Learn Craps Rules and Terminology

(Casinos Guides)

Useful Betting Terminology

Many well-known abbreviations are used in casinos when playing craps. Here are some of the most popular abbreviations and other useful terminology.

Place Bets

Place bets are a particularly popular type of betting in the game of craps and place bets are made against scores of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10, winning if the score is achieved before a 7 is thrown. Craps place betting can be made at any time and bets are paid out without commission. Also during the game, place bets may also be changed or removed.

Buy Bets

Buy bets work in a similar way in craps to place bets, with the main difference being that 5 percent commission is deducted by the casino when the buy bet is placed on the table.

Lay Bets

Lay bets work in a very different way to buy betting. Craps lay bets win when a score of 7 is achieved before the number of which the lay bet has been placed, and lose is the lay bet score is achieved after a score of 7 is thrown. A commission of 5 percent is deducted by the casino against all lay bets.

Big Six and Big Eight Bets

Big six and big eight bets in craps are made against the shooters and this betting is paid at odds of evens. In craps, a big six bet wins where a shooter scores a 6 before throwing a 7, and a big eight bet wins where a shooter scores an 8 before throwing a 7.

Field Bets

Field bets in craps are simply bets placed against one throw of the dice. Winning field bets are achieved when the player scores 3, 4, 69, 10 or 11, but lose if the player scores 5, 6, 7 or 8.

Hardways Bets

Hardways bets in the game of craps may also be referred to as 'proposition' betting, and are basically bets for even scores of 4, 6, 8 or 10, where the dice score the same numbers. Examples of craps hardways scores are as follows:

• Hardways score of 4 - two 2s
• Hardways score of 6 - two 3s
• Hardways score of 8 - two 4s
• Hardways score of 10 - two 5s

Winning craps hardways bets are achieved if the score is reached by the dice paid before a score of 7 is thrown, or the hardways scores is matched by another dice combination, e.g. when a hardways score of 8 is thrown as 5 and 3, rather than two 4s.

Craps Bets

Craps bets are simply bets placed against one throw of the dice, nominating a score. This popular type of bet wins when scores of 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 are achieved, as follows:

• Bet of two - 1 + 1
• Bet of three - 2 + 1
• Any seven bet - 3 +4, 5+ 2 or 6 + 1
• Bet of eleven - 6 + 5
• Bet of twelve - 6 + 6

Horn Bets

Horn bets in the game of craps are based on bets, but specify a comination of scores, such as two, three, eleven and twelve, with separate stakes.