Two dice are thrown. To calculate the score the number of spots on the uppermost faces are added.
4+3=7 ‘Natural’
1+1=2 ‘Craps’
5+5=10 ‘Point’
The first throw of the dice is called the ‘come-out roll’. A first throw of 7 or 11 is a winning score. A throw of 2, 3 or 12 is a losing score (craps). Any other score (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) means that a point is established. When a point is established, the player will try to make the point by re-throwing the dice any number of times to repeat the original score. If the original score is thrown before a 7 or 11, it is a winning score. If a 7 or 11 is thrown first, it is a losing score.
When it is your turn to be the shooter (the one who throws the dice), you must place a bet on win pass or don’t pass (win or don’t win). You continue to throw until there is a losing decision (a miss out).
The first throw is called the come-out. If a 7 or 11 is thrown, the bet on the pass (win) line wins (a winning decision) and the bet on don’t pass loses. If 2, 3, or 12 (craps) is thrown, the bet on the pass line loses (a losing decision) and the bet on the don’t pass line wins.
If a point is established (a score of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), the shooter continues rolling the dice. If the point is made (the original score re-thrown), the pass bet wins and the don’t pass bet loses. If a 7 or 11 is thrown, the don’t pass bet wins and the pass bet loses.
This then is the absolute basics of Craps but there are of course many other factors to the game like the many different types of bet whcih can be made, this will be discussed in future articles.