Craps Variations – The Most Common Versions Of Craps
Many of the variants started life as regional variations of the game. But with the advent of online craps games many can now be played at one of the many online casinos. Understanding the different forms of craps online will mean you’ve got a wider field of games to choose from. Just playing one particular variant all the time may become a little boring after a while.
Before we jump into the various types of craps games you can play, let’s look at the games history as it will help your understanding of the game.
A brief history of Craps
People have been playing dice games for thousands of years and originally, the dice would have been made of ivory, bone, wood, clay or stone. Dice games were played by pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, wealthy Vikings, Ancient Greeks and Romans. The modern version of craps was developed as a game for aristocratic gentlemen in England and France during the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, the game was called ‘Hazard’ and was nicknamed ‘Crabs’.
The roll of the lowest value was called ‘crabs’ by the English, while the French adopted the term but spelt it slightly differently, ‘crabes’. In the early 1700s the game made its way to the USA, when French speaking Acadians were forced to relocate to Louisiana and became known as Cajun. The name hazard was dropped and became known as crabs or creps. However, by the mid 1800s the word Cajun crebs came into American English as ‘Craps’.
The first craps bank was introduced in 1907 by a dice maker called John H.Winn. This meant that players could bet against the bank or the house rather than against each other. Winn made his money by charging both right and wrong bettors a quarter for a $5 bet and for a $10 bet the charge was 50 cents.
Eventually, the quarter charge developed into a 5% charge and became a strong and dependable way for casinos to make their money. Gamblers decided to give this a name which over the years has been refined and shortened to ‘vig’, from the original jargon ‘vigorish’. It is the edge of the casino or house when paying something other than true odds for the various types of bet.
We’ll be looking at some of the different terms, jargon and nicknames used in the game of craps on another page. There are quite a few of them and learning them will mean you don’t get too confused. Time to move on to introducing some of the most common types of craps you can play online.
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An introduction to the variants of online craps
We’ll start with bank craps because this is the one variant you’re more likely to find being offered at an online craps casino.
Bank craps
Bank craps is the most popular variant of the game of craps and is found at most online and land-based casinos. The game is played on a special table and a unique layout is used. All bets are made against the house and a player places them by placing chips or cash on the appropriate section of the table before the dice are rolled. We’ve written a page that explains this most popular game in more detail, so make sure you take a read before deciding which game you want to play.
Crapless craps
This game was invented by a guy named Bob Stupak. He wanted to create a game in which you could never lose a pass line bet if a 2, 3 or 12 was rolled. It has become a very popular version of the game and often played outside casinos, where better odds are given to the play because the house edge for come out rolls is reduced. This variant is also known as ruse craps, bastard craps and never ever craps. It roots are the state of Mississippi and this is still where it’s played most often as well as being offered online.
Crapless craps are different from bank craps in that it’s impossible to lose your money on a pass line bet to craps on the come out roll. Because of this, the house edge is reduced and puts the odds back in the players favor. This is one of the reasons it’s not all that popular with casino operators and there aren’t too many that offer this particular game. It’s simply not profitable enough a game for them to run it.
High point craps
This is a very simple version of the game but also bears the biggest difference from standard craps. When a shooter rolls first, a roll of 2 or 3 is ignored all together and the dice will be returned to be thrown again. If an 11 or 12 is rolled they win automatically. Any other number combination establishes the point and a player then has to roll a total higher than the point, in order to win. The payoff in high point craps is even. The house edge is not too bad, however, it is worse than normal craps at 2.35%.
Simplified craps
Not surprisingly, this craps variant is very simple. Only one roll of the dice is thrown by the shooter. A total of 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 or 12 results in a win. A 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 results in a loss. It’s very easy to join in with a game of simplified craps and the house odds offered are 2.8%. There are far worse odds offered in some of the other casino games but a standard craps table still offers the best.
Die rich craps
This craps version is a particularly exotic take on the standard game and only uses one standard die. This may make it an easier game for the beginner to start with the rules because will be much easier to grasp. If a 6 is rolled on the come out roll it’s a winner. If the roll is a 1 it’s an instant loss. Any other numbers rolled will establish the point. After which the shooter has three more rolls to try and hit the point number again before a 1 is rolled. If this doesn’t happen the die gets passed to the next player and another round of die rich craps starts again.
New York craps
This game heralds from eastern United States and is played on a different table, known as a double-end dealer. In this version of the game, come, don’t come and place bets aren’t allowed. Instead players bet on box numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 or 10. True odds are awarded to players, however, the casinos takes 5% of all winnings. This makes the house edge for New York craps a firm 5%.
Low limit craps
Not everyone who wants to play craps will be comfortable with placing large bets. For this type of player there are low limit craps games that can be played. Low stake craps can still be a very exciting game to play, but with the lowest possible pay-ins you don’t have to worry about losing all your money on one game. Not many low limit games will be found in land-based casinos but there are plenty online. You’ll also find a number of demo games you can play that require no real money bets and are even better if you just want to practice and hone your skills.
High limit craps
In recent years there seems to have been a change in the limits imposed at online craps casinos. This may be because playing online has taken away the excitement and social element of the game and that lower limits have become common place. Because online casinos are interested in meeting the needs of their customers, a number have introduced online craps tables with higher limits. Typically, limits start at $1, with an upper limit often exceeding $1,000. This means that the games are now able to suit a wider range of players. Encompassing the needs of the more cautious player as well as the seasoned high-rollers.
Scarney craps
This craps variant was an invention of the gambling expert John Scarne. There are no come and don’t come bets and the house doesn’t make a percentage charge on any of the right bets.
Open craps
Open craps can be played on the street. Also called private craps they are games which are run illegally, often in private settings. One person bankrolls the game and the odds overall, will be worse than bank craps. This does make the game more exciting however, because players get the opportunity to win much more. But let’s not forget that this also increases the chances of losing everything. This game has a number of similarities with bank craps with the addition of a number of different side bets, usually paying a commission of 5% to the house.
Private or street craps
This type of craps game is played without a casino, in much the same way as open craps. Is it possible to play street craps online? Not really, but you may find a number of gambling individuals organizing their own games online, making bets between themselves.
Typically, a home made craps table will have a win line and lose line along the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. to start the game the shooter places a bet in the center of the playing area. Any other players then have the chance to cover all or part of the initial wager by placing their bets in the center area too. This part of the game is called fading. Once the come out roll has been made by the shooter the game plays just the same as standard craps. If craps is thrown by the shooter, all players take their money back and the shooters wager is spit between them. If a natural is thrown by the shooter he takes all the money in the center of the table.
Bubbles craps machines
One last variant of the game worth mentioning is bubbles craps machines. These can be found in some land-based casinos and can be a lot of fun. It’s an electronic version of the game, made by two main manufacturers, Aruze Gaming and Interblock Aruze Gaming. One manufacturer calls it ‘Shoot to Win Craps’ and the other calls it ‘Organic Craps’.
You may have noticed, after reading our explanations of the different games, that the variants have two things in common. They are generally much simpler than standard craps and the odds are usually much worse. There is a very valid reason for this if you think about it rationally. Why would a casino offer a different version of a game if it meant it would earn them less money? So why do people play these different games? For beginners, they can be the best way to get used to the idea of playing craps, because the rules are less complex and there are far fewer bets that can be made. And also because such variations make the game more fun and interesting to play.