CASINO PARTY
Craps is a dice game in which players bet that certain numbers or sequences will occur. The basic play involves the shooter, who begins by rolling the dice for the come-out roll. On the come-out, a roll of 7 or 11 means that the shooter has immediately "won", while a 2, 3 or 12 means that they have immediately "lost". Any other number becomes the shooter's point, and the shooter rolls to make that number. If the shooter matches the point before rolling a 7, they win; if they roll a 7 after the come-out, they lose. Whether the shooter makes or loses money does not depend on whether they win or lose, but (like all players) on what bets are made.
If the shooter wins or loses on the come-out roll, or makes the point, they get to shoot again. If they miss their point, the player on their right becomes the new shooter.
The simplest bet in a craps game is the PASS bet; this is a bet that the shooter will win, either on the come-out or by making the point. Conversely, a player may bet that the shooter will lose; this is a DON'T PASS bet. One caveat is that if the shooter rolls a 12 on the come-out, a player does not win a don't pass bet; if the shooter loses in any other way, the don't pass bet will win. The pass and don't pass bets (unlike all other bets) can only be placed immediately before the come-out roll.
Another popular bet is the COME bet. This bet can be placed before any roll, and it is like a pass bet in which the next roll is a come-out. That is, if the roll following the come bet (which may not be the shooter's come-out) is a 7 or 11, the come bet wins, and it loses if that roll is a 2, 3 or 12. If any other number appears, the come bet wins if that number is matched before a 7 is rolled, and loses if a 7 is rolled first. There is also a DON'T COME bet, which is much like don't pass and is the opposite of come. All pass and come bets pay even odds.
The BIG 6 and BIG 8 bets win if a 6 (or 8) is rolled before a 7 appears. They pay even money. Similarly, PLACE bets are bets that a specific number will be rolled before a 7 appears. A "place" bet on 4 or 10 pays 9-5; 5 or 9 pays 7-5; and 6 or 8 pays 6-5. Place bets must be made in multiples of $25.
The FIELD bet is a one-roll bet that the next number will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. If any of these numbers appears on the next roll, the field bet wins. A field bet pays even odds unless a 2 or 12 is rolled, in which case the bettor gets double their money.
In the center are HARDWAY bets picturing dice showing 4, 6, 8 or 10. These are bets that the number will come up hard (doubles) before they come up soft or before a 7 is rolled. Making 4 or 10 the hard way pays 7-1; making 6 or 8 pays 9-1. Other CENTER bets are one-roll bets that a number will come up on the very next roll. A bet on 7 pays 4-1; a bet on 3 or on 11 pays 15-1; a bet on 2 or on 12 pays 30-1; a bet on "any craps" (2, 3 or 12) pays 7-1.
