Craps Odds And Craps Game Variations
An interesting and challenging game, there are several aspects of online Craps that you need to be well versed with in order to play to win. You are on this page because you have studied and understood the history of Craps, got an insight into the various rules and the different types of bets. So what’s next? The Odds!
You are probably wondering what type of calculations this online casino game involves. The calculations are most certainly not complicated but initially calculating the online craps odds as well as probability will seem tough hard but that’s all a part of the learning phase.
Note: Before you can start working on the calculation for any online game including craps, you need to work out the various potential outcomes.
If you are rolling two dices that are six-sided then the total number of possible outcomes is 36. The number of totals possible is 11 from 2 through 12 and you can get the totals using any of the 36 combinations.
One of the things that you need to understand is that there is only one way you can roll a 12 or a 2 – which is by rolling a 6 on either dice or a 1 on either dice. Now here’s what you need to understand: As you know there are 36 possible combinations and there is only one combination that can get you the total of 2.
So the probability of rolling out a 2 is 1 in 36. In the odd terms this will be stated as 35 to 1. Now if you look at a different number like 5 then there are four possible combinations. You can roll out 2 and a 3, a 3 and a 2, a 4 and a1, or a 1 and a 4. What is the probability? The probability of rolling a 5 will be 4 out of 36. 4 out of 36 is the same as 1 out of 9, so the odd terms will be 8 to 1.
The Craps Odd Chart
To make it easier for you, we have created an online craps odds chart.
Totals Number of ways to get the Total Odds Combinations:
2 1 35 to 1 1,1
3 2 17 to 1 1,2 and 2,1
4 3 11 to 1 1,3; 3,1; and 2,2
5 4 8 to 1 1,4; 4,1; 2,3; and 3,2
6 5 6.2 to 1 1,5; 5,1; 2,4; 4,2; and 3,3
7 6 5 to 1 1,6; 6,1; 2,5; 5,2; 3,4; and 4,3
8 5 6.2 to 1 2,6; 6,2; 3,5; 5,3; and 4,4
9 4 8 to 1 3,6; 6,3; 4,5; and 5,4
10 3 11 to 1 4,6; 6,4; and 5,5
11 2 17 to 1 5,6 and 6,5
12 1 35 to 1 6,6
Formula for calculating odds in Craps
You have guessed it right! There is formula that is used for calculating the odds. The good thing is that it is a simple formula. All you have to do is divide 36 (total number of combinations) by the total number of combinations, which can get you the total. So if your total is 9 then the number of combinations is 4. When you divide 36 by 4, you get 9. So there are 1 in 8 chances of rolling a 9. Easy isn’t it?
If you are wondering that how the odds become 1 to 8 when 36 divided by 4 is 9; the answer is simple. What you need to understand is that odds refer to the total number of possibilities of a particular number appearing versus the total number of possibilities of that number not appearing. So every time you roll out 9, there will be the possibility of 8 rolls that will not total to 9. That’s all that there is to odds and combinations!
An Insight
Now that you have understood how to play craps, all you need to know are the craps rules. Yes, the rules for playing craps are as important as the game itself. Whether you are playing craps in an illuminated casino in Las Vegas or whether you are playing it online over high speed internet connection; the craps rules remain the same.
There are three fundamental craps rules and they are Shooter Rule, Rolled Rule, and Pass Rule.
Shooter Rule
The first rule that you will learn more about is the shooter rule. In order to learn about this craps rule, you will need to completely understand who the shooter really is, why is the player known as the shooter, and how it all begins and ends.
In any craps game, all the players involved can take turns in donning the role of the ‘Shooter.’ The shooter is the player who will roll the dice in the clockwise direction. Once a shooter starts rolling the dice, he or she will continue to do so until he or she rolls out a 2, 3 or 12. When the shooter rolls out any of these three numbers then it means that he or she is ‘Craps Out’
Rolled Rule
The second craps rules that you need to understand is called the ‘Rolled Rule’. The Rolled rule actually defines the type of action to be taken every time the dices are rolled. When a shooter makes his or her first roll then it is known as the ‘Come Out Roll’. The ‘Come Out Roll’ will establish the ‘Point’ for the game.
According to the rules, if the first roll doesn’t produce 7, or 11 or if it doesn’t produce Craps (2, 3 or 12), then ‘Point’ will be taken as the sum of the dice during the ‘Come Out Roll’. If the dice rolls out 7 or 11 then the Shooter will have to roll a new ‘Come Out Roll’. This simply means that the game has to start all over again. If the dice rolls out 2, 3 or 12 then the dice will be passed on to another Shooter and the game will start from the beginning.
If a Point is established then the shooter will have to keep rolling the dice till he or she hits another Point. Let’s take an example: If a shooter rolls the dice it brings up 4 and 6 then the total will be 10, which is a Point. So now the aim of the shooter will be to roll out another 10 or 7 without rolling 2, 3 or 12. If the shooter is able to roll out a 10 or 7 then the dice is returned to him so that he or she can start a new ‘Come Out Roll’. But on the other hand if the shooter rolls out a 2, 3 or 12 then the dice will be passed on to the player on his/her left and that player will become the new Shooter.
Pass Rule
This is the simplest of all the rules. You must have read in the learn craps page about the pass bet. The Pass Rule compliments the pass bet, which is placed by players before the ‘Come Out Roll’. The Pass Rule lays emphasis on the fact that the Pass Line bet is on the shooter. This rule further emphasizes that the bet is on the fact that the shooter will accomplish his/her goal of getting a 7 or 11 on the ‘Come Out Roll’ or get a Point before rolling a 2, 3 or 12.
Note: It is important to remember that a Pass Line bet can be placed only on a ‘Come Out Roll’.
Craps Games: The Variations
Online Craps games are extremely interesting to play and with some knowledge about how the game is played, you can be a winner all the way. But did you know that there are several variations of craps games as well? Yes! The popularity of online craps has ensured that this game is played online more than ever before but not just the original craps but the variations too. Let us take a look into the variations of online craps games that are popular today.
Bank Craps
Bank craps is a variation of the original craps game and is sometimes known as Las Vegas Craps. This variant is quite popular in Nevada gambling houses but it’s available online has now made it a globally played game. Bank craps uses a special table layout and all the bets have to be made against the house. One of the strange aspects of this game is that the dice has to be thrown over a wire or a string that is normally stretched just a few inches from the table’s surface. If you are playing this online then you will not be able to see the wire.
The overall house edge in this variation is around 1.4%.
Crapless Craps
This is also known as Bastard craps. Unusual name for an unusual game! This is actually a simple version of the original craps and is normally played as an online private game. The basic difference between crapless craps and original craps is that in the former, the shooter (person throwing the dice) is at a far greater disadvantage and has a house edge of 5.38%. The second difference is that this is one of the craps games in which you can bet on getting a 2, 3, 11 or 12 before a 7 is thrown. In this game, 2 and 12 have odds of 11:2 and come with a house edge of 7.143% while 3 and 11 have odds of 11:4 and have a house edge of 6.25%.
Die Rich Craps
This is quite a recent version of the online craps games and is always played using a single dice.
Fading Craps, Open Craps, or Money Craps: All these three names are used for the same variation of the craps games. These games are normally considered to be games involving big money. Most of the time, this game will be played privately – online or offline.
This game involves specific bets made against the person taking the bet and this person is also called the book. The book gets to keep a specific percentage of the total amount of money (5%-7%) gambled and this is called vigorish. In the online and offline gaming circuit, fading craps or money craps is considered as an illegal game. The bets in this type of game can only be made using cash and the stakes can be higher than the house limits.
The fading craps table will always consist of a Win Line, Lose Line, and box numbers of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.
High Point Craps
This is a version of the original Craps game and the highlight of this game is that the initial roll of a 2 or a 3 is always ignored. If you roll out a 2 then you will have to roll again till you get another total. If you roll out 11 or 12 then you will win automatically. If you roll out any other total then it will be considered as a point and you will be back rolling again and this time you will need to throw a total that is higher than 11 or 12. Your house edge in this craps games variation will be 2.35%.
New York Craps
This is one of the variations of the craps games that is played only around the Eastern coast of the USA and that’s where the name comes from. History states that this game was actually found and played in casinos in Yugoslavia, the UK and the Bahamas. One of the highlights of this game is the house edge, which is greater than Las Vegas craps or Bank craps.
The table layout is however different in New York craps vis-à-vis Las Vegas craps and the table is called double-end-dealer. It is different from the original craps games in several ways but the primary difference is that New York craps doesn’t allow Come or Don’t Come bets. So if you are playing this game then you will need to bet on box numbers like 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.
The overall house edge in New York craps is 5%.
Simplified Craps
This is one of the craps games where you can win by throwing 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 or 12 but if you throw 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, you will lose. The only point of concern in this variation of online craps is that you will always have an overall house edge of 2.8%, which is a disadvantage.
Scarney Craps
This version of the craps games was developed by John Scarney, a gambling expert. This craps game doesn’t have ‘Come’ and ‘Don’t Come bets’ and there are no house percentage charges involved in right bets.
