Street vs. Casino Craps

The proper definition of street craps is any version of craps that is played outside of a casino. Street craps is an unsanctioned, and often ungoverned, craps game that is usually contested among a small group of individuals. (Also see crapless craps) In street craps the players are all playing against one another. A game that played a major role in shaping the version of casino Craps that we all know and love today is the street version of the game often called street craps or street dice. This is probably a game that you've seen played on TV or in movies or even on a sidewalk or alley in a few neighborhoods.

When you hear about the game of Craps your mind usually jumps to the Craps tables at casinos where well-dressed players throw the dice on a table after a sexy girl blows on them for luck. While the casino version of this game is very glamorous, it does have some surprising origins.

A game that played a major role in shaping the version of casino Craps that we all know and love today is the street version of the game often called street craps or street dice.

This is probably a game that you've seen played on TV or in movies or even on a sidewalk or alley in a few neighborhoods. While the basics of this game are similar to the casino version where there's a single shooter and players make bets on his/her rolls. Casino Craps is a house banked game which means there are notable differences in the rules. Before discussing this however, let's recap on basic craps rules:

1. The shooters first roll of the dice is known as the 'come out' roll and if a 2, 3 or 12 are rolled the shooter is said to 'Craps out' and anyone who bet on the pass line bet loses and those betting on the 'Don't Pass Line' win. If a 7 or 11 is rolled every bet placed on the pass line automatically wins while the don't pass line bets lose. Twelve is treated as a push.
2. When numbers other than those mentioned above are rolled a 'point' number is established and the shooter aims to roll this number again before he/she rolls a seven. If the shooter does roll the point again everybody who wagered on them wins with the 'come' bet and if the shooter rolls a seven before the point number then everyone wagering against the shooter wins with the 'don't come' bet.

Street Craps generally follows the same basic rules but you'll notice some significant variations which we'll take a look at below.

There are no tables, bankers or dealers

In the casino version of Craps the game is played on a distinctly marked table and the house banks the game. In the casino pit you will find four casino employees working at the table – the base dealers, boxman and stickman.

Street craps doesn't have tables or dealers and players are required to cover each other's bets to ensure that equal action can continue on both sides. This means that one person will cover the shooter by wagering against them and other players will bet on the shooter. The game can also take place in a variety of locations from the pavement to someone's kitchen or garage floor.

Basic Rules may be altered

In Casino Craps the house always has a small edge because they don't pay players if a twelve is rolled on the come out but instead refund 'don't pass line' bettors their original wagers. In street dice, payers are often paid for wagers made on the don't pass line for a twelve.

For the sake of fairness, in some variations of the game the 'come out' roll is made when the shooter wins with 7 or 11 while their opponents win with 2, 3 or 12. The shooter receives payouts of 1:2 on their bet while those who bet on the 'don't pass' line get paid 2:1 to compensate for the lesser odds. If any number other than a 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 are rolled a push is the result rather than a point.

Ultimately players make and enforce the rules as there are no dealers, stickmen or boxmen to ensure that the game runs smoothly and fairly, so the onus is on the players. This can lead to some pretty heated debates before a game but ultimately everyone needs to agree as to the rules if the dice get stuck somewhere or something bizarre happens during the roll which is very possible given the number of places that this game is played.

When it comes to Proposition Bets anything goes

In the game of craps offered by casinos, a variety of proposition bet options are offered to players. Due to the fact that there is no table to keep track of these types of bets in street craps, players often invent their own prop bets as they go. The general rule is that as long as another player accepts the bet and the payout stated along with it, it is played as a legitimate bet. Because street players are not always considering the statistics and fairness of these type of bets these can be dangerous to their bankrolls, but then again, casinos have a 16.67% house advantage on the proposition bets they offer making them the worst craps bets of all so there may really not be much difference after all.

As you can see, street and casino craps have some significant differences and both can be very exciting. If however you are of more of a refined nature but are too shy to play at real craps tables, try playing craps online instead. It really is a great game!

Learning how to play craps isn’t as difficult as you might think. People are often steer away from playing the game because they think its too complex, but the only particularly complicated aspect is all the different types of bets that can be placed.

You don’t actually need to learn all of them to start playing and you can just stick to the simplest ones if you like.

You do, however, need to understand how the game is played.

This article will help as we cover everything you need to know to play craps in a live casino or online.

We explain the main objective of the game, the craps table, the betting layout, and the basic rules. We also introduce the different types of bets.

Game Objective in Craps

The main objective in craps is really quite straightforward. Basically you are just betting on the outcome of the roll of two dice.

Craps is pure chance since you can’t affect the outcome in any way, but you do have the choice of several wagers. The majority of these wagers are ultimately based on what combination of dice will be rolled.

The goal in craps is therefore to try to correctly predict which numbers will come up on the next roll. This is, of course, guesswork, but it doesn’t stop the game being a lot of fun.

Craps is played on a specially-designed table that features a betting layout where players can place their wagers. In a live casino, a table would look something like this.

The dice are rolled on the table by one of the participating players, referred to as the shooter. Typically, a new player will become the shooter at the end of each round, although one player may remain as the shooter for several in a row.

Anyone at the table, including the shooter, can make wagers by placing their chips in the appropriate spot on the betting layout.

A craps table requires the attention of several casino employees. You’ll usually find the following people running a table.

The boxman is in charge of the chips at the table. He (or she) will exchange cash into chips for players and swap them for different denominations if required. He’s also responsible for supervising the dealers and generally ensuring that the game runs smoothly.

The stickman is in charge of the dice. He moves them around the table with the use of a stick (hence the name), passing them to the shooter at the start of each roll. He will also announce the outcome of each roll.

A craps table usually features two base dealers, one standing on either side. They are responsible for collecting losing bets and paying out winners. When requested to do so, they can also place certain bets on behalf of players.

The Craps Table (Online Casino)

The rules of craps are the same regardless of whether you are playing in a live setting or online. However, things are a lot simpler online. There’s no allocated shooter, as technically you are the shooter every time you play.

The diced are rolled automatically when you press the relevant button, and you place your bets by clicking in the appropriate place on the betting layout.

The following is an example of what an online craps table looks like:

How To Play Street Dice Craps

Basic Rules

Each round in craps starts with what is known as the come-out roll. Most casinos will require that the shooter place a bet before making this roll on either the pass line or the don’t pass line.

Street Dice Craps

If the combined value of the two dice on a come-out roll equals 2, 3, or 12, then this is “crapping out” and the round is over. Players will lose pass line bets and win don’t pass bets. If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the round is also over.

If any other value is rolled on the come-out roll i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, then a point is established, equal to the value rolled, and the round continues into the next stage.

The shooter continues to roll with players betting on the outcome of each, until they roll either a 7 or the point value that has been established.

Following a roll of either 7 or the point value, the round is over and a new come-out roll is required. It’s standard practice for the shooter to pass the dice to another player if a round ends with a 7, and to stay as shooter if the round ends with the point value being rolled.

This is essentially all there is to the basic rules of craps. What makes the game more complex are all the different bets that can be placed.

The following is a list of the different wagers you can place when playing craps.

• Pass Line
• Don’t Pass
• Come
• Don’t Come
• Pass Line Odds
• Don’t Pass Odds
• Come Odds
• Don’t Come Odds
• Place Win
• Place Lose
• Buy
• Lay
• Big 6
• Big 8
• Hardways
• Field
• Any 7
• Any 11
• Any Craps
• Ace Deuce
• Aces
• Boxcar

As you can see, there are numerous different bets in craps. Please don’t let this steer you away from playing the game as you really don’t need to learn them all.

They are pretty simple overall; it just takes a little time to familiarize yourself with each one.

You can read about all these bets in more detail here.

If you’re ready to put what you’ve learned here into action, you might want to consider trying out an online casino. You can play craps at most of the top online casinos that we recommend. If you want to play for real money, you’ll get a bonus for signing up and making your first deposit. And if you prefer to just play for fun, that’s an option at most places, too. Here are some of the online casinos we recommend playing at.