(Craps continued)

Craps Cycle

     

The game of craps is a cycle. For the purpose of understanding the game, I have divided the cycle into three stages: (1) the come out (2) point play, and (3) 7-out. A craps game in progress will always be at one of these stages. I recommend that beginners wait until the cycle starts over at the come out roll before making a wager.

Below is figure 5.2 which shows the craps cycle.

Every casino dice game starts with a come out roll. You will know that a craps game is in this stage because a disk, used to mark the point and about the size and shape of a coaster, will be sitting on the "off" position. Before and during this stage is the time to make the pass or don't pass wagers. The pass and don't pass wagers are opposite bets.

A pass line wager means that you are betting that the dice will pass ("betting with the dice", "right bettor"). If a 7 or 11 is rolled on the come out roll, known as a natural, the dice pass. In this case, pass line wagers will pay even money (1:1). If a 2,3, or 12 is rolled on the come out roll, the dice don't pass and pass line wagers lose. The 2,3, and 12 are known as craps, for which the game is named.

Betting on the don't pass means you are "betting against the dice" in hopes that the dice will not pass ("wrong bettor"). Don't pass wagers lose if a 7 or 11 is rolled on the come out roll. If, however, a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled on the come out, the dice do not pass and the don't pass line wins at 1:1 for a 2 or 3 and will push (neither lose nor win) on the 12.

When a number other than a 7, 11, 2, 3, or 12 is rolled on the come out roll, that number becomes the point. A craps game remains in stage 1 (the come out stage) until a point is established.

The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 are all points in craps. If, on the come out roll, a point is established, we move to stage 2, point play. In order for the dice to pass in this stage, the point must be rolled again before the 7 appears. Whereas 7 is welcomed for pass line bettors in stage 1, it is death for pass line bettors in stage 2. Vice-versa, don't pass bettors need the 7 to come before the point during point play. Figure 5.21 shows the pass/don't pass decesions in craps.

When a point is established, the point marker is moved from the off position to the particular point. The dice will be rolled until an outcome is determined, which could be on the very next roll or an hour later. If the point is rolled before the 7, the dice pass and the game returns to stage 1 and a new come out roll, with the same person rolling the dice. If the 7 shows before the point, the roller is said to 7-out. In this case, we would be at stage 3 and the end of the cycle.

In stage 3, two important things happen. First, many bets are lost including pass line wagers, come bets, and place bets. (All of which I will explain shortly.) Second, the dice will be offered to a new player. The dice move around a craps table clockwise and every player at the table will have a chance to roll the dice, although a bettor does not have to roll the dice and can decline. (Of course, you do not have to be rolling the dice to place bets.) As you can see, the only way to move from stage 2 to stage 3 is to 7-out. Rolling a 2, 3, or 12 during stage 2 does not cause pass line bettors to lose. Furthermore, rolling a 2, 3, or 12 during stage 1 does not cause the roller to lose the dice. The roller loses control of the dice only when he/she 7's-out.