Casino Craps
FUNDAMENTALS OF PLAY
THE EQUIPMENT
The implements used for playing craps in a casino include a table with high sides and a layout showing the various craps wagers, a pair of dice, and a puck for identifying the established point. These items are described below.
The craps table: Unlike other table games, craps tables vary considerably in size. The typical craps table accommodates 16 to 20 stand- ing players, and is manned by a crew of four: a stickman, two inside dealers, and a boxman. The largest tables, which can handle up to 24 players, often have two boxmen. Occasionally, you may find a very small table that is run by a single dealer and accommodates 8 or 9 seated players.
Regardless of size, all craps tables have high sides to contain the action of the dice. At both ends, the inside surfaces of the sidcs are covered with diamond-embossed rubber. This is where the thrown dice are supposed to bounce to assure a fair roll. The central portion of the long side opposite the boxman is mirrored so that he can easily see the opposite faces of the dice to ascertain that someone didn’t switch in miss potted cubes.
The tops of the sides have rails with convenient grooves for holding the player’s chips. Lower down on the outside is a ledge for holding drinks and ashtrays.
The layout: The felt surface of the craps table carries the imprinted online betting tips layout, which has numerous boxes and spaces for placing wagers. To a newcomer, the layout may seem very complex, but as the nature and purpose of the various bets are explained, it will eventually become clear and logical. A typical double-ended craps layout is shown on the next page.
Almost all craps tables are double-ended, meaning that the layout is duplicated at both ends of the table to make the betting areas easier to reach by all the players. These end sections contain the most important and useful bets on the table. Between the two end sections is a large box containing the center bets, also known as the proposition bets, all of which are controlled by the stickman.
The dice: Modern casino dice are precision cubes made of cellulose acetate. Most dice have flush number spots. To maintain the correct weight and balance, each spot is slightly recessed and filled with a colored paint that is the same weight as the material that was removed. Casino dice have sharp edges rather than the rounded edges found on backgammon or home-game dice.
Standard casino dice in most of the world are 0.750-inch wide, but a few casinos may use slightly smaller dice. Each cube is usually embossed with the casino logo and a code number to make it difficult for cheats to switch in dishonest dice.
Each of the dice has six faces, and each one of the faces has one through six spots. The game of craps uses a pair of dice, so the possible numbers that can be rolled are 2 through 12.
The puck: A round plastic disk, black on one side and white on the other, is used to indicate when a point is established. This disk is called a puck, although in the past it has sometimes been called a buck. During a come-out roll the black side of the puck, which is marked with the word OFF, is lying face up. When a point number is rolled, the puck is turned over and placed at the appropriate numbered box to remind everyone which point was established. The white side of the puck (marked ON) is now facing up. The puck remains in this position until the point is made or the shooter sevens-out, whereupon it is removed from the number box and flipped to its black side.
