How to play Craps – Advanced
Once you know the basic game of Craps you can start having a little more fun with your wagers. Some of the biggest money can be won by making some special bets like ‘hard’ number rolls, don’t come bets, field bets, C&E bets and place number bets. Some Craps players call the special bets we will talk about ‘sucker bets’ but for those of us who have made lots of money on them they certainly don’t seem that way.
Some of the most lucrative bets at a Craps table are the ‘hard’ number bets. These bets are located in the center of the Craps table and have a picture of two dice, both with the same number. The hard number refers to making an even number, 4, 6, 8 or 10 by rolling the two numbers who are equal and total the number bet. For example, the hard 8 can only be rolled when both dice land on the 4. The ‘hard ways’ bet pay 7:1 for a 4 or 10; and 9:1 for a hard 6 or 8. The way this bet gets lucrative is by parlaying it, or increasing the bet every time the number hits until you reach the maximum bet. The down side of this bet is that any time one of those four numbers is rolled and it isn’t a hard roll then you lose the money you had bet.
One way to make lots of people angry at a hot Craps table is to place a ‘don’t come’ bet. By placing this wager you are effectively betting that the roller will roll a 7 before he rolls his point number. Don’t confuse this bet with the Don’t Pass bet which is made before the point number is rolled. In order to win on the Don’t Come bet the roller must roll a 7. The Don’t Pass bet is only played on the come out rolls and you will win if the shooter rolls a 2 or a 3. If the shooter rolls a 12 you tie and if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 you lose. Both of the ‘don’t’ bets are paid 1:1.
A field bet is a onetime bet on the next roll. In order to win this bet the roll must be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. The player is paid 2:1 if the dice lands on 2 or 12 and is paid even money on the other field numbers.
On a C&E bet, you are betting that the next roll will either be a craps or an 11. This bet is most often seen on a come out roll before a point number is rolled but it can be made at any time during a roll. Rolling a ‘craps’ is rolling a 2, 3 or 12. If one of those numbers is rolled the payout is 7:1. If an 11 is rolled the payout is 15:1. Other Craps bets include a Craps 2 which pays 30:1 if a 2 is the next rolled number. A Craps 3 bet pays 15:1 when a 3 is rolled next. A ‘seven’ bet pays 4:1 when the next rolled number is a 7. The Eleven pays 15:1 and the Craps 12 pays 30:1 for the 12 to be rolled.
Place number bets are similar to playing odds on your bets. The biggest difference between the place number bets and a regular bet is that the place number bets are ‘on’ or ‘working’ during the come out roll while the pass bets are not, which also means that these bets can be removed at any time. These types of bets are commonly confused with Buy Bets. Placing is ‘buy bet’ just means you will be paid more, can bet more but you must pay a 4% commission on this bet.
Whether you are a new Craps player or a heavy roller at Craps, you will want to find which bets work for you and make you the most money. Diversifying your bets can make the game more interesting but they may also cause you to lose big money very quickly. Remember that a good rule when gambling is to only play with the money you can afford to lose.