Craps Game

Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other street craps, also known as shooting dice or rolling dice or a bank casino craps, also known as table craps. Because it requires little equipment, street craps can be played in informal settings.

Bank craps is a game played by multiple players betting against a casino. Each casino might set slightly different payouts for the various bets. Players take turns rolling two dice and whoever is throwing the dice is called the shooter. Players can bet on the various options by placing chips in the appropriate sections of the board. It may be required to ask the dealer to place certain bets.

While acting as the shooter, a player must have a bet on the Pass line or the Don't Pass line. Pass and do not pass are sometimes called Win and Don’t Win or Right and Wrong bets. The game is played in rounds and these Pass and Don't Pass bets are betting on the outcome of a round. The shooter is often replaced at the end of the round or when they lose a round with a seven. The dice are moved clockwise around the table for the next player to become shooter. The shooter is presented with multiple dice typically five by the stickman, and must choose two for the round. The remaining dice are returned to the stickman's bowl and are not used.

Each round has two phases: come-out and point. To start a round, the shooter makes one or more come-out rolls. A come-out roll of 2, 3 or 12 loses and is called craps. Anyone betting on the Pass line loses in this situation. A come-out roll of 7 or 11 a natural wins and results in a payout for pass line bets. The other possible numbers are the point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If the shooter rolls one of these numbers on the come-out roll, this establishes the point - the number that must be rolled again before a seven. The dealer flips a button to the on side and moves it to the point number signifying the second phase of the round. If the shooter rolls a seven before repeating the point number a seven-out, the Pass line loses and the round ends.

Joining a game

A player wishing to play craps without being the shooter should approach the craps table and first check to see if the dealer's On button is on any of the point numbers. If the button has been turned to Off, then the table is in the come-out round. If the dealer's button is on, the table is in the point round where most casinos will allow a pass line bet to be placed. Some casinos will place the bet straddling the outer border of the pass line to indicate that it is to be paid the same odds as a place bet, instead of just even money. Other casinos will take the bet on the pass line, which is a disadvantage to the player as the player has lost the ability to win on a seven or eleven. All single or multi roll proposition bets may be placed in either of the two rounds. Between dice rolls, there is a period for dealers to make payouts and collect losing bets, after which players can place new bets. The stickman monitors the action at a table and decides when to give the shooter the dice, after which no more betting is allowed. When joining the game, money and I.D., if necessary should be placed on the table rather than passed directly to a dealer. Keep in mind that the dealer's exaggerated movements are required so that any disputes can be later reviewed on security camera footage.

If a new player feels that he or she needs assistance in learning the rules of craps, it is recommended to approach an empty craps table at a slow time of day for example, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The dealers are likely to be approachable and friendly and will explain the betting process.

The craps table

In a casino, players make bets with chips on a specially made craps table with a tablecloth made of felt that displays the various betting possibilities. In most casinos, craps tables are double sided. The layouts on both ends of the table are identical, with the center bets in the middle. This allows more players to participate, to a maximum of 8 on each side of the centerline. Players can make multiple bets for each turn, round, or roll and should become familiar with the craps layout.

A casino craps table is run by up to four casino employees: a box man who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring out players exchanging small chip denominations for larger denominations in order to preserve the chips at a table ; two base dealers who stand to either side of the box man and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the box man, takes bets in the center of the table hard ways, yo, craps, horn, etc. , announces the results of each roll, collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick, and directs the base dealers to pay winners from bets in the center of the table. Each employee makes sure the other is paying out winners correctly. Occasionally, during off-peak times, only one base dealer will be attending the table, rendering only half the table open for bettors or one of the two base dealers will assume the role of the stickman. In some casinos, there is no box man; the box man’s duties are shared between the dealers and a roving supervisor who covers many tables.

In the game of shooting dice, there is no marked table and often the game is played with no backstop against which the dice are to hit. Despite the name street craps, this game is often played in houses, usually on an uncarpeted garage or kitchen floor. The wagers are made in cash, never in chips, and are usually thrown down onto the ground by the players. There are no attendants, and so the progress of the game, fairness of the throws, and the way that the payouts are made for winning bets are self-policed by the players.

Rolling

The dealers will insist that the shooter roll with one hand and that the dice bounce off the far wall surrounding the table. These requirements are meant to keep the game fair preventing switching the dice or making a controlled shot. If a die leaves the table, the shooter will usually be asked to select another die from the remaining three but can request using the same die if it passes the box man’s inspection. This requirement is used to keep the game fair and reduce the chance of loaded dice.

Players are not supposed to handle the dice with more than one hand such as shaking them in cupped hands before rolling nor take the dice past the edge of the table. The only way to change hands when throwing dice, if permitted at all, is to set the dice on the table, let go, then take them with the other hand. This reduces or eliminates the possibility of the shooter switching dice by sleight-of-hand.

When throwing the dice, the player is expected to hit the farthest wall at the opposite end of the table. Some casinos refer to throws that do not hit the opposite wall as Mellenberg Rolls. 3] Most casinos will allow a roll that does not hit the opposite wall as long as the dice are thrown past the middle of the table. Occasionally a short roll will be called a no roll due to the more controllable nature of such a roll. The dice may not be slid across the table and must be tossed. Typically, players are asked not to throw the dice higher than the eye level of the dealers.

Dice are considered in play if they land on players' bets on the table, the dealer's working stacks, on the marker puck or with one die resting on top of the other. The roll is invalid if either or both dice land in the box man’s bank, the stickman's bowl where the extra three dice are kept between rolls, or in the rails around the top of the table where players chips are kept. If a die or both dice leave the table, it is also a no roll and the box man will examine the dice before letting them come back into the game. However, the player may request the same die or dice.

When either of the dice land on or come to rest leaning against chips, markers, or the side of the table, the number that would be on top if the object the die is leaning on were removed, is the number that is used to make the call.

If one or both dice hits a player or dealer and rolls back onto the table, the roll counts as long as the person being hit did not interfere with either of the dice, though some casinos will rule no roll for this situation.

In most casinos, the shooter may set the dice to a particular starting configuration before throwing such as showing a particular number or combination, stacking the dice, or spacing them to be picked up between different fingers, but if they do, they are often asked to be quick about it so as not to delay the game. Some casinos have no setting rules.

Mahjong

Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan. The four player table version should not be confused with the popular Western single player tile matching computer game Mahjong solitaire, which is a recent invention and completely different from the table game. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance. In Asia, mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game though it may just as easily be played recreationally.

The game is played with a set of 136 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four groups melds and a pair head. There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player melded, the use of basic numbered tiles and honours winds and dragons, the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system, the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.

All tiles are placed face down on the table and are shuffled. By convention all players should participate in shuffling using both hands moving the pieces around the table, loudly, for a lengthy period. There is no fixed rule on how to deal or how to treat tiles which flip over during shuffle, though possible solutions include turning back over the pieces at the moment they are seen, turning over all revealed pieces at intervals or doing so at the end of the shuffling and forming of the wall.

Each player then stacks a row of 18 tiles two tiles high in front of him for a total of 36 tiles. Players then push each side of their tiles together to form a square wall.

The dealer throws three dice and sums up the total. Counting counterclockwise so that the dealer is 1 or 5, 9, 13, 17, so that south is 2 or 6, 10, 14, 18, etc., a player's quarter of the wall is chosen. Using the same total on the dice, the player then counts the stacks of tiles from right to left. Starting from the left of the stacks counted, the dealer takes four tiles to himself, and players in counterclockwise order take blocks of four tiles until all players have 12 tiles, so that the stacks decrease clockwise. Each player then takes one last tile to make a 13-tile hand. Dealing does not have to be this formal and may be done quite differently based on house rules.

Each player now sets aside any flowers or seasons they may have drawn and takes replacement pieces from the wall.

The dealer takes the next piece from the wall, adds it to his hand. If this does not complete a legal hand, he then discards a piece throwing it into the middle of the wall with no particular order in mind.

Local play on the street in Lanzhou

Each player takes a turn picking up a tile from the wall and then discarding a tile by throwing it into the centre and, if desired, announcing out loud what the piece is. Play continues this way until one player has a legal hand. At this point a player will call out mahjong and reveal their hand. There are four different ways that this order of play can be interrupted which is mentioned below.

During play, the number of tiles maintained by each player should always be thirteen tiles meaning in each turn a tile must be picked up and another discarded. Not included in the count of thirteen tiles are flowers and seasons set to the side and the fourth added piece of a kong mentioned below. If a player is seen to have more or less than thirteen tiles in their hand outside of their turn they are penalised.