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DraftKings' latest casino game is coming out hot, so Don’t Pass on the chance to win big with DK Craps, now available in several states at the DraftKings Casino.
Craps was played on riverboats, saloons, and other places of questionable repute in North America going back to the 1700s. The history of throwing two dice with wagering implications goes back centuries. The game of Hazard, which is what craps is based on, makes an appearance in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. So people were doing this long before Nathan Detroit’s “Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York” from Guys And Dolls.
Some casinos took advantage of players by using altered dice, but in 1907 a dicemaker named John H. Winn added a Don’t Pass Line to the layout to go with the Pass Line, so players could bet both sides of the main action of the game. It gave players an equal chance on both sides, and created one of the best bets in the casino.
There are over 140 bets available to be made on a craps table, but the game starts and ends with the “point” that is established with the first roll of a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. There’s an outcome for 7 and 11 as well (the pass bettor wins instantly), or 2, 3, and 12 (the pass bettor loses instantly). Once you establish that “point” number, the goal is to roll it again before rolling a seven.
For bets placed on the pass line or don’t pass line, the house edge is just 1.41% on the Pass Line, and 1.36% on the Don’t Pass Line. Those edges reduce even further when backed up with “odds” bets, which are completely commission-free.
The biggest thing to remember about craps is it’s a lot easier to roll a 7 (the dice can show 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1) than a 12 (6-6 is the only combination possible). There are six ways to make a 7, five ways to make a 6 or 8, four ways to make a 5 or 9, etc.
If it’s all a bit overwhelming, and the first time you see it that certainly should be, DK Craps will have in-game tutorials and on-screen help to make the most intimidating game in the casino a bit easier to understand.
Right now DK Craps is only available in New Jersey and is available via the DraftKings Casino app on both iOS and Android.