Craps - Variants of The Game

Variants of The Game

Bank craps is a variation of the original craps game and is sometimes known as Las Vegas Craps. This variant is quite popular in Nevada gambling houses, however its availability online has now made it a globally played game. Bank craps uses a special table layout and all bets must be made against the house. In Bank Craps, the dice are thrown over a wire or a string that is normally stretched a few inches from the table’s surface. The lowest house edge (for the pass/don't pass) in this variation is around 1.4%. Generally, if the word "craps" is used without any modifier, it can be inferred to mean this version of the game, to which most of this article refers.

Crapless Craps, also known as Bastard Craps is a simple version of the original craps game, and is normally played as an online private game. The biggest difference between crapless craps and original craps, is that the shooter (person throwing the dice) is at a far greater disadvantage and has a house edge of 5.38%. Another difference is that this is one of the craps games in which a player can bet on rolling a 2, 3, 11 or 12 before a 7 is thrown. In crapless craps, 2 and 12 have odds of 11:2 and have a house edge of 7.143% while 3 and 11 have odds of 11:4 with a house edge of 6.25%.

Die Rich Craps, also known as Fading Craps, Open Craps, or Money Craps is a more recent version of the craps game, and is played using a single die. These variants are usually considered to be games involving big money, and are most commonly played in private. Die Rich Craps involves specific bets made against the book. The book keeps a specific percentage of the total amount of money wagered (5%-7%) and this is called vigorish. In the online and offline gambling circuits, this variation of craps is considered an illegal game. The craps table in this variant will always consist of a Win Line, Lose Line, and box numbers of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.

High Point Craps is another version of the original Craps game. The initial roll of a 2 or a 3 in High Point Craps is ignored. If a player rolls a 2 then the player will roll again. If a player rolls 11 or 12, the player wins. Any other total rolled, is considered as 1 point and the player rolls again. This time needing to roll a total that is higher than 11 or 12 to win. The house edge in this craps game variation is 2.35%.

New York Craps is one of the variations of craps played mostly in the Eastern coast of the USA, true to its name. History states that this game was actually found and played in casinos in Yugoslavia, the UK and the Bahamas. In this craps variant, the house edge is greater than Las Vegas Craps or Bank craps. The table layout is also different, and is called a double-end-dealer table. This variation is different from the original craps game in several ways, but the primary difference is that New York craps doesn’t allow Come or Don’t Come bets. New York Craps Players bet on box numbers like 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. The overall house edge in New York craps is 5%.

Simplified Craps is a variation that can be won by rolling 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 or 12, but if a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 is rolled, the player loses. Simplified Craps has an overall house edge of 2.8%.