When entering a casino it is very easy to spot the Craps table by the raucous around it. The Craps is the game that incites the most excitement among the gamblers involved. As any player can bet on various dice outcomes without actually being the one throwing the dice, the Craps create an experience that is very similar to sports betting.
The origins of the Craps are very ambiguous. Dice games are known to be played for over two thousand years. The craps developed from an older dice game called Hazard. Supposedly, Hazard developed from an ancient Arab game that was referred simply by the Arab word for die, 'Azzahr'. With the years the game migrated to France and then to Britain. The name gradually turned from Azzahr to Hazard in Britain. The French brought the game to Canada and from there to New Orleans. From New Orleans the Craps traveled across America on riverboats and made their way to the West. The Craps is a very complicated game even for long time players. There is an enormous variety of different bets. Many of them are very disadvantageous to the player.
Basically, betting in Craps is divided into two major types – with the dice or against the dice. While betting with the dice the bettor is considered as betting 'right' and when betting against the dice the bettor is considered to be betting 'wrong', although there is no mathematical difference between the bets.
The shooting player throws the dices while hoping to either hit the seven or the eleven, which are a natural win paying off even money. If you hit the 2 or 12, which usually referred as crabs, you automatically lose. If you didn't hit the seven, eleven or the crabs you have hit the point. Your objective is than to hit the same number again, before rolling a seven. Hitting the point and getting a seven afterwards is a win paying off even money as well.
There is much to be learned about the Craps odds and betting system, much more than can be summarized into a single article. It is highly recommended for novice players to keep looking into our advanced Craps articles.
John Nordin, Editor. October 6 - 2005.