Learning to Read a Craps Table: A Walk Through the Layout Without the Fear

I remember the first time I walked up to a craps table at the Boardwalk in 1987. The table was massive. There were more bets than I could count. There was shouting. There were dice bouncing. I left and came back an hour later with a drink in my hand and less fear.

The fear of craps comes from complexity. The table is not complex. It is just crowded with information. Once you understand what each section means, the table becomes a document you can read.

The craps table has three main sections: the shooter's area, the field, and the number boxes.

The shooter's area is where the dice are thrown. This is the center of the action. The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 are the point numbers. When the shooter rolls one of these, it becomes the point.

The field is the section on the sides where you bet on single rolls. You bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12. These are one-roll bets. After the roll, the bet is done.

The number boxes are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. These are where you place come bets and place bets. A place bet means you win if that number comes up before a 7.

That is the basic layout. There are other bets (don't pass, don't come, hard ways, odds), but these three sections explain 80 percent of the game.

The Atlantic City Version

When I moved to Atlantic City in the late 1980s, the tables were packed. People were betting everything. The Borgata, the Tropicana, the old casino on the boardwalk that does not exist anymore - they all had the same layout.

My father taught me to read the table by watching him bet. He would place money on 6 and 8. When the shooter rolled those numbers, he would win. When the shooter rolled a 7, he would lose. Simple.

That simplicity is the key. Do not get overwhelmed by the possible bets. Learn one or two. Master those. Then expand.

How to Start

Start with the pass line. Bet on the pass line. Root for the shooter. You win when the shooter establishes a point and rolls it again.

Once you are comfortable with that, add odds. Place additional money on your pass line bet once a point is established. Odds bets have no house edge. They are the only bets at craps that are fair.

Once you are comfortable with pass and odds, you can learn come bets, place bets, and the field. But you do not need those to play craps successfully.

The craps table looks complicated because it is. But the basic game is simple. Start simple. Get comfortable. Then expand.

The table in Atlantic City now is quieter than it was 30 years ago. Fewer people play craps. But for the people who do, it is still the most exciting game on the floor. Learn to read the table, and you are in on the best secret casino gambling has to offer.