Craps is No Crap

A first-timer in the casino should never feel awkward or intimidated just because he hears hollering and cheering in most of the tabled areas. One area where most people do the cheering, and even hand and body gestures, to express their excitement is at the craps area. Surely, craps is an exciting game in the casino. It is fast paced and very loud at times. Some new players consider craps an intimidating game because of all the emotions and loud hollering. But never be afraid of trying craps for the first time for it will surely give the same effect to a new comer as it does to the other players. Craps is easy to learn and it is not confusing as some players might think. For a new player, understanding the basic principles of craps and the techniques in making a passline bet will help get him started. About forty different bets can be made on a craps layout but most of them have poor odds. A player should focus only on the basic passline bet to keep him on track of the game. To make a passline bet, a player puts a bet on the passline before a new shooter begins rolling, or better known as come out roll. If the come out roll is a 7 or 11, the player wins. If it is a 2, 3 or 12, the player loses. A point number is any number other than the one the shooter rolls. The point number must be rolled again before a seven is rolled. In this case, the player wins even money for his passline bet. The player will lose if a seven is rolled before the number is rolled again. The odds bet is an additional bet. This is the only bet in the casino that does not have a house edge because it is paid off with true odds. Other casinos offer double odds bet in which players can make a bet twice the size of his passline bet. The odds bet is paid as follows: if the point is 4 or 10 it pays 2 to 1; if the point is 5 or 9 it pays 3 to 2; if the point is 6 or 8 it pays 6 to 5. Many casinos offer free lessons on how play craps. New players are instructed with the basics of the game and some table etiquette. With these advantages on hand, a new player can be a veteran in no time.