If you walk through any major casino, you will undoubtedly find one game that is completely chaotic and more energetic than any other game in the building. People are screaming, high-fiving strangers, and cheering as the dice bounce across a massive table. This highly intimidating game is known as Craps. To a complete beginner, the game seems terrifyingly complicated. The felt is covered in weird text, and players are throwing chips everywhere. But this is a huge misconception. Despite its terrifying visual appearance, craps is actually one of the simplest, and most profitable games on the floor. If you can ignore the noise and learn one single bet, you can join the fun.
The Only Bet You Need to Know: The Come-Out Roll
The only logical way to start playing this game is to completely ignore 95% of the table. The confusing center sections are terrible traps with massive house edges. You only need to focus on one single, massive stripe that borders the felt: the "Pass Line". Making a Pass Line bet is how you play the game. When a new round begins, the person rolling the dice (the "Shooter") makes the Come-Out Roll. With your money on the Pass Line, you win instantly on a 7 or 11. You lose immediately if a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled. That is the first step: 7 or 11 wins, 2, 3, or 12 loses.
The Ongoing Game: Chasing the Point
But what happens if the Come-Out roll is not a winner or a loser? If the shooter rolls any other number a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that specific number officially becomes "The Point". The pit boss takes a marker and flip it to the "ON" side directly onto that specific number on the table layout. The phase of the game shifts. To secure a win, the shooter keeps throwing until they roll the Point again. When the Point rolls, the table cheers and wins. But there is a fatal flaw: if the shooter rolls a 7 prior to the Point, this is called "Sevening Out". Every single Pass Line bet instantly loses, the game resets, and the dice are passed to the next player at the table. The entire excitement is basically just a massive group of people hoping the Point hits before the 7.

Taking Odds: When the puck is ON, you can place additional chips directly behind your original Pass Line bet. This is called "Taking Odds," and it is a mathematical anomaly that pays true mathematical odds. The house has no advantage here. Betting the Dark Side: You can also bet against the shooter. This means you win if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3 on the come-out, or when the shooter sevens out. It has a lower house edge, but nobody will high-five you because you are betting with the house. The Sucker Bets: The center layout (like 'Any Craps', 'Hard 8', or 'Snake Eyes') are terrible math traps with huge casino advantages. Never, ever place a chip in the center of the craps table.

Craps Basics Cheat Sheet: How the Pass Line Works
To make your very first trip to the craps table, to guarantee you know what to do, review the simple cheat sheet below. It breaks down the math of the Pass Line bet: the Pass Line.

The Dice RollWhat the Shooter RollsWhat Happens to Your Pass Line Bet The Come-Out Roll (First Roll)7 or 11Instant Win The Start2, 3, or 12Instant Loss The Middle PhaseThe Point is setThe puck flips ON Trying to Hit the PointShooter rolls the exact Point number again BEFORE rolling a 7.You WIN your Pass Line bet (and any Odds bets). Round resets. Trying to Hit the PointRolls a 7 (Seven Out)Total Loss

To wrap it up, craps is actually incredibly simple. The operators create the board to confuse beginners so that amateur players will guess and lose their money. When you arrive, betting only on the Pass Line, backing it up with maximum True Odds, and ignoring the proposition bets, you are playing a nearly even game game available. Join the fun, and have the best casino experience Las Vegas has to offer.