Craps Dice Game Rules

Craps is played with two dice and chips or points to bet with. Two to eight players is a comfortable number at home. You want a table or floor with a wall or ledge to throw against, so the dice bounce before they land.

Craps is a casino game at heart, traditionally played for money. At home it works just as well with chips: deal everyone the same stack and you are ready to start.

One player is the shooter and rolls both dice. The role rotates, so everyone gets a turn. Before each come-out roll, all players place their bets (see the next section).

The first roll of a round is called the come-out roll, and the total decides everything:

• 7 or 11: the shooter wins straight away.
• 2, 3 or 12: this is called craps, and the shooter loses straight away.
• 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: the total becomes the shooter's point.

Once a point is set, the shooter keeps rolling. If the point comes up again before a 7, the shooter wins the round. If a 7 comes first, the round is lost and the dice pass to the next player.

The simplest way to bet is with the two basic casino wagers:

• Pass: you bet that the shooter wins the round. If so, you get your stake back plus the same amount.
• Don't pass: you bet that the shooter loses. If the shooter loses, you win the same way. If the come-out roll is 12, don't pass is a push and you simply get your stake back.

These two bets are all you need at home. Have everyone place their stake before the come-out roll and settle up as soon as the round is decided.

Craps has no natural end, so agree in advance how long to play. A fair setup is to let everyone be the shooter the same number of times, for example three rounds each. Whoever holds the most chips at the end wins.