Getting Started with Online Craps

Scott MacDonald
3 min readFeb 18, 2021

Craps is one of the coolest games in the casino. You’ve probably seen it featured in a scene of a movie or spreading around in a viral video.

Crowds gather around the game and someone is usually blowing on the dice before a roll (for good luck). The game is a bit tricky to understand but it’s a lot of fun once you get going. We’ve compiled four tips below to get you on the path to success, so read on through to help hone your craft.

Tip #1: Learn the Rules

There are a lot of casino games that are quite easy to pick up. For example, you can step up to the roulette table and someone can explain the game to you within a couple of minutes. Even games like Blackjack are pretty simple to grasp. With craps online, there’s a much bigger learning curve.

The Coles Notes is that this game is about rolling a pair of dice and seeing what two numbers show. Players guess based on what numbers you think will or won’t come up. It’s not overly difficult, but there are nuances. There are lots of in-depth books, YouTube videos or guides online for you to reference. Before you play, make sure you learn the intricate rules of the game.

Tip #2: Understand Your Bets

The second tip goes hand-in-hand with the first tip. With the first one, you want to know how the game works. After that, you want to get to learn the different types of betting options available to you. Your main options would be:

-Pass Line Bet

-Don’t Pass Bet

-Come Bet

-Don’t Come Bet

-Odds Bet

The most common bet is the Pass. If that’s your bet and the dice total is seven or 11, you win. If it’s two, three or 12, then you lose. If it’s not two, three, seven, 11 or 12, then you roll again. If the new total is a seven, you lose. If it’s equal to the total on the first roll, you win. If it’s neither, you roll again.

This is just one example, but it shows how tricky the game can be with just one bet-type. Get familiar with all of them as they’re the key to your strategy.

Tip #3: Place 6 And Place 8 Give You A Better Edge

One popular bet in craps is to bet on one or more numbers likes 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The challenge is that when you do a place bet on these numbers, the odds are not in your favor. That’s because the house edge on these numbers is quite high at about 4% to 6%.

You have a better chance of winning on bets like Place 6, Place 8 or the Pass Line. With a bet like the Pass Line, the house edge is just 1.41%, so that will improve your chances of success.

Tip #4: Stay Away from Proposition Bets

Craps can take a few rolls to decide a single bet, so proposition bets are sometimes attractive because many of them are decided after each roll. They’re also known as center bets as these are the long shot bets that are located in the center of the table. While you can win a lot from a small bet, which makes it exciting, they’re also known as a sucker bet. The house edge on these ranges from 9.09% to 16.7%, so you can see you’re much better off with the Pass Line.

Now that you have a basic understanding of craps, it’s time to ease into the game. Most online casinos will allow you to play for free, so try it out for a few rounds and then once you have a good grasp, play for keeps!

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Scott MacDonald

A Canadian who has a passion for all things online casino. Find Scott reading, researching and writing casino reviews and editorial pieces for Team Maple.