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When you begin to learn about the history of
craps through the many web
pages that link to the online casinos, it is easy to see why this game
is not one of the most basic to grasp. With its origins dating back to
the invention of the dice in ancient civilizations like the Roman
Empire this is a game that has evolved through time. The belief is
that the modern craps as we know it developed out of an English game
called “Hazard” during the 12th century crusades and was subsequently
introduced to America with the settlers who sailed in on the
“Mayflower”. Its popularity was cemented in New Orleans during the
1900’s, the same time that people gave it its name “craps”. But it
wasn’t until a gentleman by the name of John H Winn revolutionized it
in the 1930’s to improve the table layout and establish ’right’ and
‘wrong’ bets that the game really took off.
Nowadays, craps is no longer the most popular game in
the casino, it has since been superseded by simpler and more easily
accessible table games such as roulette or blackjack, but it has lost
none of its speed, vitality and excitement in that demotion. The craps
table is still one of the loudest and most thrilling parts of a
land-based casino and there are few other places where there is such
camaraderie to be found amongst players.
For the novice crapshooter, attempting to join this
table can be a daunting experience. The layout of the table is
complex, the jargon confusing and the 12-16 people playing the table
chaotic, but it’s worth keeping in mind the advice that it is the
simple bets that yield the best odds. Another important point to keep
in mind is that the speed of this game is likely to overwhelm you if
you don’t keep in control of the situation. A good strategy would be
to learn to play using the free online software because the atmosphere
of a real casino could well lead you into making big mistakes.
The first thing that you will notice on a craps table
is that there are four people involved in the gaming. A ‘box man’ who
is like the boss of the table, 2 dealers dealing with opposite
sections of the table and a ‘stickman’ who plays on your side of the
table. It is the ‘stickman’ who will control the rolling of the dice
and in effect the speed of the game. If you are playing online the
computer takes on all these roles.
The basic idea of the game is that you, as the
‘shooter’, roll the dice across the table to hit the wall on the
opposite end. The total numbers of spots on top of the dice indicate
the outcome of a series of bets that have been placed on the table
prior to that ‘come-out’ roll. The first bets are either on the
‘pass-line’ which wins if a 7 or 11 is rolled, or a “don’t pass’ bet
which wins if a 2,3 or 12, called ‘craps’ is rolled. If none of these
numbers turn up then the number that is rolled becomes the ‘box point’.
This means that if this number comes up again before a 7 is rolled the
players who bet on the ‘pass line’ win. If a 7 rolls first then the
‘don’t pass’ bets win. The most popular bet is on the pass line
because otherwise you are betting against the dice.
The game becomes more complex once you start betting
on the other sections of the table like the field, the big 6 or 8 etc.
There are many great articles to read on the web that detail the odds
and strategies for dealing with all these different bets. But don’t
allow yourself to be put off by the many complicated rules of craps
the basic game is simple and its in the playing that you will master
the rest.
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