Craps

Practice Craps:

It's hard to imagine that a game with such an awful name could become so popular (it apparently got its name from a French game called crapaud...).

Craps, or casino craps to give its full name, is a game involving consecutive throws of two cube dice down the length of a customized craps table. This is a game that stirs the blood and rouses the emotions, and shouting and screaming are not uncommon around the craps table. In addition to the custom-built table, the dice are also specially crafted and are constantly inspected for damage that might affect an unbiased roll. Just to make sure, the casino normally replaces the dice after 6 to 8 hours of regular play.

Etiquette demands that the dice are thrown using only one hand and they must bounce off the backboard at the opposite end of the craps table. The table itself can comfortably hold 15 to 20 players, with each given the chance to roll or "shoot" the dice. This is not obligatory, and players can take up the option of passing the shoot to the next player in line.

The most common dice roll in craps is the pass line bet. This involves the shooter throwing the dice off the backboard and rolling a dice total of 7 or 11. Such a win results in a 2:1 payout. If the player rolls any other combination of dice, the stickman, or croupier, places a small marker on a special location on the board called a point. The shooter must then throw a dice combination to make that point before he throws another 7 or 11. Throwing the point again produces another win, but rolling 7 or 11 results in a loss. After a losing throw, the dice are passed to the next person in line.

Note! It is considered very unlucky to shout out the number 7 when playing a game of craps. It is customary to use the expression "Big Red" instead...