play craps

Craps is a dice game played against other players or a bank. Craps developed from 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 may wager money against each other (street craps) or the bank (bank craps) 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.
Bank craps is a game played by one or more players against a casino. The casino covers all player bets at a table and sets the odds on its payout. 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 or 12 it is called "craps" and the shooter loses his pass line bet, while a result of 7 or 11 is called a "natural," resulting in a pass line win for the shooter. Either a "craps" or a "natural" ends the round and the shooter must roll a new come-out. 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 shooter wins his pass line bet, 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 shooter loses his pass line bet, 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.