So you want to play Craps huh? Well, you better know some terminology. In today’s article, we’ll show you some key Craps terms. There are countless Craps terms out there, but we’ll go over just the main and fun ones.
Aces: This is a roll of two. When a two is rolled, both dice show one dot, hence the term.
2-Way Eleven: Dealers love this one. When you bet a 2-way eleven, you’re making a bet on eleven for you and the dealers. It’s a good move to tip the dealers when playing if you’re doing well.
Any Seven: This is a one-roll wager. Make this bet and if the next roll is a seven, you win. A seven can be rolled: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-1, and 6-1. The bet pays 4:1. The house edge is high on this one since it’s a one-roll wager. Of course, you’d think it was a pot of gold when you’re standing at an ice-cold table.
Big 6: This bet is located in the lower section of the layout. It’s called the big 6, because the wager space is a huge 6. It’s a gimmick wager though, because it only pays even money. If you were to place the 6, you’d get odds on your payout. This bet stays up until it loses or you take it down.
Big 8: It’s the same as the Big 6, except it’s an 8. You’ll win every time an 8 is rolled and lose when a 7 is rolled. It pays even money. Unless you’re very lazy, place the 8 instead.
Big Red: No, it’s not a stick of gum. This is a codeword for making a wager on Any Seven.
Bones: Throw them bones. The bones are the dice.
Black: This is slang for a $100 cheque-also called a chip by the layman. “Give me a stack of black,” would be saying that you want a stack of $100 cheques, which is $2,000-there are 20 cheques/chips in a stack.
Boxcars: Keep making this wager and you might be living in a boxcar. This is slang for the number 12-6-6 on the dice.
Boxman: This is the guy who is in the suit and sitting down in-between the two dealers on the inside of the Craps table. He’s the boss of the table. It’s his job to make sure payouts are okay and to watch the game. You’ll also see him tracking players for rewards.
The Boys: Perhaps a bit sexist in these days since there are more and more female Craps dealers, but this is slang for the dealers at the table. “Here’s $20 for the boys,” means that you’re giving $20 as a tip to the dealers. In the old days, you’d only find male Craps dealers.
Today, we continue our Craps Terms series with more terms. We stopped off at “for the boys” last session. Today, we pick it up with an animal-the Buffalo. Let’s get started.
Buffalo: Okay, it’s not an animal. When you make a buffalo wager, you’re betting on each of the Hardways and Any Seven. If you want to mix it up, you can make a Buffalo-Yo wager, which is all of the Hardways and a Yo (eleven) bet.
Buy: When you place a number, you can buy it. When you buy the number, you’re paying a 5% commission for true odds. You’ll rarely see the 5,6,8 or 9 bought. It’s almost always the 4 and 10. Why? Well, when you buy the 4 and 10 you get 2 for 1 odds rather than 9 for 5. Imagine you bought the 4 for $25. Each time the 4 hits, you would be paid $50. Your commission would be $1. The commission is off the bet not the win. Also, the commission is rounded down, as most Craps tables don’t have 25-cent cheques.
C and E: This is an extremely common wager on the come out roll. When you make a C and E wager, you’re betting on Any Craps and Eleven (Yo). It’s a one-roll wager. You can make this bet any time, but most people do it on the come out roll to protect their Pass Line bets.
Charting: If you go to the casinos in Downtown Las Vegas, you’re likely to see a charter. Charting is when you record the action of a table. Usually this is done on a notepad. Why chart a table? Many people who do it believe there are patterns in the dice-not true. Others do it on a person by person basis, because they believe people have certain patterns. If you play online, you can do this easily and without standing out like you would at a real table.
Change Only: IMPORTANT! If you do nothing else, remember this command. When you are at a real Craps table and you throw money down, it plays where it stays unless you say “Change Only.” Many unsuspecting people have thrown their money down expecting change only to see it gobbled up after it lost. Now, if you want the money to be a bet, just don’t say another word or say “Money Plays.” That’s the command for letting the money sit and play. The dealer shouldn’t touch the money.
Cheques: This is the official term for what many call chips. Let’s say you have a $100 cheque and you want a stack of $5 cheques, you would put down your cheque in the Come area and say “Cheque Change.” That’s the dealer’s cue that you don’t want it to play and that you want smaller cheques/chips.
Coloring: There are various terms that involve color. The first is color in, which is said by the dealer to let the boxman know that cheques are coming in. The next is coloring up, which is said to inform the boxman, or whoever, that the cheques are being exchanged. For instance, if you handed in a stack of red ($5 cheques, which is $100 total), the dealer might say color in, then coloring up. Next, he’ll say color out and hand you one $100 cheque.
Come Bet: To place a Come wager, you place the desired cheque(s) in the Come area, which is that big space right below the numbers. Think of the Come bet as the Pass Line bet. First, you place your wager. Second, a number is rolled. Your wager is moved to that number. Finally, when the number is rolled a second time, your wager is taken down and paid. You can put odds on your wager once it gets placed in a number. When you place a wager in the Come area, it will win instantly if the next roll is a 7 or 11, but it will lose instantly if the number is 2, 3 or 12. The Don’t Come Bet is just the opposite. If you bet this, you want to see the shooter throw a 7 before your number.
Come out Roll: This is sort of the start of every cycle if you will. The purpose of the come out roll is to establish the point. If the shooter throws a 7 or 11, all Pass Line wagers win and all Don’t Pass wagers lose. If the shooter throws a 2, 3, or 12, all Pass Line Wagers Lose. The Don’t Pass wagers win on 2 and 3, but push (bar) on 12.
Comps: These apply to any game. When you get a comp, you get something for free from the casino. For instance, maybe you’re playing Craps and the pit boss decides to comp you lunch. Comps are usually handed out to players who meet certain criteria. It’s important to note that there is no way you can get a comp unless you’re being tracked. This means you must register for the casino’s player card. And when you get change at a table, give them your card to. Comps are also called rewards these days and most casinos have went to a system to reward players automatically.
Crap: So, what is a Crap anyway-aside from the obvious? The numbers 2, 3 and 12 are Craps. And if you wager on Any Craps, these are the winning numbers you want to see rolled. When someone throws a 2, 3 or 12 on the first roll, it’s called Crapping Out.
Next time, we’ll venture into the D’s with Craps terms like dealer, dime, don’t come, double odds and more.
