Craps
 

Craps is a great game! It's fast moving and exciting, and there are more than twenty different bets that you can place on the craps table, not including "hopping" bets (36).

For this reason, craps tends to scare the novice gambler away. Don't let this happen to you! Some of the best bets in the casino are on the craps table!

    
 
The Game
    
  Craps is really a simple game. In rotation, a player (called the "shooter" for obvious reasons), picks two dice from a group of six or eight, and rolls them down the table. The result of this first roll, called the "comeout" roll, will determine the play until a decision is reached, Then it all begins again. If the shooter's comeout roll equals 7 or 11, he (and all those betting with him) automatically wins. If the comeout roll equals a 2, 3 or 12, he automatically loses. If the comeout roll equals 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 (most likely), then the number rolled becomes the shooters "point", and, to win, he must repeat that number before rolling a 7. That is all the action on the craps table, and all bets are based on that series of rolls. Like I said, simple.    
 
The Bets
    
  There are about 20 possible bets on the craps table, many of which are at extremely high odds-against and some of which are among the best bets in the casino. Here we will categorize them as good bets, not so good bets and sucker bets.    
 

Good Bets

    
  The good bets are; pass, don't pass and taking/laying odds on these two bets.    
    Pass    
    The pass line bet is the bet you make to bet that the shooter will win. It has a statistical disadvantage of 1.44% making it one of the best bets in the casino, but the worst of the bets discussed in this category.    
    Taking Odds on the Pass Line Bet    
    This bet is one of the two even bets offered by the casino (this statement is not made lightly, as it includes all games offered by the casino that the casino's profit is not calculated on "vigorish"). It allows you to place an amount equal to your pass line bet behind that bet and, in the event of the pass bet winning, will be paid at true odds. The only disadvantage to this bet is that you have to make a pass line bet to be eligible to take odds. Some casinos now offer multiple odds! This means that you can place an amount equal to 2 times, up to 100 times the amount of your pass line bet. This is very important, as every 1x odds bet cuts the house advantage in half. i.e. a pass line bet has a -1.44% expectation, a pass line bet with single odds has a -0.72% expectation and a pass line bet with double odds has a -0.36% expectation and so on, to eventually render the houses advantage invisible. What this means to you, the player, is that whenever betting the pass line you must take all available odds. If you must, reduce the size of your initial bet so that you can afford to take odds to the full extent that they are offered! If you are unwilling to risk the extra money involved in taking full odds, you are playing to lose and should probably limit your play to quarter slots.    
    Don't Pass    
    This bet is the opposite of the pass line bet, with the exception of the comeout 12 (2 in some casinos, but always one of the two way numbers). Even so, this is a push, not a loss as on the pass line bet. A Don't Pass bet carries a negative expectancy of 1.08% and, if it were not for the barred 12, would have a positive expectancy. This low negative expectancy makes this bet the 4th best bet in the casino, and the 3rd best freestanding bet (taking/laying odds is the best, but cannot be made without first making a pass/don't pass bet). A note on the barred number: barring the 12 or the 2 is the way the house gets it's advantage (you didn't expect them to offer a bet without a a house advantage did you? If you did, this would be a good time to read Winning at Casino Gambling by Lyle Stuart. This book gives a fine perspective on how the casinos operate along with several tips and strategies from a long time high roller and winner. In a couple of cases, I have run across games (mostly run in back rooms) where the house barred the 3! Run, don't walk from any game making this flagrant effort to cheat you! The only reason that I can think of for the house to take such ridiculous advantage of players is that they don't have square dice in the game, and this is an attempt to cover the other side. Enough said.    
    Laying Odds on Don't Pass    
    Again. this is the opposite of taking odds on the pass line, except that it requires a larger investment as you have to put up the larger wager to win the smaller one (2 to 1 on 4&10, 7 to 5 on 5&9, 6 to 5 on 6&8). The math works the same way, the arguments are all the same but some of us aren't quite as comfortable laying odds as taking them. Because I'm one of those people (I rarely lay odds on any number other than 4 or 10), I won't chide you about not being willing to take that particular risk (shades of human frailty).    
    The Come and Don't Come Bets    
    The Come and Don't Come bets are exactly the same as the pass and don't pass, except that the point that affects these bets is established on the next roll of the dice after the bet is placed.    
 
The Not So Good Bets
    
  These consist of place bets, buy bets and C&E.    
    Place Bets    
    To place a bet on a number, you throw your money to the dealer and announce your intention. The problem with place bets is that they are divided into 5 units. The first unit is paid off at 1 to 1. The remaining four are paid off at true odds. Note: any bet not readily divisible into 5 units will be paid off at 1 to 1. What all this means is that; say the point is 6, you toss a red chip ($5) to the dealer and say "place the 10". The dealer puts your bet on the 10 box in a position relative to your position at his end of the table (so he can keep track of the bets) and play goes on, The shooter rolls a 10 and the dealer gives you back your $5 plus an additional $9. Not bad you think, and it wouldn't be if the odds of a 10 coming up before a 7 were 9 to 5, but they are 2 to 1! You just paid the house $1 for the privilege of winning a long odds bet! See what I mean? Not so good. See Sucker Bets for the Big 6/8 bets.    
    Buy Bets    
    These work much like place bets except that the house pays off at true odds. "Wait a minute," you say, "What's not so good about that?" Nothing, except that when you place the bet, the house "sells" it to you for 5%. Actually, this is the better of the choices between place and buy, only on the 4 and 10.    
    Craps and Eleven/ Any Seven    
    These are the only one roll bets that don't come strictly under the title of sucker bets. They are so popular as a "comeout hedge" that they have grouped them together, with one spot for each of the dozen positions at the table. Used prudently, the any craps bet can be a reasonable hedge for the pass line bettor on the comeout roll. Likewise, the eleven and any seven bets can be used by the don't pass bettor. Personally, I find that they not only are weak as a bet but tend to erode your profits, I don't use them!    
 

Sucker Bets

    
  These include all the other bets on the craps table, and some that aren't even on the table but are available. I'll try to cover them all, but if I miss your favorite bet, don't feel left out, just avoid it like poison!    
    Big 6/Big 8    
    Place bets are listed in the "Not So Good" bets, but there is a relative of the place bets that falls into this Sucker Bet category. Placing money on the Big 6 or Big 8 squares are easier since they are conveniently located at the corners of the table and are placed directly by you rather than through the dealers, but they are even money bets! Just for the convenience of placing your own bet, you cut your winnings from the true odds of 6 to 5 (less the first bet) to even money on the whole shebang. If you don't play odds on your place bets for 6 and 8, you might argue that this is the same bet, but it's a bad habit to get into as you may find yourself increasing your bets on the Big 6/Big 8 without the benefit of the true odds payout.    
    The Field    
    The field bet is very popular. You make it by placing your chips on that big area in the center of the table marked Field with the numbers 2,3,4,9,10,11,12 in it. It's a one roll bet and the odds of any of the included numbers coming out on the next roll range from a low of 3 to 1 to a high of 17 to 1, The payout is even money except on the 2 and 12 where it is 2 to 1 (do I have to tell you what the odds are on the next roll being either a 2 or 12?).    
    The Hard Ways    
    The hardways are a bet on the numbers which can be made by rolling doubles (4,6,8,10). They pay at a full percentage point below the true odds of these numbers coming up the hard way as opposed to the easy way, and you lose your bet if a 7 comes out.    
    The Other Proposition Bets    
    These include the any seven, the 2,3,11,12 and horn (a combination of all of the above). They are one roll bets and not only don't pay at anywhere near their proper odds but, in the case of the horn bet, tend to be self-cancelling.    
    Hopping Bets    
    These bets aren't even on the table! They involve your throwing money to the Stickman and calling out a specific combination of pips that you are betting will come up. For instance: You throw a red chip on the table and call "5 and 3 on the hop" this means that you believe the next roll will be a 5 and a 3. The Boxman has to OK all hopping bets and, if the dice come out anything other than what you call, you lose! Unless you are truly clairvoyant, avoid these bets like the plague! If you are clairvoyant, and can prove it, or better still, into telekinesis, call me collect!    
 
Reading Assignment
    
 
Remember, steps three through eleven require you to learn as much a possible about the games you play, or want to play. There are literally hundreds of books about craps, I think that anyone who is willing to risk money on a craps table should read at least three of these. They are: The Gambling Times Guide To Craps by N.B.Winkless, Winkless was a true genius about the probabilities of a craps table, and a very entertaining writer. In 1983 Gambling Times Magazine contracted him to write this book filled with craps wisdom and wining approaches to the game. Craps, Take The Money And Run by Henry J. Tamburin and Craps For The Clueless by John Patrick. There are many more to chose from, the only one that's required reading is the one by Winkless, but I feel these are all worthwhile.
    
 
   
 
The Various "Systems"