| Updated: September 25, 2025Dice games have been played for centuries, with rules and payouts that vary dramatically across countries and regions. Today, the most popular casino dice game is standard bank craps, but players may also encounter a wide range of variations, including craps-based games that feature very different rules – or that do not even use dice.
Multiple versions of the classic game have been developed in recent years, each promising better odds than those offered in standard bank craps. However, casinos have adopted most of these rule changes with one clear purpose – to increase the game’s house edge. Before playing an exotic, non-standard version of craps – whether in a land-based casino or online – players should take a closer look at the game’s rules and the payouts for the various winning bets.
Most Famous Craps Variations
Bank Craps vs Street Craps
Die Rich Craps Card-Based CrapsBank Craps vs Street Craps
Bank craps is the dice game commonly found today in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos. Its rules were standardized more than 60 years ago after gambling was legalized and popularized in Las Vegas. The rise of casinos and the city’s development as a gambling and entertainment hub over several decades made games like craps fashionable. Gradually, casinos worldwide adopted these rules, and today you can find identical craps tables wherever the game is legal.
However, an informal version of the game remains popular in many places around the globe. This version, also known as Dice, Shooting Dice, or Street Craps, is much simpler than standard bank craps. The most obvious difference is the absence of a dealer or banker who would otherwise handle the money and monitor bets and payouts. Instead, bettors play against each other and, because there is no dedicated craps table with a betting layout, players throw the dice on the ground or on the floor when playing indoors.
Additionally, there are dozens of regional rule variations. Most of the time, only two betting options are available, similar to the Pass Line and Don’t Pass bets we know from bank craps. In some informal dice games, the rules resemble the standard casino version: the shooter wins with 7 or 11, loses with 2, 3, and 12, and makes the point with the other numbers. In the second phase, the shooter loses if he rolls a 7 and wins if the dice show the point.
Interestingly, a game called Street Craps was introduced by a Las Vegas casino in 2014. It looks almost like the popular informal dice game, but here a dealer oversees the betting process and pays out winnings. Once again, only a couple of bets are offered, and the game is much simpler. The house edge on the Pass Line, however, is quite high at 5.02%.
When discussing the street version of craps, we must also warn players that in most countries, unregulated gambling games are deemed illegal. If caught, players and any bankers could face fines and possibly court sentences.
Die Rich Craps
One of the more recent variations of craps is called Die Rich Craps, and it is a single-dice version of the game in which the shooter wins even money when he throws a 6. If the die lands on 1, the shooter loses, while all other numbers establish a point. Just like in the classic game, there are two phases, and after the point has been established, the shooter has three additional rolls to make that point number – if it happens on the first or third roll, he receives a payout of 2:1. If the point is made on the second additional roll, the payout is even (1:1).
There are also six proposition bets for each of the possible numbers, and if the player wins, they pay 4:1. Clearly, this is a much simpler version of standard casino craps and is easier for beginners to understand. However, after Die Rich Craps was introduced in 2006 by a casino in Las Vegas, it failed to gain traction, which is why it is now almost impossible to find. The house edge for this game is around 3.70%.
Card-Based Craps
Several casinos have also introduced craps variations in which the pair of dice is replaced by cards. The main reason for developing these unusual games was to comply with gambling restrictions in certain US states. As a result, players bet on the outcome of two cards being dealt onto the table. Typically, two shoes containing cards from Aces through 6s are used, and they are dealt from a continuous shuffling machine to prevent card counting.
Aside from the substitution of cards for dice, the game is played in exactly the same fashion. The two cards dealt on the table function as the first and second dice, and their total value determines the outcome of each “roll.” The standard bets remain, and the game consists of a come-out deal (rather than a come-out roll) followed by subsequent deals.
There are also craps variations that use custom cards rather than standard decks of playing cards. In some of these games, you will find red and blue cards bearing images of dice. Once again, the rules follow classic craps gameplay, except that cards are used instead of dice. Some variations even combine dice and cards to guarantee truly random outcomes for each “roll.”
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Other Popular Craps Variations
There are, of course, many other versions of dice games, most of which are available only locally. Some, however, have achieved modest popularity and can be found in various land-based casinos or even online. Players are often eager to try these new variations because they believe the odds or house-edge percentages are more favorable.
In reality, though, craps games with exotic rules typically introduce complex mechanics, unconventional bets, and overall lower expected returns.
Crapless Craps Simplified Craps High Point Craps New York Craps Open Craps Scarne CrapsCrapless Craps
This is one of the most popular variations of standard casino craps, and its appeal is evident in its name – the term “crapless” refers to the rule that 2, 3, and 12 are not losing numbers on the come-out roll. Instead, they behave like regular numbers that can become points, meaning Pass Line bettors cannot lose the come-out roll. The game, invented by the late Las Vegas casino owner, entrepreneur, and gambler Bob Stupak, carries a house edge of around 5.382% on the Pass Line bet.
By comparison, players face a house edge of only 1.41% when playing the Pass Line in regular craps. The difference stems from the rules: although there are no craps numbers, 11 is not a winner on the come-out roll as it is in the standard game. In other words, Pass Line bettors never lose the come-out roll, but their chances of winning are lower.
In standard craps, eight dice combinations result in an instant win on the come-out roll – 6 ways to throw a 7 and 2 ways to throw an 11. The probability of this event is therefore 8/36, meaning you can expect to win about 22.22% of the time. In Crapless Craps, however, the Pass Line wins only if a 7 is rolled – a probability of 6/36, or 16.66%.
Moreover, if the point is 2, 3, 11, or 12, Pass Line bettors are more likely to lose than to win during the subsequent rolls. The probability of rolling a 2 or 12 is 1/36 (2.77%), and the probability for 3 and 11 is 2/36 (5.55%). Meanwhile, the bet loses if a 7 appears, which happens 16.67% of the time. As we can see, what seems like an attractive proposition is actually unfavorable for the player.
Simplified Craps
Simplified Craps is, as its name implies, a much simpler version of the classic game. The rules have been streamlined so dramatically that this game has almost nothing in common with standard craps, except that both use a pair of identical dice. In Simplified Craps, there are no come-out rolls, no points are established, and every bet is settled on the very next roll.
In fact, players do not have many betting options. The shooter wins if he rolls 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, or 12, and he loses if he throws 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Obviously, the game is far simpler than regular craps, making it ideal for beginners. One interesting aspect is that the payout varies depending on the rolled number:
- Dice show 2 – 3:1
- Dice show 3 or 4 – 1:1
- Dice show 10 or 11 – 2:1
- Dice show 12 – 5:1
Although there are more winning numbers than losing numbers in this game, the losing middle numbers are actually more likely to appear because of their higher probabilities. If we combine the odds for all losing and winning numbers, we get 12 winning combinations versus 24 losing combinations. The odds are therefore 2:1, meaning players are twice as likely to lose as to win. The overall house edge is approximately 2.80%.
High Point Craps
High Point Craps is a rather interesting version of the game. Like several other variants, it is much simpler than casino craps and is available at only a handful of casinos. There are no craps numbers here – if the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, the roll is ignored and he must throw the dice again. However, 7 is not a winning number; instead, it becomes one of the point numbers. The shooter wins only if he tosses an 11 or 12, and the payouts for both numbers are at odds of 1:1.
So, what happens once a point is established? Here comes the interesting twist – after a point has been set, the shooter must roll a total higher than the point number to win. Any other total results in a loss. Once again, this variant is not more favorable than standard craps; in fact, the odds against winning on the come-out roll are 11:1, while the payout remains 1:1. The overall house edge in High Point Craps is 2.35%.
New York Craps
New York Craps is a distinctive version of bank craps that differs quite a bit from the original. As the name implies, it is most common on the East Coast of the United States, although some sources say it is also played in the UK, the Bahamas, and, surprisingly, in several countries of the former republic of Yugoslavia. This version uses a different table layout, called a double-end-dealer table, and the house edge is relatively high at 5.00%.
There are many other differences, and the altered layout is largely a result of the absence of Come and Don’t Come bets. In addition, there are no Place bets, although players can wager on box numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). The bets in this unusual version pay at true odds, but a 5% commission (also called vig, from vigorish) is charged on all “right” bets.
Open Craps
Open Craps is a street or private version of the game that is played without dealers or bankers. Certain bets, however, are made against the “book,” the person responsible for tracking wagers and collecting the money. The book takes a small percentage of all “right” money gambled – this 5% fee is known as the vig. Typically, such private games are forms of unregulated and often illegal gambling.
As for its rules, there are not many betting options. The layout includes only the Win Line, the Lose Line, and the box numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10). The shooter is required to place his bet in the center of the betting layout, called the Win Line. If he wins, he collects all the money placed by himself and other players in that section. If he loses, all bettors retrieve their wagers and divide the shooter’s bet among themselves.
This variation also offers a wide range of side bets that are usually made among the players, so the book does not charge the regular vig. Nevertheless, the game features a very high house edge that varies dramatically depending on the specific rules and payouts, which can differ greatly.
Scarne Craps
Scarne Craps is named after its creator, the famed magician, gambler, and gambling author John Scarne. The goal of this version was to generate larger profits for casinos, particularly those outside Las Vegas. As a result, the game became popular in South America and the Bahamas, but it is no longer offered.
What we know about Scarne’s version – more specifically, how South American casinos interpreted its rules – is that it did not include Come and Don’t Come bets. The house also did not charge a commission on “right” bets. Even so, the game was reputed to have a higher house edge than standard casino craps.