining three but can request using the same die if it passes the boxman's inspection. This requirement is used in an effort to reduce cheating the game by players substituting loaded dice for the regulation dice.Fire Bet: Before the shooter begins, some casinos will allow a bet known as a fire bet to be placed. A fire bet is a bet for between 1-5 dollars (the Rio in Las Vegas allows up to $10) in the hopes that the next shooter will have a hot streak of setting and getting many points of different values. As different individual points are made by the shooter, they will be marked on the craps layout with a fire symbol. The first three points will not pay out on the fire bet, but the fourth, fifth and sixth will pay out at increasing odds. The fourth point pays at 25-1 (a maximum of $125 for a $5 bet), the fifth point pays at 250-1 (a maximum of $1,250 for a $5 bet) and the 6th point pays at 1,000-1 (a maximum of $5,000 for a $5 bet). Note that the points must all be different numbers for them to count towards the fire bet. A shooter who successfully hits a point of 10 twice will only garner credit for the first one on the fire bet.
The fire bet is only available for play in some casinosThe shooter is required to make either a Pass Line bet or a Don't Pass bet if he wants to shoot. Line bets are based around points.
Pass line: The fundamental bet in craps is the pass line bet, also called the win line in some countries. A pass line bet is won if the come-out roll is a 7 or 11. If the come-out roll is 2, 3 or 12, the bet loses. If instead the come-out roll establishes a point, and that point is rolled again, the bet wins. If a point is established and a 7 is rolled before the point is re-rolled, the bet loses.
Don't pass: The opposite of the pass line bet is the don't pass bet. The don't pass bet is opposite in that it loses if the come-out roll is 7 or 11 and wins if the come-out roll is 2 or 3. A 12 will draw (this depends on the casino); either way a player cannot lose if 12 is rolled. A draw (the word "BAR," printed on the Craps layout, means "Standoff") on 12 is done to ensure the casino maintains a house edge regardless of whether players are betting pass or don't pass. If a point is established and that point is rolled again, the don't pass bet loses. If a 7 is rolled instead of the point being re-rolled, the don't pass bet wins. Betting on don't pass is often called "playing the dark side," and it is considered by some players to be in poor taste, or even taboo, because it goes directly against conventional play.
Pass odds: If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is thrown on the come-out roll (i.e., if a point is set), most casinos allow pass line bettors to take odds by placing from one to five times (and at some casinos, up to 100 times) the pass line bet behind the pass line. This additional bet wins if the point is rolled again before a 7 is rolled (the point is made) and pays at the true odds of 2-to-1 if 4 or 10 is the point, 3-to-2 if 5 or 9 is the point, and 6-to-5 if 6 or 8 is the point.
Don't pass odds: If a player is playing don't pass instead of pass, they may also take odds by placing chips behind the don't pass line. If a 7 comes instead of the point coming, the odds pay at true odds of 1-to-2 if 4 or 10 is the point, 2-to-3 if 5 or 9 is the point, 5-to-6 if 6 or 8 is the point. For most players the perceived disadvantage of putting up the long side of the bet makes the don't pass odds less desirable, however putting up the long side reduces variance.
Come bet: The rules for the come wagers are the same as for the pass line except that they can only be made after the come-out roll. If the roll the come bet is made on is a 7 or 11 it wins, if it is a 2, 3 or 12 it loses, just like a pass bet. If instead the roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 then the come bet will be moved by the base dealer onto a box representing that number. If the number is rolled again before a seven, the bet wins. If the seven comes before the number (the come-bet), the bet loses. Odds can also be placed on a come-bet just like a normal pass point; in this case the dealer (not the player) places the odds bet on top of the bet in the box, because of limited space, slightly offset to signify that it is an odds bet and not part of the original come bet.
Because of the come bet, if the shooter makes their point, a player can find themselves in the situation where they have a come bet (possibly with odds on it) and the next roll is a come-out roll. In this situation odds bets on the come wagers are presumed to be not working for the come-out roll. That means that if the shooter rolls a 7 on the come-out roll, any players with active come bets waiting for a come-point lose their initial wager but will have their odds money returned to them, if the come-point is rolled the odds do not win but the come bet does and the odds are returned. The player can tell the dealer that they want their odds working, such that if the shooter rolls a number that matches the come point, the odds bet will win along with the come bet, and if a seven is rolled both lose.
Don't come: There is also a don't come box which is the opposite of a come bet in that the player is betting that craps will come on the next roll instead of 7 or 11, or that if a come point is made, that value won't be rolled again before a 7. It pays just as don't pass and also has odds in the same way.Single Roll bets have a result in a single shooter roll. They include:
2 (snake eyes): Wins if shooter rolls a 2.
3 (ace-deuce): Wins if the shooter rolls a 3.
Yo: Wins if the shooter rolls 11.
12 (boxcars): Wins if shooter rolls a 12.
2 or 12 (hi-lo): Wins if shooter rolls a 2 or 12. The stickman places this bet on the line dividing the 2 and 12 bets.
Craps: Wins if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12.
C & E: A combined bet, a player is betting half their bet on craps and the other half on yo (11). One of the two bets will always lose, the other may win.
Any seven: Wins if the shooter rolls a 7. This bet is also nicknamed Big Red, since the 7 on its betting space on the layout is usually large and red.
Field: This bet is a wager that one of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 will appear on the next roll of the dice. This bet typically pays more 2:1 or 3:1 if 2 or 12 is rolled, and 1:1 if 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 is rolled. Unlike the other proposition bets which are handled by the dealers or stickman, the field bet is placed directly by the player.
The Horn: This is a bet that involves betting on 1 unit each for 2, 3, 11 and 12 at the same time for the next roll. The bet is actually four separate bets, and pays off depending on which number is actually rolled, minus three units for the other three losing bets. Many players, in order to eliminate the confusion of tossing four chips to the center of the table or having change made while bets are being placed, will make a five-unit Horn High bet, which is a four-way bet with the extra unit going to one specific number. For example, if you toss a $5 chip into the center and say "horn high yo," you are placing four $1 bets on each of the horn numbers and the extra dollar will go on the yo (11).
Whirl or World: bet is a five-unit bet that is a combination of a horn and any-seven bet, with the idea that if a seven is rolled the bet is a push, because the money won on the seven is lost on the horn portions of the bet.