Craps is the well known casino game of dice, it is developed from Hazard, a game from the 14th century, that was once popular between high-stakes patrons in English gambling houses. The name "Craps" comes from the nickname "Crabs", which is a roll of 1-1 in Hazard.

The modern game of Craps was developed by black Mississippi riverboat gamblers in the 19th century, borrowing heavily from the rules of Hazard.

Craps is fast, exciting and immensely popular, and the game has long been a favorite target of anti-gambling forces. Craps undoubtedly is responsible for many fortunes changing hands at dice tables in glitzy casinos, back rooms and alleys. It may even be guilty of something a little more serious: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Popular history names Mrs. O'Leary's cow as the culprit, having kicked over a lantern in the barn, sparking the conflagration which destroyed much of Chicago. A Chicago businessman named Louis Cohn claimed, years later, to have knocked over the lantern himself during an especially exciting game of Craps, then laid the blame on the heifer. He was particularly remorseful, he said, because "I was winning."

At first glance, Craps can be intimidating. There are numerous bets that can be made, and some of the terminology seems complicated, but the small amount of effort it takes to learn the game is well worth it. Many casino patrons consider Craps to be the game. Nothing in a casino generates as much excitement as a hot roll at the Craps tables.

The game of craps has a long, colorful history and is still going strong.

There are lots of different versions of poker but most have a lot of similarities the first is the object of the game. Which is to win the centre pot of money. Poker is Played with a communal pot and the pot contains all money contributed during a hand, including antes which are used to seed the pot before each hand begins.

All poker games consist of 52 cards from four different suits, which are clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades of thirteen cards each. The thirteen cards rank from lowest to highest as 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 then jack, queen, king, ace (in many variations ace can also rank as the lowest card)

A poker hand begins with the dealer dealing out cards to each player (the amount varies with the type of poker being played) The game moves round clock-wise from the dealer the first player has two options check (also known as pass equivalent to a bet of $0) or bet. The second player can either call (a nonzero bet that matches the previous bet), check (a zero bet that can only be done if there were no previous bets on the table), bet or raise (a non-zero bet that all successive players must match) or to fold which is done when the player does not wish to match the previous bets made. A player that folds forfeits their interest in the pot. Betting proceeds until either all bets have been called or all but one player has folded. The poker rules for the specific game may limit the number of raises allowed. However if only two players are in the pot they can keep raising each other indefinitely. At the end of the last betting round, all players who are left in the hand have a showdown in which the player with the best hand is awarded the pot. It is normally the player who made the last bet or raise to show his hand first in the showdown. The other remaining players then show their hands in a clockwise fashion. Players that have folded do not need to show their hands, players that know they are beaten can just concede the pot. Very often a hand won't reach the showdown stage as all the other players fold before it reaches that stage.

If two hands are exactly equal with all five cards matching then it is a tie with the pot being split evenly among the winning hands. Suits are not used to distinguish between the hands.

Outside Bets

The outside bets on a roulette board are simply the bets that reside 'outside' of the main playing area of 38 (yes, sometimes 37) numbers. There are no winning outside bets for 0 or 00 results. This is what gives the casino the majority of its house edge; people love to play the outside bets because they often seem like a 50/50 chance, when in fact they are slightly less than a 50/50 chance.

Red or Black - You can choose to bet on the outcome either being a red number, or a black number. Place this bet right in the area with the words 'red' or 'black' in them, which should be easy to reach from beside the table. Don't fall into the classic mind trick of assuming that if 5 blacks were spun, there is a better than 50% chance the sixth spin will be red. This is not logical and the reason why is described in more detail on the roulette system page. The Red/Black bet is paid even money, meaning if you bet $5, you win $5.

Odd or Even- Similar to the Red/Black bet, this even money bet is based on whether the number will be odd or even. Since 0 does not count as either, there are 36 numbers, an even count between odd and even. Place this bet by putting your chips in the middle of the square marked 'even' or the square marked 'odd', which will usually reside on either side of the black / red betting area.

Low or high - This bet lets you predict whether you think the next number to come up will be part of the range from 1 to 18, or part of the range from 19 to 36. This is an even money bet. To place this bet put your chips in the boxes with the associated number range printed in them.

Columns - At one end of the set of 38 numbers are boxes with the words '2 to 1' written in them. Each box is part of a column of numbers (if you extend a line up the body of the inside of the betting area) If a number from within the column you are betting on comes up you win, and you're paid 2 to 1.

Dozens - a bet very similar to the columns bet, dozens lets you place a bet on either the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36) To place this bet find the rectangular areas located in between the first outside bets (red/black, odd/even, etc) and the inside board spread. These will usually be labeled with the words 1st 12, 2nd 12, and 3rd 12. The bet pays 2 to 1.

1. As per normal poker rules - playing and betting proceeds in a clockwise direction.

2. All Players must first ante before they receive their initial cards, except the $0.50/$1 game which has no ante.

3. There are five betting rounds in a complete game of Seven-Card Stud, not including the ante.

4. On the first round of betting, the Player with the lowest value door card "brings-in" and starts the betting - equal to at least half the minimum bet for the game. In proceeding rounds, the Player with the highest hand initiates the betting. If hands tie, the Player to the left of the dealer acts first.

5. Betting increments in the game determine the bets. In a game of $2 and $4 betting increments, the first two rounds of betting and raising are set at the lower level of $2, the other three rounds of betting and raising are set at the higher level of $4.

6. The exception to this rule is if any Player displays a pair with their 2 face-up cards on 4th Street. In this circumstance, all Players have the option to bet either the lower limit or the higher limit. If a Player bets the higher limit, then all subsequent raises must be made at the higher limit.

7. The maximum allowable number of bets per Player during any betting round is four. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can't be raised further. Once capped, Players will have only the option of calling or folding.

8. In betting rounds where Players have folded, the first active Player left of the Disc/Dealer is first to act.