Tag Archives: roll
Learn Craps-Casino Craps: Game Basics
Learn craps fundamentals before you play casino craps. Your wallet will be happier. You should not walk up to a craps table or click on an online casino craps game without knowing the most basic rules. If you do, youll probably lose your bankroll in minutes and not even know how or why you lost. Seems rather stupid to play a game for money that you dont even know how to play, doesnt it? It happens all the time. A tourist is curious about craps and decides to learn on the fly so he drops $100 on the table, asks the dealer what to do, and then walks away 15 minutes later broke and bewildered. If you know youre going on vacation to a gambling town, have the common sense to spend 30 minutes reading about the games you think youll want to play. The Internet is full of free articles that give a craps how-to so youll at least know why you lost. 30 minutes of reading might not only save you some money, but it will also make your time playing the game a lot more fun.
You play craps with two six-sided craps dice and win or lose based on how you bet on the outcome of each dice roll. With two craps dice, there are 36 possible combinations that can appear (6 numbers on one die multiplied by 6 numbers on the other die = 36 combinations). The numbers that can be rolled are 2 through 12. The number 7 has the most combinations or ways to make the number. Therefore, as you might expect, the fundamental premise of the game is based on the number 7.
Lets forget betting styles and patterns for now and focus on the very basic principle of the game. The first roll of a craps game is called the come-out roll. So, regardless of how you bet before the come-out roll, a craps game ends with that single roll if the number 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 appears. If something other than one of those numbers appears, then the number is called a “point” number. Point numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. So, the come-out roll can result in a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 appearing, which means the game ends, or it can result in a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 appearing, which means a point is established and the game continues.
If a point is established on the come-out roll, the shooter keeps rolling until the number 7 appears or the point number appears again. The manner in which you bet determines whether you win or lose when the game ends. For example, if you bet on the 7 (also known as playing the “Dont Pass” or betting “against” the dice), you win if the 7 appears before the point number, and you lose if the point number appears again before the 7. On the contrary, if you bet on the point number (also known as playing the “Pass Line” or betting “with” the dice), you win if the point number appears before a 7, and you lose if a 7 appears before the point number.
You can also win or lose, depending on how to you bet, if the come-out roll results in a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 appearing. If you bet with the 7, then you win if a 2 or 3 appears, and you lose if a 7 or 11 appears. If you bet with the point number, then you win if a 7 or 11 appears, and you lose if a 2, 3, or 12 appears. If you bet with the 7 and a 12 appears on the come-out roll, its a tie. The opposite is true if you bet with the point number, except for one difference. On the come-out roll, if you bet with the point number, you win if a 7 or 11 appears, and you lose if a 2, 3, or 12 shows. In this case when betting with the dice (i.e., betting on the point number), if a 12 appears on the come-out roll, you lose instead of it being a tie.
Thats how easy the game is. Piece of cake. The most challenging part of the game is learning all the different odds for all the various numbers and types of bets, but thats the subject of another article. For now, at least you know the basic premise of the game.
Everything you need to know about Tavla Games
Which games come to your mind when we say “board games”? Monopoly? Risk? Carcassonne? They are merely a “child” when compared to tavla (backgammon). Tavla is the ancient Byzantine Greek name of backgammon, and it is one of the oldest board games around. Egyptian people played it royal tombs are filled with tavla board pictures, dating as far as 3.500 BC. Persian people loved it there are Persian legends based around this game. Some researchers think it is older even than chess, in fact, tavla may be the simplest form of chess. It is called “Shuang Lu” in China, “Jeux de Tables” in France, and “Bradspel” in Great Britain.
It is a game of luck and strategy. Luck comes from the dice and strategy comes from thinking one step ahead.
Tavla is a simple game actually, there is a board with 12 long triangles at each side. These triangles are called “points”. (So when someone says “12-point” for example, he/she means the 13th triangle.) To start the game, each player rolls one dice. The player with the highest number starts. Each player has 15 pieces, white and black colored. All of the pieces are moved according to the roll of dice. For example, if you roll 6 x 3, you can move either one piece nine points forward or two pieces, six and three points forward. The goal is collecting all of your pieces at your side of the board and remove them before your opponent. If you roll a double, you can play each die twice.
The thing is, if a point is occupied by your opponents pieces, you cant move on top of them. That point becomes useless to you. You can move your piece over it if the roll allows, but if that point is the only place your roll goes That roll is wasted. Here is the good news though: If your opponent has only one piece on a point, you can “blot” it. That piece is removed from the game and needs to re-enter, by rolling a number of unoccupied point on your side of the board. Until then, it is placed on the middle of the board.
As with all simple games, tavla is easy to learn but difficult to master. You need some tactics and strategies, luck never lasts long. How should I play my roll? Shall I blot that piece or is it a trap? Is this the right time to do a home run? Placement of the pieces and roll possibilities has been studied by mathematicians, there are even books about the subject. Like chess, tavla has “opening” and “ending” moves. There are strategies you need to follow during the main game too, and you need to change them according to the situation. If you are a beginner, start with tavla software and master the game through them. Currently, lots of online casinos offer this game too, but since there is a possibility of losing real money, stay away from them until you know what you are doing.
Tavla is an international board game played in many countries, but it is especially common in Middle-East. There is also a World Backgammon Championship competition going on in Nevada, Las Vegas, till the 60s. Winners of this tournament receive tens of thousands of dollars, so tavla can make you rich when played right! Tavla games played at this level are a little different from the usual ones though; there are doubling cubes and some special rules such as Holland rule, Jacoby rule and Crawford rule. These are rules based around multiplier levels basically, and some of them force the player to forfeit.