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Craps is the noisiest game in the house and next to Blackjack it's got some of the best player odds and like Roulette has quite a lot betting options.

Unfortunately Craps can be pretty complicated for a newcomer. There are such a large number of betting options, special rules and exceptions. Here I'll try to give my best to explain the rules in the clearest way.

The game is played with a set of two perfectly balanced dices that should be tossed from one of the short ends of the table to the other (make sure that both hit the opposite side wall of the table). Payoffs are made based on the number combination displayed when the dice come to rest. The inside walls of the table are covered with a serrated egg-carton like foam, designed to make the dice bounce around to assure randomness. Each throw of the dice is called a "roll".

THE GOAL OF THE GAME
The objective of Craps is to predict the outcome of a roll of the dices. The player bets on whether the dice roll will result in a win or loss. Apart from the player all other participants can place bets.

PLAYING THE GAME
A round of game begins when the person holding the dices(called The Shooter) throw them in what is termed the "Come Out" roll(the first roll). The dices can make a total ranging from 2 to 12. Before throwing them the shooter must first place a bet on either the Pass Line or Don't Pass Line. All other players can place bets anywhere in the layout. Depending on the outcome of the Come-Out Roll a Craps game proceeds as follows:

• If 7 or 11 is rolled(called "a natural"): Pass Line bets win. Don't Pass Line bets lose. The round is over.
  
  
• If 2,3 or 12 is rolled(called "Craps"): Pass Line bets lose. Don't Pass Line bets win(2,3) or tie(12). The round is over.
  
  
• If any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is rolled it is established what is termed The Point. The round continues.The Shooter keeps rolling the dices until either "The Point" is rolled again or a total of 7 is rolled, either will end the round. For example, if the shooter's "Come Out" roll is an 8 that will become "The Point", the shooter continues to roll until an 8 or 7 is rolled. If "The Point" is rolled, the shooter and his fellow bettors win and the round is over. If the shooter rolls 7, they lose, the round is over and the dice are passed to the left player for the start of a new("come out") round.

In case you are the next shooter and you don't want to roll the dices you always have the option to give them right to the next player without rolling yourself.

In order to understand the true nature of Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets(and in fact all other bets) take a look of which numbers are most likely to happen when "The Shooter" rolls the dice.

Number:	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
True Odds:	35 to 1	17 to 1	11 to 1	8 to 1	6.2 to 1	5 to 1	6.2 to 1	8 to 1	11 to 1	17 to 1	35 to 1

So for Pass Line bet(that relies on "Come Out" roll) we need 7 or 11. As 7 is the number that is rolled most frequently this bet feels "natural". The "Craps" numbers(2,3,12-tie) lose, but these numbers are not rolled very often. And if some of "The Point" numbers(4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) is rolled the player still has a chance to win("The Point" number must come up).

BETTING
There are variety of bets that can be made on each throw, some are conditional and some are bets against a specific result. Some bets can stay on the table for the entire round, some bets span rounds and some are only viable for a single throw. Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets are made on the shooter's "Come Out" roll. All other bets are placed after the come out, once "The Point" has been established, and work independent of the Pass Line and Don't Pass bets.

BET TYPE	BET DESCRIPTION	PAYOFF	SEE
Pass Line Bet	Also called the" Front Line". This is the most popular bet at the Craps table. Available for the "Come Out" roll. Once Point is established, original bet may not be removed or altered. Wins if "Come Out" roll is 7 or 11. Loses if "Come Out" roll is 2, 3 or 12. Point is established if "Come Out" is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. Following the "Come Out" roll player wins if "The Point" is rolled prior to rolling a 7. Player loses if a 7 is rolled prior to rolling "The Point". Bet is removed after a win or a loss.	1 to 1	1
Don't Pass Line Bet	The opposite of a Pass Line bet. Also called the" Black Line". Available for the "Come Out" roll. Wins if "Come Out" roll is 2 or 3. Loses if "Come Out" roll is 7, 11. Ties if "Come Out" roll is 12. "The Point" is established if "Come Out" roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. Following the "Come Out" roll player wins if a 7 is rolled prior to rolling "The Point". Loses if "The Point" is rolled prior to rolling a 7. Bet is removed after a win or aloss.	1 to 1	2
Come Bet	Basically the same as a Pass Line bet except it is placed while the round is in progress. Made any time after the initial "Come Out" roll when a shooter has a point to make, you win on the first roll of the come bet with a natural (7, 11) and lose on craps (2, 3, 12). Any other number that comes up is a "Come Point". You win on a come bet if this number is rolled again before a 7. The dealer moves the bet from the Come area to the corresponding box for that particular number. During a round of Craps, you can make as many Come bets as you like.	1 to 1	3
Don't Come Bet	Opposite of the come bet, except the 12 is a tie. Made any time after the initial "Come Out" roll when a shooter has a point to make, you lose on the first roll of the don't come bet with a natural (7, 11) and win on craps (2, 3). Any other number that comes up is a come point. You lose on a don't come bet if this number is rolled again before a 7.	1 to 1	4
Odds Bet	You can accompany your Pass Line, Come, Don't Pass, or Don't Come bet with an additional bet called an "odds bet". Once a point has been established, the odds bet is popular because it pays "true odds" on your bet. True odds are based on comparing the chance of your number being rolled before the 7, and are paid out accordingly. To illustrate, look at the above True Odds table, you can see that the 7's chance of coming up is twice that of the 4. When you place an odds bet on the four, it will pay 2 to 1, the true odds. An odds bet on the "pass line" and the "come" is called "taking odds". The payouts on taking odds are: Points: - True Odds 4 and 10: 2 - 1 5 and 9: 3 - 2 6 and 8: 6 - 5 An odds bet on the "don't pass" and the "don't come" is called "laying odds". The payouts on laying odds are: Points: - True Odds 4 and 10: 1 - 2 5 and 9: 2 - 3 6 and 8: 5 - 6		5
Place Bet to Win	The player must place his/her bet on the table and tell the dealer that he/she wants to place the bet on a particular number to win. He/She may place the bet at any time however it becomes active once "The Point" has been established. Player bets on number(s) 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and a player may have more than one place bet.This becomes the "Place Number". Wins if shooter rolls the "Place Number" prior to rolling a 7. Payoff depends on the "Place Number" selected. Loses if shooter rolls a 7 prior to rolling the "Place Number". Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at any time.Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	9 to 5 (on 4 or 10) 7 to 5 (on 5 or 9) 7 to 6 (on 6 or 8)	6
Place Bet to Lose	The player must place his/her bet on the table and tell the dealer that he/she wants to place the bet on a particular number to lose. He/she may place the bet at any time however it becomes active once "The Point" has been established. Player bets on number(s) 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and a player may have more than one place bet. This becomes the "Place Number". Wins if shooter rolls a 7 prior to rolling the "Place Number". Payoff depends on the "Place Number" selected. Loses if shooter rolls the "Place Number" prior to rolling a 7. Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at any time. Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	5 to 11 (on 4 or 10) 5 to 8 (on 5 or 9) 4 to 5 (on 6 or 8)	6
Field Bet	Special roll bet that wins if the total on the next roll is among the numbers shown in the Field box (2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12), and loses if the roll is a 5, 6, 7 or 8. It pays even money on 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11, and pays double on 2 and 12. Field Bets can be placed before any roll.	1 to 1 (on 3, 4, 9, 10, 11) 2 to 1 (on 2, 12)	7
Big 6 and Big 8 Bets	A Big 6 is a bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7. Similarly a Big 8 bets that an 8 will be rolled before a 7. Big bets pay even money if the shooter rolls their respective number before a 7 and lose if a 7 is rolled first. They are active during the Come Out roll as well as any other roll, and they may persist beyond the end of a round (i.e. when a round ends on a Point roll of 4, 5, 9 or 10). They may be placed, modified or removed at any time before any roll.	1 to 1	8
Hardway Bet	This bet can be placed at any time however it becomes active once "The Point" has been established. Player bets on number(s) 4, 6, 8, 10. Wins if shooter rolls the selected number 'the hard way'. Roll a 4 via a pair of 2's, roll a 6 via a pair of 3's, roll an 8 via a pair of 4's, roll a 10 via a pair of 5's. Payoff depends on the number selected. Loses if the shooter rolls a 7 or rolls the number the easy way. For example, roll a 4 via a 3 and 1. Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at any time. Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	7 to 1 (on 4 or 10) 9 to 1 (on 6 or 8)	9
The Horn Bet	Player bets on number(s) 2, 3, 11, 12. Wins if shooter rolls the selected number. Loses if the shooter does not roll the selected number. Payoff depends on the number selected.	30 to 1 (on 2 or 12) 15 to 1 (on 3 or 11)	10
Any 7	Player bets on the outcome of the next roll. Wins if the shooter rolls a 7. Loses if the shooter rolls any other number. Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at any time. Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	4 to 1	11
Any Craps	Player bets on the outcome of the next roll. Wins if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12. Loses if the shooter rolls any other number. Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at anytime. Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	7 to 1	12
Eleven or Craps (E-C)	Player bets on the outcome of the next roll. Wins if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, 11 or 12. Loses if the shooter rolls any other number. Payoff depends on the number rolled. Bet remains on the table following a win however the player may remove it from the table at any time. Bet is removed from the table following a loss.	7 to 2 (on 2,3 or 12) 15 to 2 (on 11)	13

Last 5 bets(Hardway, The Horn, Any 7, Any Craps, E-C) are known as Proposition bets.