Street craps is one of the most popular casino games out there — fun, simple, and quick to learn. This guide will help you become a true master!
How to Shoot Dice
When you think of casino games, you probably picture people crowded around a roulette wheel or sitting at a card table. But one of the most accessible and popular casino games to pick up is one that requires no special equipment or paraphernalia.
If you’re interested in playing street craps — otherwise known as shooting dice — all you need to get started is some dice, some friends, and a flat surface to play on. It’s that simple.
But how do you shoot dice? What are the rules? And is there any special terminology you should be aware of before jumping into the deep end? This article will give answers to these questions and more, providing you with a complete guide to shooting dice.
What Is Street Craps?
So, what is “street craps”? Otherwise known as shooting dice or street dice, this easy gambling game is often described as a dumbed-down version of regular craps.
The biggest difference between them is that where you don’t need any special equipment to play street craps, playing regular craps requires a specialty craps table. You’ve no doubt seen a craps table before, even if just in a casino scene in a film. These long tables are covered with felt and have printed onto them a betting layout.
By contrast, street craps can be played anywhere so long as you have a flat surface to hand. This could be a table, or it might be something as basic as a flat floor. Players take turns to be the “shooter,” the person who rolls the dice and bets on the outcome of those rolls. In a later section, we’ll go into a bit more detail about the rules of street craps.
Important Street Craps Terms
Before going any further, it’s important to establish a few key phrases used in street craps. To get the most out of the game and ensure you enjoy it to the fullest, you should make sure you acquaint yourself with this key terminology:
- The shooter: the player who rolls the dice.
- The come-out roll: the first dice roll in a round.
- To pass: rolling a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll.
- To crap out: rolling a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll.
- Point: rolling a number between 4 and 10 on the come-out roll. The point must be repeated before a 7 is rolled.
- To seven out: rolling a 7 before repeating the point.
What Are the Rules of Street Craps?
Once you’ve got that fundamental lingo under your belt, it’s time to acquaint yourself with the rules of street craps. The basic rules of the game are pretty simple:
- A game of street craps can be played by between 2 and 4 people.
- In street craps, two dice are used. The first shooter may volunteer, be chosen at random, or be selected by rolling the dice. It’s entirely up to the players.
- Next, all the players will place bets on the outcome of the shooter’s rolls, betting on whether they will pass or crap out. People may also place additional bets called “side bets.”
- The shooter places the first bet, while the other players at the table must at least match the bet.
- After the shooter’s turn, the dice are passed in a clockwise fashion to the next player.
Understanding How Betting Works
There are a few different bets that you can place during street craps.
The two main betting options are:
- Pass: as explained above, rolling either a 7 or an 11 would count as a pass.
- Don’t Pass: these bets win if the result of the roll is either a 2 or a 3.
Additionally, there are two side bet options. In traditional craps, there are far more than just two side bet options, but street craps takes a more simplified approach. The two side bet options players can choose between are:
- Pass: a shooter places this bet before setting a point — that is, rolling a number between 4–10. If they roll a 7 or 11, they win, but they lose the bet if they roll a 2, 3, or 12.
- Brick Bet: a brick bet succeeds if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 but loses if the result is a 2, 3, 5, 9, or 12.
Playing a Game of Street Craps
Now that you know the basics of playing street craps, it’s time to play a game for yourself. Learning the rules is all fine and well, but it’s only once you start to actually play the game and see the rules in action that you’ll get to grips with craps.
In this section, we’ll walk you through how to excel at street craps.
Thinking About Strategy
Some people say that street craps is all about luck and that there’s no skill involved — but it’s no coincidence that the people who say that tend not to do well at street craps themselves!
In actuality, strategy is an important part of playing street craps. The best players take the time to learn about probability: the likelihood that they will roll particular numbers. It may sound a little dry, but learning about statistical probability can really help boost your game.
For example, the number 7 is the most likely number to come up during a game of craps, with a 17% chance that you’ll roll it each time. This is because out of the 36 possible dice combinations; there are 6 different ways of getting a 7.
Learn About Dice Control
Following on from our previous point, learning about dice control can be useful in a game of street craps. This doesn’t refer to trying to roll specific numbers; unless your dice are weighted, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be able to continuously roll one particular number at will. Rather, dice control is about trying to reduce the number of 7s you roll during a game.
How can this be achieved? Well, in short, through skill and practice, and through following these tips:
- Set the dice. Most people who use dice control start with both their dice showing the number three on top, with the spots on each die running parallel to one another.
- Pick up the dice. Don’t just pick up your dice any old way you choose. Instead, use your thumb and forefinger specifically.
- Roll the dice. Again, don’t just toss the dice without thinking about it. You should adopt a gentle, pendulum-like motion, throwing your dice in an arc. Avoid putting any spin on them, and try your best to throw them closely together, not letting them go wild across the table or other playing surfaces.
If you complete these steps successfully, the dice shouldn’t bounce or spin too much. This, in turn, will help to eliminate some of the randomizing variables that affect your performance.
Practice Your Skills
The next step is to practice. This involves both thinking about the theory of street craps and working on your dice-throwing technique.
Based on our above description, dice control may not seem like that difficult a skill to master. After all, it’s only throwing a pair of dice in a careful, gentle manner. But in actuality, it’s more tricky to pull off than you might think. In fact, many of the gambling masters who use this technique set aside upwards of an hour a day to practice this move at home.
It takes a serious amount of time and practice to perfect the art of dice control. Taking the time out of your day to practice at home means that you will be more prepared during games and won’t find yourself losing money unnecessarily at the table.
Remember, even if you do practice dice control and get it down to fine art, you are still unlikely to win every game of street craps you play. While there is some measure of skill and know-how involved, Lady Luck still has the final word!
Final Thoughts
Street craps can be a fun way of whiling away the hours — and of making a little money while doing so. What’s more, it’s one of the more popular gambling games out there due to its relative simplicity and because it doesn’t require any special tables or equipment.
Another factor that no doubt contributes to the popularity of street craps is that it involves very few rules, especially compared to casino craps. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a solid idea of how this game is played.
We hope that, if you do decide to give dice shooting a go, you take some of our advice to heart. By thinking about statistics and practicing dice control, you should find that you are able to achieve good results more frequently. See more: https://coinplay.com/
