Because of the relative ease of starting and playing craps, the game has become quite popular with both veteran gamers and new casino players. However, there are some things that you need to know before you take the shot at rolling the dice.
Perhaps the biggest thing that you need to understand regarding the game is the probability of winning. As it is, the game uses only two dice for play, so it is rather easy to determine the possible outcomes of a throw. Since each die contain six numbers each, from one to six, you can surmise that there are eleven possible outcomes (there is no throw resulting in a one). All combinations having the same outcome are counted as one. With these, you can see that you do in fact have only a few choices to bet on.
However, in order to know your chances more, you need to know the frequency that these outcomes are likely to come out in a throw. Frequency is basically how many times a certain result can come out in one throw. In order to calculate the frequency of each outcome, all you have to do is list down all the possible combinations that can result in a particular outcome, with the most numbers of combinations being the most likely. In the case of craps, 2 and 12 are the least likely to come out in a throw, with only one combination each, 1-1 for a 2 and 6-6 for a 12. on the other hand, a seven is the most probable to come out since it has the most combinations, 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, and 6-1.
Knowing your odds, you then need to know where to place your casino money. This is the part where you get to fully understand your chances of hitting it big in the craps game. There are several bets that you are able to make in the game, each with varying odds. Interestingly, aside from betting that the outcomes would appear, you can also bet that they would actually not occur. This is what makes the game rather more interesting.
The passline bet is the basic bet that you can make. Here, you bet that a 7 or an 11 will come out of a roll. As have been said you can also bet on the alternative. Considering the odds that a 7 can come out in the throw, you have a large chance of hitting it, it would be wise to go for this bet. On the other hand, you will need to choose the alternative when betting on an 11.
The other bets vary in their odds, each depending on the outcomes that they requite to win. Thus before deciding on you bet, you need to consider first the probability of the outcome. As a reminder, never lay money on bets that have a low probability, even if the outcome will give you a big win, these bets are also likely to deal you a big loss if the results are otherwise.