How do you place a bet in craps?

How do you place a bet in craps?

I’m going to Las Vegas, and I need to know how to place bets on craps. I know all the rules (I’ve played it on the computer), but I’ve never dared to play in real life because it looks so complex. How do you know whether to place the bet yourself or ask the dealer to place it for you? And when can you reach for your chips if you win, and they just place your chips on a new bet? Is there a general rule to follow? Or do you just place a bet without saying anything and apologize if they yell at you?

Question asked by: CalFan

Answer

Craps can be intimidating, but once you understand the basic rules and etiquette, it’s a fun and exciting game.

Here’s a brief guide on how to place bets in craps:

  1. Pass Line / Don’t Pass Line bets: You place these bets yourself directly on the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line. Do this before the come-out roll.
  2. Come / Don’t Come bets: You place these bets yourself in the Come or Don’t Come boxes after the point has been established.
  3. Place bets: To place bets on specific numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), you’ll need to ask the dealer to do it for you. Place your chips on the table and clearly state your desired bet and the amount you’re betting (e.g., “Place the 6 for $10”). The dealer will then move your chips to the appropriate spot on the layout.
  4. Field bets: You place these bets yourself by putting your chips directly in the Field section on the layout.
  5. Proposition bets: These bets are located in the center of the table and should be placed by the dealer. Hand your chips to the dealer and clearly state the bet you’d like to make (e.g., “Any Craps for $5”).
  6. Hardways bets: Like proposition bets, these bets are located in the center of the table and should be placed by the dealer. Hand your chips to the dealer and clearly state the bet you’d like to make (e.g., “Hard 8 for $10”).

When it comes to collecting your winnings or making new bets, follow these general rules:

  1. Wait until the dealer has finished paying out all winning bets and removed the losing bets from the table. You can then collect your winnings and place new bets.
  2. Avoid reaching for chips during a roll or while the dealer is making payouts. This can cause confusion and slow down the game.
  3. When the dealer is paying out winning bets, they will usually pay out from the inside of the table to the outside. Be patient and wait for the dealer to reach your area.
  4. If you’re unsure about when to collect your chips or place a new bet, you can always ask the dealer. They are there to help and ensure a smooth gaming experience.

Remember to always be polite, patient, and communicate clearly with the dealer. With a little practice, you’ll quickly become comfortable with the betting process in craps. Good luck and have fun!

4 comments

  1. potsie is correct that the dealer will be glad to help you if you are not sure.

    To be specific, the bets in the middle of the layout (shown in
    )

    are handled by the stickman. You get his attention, tell him what you want, and put the chips down on the table for him to put put on the layout.

    The dealer (the person beside the boxman, the only person seated at the table) puts the chips on the layout for place, buy, lay bets, and odds on come or don’t come bets. (On the layout at

    that is the area above the “come” area and right of the “don’t come” area.)

    All other bets you place directly on the layout yourself.

    Suggestion:

    If you can find a nearly empty craps table (usually not to hard aroung 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.) the dealers will be glad to spend a lot of time helping you out. It does not take long to get the hang of it.

  2. potsie is wrong ergo zman is wrong. ergo you are wrong in stating you know the rules. instead of making a passline bet you may make a bet called a place bet. make a place bet on the 6 and the shooter only has to roll it once and you win. and you win more money if you bet the proper amount. you lose more money if you make a place bet other than on the 6 or 8. LOOK IT UP!!!!

  3. The only bet you make yourself is the pass don’t pass and odds on these. Come bets you place your chip in the come box and Announce come bet please always say please it will be in your best interest. For all place bets and Buys you place your chips in the come box an say 6 or whatever # you want and say place 6 please for all hard way bets toss the money slowly to the stick man and yell loud Hard 10 or whichever you wish to play he is always busy so you have to announce it so he can hear it and so the box manger can to in case the stick-man misses it. it is important for me say hear that you can tip the dealers play playing chips for them for example you can toss the stick a 5 dollar chip and a 1 dollar chip on the hard way and say two way and the know to place the 1 Dollar for the crew if it wins the crew gets a nine dollar tip. its realy quite simple watch the game for a min b/4 you play you will be fine and when in doubt ask the dealer

  4. Generally speaking, you place your own bets only on the Passline and the odds behind it (or Don’t Passline and its odds), the Big 6 and 8 (don’t ever play that – it’s a sucker bet), Come bets, and the Field bets. Pretty much everything else has to be placed by the dealers- Placed numbers and any Prop Bet ( hard ways, horn bets, etc.).

    Any bet you make that the dealers place for you, you have to lay on the table. For example, let’s say you want to put $5 on the Hard 6. You have to toss the chip towards the “Stickman” (the guy in charge of prop bets)- don’t worry although it seems rude, it’s not. You also have to call out your bet. If you don’t or the stickman doesn’t hear you, he’ll ask who the money belongs to and what the bet is.

    For the most part, the dealers are there to help you out. If you don’t know what bet to make or how, they will usually steer you in the right direction. However, if a table gets hot, there will be a lot action and bets will be all over the table. So if you are not assertive, your bet may be missed. Be sure to tell them exactly what you want and make sure they acknowledge it.

    Finally, there is table etiquette. Crap players are VERY superstitious. The one thing you may get yelled at is if you have your hands out while the dice are being thrown. If you are not paying attention and your hands are out while the dice are being thrown -watch out! If those dice come anywhere near your hands and sevens out- you’ll have to endure the dirty looks and grumbles of a bunch of angry people.

    Here’s one final tip- ALWAYS throw the dice. You can pass it to the next person if you like, but I’ve heard too many stories about people placing bets for the shooter. For example, once my father was shooting the dice and some guy came in and placed $300 on a threeway hard 6 ($100 for him, $100 for the dealers, and $100 for the shooter). Basically, if my dad was able to hit the hard 6 (which pays 9 to 1) he would have gotten a free $900. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hit it. My sister last weekend went on a tear on one roll and ended up getting $150 in tips from other players. Just remember, no matter what you feel like, always roll the dice.

    Have fun and good luck!

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