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Craps Table

At first sight a craps table may seem confusing and intimidating. You’ll usually see a big crowd of people shouting and having bit of party around this particular table game. On top of that you’ll hear players and dealers saying strange things like “8 the hard way”!

The first this you notice is the large number of people around the table. Because the game gets very exciting, a lot of people around the table are spectators. A craps table has places for up to 8 players. A craps table also has 2 dealers, a boxman and a stickman, also referred to as a dealer. Each dealer services one end of the table, while the boxman and stickman work the table from the middle of each side of the table.

The Dealers

The person that oversees all the action at the table is the boxman. All of the house chips are stacked in front of him. The makes sure that everything runs smoothly by settling disputes, counting money, etc. The boxman keeps an eye on the dealers to ensure that players are paid out properly. Sometimes if the table is crowded there are two boxman, one on each side of the table.

At each end of the table a dealer keeps track of player bets, pays players if they win and takes chips if they lose. If you are making certain types of bets, the dealers will place these bets for you. These include Place bets and Come/Don’t Come bets. Dealers also use a special marker puck to mark the point when it is rolled - more on this later.

The last worker at the table is known as the stickman. This person uses a special hook shaped stick to move the dice on the table from the back wall to the shooter. This dealer doesn’t interact often with the players except to gather the dice for them and sometimes placing a bet for them in his area of the table. This person is also the one to “talk up the game” and get players to place higher bets or place bets that have higher house advantage. Don’t let the stickman rope you into making bad bets.

When you walk up to the table to play, just take any open spot. If someone has to leave the table for a bathroom break or other reason, a special towel will be placed over their chips.

Once you sit at the table, the next this that might be a bit confusing is the table layout. There are a lot of betting options, but you’ll soon find that you will usually only play with a few of them.

Table Etiquette

Keep your drinks in check. Many people have spilled their drinks on the table felt in the excitement of the game. The casino staff won’t be shy about telling you to keep your drinks back. Keep your drink on the ledge that goes around the outside of the table.

Speak Up. Many conflicts at the table have arisen when bets were placed that weren’t the intended bets. This can all be avoided if you speak loudly and clearly when you place your bets and look for some sort of confirmation from the dealer.

Keep your hands where we can see‘em. Craps players are very paranoid. One of the most important rules of the craps table is to never have your hands where the dice might hit them. Keep your eye on the dice and where they are going and make sure you place or retrieve bets only after the dice have been thrown.

Always keep your big chips on the bottom. When you place your bets this helps the dealers sort out the chips and keep track of bets.

Be patient. When you win you’ll be anxious to get your winnings. Remember the dealers may be paying off a number of bets and will do so in a specific order. This makes sure that everyone’s bets are paid out the proper amounts. Waiting for your turn will help keep the staff happy and the positive energy of the game going.

Tip the dealers. Dealers get paid low wages. Most of their income comes from tips. When you are winning it’s always a good idea to tip the dealers. You can give them a straight tip or you can place a bet for them. You can place a bet for the dealers beside your own on the pass line or hard ways. Tipping is just about being nice. Tipping helps create goodwill between the players and dealers. The dealers will be more willing to keep closer track of your bets and ensuring there are no bets placed unintentionally. Always say please and thank you.