The Top Craps Online Guide For UK Players 2024
Craps online casino sites are widespread in the UK, where it has a history dating back to the 12th century. Played with a pair of dice and sporting some very unique rules, players nowadays think the game too complicated. Playing craps isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the game is more than just a set of stiff mechanical rules. Here at montycasinos.com, we’re concerned with giving players a clear insight on what the craps entails and how to play it like a pro.
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A major highlight of this game is that it has one of the highest payouts at the casino. It’s also the only one of casino games with bets having a 0% house edge. If your real money senses are already tingling, then read on to find out more about this underrated gem of a game.
Online Craps for Beginners: How to Play Craps
Quick bets and quick wins are what you can expect when playing craps. The game is fast and exciting, but can quickly leave you behind if you’re not up to speed. Since this game isn’t one you can jump into on a whim, it’s important to learn how to play craps from the basics.
On the bright side, our experts at montycasinos.com will be revealing everything from basic rules to craps etiquette and proven strategies to play craps and win. It’s nothing like the complex evaluations you’ll find at Wizard of Odds. We’ll be making it as elementary as possible, so you can get the hang of it in no time.
Online Craps Table
If you went to land-based Atlantic City or Las Vegas casinos, the craps table is often the noisiest and the liveliest one on the floor. So it is undeniably a whole lot of fun. The online version is less noisy, but it still maintains the frantic pace it’s famous for.
Laced with green felt, the craps table is usually quite large and features a layout of different bet areas. There isn’t a box person or base dealer to refer to in online craps. Instead, you can simply click any point on the layout to place your bets as you wish.
Strategies and Money Management
With this game, there isn’t a ready-made pamphlet like the basic blackjack strategy guide or the infamous card counting. But several craps strategies can be applied to help you make smart bets and win more in the long run. However, the greatest strategy, according to our experts, is having good bankroll management.
Just like every form of real money gambling, you win some, and you lose some. Because craps are so fast-paced, it’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve wagered. Bankroll management tells you to:
- Set aside an amount of money for your casino gaming excitement
- Determine a portion of that amount to be placed on individual wagers
- Never exceed your bankroll
On a low budget, you won’t necessarily land a jackpot win. But with an effective bankroll strategy, you’ll be able to stay in the game long enough to hit a few profitable runs.
Basic Game Rules At The Craps Table
The game is played with two dice on a gaming table. The game starts off with a shooter who throws the first roll of the dice, known as the “come-out roll.” It’s important to note that the shooter is not the equivalent of the dealer in Blackjack or the croupier in Roulette. It refers to anyone rolling the dice, and in craps, all players take turns being the shooter.
There are three possible scenarios for any dice roll:
- If the outcome is a 7 or 11, everybody gets a payout (called a Natural)
- If the outcome is 2 (snake eyes), 3, or 12, nobody gets a payout (Craps). Note that 12 is a push, so although you don’t get a payout, you get to keep your bet.
- If the outcome is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the number becomes “the point”. In this case, the shooter rolls the dice until it lands on the point number again, in order to get a payoff. However, if the dice land on a 7, the shooter “craps out.” Other players get a payout if they had bet on any number that isn’t the point, and the next player becomes the shooter.
Detailed Overview of Craps Bets
The gameplay rules explained above are the basics. As a new player, you’ll find it easy to start placing wagers once you understand those concepts. Regarding the bet types, there are dozens available with this casino game, and we’ll explain them in detail below.
Line Bets
These are bets on the outcome of each roll the shooter makes. Players have to predict whether they think the dice will land on a natural, craps or whether a point will be rolled.
Pass Line Bet
Pass line bets are arguably the most common kind. Here, you’re betting on the shooter winning the roll by landing a 7 or 11 in which case everyone wins also. The pass line is also successful if the shooter rolls a point and wins before crapping out.
These bets have a house advantage of 1.41%, and they pay even money or 1:1. That means a £10 stake will win you an extra £10.
At the craps table, the PASS LINE section is on the outermost part of the layout. You’ll need to place your chips there at the beginning of every round before the come-out roll.
Don’t Pass
This bet is quite intuitive, and judging by the name it is the opposite of the pass line bet. Betting “don’t pass” means you are banking on the shooter losing the round. This plays out if the dice land on a 2, 3, or 12, or if a seven is rolled before the point number lands again. A successful don’t pass bet will award you a payout. The only exception is the 12 number outcome, which means your bet is a Push.
Pass Odds
Online casinos always have a house advantage over their games, which reflects in the odds. However, craps allows free odd bets which eliminate the house edge. These bets will offer payoffs proportionate to the actual chances of rolling those numbers.
Pass line odds are a combination of the pass bet and one or more odds bets. You bet on the pass as normal, and whenever a point is established, you can back it up with an odds bet. This takes the house edge of the pass bet below the 1% mark. The more odds bets you combine to your pass bet, the lower the house advantage. The bet wins if a point is rolled before a seven.
Don’t Pass Odds
On the other hand, these bets lose if the point number is rolled first and pays only when a 7 is rolled before the point. Once again, you place your original bet and complement with an odds bet when the point is rolled. Payouts are 5 : 6 for points 6 or 8, 2 : 3 for points 5 or 9, and 1: 2 for points 4 or 10. The betting odds are inverted for pass odds.
Come Bets
This bet type functions exactly like the pass bets, except that it refers to the bet you make after the point number has been established. You get a payout if the dice land on a natural (7 or 11). In contrast, you lose if the outcome of the roll is a 2, 3, or 12, just like the pass line bet. Finally, any other number will become your come bet point. You can either win your come bet point if it is rolled again or lose it if the shooter craps out. The casino edge is the same as the pass line bet – 1.41%.
Don’t Come Bets
This is also placed after the initial point is rolled, and works similarly to the don’t pass bet. After placing the don’t come bet, you lose if a 7 or 11 is rolled and win if a 2, 3, or 12 lands. Any other number becomes the point for the don’t come bet, and you lose or win with a point outcome or seven outcome, respectively.
Multi-Roll Bets
Several craps betting options involve multiple rolls. Oftentimes, these types of bet win or lose only after several dice rolls, since the shooter keeps rolling until he craps out or lands the point again. Multi roll bets at the craps table can be likened to side bets in a game of Roulette.
Place Bets
Rather than come/don’t come bets, players can choose to wager on a place bet after a point is established. Here, you’ll be betting on any of the possible point numbers. You can either bet on a place win or a place lose. The former pays if the chosen number is rolled out before a 7, and the latter wins if the reverse is the case. Below is the paytable:
| Number | Place Win Pays | Place Lose Pays |
|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 7 : 6 | 4 : 5 |
| 5 or 9 | 7 : 5 | 5 : 8 |
| 4 or 10 | 9: 5 | 5 : 11 |
Buy Bets
This side bet is also dependent on the point number, as you’ll be wagering on a specific number landing before 7 does. However, the payouts are higher than the place win bet because buy bets require you to pay a 5% commission to the house. So for a £20 bet, £1 automatically goes to the casino’s pockets. With this commission, you are paid at true odds of the outcome if your wager is successful.
Lay bets
Lay bets are like the place lose bets only with higher odds because they also come with a 5% commission. You are betting that the shooter’s roll ends on a 7 before landing on a specific number. Depending on the online site you play at, the buy and lay bet commission may be deducted as soon as you place your bet, or only when the wager is successful. Lay odds are paid at their true value.
Put Bets
The craps online table is very detailed as different bets have different areas where you can place your chips. It’s common knowledge by now that the pass line bet is made on the come-out roll (first roll in a round). However, it is also possible to bet the pass line on a roll that isn’t the come-out. In that case, it is called a Put bet.
Your bets win if the shooter rolls your chosen number before crapping out. Compared to the pass line, this kind of bet is less advantageous because you lose out on the 2 : 1 advantage of pass line bets that are placed before the come-out. Put bets pay out even money.
Hardways
In a game of craps, a number is rolled the hard way when it appears as a double. For instance, a hard 6 is a double 3, a hard 8, a double 4 and so on. This bet is successful if the shooter rolls the chosen number the hard way before the dice lands on a seven or any other combination of the number.
Big 6 or Big 8
This is a simple bet that the shooter will throw the dice on a 6 or an 8, and it pays out even money. However, for the bet to be successful, either a 6 or an 8 has to be thrown before the dice lands on a 7. The disadvantage here is that you lose if a 7 lands on the come-out roll. Whereas with a place bet, for instance, not only is the payout higher, but you still keep your bet even if the come-out is a 7.
Single-Roll Bets
In the multi-roll bets we’ve discussed so far, the shooter can roll the dice several times before a win is determined or before he sevens out. With single-rolls, however, the outcomes are determined on the next roll.
These include:
- Field bet – If the next roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12
- 2 or 12 – You win if the next roll lands on 2 or 12
- 3 or 11 – You win if the dice are rolled on 3 or 11
- Any 7 – If the next roll is any combination of 7
- Any craps – If the following roll is 2, 3, or 12
- Hop bet – If each die lands on a specific pair of numbers, e.g., 3 and 5, 4 and 7 etc.
- Hard hop bet – If each die lands on the same number, e.g., 3 and 3, 4 and 4, etc.
- Horn bets – A split bet among the numbers 2, 3, 11, or 12. Your wager is divided into four parts.
Player Bets
Casino craps are already full of different bets, but new additions take the excitement up a few notches. One such element is the Fire bet, which is being introduced at UK online and live casino sites.
You place this bet before a new come-out roll, and the objective is that the shooter makes at least 4 different points on the pass line before crapping out. It’s a long shot, but considering that it pays up to a whopping 1000 : 1, it’s well worth the risk.
Bonus craps is another fun way to enjoy the game. It is played on a regular craps table, but features three extra wager options – All Small, All Tall, and Make ’em All. Each with lucrative payback potentials.
Working and Not Working Bets
We’ve established so far that many craps casino bets will go more than one roll before the dice delivers a decision. Such bets that have not yet been decided are known as working bets.
It is also common that place bets, buy bets, hardways and odds bets are temporarily out of action during a come-out roll, since they go into play only after the point has been determined. In this case, these would be considered non-working bets.
You can indicate by telling the dealer when you wish for such bets to work or not. Except for basic pass / come wagers, it is also possible to request your bet to be removed before it is decided.
Multiple Betting Options At Your Disposal
There is no scarcity of betting options when you play craps. Pro bettors certainly know how to take advantage of the range of bet opportunities. Although the same can’t be said for new players, there is more than enough fun to be had with the basic pass and come bet types.
Expert Tips For UK Craps Players in 2024
- Practice craps with free games before you begin placing real money bets.
- Use odds bets to bring down the house advantage.
- A good craps casino welcome bonus offer will help boost your bankroll for greater winning chances. However, make sure to check that the casino bonus wagering requirements are reasonable.
- Always maintain a bankroll management plan and practice responsible gaming.
- If you’re a new player, avoid big 6, big 8 and proposition bets in craps.
- For the best gaming experience, play at licensed and regulated online casinos like the ones we recommend at montycasinos.com.
Our Conclusion
Craps is a dice game with the potential for rich entertainment value and decent wins. All it takes is some understanding of the game rules.
Our montycasinos.com review will have proven a helpful guide in that aspect as we covered all the important points of how to play the game.
Several lucrative odds are available which you won’t want to miss out on. A deposit bonus or other casino promotions will provide even greater value. But aside from the profit aspect, craps is genuinely one of the best pastimes any player could wish for.
Experts Opinion
Nowadays, craps isn’t as popular on the online scene as some other games like video poker, online slots, card poker and pai gow. I believe that the major reason is that players are yet to understand that much like other casino games, craps is largely based on chance. Where the dice land is entirely random and compared to games like Blackjack, it is actually less challenging.
FAQs
Can I play craps at the live casino?
Yes, there are a few live casino craps variants available for British players. The best casino sites approved by montycasinos.com will offer the most authentic live dealer craps games to play for real money.
Which is the best craps bet?
The best craps bet depends on your player needs. If you’re a risk-taker, you might want to opt for bets with larger payouts, whereas bets with a lower house edge will suit safe players. For newcomers, the safest bets (pass line and don’t pass line) would be the best.
How much does it cost to place craps bets?
When playing craps, you can bet as low as £5 or less. Some long-shot bets like the fire bet will let players wager as low as £1.
How quickly can a player learn craps gameplay?
Unless the player wishes to go professional, basic craps gameplay can be mastered in a few trial rounds. The game isn’t as simple as a slot machine, but it’s also not as challenging as an online poker hand.
Are online craps games fair?
Yes. When you play at online casinos licensed by reputable gambling commissions like the UKGC, you can rest assured the game outcomes are always fair and random.