Each player is trying to get 4 of the same Crab Card in their hand. One side plays at a time. On a side’s turn, all players on that side can simultaneously swap any card from their hand with a card from The Ocean. You should always have 4 cards in your hand and there should always be 4 cards in The Ocean.

• Most craps tables today are double layouts. At the center of one side of the table is the boxman, who supervises the game and takes cash collected by the dealers and deposits it in a drop box. Directly opposite him is the stickman, who uses a stick to push the dice to the shooter. The stickman controls the tempo of the game.
• Craps has dozens of wagers available, but the game is structured around the pass line bet. Players bet by placing chips on the pass line on the craps layout. Some other bets require that the dealer move your chips. The pass sequence starts with a comeout roll and the shooter rolls the dice.
• Craps Tutorial - How to Play Craps When you place your original bet, your chips are placed on a 'pass line' bar on the craps table. If you win, you are paid even money or 1:1 odds. Now if you place an odds bet, you can add more chips to your original bet half way between the round when you determine how good your odds are.
• Craps is one of the only games in the casino where the player is in charge of the action with their own hand. You can literally grab the dice, give it a blow for good luck and roll it on down. In a single roll of the dice, there are a number of combinations in which a player can wager.

Learning how to play craps isn’t as difficult as you might think. People are often steer away from playing the game because they think its too complex, but the only particularly complicated aspect is all the different types of bets that can be placed.

You don’t actually need to learn all of them to start playing and you can just stick to the simplest ones if you like.

You do, however, need to understand how the game is played.

This article will help as we cover everything you need to know to play craps in a live casino or online.

We explain the main objective of the game, the craps table, the betting layout, and the basic rules. We also introduce the different types of bets.

Game Objective in Craps

How To Play Craps Card Game

The main objective in craps is really quite straightforward. Basically you are just betting on the outcome of the roll of two dice.

Craps is pure chance since you can’t affect the outcome in any way, but you do have the choice of several wagers. The majority of these wagers are ultimately based on what combination of dice will be rolled.

The goal in craps is therefore to try to correctly predict which numbers will come up on the next roll. This is, of course, guesswork, but it doesn’t stop the game being a lot of fun.

Craps is played on a specially-designed table that features a betting layout where players can place their wagers. In a live casino, a table would look something like this.

The dice are rolled on the table by one of the participating players, referred to as the shooter. Typically, a new player will become the shooter at the end of each round, although one player may remain as the shooter for several in a row.

Anyone at the table, including the shooter, can make wagers by placing their chips in the appropriate spot on the betting layout.

A craps table requires the attention of several casino employees. You’ll usually find the following people running a table.

The boxman is in charge of the chips at the table. He (or she) will exchange cash into chips for players and swap them for different denominations if required. He’s also responsible for supervising the dealers and generally ensuring that the game runs smoothly.

The stickman is in charge of the dice. He moves them around the table with the use of a stick (hence the name), passing them to the shooter at the start of each roll. He will also announce the outcome of each roll.

A craps table usually features two base dealers, one standing on either side. They are responsible for collecting losing bets and paying out winners. When requested to do so, they can also place certain bets on behalf of players.

The Craps Table (Online Casino)

The rules of craps are the same regardless of whether you are playing in a live setting or online. However, things are a lot simpler online. There’s no allocated shooter, as technically you are the shooter every time you play.

The diced are rolled automatically when you press the relevant button, and you place your bets by clicking in the appropriate place on the betting layout.

The following is an example of what an online craps table looks like:

Basic Rules

Each round in craps starts with what is known as the come-out roll. Most casinos will require that the shooter place a bet before making this roll on either the pass line or the don’t pass line.

If the combined value of the two dice on a come-out roll equals 2, 3, or 12, then this is “crapping out” and the round is over. Players will lose pass line bets and win don’t pass bets. If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the round is also over.

If any other value is rolled on the come-out roll i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, then a point is established, equal to the value rolled, and the round continues into the next stage.

The shooter continues to roll with players betting on the outcome of each, until they roll either a 7 or the point value that has been established.

Following a roll of either 7 or the point value, the round is over and a new come-out roll is required. It’s standard practice for the shooter to pass the dice to another player if a round ends with a 7, and to stay as shooter if the round ends with the point value being rolled.

This is essentially all there is to the basic rules of craps. What makes the game more complex are all the different bets that can be placed.

The following is a list of the different wagers you can place when playing craps.

• Pass Line
• Don’t Pass
• Come
• Don’t Come
• Pass Line Odds
• Don’t Pass Odds
• Come Odds
• Don’t Come Odds
• Place Win
• Place Lose
• Buy
• Lay
• Big 6
• Big 8
• Hardways
• Field
• Any 7
• Any 11
• Any Craps
• Ace Deuce
• Aces
• Boxcar

As you can see, there are numerous different bets in craps. Please don’t let this steer you away from playing the game as you really don’t need to learn them all.

They are pretty simple overall; it just takes a little time to familiarize yourself with each one.

You can read about all these bets in more detail here.

If you’re ready to put what you’ve learned here into action, you might want to consider trying out an online casino. You can play craps at most of the top online casinos that we recommend. If you want to play for real money, you’ll get a bonus for signing up and making your first deposit. And if you prefer to just play for fun, that’s an option at most places, too. Here are some of the online casinos we recommend playing at.

Playing

Each player is trying to get 4 of the same Crab Card in their hand.
One side plays at a time. On a side’s turn, all players on that side can simultaneously swap any card from their hand with a card from The Ocean.

• You should always have 4 cards in your hand and there should always be 4 cards in The Ocean.
• You can only swap cards when it’s your side’s turn.
• There is no limit to the number of cards you can swap when it’s your side’s turn.

There are no individual turns in this game. All players on a side swap as many cards as they want at the same time.
If you see a card in The Ocean you want, grab it quickly before someone else does!

When you don’t need any more cards in The Ocean, put your cards face-down on the table to indicate that you’re done swapping. When everyone on a side has put their cards down, check to make sure no one wants to swap any more cards, then rotate the CrabbingLicense to point at the other side to begin their turn immediately.

How To Play Fact Or Crap Card Game

You can always pick your cards back up to look at them (even when it’s not your turn). Putting them down is just a visual indicator to the rest of the players that you are done swapping cards.
After rotating the Crabbing License, you can also countdown “3... 2... 1... Crabs!” before anyone starts swapping to ensure that all players on a side start swapping at the same time.

Replacing the ocean

Gameplay continues until 1 side doesn’t swap any cards. Without rotating the Crabbing License, ask the other side if they would like to swap any more cards. If any player on the other side wants to swap more cards, rotate the Crabbing License to the otherside and continue play.
If no one on the other side wants to swap, put the 4 cards from The Ocean face-down into the Discard Pile. Replace The Ocean with 4 new cards from the Draw Pile, and continue play from whichever side the Crabbing License is pointing.

If the Draw Pile runs out, reshuffle the Discard Pile and continue playing.

Team Accusations

When you have 4 of the same Crab Card, you can't say anything out loud. Instead, when you’re ready, give your secret signal to your teammate. When they notice, they will point at you and shout, 'YOU’VE GOT CRABS!'

• If they are correct, you get a point. Show all 4 cards to everyone to verify them, take a Crab Token from the Crab Pot, discard your 4 cards, and draw 4 new ones from the Draw Pile.
• If they are incorrect and you don’t have crabs, you lose a point. Put one of your Crab Tokens into the Crab Pot. (You don’t have to show your cards. Keep them and continue playing.)

Opponent Accusations

BUT, if a player on another team suspects you’re passing a signal, they can point and shout, 'YOU’VE GOT CRABS!'

• If they are correct, they steal one of your points. Show your cards to everyone, give the accusing player one of your Crab Tokens, discard your 4 cards, and draw 4 new ones from the Draw Pile.
• If they are incorrect, steal a Crab Token from the accusing player. (You don't have to show your cards. Keep them and continue playing.)

2. Players Bet By Placing Chips On The Pass Line On The Craps Layout. Some Other Bets Require That The Dealer Move Your Chips.

Cached

You can accuse any player of having Crabs at any time even if it’s not your side’s turn. After any accusation is resolved, play continues.