Why Play Online Craps? Good question. In terms of “your chances to win,” whether offline or online Craps and Blackjack are usually by far the two best casino games of pure chance. Craps is the much easier game, and Online Craps is even easier: just bet and roll! Even if you have little idea what is happening, the computerized online craps game automatically will give you the correct wins. Also, unlike most offline games:
- Bet in amounts as low as 50 cents, or as high as a thousand dollars.
- You can make “Come” bets more easily for continuous action (see below).
- Play Online Craps at your own speed.
Online craps therefore is ideal both for experts and beginners – and even the beginner soon becomes an expert, if you follow the simple instructions below. If you are ready to give craps a try in an online casino environment we would recommend 888 Casino as one of the best places to play craps online.
Almost every online casino has a high quality, free download that includes online craps. You can play for money or you can play for free. So this is an ideal way to “learn by doing”. I suggest you find our list of Top Online Casinos – pick any casino and get your bonus.
The Rules of Online Craps
The rules are identical whether you play Craps online or offline. Craps often “sounds” complicated because of poor presentation. Actually the game is simple:
- The primary goal of Craps is to roll the same number twice before you roll a seven.
When this happens, this is called a “pass” or “making a point” and you win! There is just one added complication: - If you roll 7 or 11 on the first throw, this is called a If you roll 7 or 11 on the first throw, this is called a “natural” and you win instantly. Or if you roll 2, 3, or 12 on the first throw, this is called “Craps””natural” and you win instantly. Or if you roll 2, 3, or 12 on the first throw, this is called “Craps” and you lose instantly.
That’s about it!
There are numerous other Craps bets, but this is all you really need to know for any Craps game. For Online Craps – you just click on the chip icons to indicate your bet level – then click on where it says “Pass” to make a “Pass Line” bet – then, you just “roll” the dice repeatedly until you win or lose… These directions may vary slightly, but you will learn by doing. There is nothing complicated about it.
A cure for the cold table: “Don’t Pass”.
If you seem to lose at the Pass Line at online craps – you can click instead on “Don’t Pass”. This reverses the game, so every loss becomes a win, and vice-versa.
There is only one exception: when the “Craps” throw is 12, the “Don’t Pass” player does not lose and does not win. This win is “barred” and so this is why every Craps table says: “Bar 12.
The “Bar 12” rule determines the low house advantage for both Offline and Online Craps.
The “Bar 12” of Craps only affects about 1 in 70 game decisions. In contrast, the “zero” of “double zero” Roulette affects 1 in 19 game decisions. Therefore, the resulting house advantage for Craps is about 1/2 as much as for “single zero” online Roulette and about 1/4 as much as for the “double zero” Roulette that is standard at offline casinos. This is why online craps always is a superior game.
(If currently you play “Red vs. Black” in Roulette – you should try switching to “Pass vs. Don’t Pass” in Online Craps.)
“Come” Bets for Extra Action
After a while, you may want extra game action. Then look on the table for “Come” and “Don’t Come.” These bets are identical to Pass and Don’t Pass, and you can start them at any time that the table is waiting for a Pass decision.
In offline craps, Come and Don’t Come bets are confusing to track, and it is expensive to make so many bets at once…
In online craps, these problems are gone! The table is computerized and you can bet small amounts. So depending only on how lucky you feel – you can fill up the table with continuous bets. These bets can be the same or all different sizes, and you can switch between Come and Don’t Come.
Online Craps strategy advice
Have fun! Experiment! Do try various betting systems but also use your intuition, invent your own systems, and don’t be a stiff-necked “systems player”. Do be aware that what worked yesterday might not work today, and do just “keep fooling around…” Use your imagination and try to “catch a trend” for a wild ride with possible big wins.
Double Odds
It is not essential to play “Double Odds” for a good game of Craps, so this is a bit beyond the scope of this beginner article. However, Double Odds offers “zero” house advantage, and so will decrease further the “already low” total house advantage. Also in online craps you do not need to understand the process fully – the computerized system does this for you! So I just will explain the general procedure.
To play Double Odds, you wait until a “point” has been established by rolling 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. Now while you are trying to “make the point” a second time–the casino allows you to increase your bet. You click behind the icon for the original bet, and more chips will be placed for this “Odds” bet. The standard is “Double Odds,” meaning you can place Odds bets for any amount up to double the original bet. For example, if the original Line Bet was $10, you can place Double Odds for any amount from $1 up to $20, and sometimes a bit more. If you then “make the point,” you are paid more than you bet, depending on the precise mathematical “odds” as follows:
- 4 or 10: wins pay 2 x the Odds bet.
- 5 or 9: wins pay 3/2 x the Odds bet.
- 6 or 8: wins pay 6/5 x the Odds bet.
Rounding Your Odds
In offline Craps, it is important to “round” your Odds bets correctly, because the offline casino will not pay you in cents. For example, an offline Odds bet on 6 or 8 should be “rounded off” to the nearest $5, such as: $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, etc. Otherwise, the win payment ratio of 6/5 will not result in an even dollar figure – so the casino will “round down” your win payment to eliminate the cents–thus you will win less than you paid for.
In online craps, “rounding” is less important because usually, the computerized system will pay you in cents. Therefore just use the following guide for online craps and your Odds bets probably always will be perfectly rounded for Pass and Come.
This guide is for Odds bets with Pass and Come only. Playing Odds with Don’t Pass and Don’t Come is slightly more complicated, and is unpopular. Also if you are good at math you can figure this out yourself – and if not good a math you are likely to get confused. So that is beyond the scope of this beginner article.
If the minimum Online Craps payout increment is $0.01, then make all your Odds bets in increments of $0.10. Example: $0.10, $0.20, $0.30…$1.00, $1.10, $1.20, $1.30…etc.
If the minimum increment is $0.10, then place all your Odds in increments of $1.00. Example: $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, etc.
Minimum increment $1.00, then make Odds bets in increments of $10.00. Example: $10, $20, $30, $40, $50, etc.
Avoiding the sucker traps
There are numerous other bets for both Offline and Online Craps, primarily those called “Proposition” and “Place” bets. A couple of these are not too bad, but none is as good as the Line Bets and Double Odds – and the vast majority are strictly “for losers only.” Therefore I will not bother to discuss these “novelty” online craps bets here – except to say, “Keep away.”
For Instant Expertise in Online Craps – Play the Line Bets
Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, and Double Odds. If you just remember this, then Online Craps will give you instantly some of the very best chances to win of all online casino games. Whatever you do make sure to play at the best online casino in order to get the best payouts, and to be sure of an honest game.
