The game of craps offers some of the best bets in the casino.blogspot.com/'>casino. These bets have either a very low house edge or no house edge at all. That is what makes craps a good gamble, and a favorite game of many people. Using the proper craps strategy can make you a winner.
When it is your turn to throw
the dice, you must determine whether to bet the pass line or the
don't pass line. Most shooters, as well as most of the other players at
the table, will bet the pass line, as it is the basic wager of craps.
The pass line wager is an even money bet that wins if you either roll a total of 7
or 11, on the come-out roll, or if you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the
come-out roll and repeat that number before you roll a 7. The pass line bet loses
if the come-out roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (known as "craps") or when a 7
is rolled before the established point number is repeated.
If you
successfully complete a pass, - that is, if you repeat an established point
number before throwing a 7-, you get to roll the dice again. Only when you seven-out will the stickman push the
dice to the next player in succession.
Once you have established a
point, if you roll a number other than your point or a 7, it is disregard as
far as pass line bets are concerned, although these additional rolls do affect
other bets that can be made at the craps table.
As an example, suppose you
have established a point of 8 on the come-out roll. If you next throw a 3, then
a 5, a 9, and a 10, these numbers will be ignored for pass line bets. But if
you then roll 7, you will lose your pass line wager, since the 7 came up before
your point number.
Out of 990 decisions you can
expect to lose 14 decisions more than you win. That makes the house advantage
1.41%. In other words, out of every $100 that you wager, you can expect to lose
$1.41. Of course this is in the long run. You can win because in the relatively
short time you will be playing, there will be fluctuations in this house edge,
so at times things will be going in your favor.
A pass line bet can be made at any time during a shooter's roll, even after he has established a point. However, a bet placed on the pass line after a point has been established is a very poor wager, since you have missed the opportunity to win on the come-out roll when the shooter throws a 7 or an 11. The only way you can now win is if the shooter repeats his point before he sevens-out.
When the shooter establishes
a point on the come-out roll, any player who has made a pass line bet is
allowed to "take the odds." A single odds bet is an additional wager,
up to the amount of your original wager, that the point number will be repeated
before a 7 is rolled.
The odds bet
is the best wager you can make in the game of craps, because the house
has no built-in advantage. Some casinos permit players to make double odds, and
even greater odds wagers.
The odds
bet not only has no house edge associated with it, but also has no
official designated space on the dice table. Therefore, to take the odds, you
must place the appropriate amount of chips behind your pass line bet in the
open area of the craps layout.
The correct payoff for odds bets varies from point number to point number, depending on the odds of a 7 being rolled before a particular point is repeated. The payoff formula is the same whether you take single odds, double odds, or more.
As an example, suppose you
bet $1.00 on the pass line and establish a point of 4 in a casino that offers
double odds. You now have the option of taking the adds
for an additional $2.00. (You can also wager a lesser amount or choose not to
take any odds at all.) If you repeat the point number (4) before rolling a 7,
you will get your original $3.00 back, plus an additional $5.00. Of that $5.00,
$1.00 will be the even-money payback on your pass line wager, and $4.00 will be
the 2-to-1 payoff for a point of 4 on your odds bet of $2.00. If you roll a 7
before repeating your point of 4, you will lose your initial $1.00 wager on the
pass line, plus your $2.00 odds bet, for a total loss of $3.00. You are allowed
to remove your odds wager from the craps table at any time, as a casino does
not object to your taking down a bet that has no house edge.
If you have difficulty at the craps table in determining the proper amount to bet in order to receive the correct odds payoff, feel free to ask one of the dealers for assistance. You don't want to lose out on any winnings that are rightfully yours.
A come bet is identical to a
pass line bet, with one exception: A come bet may be made on every throw of the
dice once the shooter has established a point. A come bet is made by placing
the amount of chips you wish to wager in the designated come area of the craps
layout.
After you have placed a come
bet, the very next roll of the dice becomes the come-out roll for that wager.
Thus if the shooter rolls a 7, you will win even though pass line betters will
lose. If an 11 is rolled, you will win while the line bets will not be
affected. Conversely, should one of the craps numbers come up you will lose,
but the line bets will be unaffected.
Should the shooter throw one
of the box numbers on the first roll of the dice after you've made a wager on
the come, this number becomes an established point for your come bet. To win
this bet, your come point must be repeated before a 7 is rolled.
Once a point has been
established for your come bet, the dealer will move the chips you have wagered,
to the corresponding numbered box on the craps layout to await a decision for
that point. When you win a come bet, the dealer will pay you off by placing
your original wager, along with your winnings, in the come section of the
layout. If you do not immediately retrieve your chips, they will be in action
on the next roll of the dice as a new come bet.
To make an odds wager on a come point, hand the dealer the appropriate amount of chips and tell him that you wish to take the odds on that point.
As you've seen, a pass line
bet is simply a wager that the shooter will win. But you also can bet that the shooter
will fail to make a pass and thus lose.
The don't pass line bet wins
when he shooter throws a craps of 2 or 3, but not 12, on the come-out roll, or
when he rolls a 7 before repeating his established point number. This wager
loses when the come-out roll is a 7 or 11, or when the shooter repeats his
point number before rolling a 7.
The don't pass line bet is the exact opposite of a pass line
with on exception: Although a roll of 12 on the come out loses for pass line
betters, it is not a winning number, for don't pass bettors. It
is a stand-off and nether wins nor loses. The reason for this is simple:
If don't betters were permitted to win in this situation, they would have an
advantage over the house. So by barring (disallowing) the number 12 on the
come-out roll, the casinos retain a small edge. Some casinos bar the number 2,
but the effect is exactly the same.
Unlike a pass line wager, a don't pass bet can be removed after a point number has been established on the come-out roll. This is because once a point is established you have an advantage over the house, thus the casino has no objections to your taking down the bet. Of course you should never do this. After going up against an 8 to 3 house edge on the come-out roll, you will have an overall average advantage of 18.8 after a point has been established.
When the shooter establishes
a point number on the come-out roll, players who have made don't pass line
wagers are permitted to lay the odds, which is exactly the opposite of taking
the odds.
For example, let's suppose the shooter has established a point of 4. Lay the odds and win your bet, you will receive $1.00 for every $2.00 you have bet, since making the 7 is twice as likely as making the 4.
When you wish to make the laying of the odds bet, hand your chips to the dealer and inform him that you are laying the odds.
Don't come bets can be placed
on every throw of the dice after a point has been established. After you have
placed a don't come bet, the very next throw of the
dice becomes the come-out roll for that wager. Thus if the shooter rolls a
craps number of 2 or 3, you will win while don't pass line betters will not be
affected. If a 7 is rolled, you will lose and wagers on the don't pass will
win. You also will lose if an 11 is thrown, although this number will not have
a bearing on don't pass wagers. A roll of 12 is a stand-off.
Should the shooter throw one of the box numbers on the first roll of the dice after you've made a wager on the don't come, this number becomes an established come point. To win your don't come bet, a 7 must be rolled before the come point is repeated. If you make several don't come bets any cause you to win them all at on time, while conversely, each time the come point is rolled, it will cause you to lose that bet.
I've covered the four best
bets that you can make in the game of craps. There are, however, two other
reasonably good wagers in terms of house advantage. These wagers are place bets
on the 6 and 8.
A place bet can be made on
any of the point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) at any time
during a hand and is simply a wager that one of these numbers will be rolled
before the shooter throws a 7. You cannot take the odds on place bets. To make
a place bet on the 6 or 8, hand your chips to the dealer and ask him to
"place the six" or "place the 8."
Place bets on the 6 and 8 are
paid off at 7-to-6 on correct odds of 6-to-5, which gives the casino an
advantage of 1.51% on these wagers. To insure that you receive the full 7-to-6
payoff on the 6 and 8, you must make your bet in multiples of six, such as $6,
$12, $18, and so forth.
As a reminder, any bet where the casino has an advantage is a bet that theoretically will cost you money. Even so, if you make only those wagers that carry a small house edge, your chances of leaving the craps table a winner after a short playing session are reasonably good. I recommend that you make only the following bets, which are the six best wagers in the game of craps:
Besides the six bets
discussed, there are numerous other wagers available in the game of craps. However
all the other bets are not recommended, as I feel the house percentages are too
high for these wagers to be a reasonable gamble.
Of course, if you play a lot
of craps and always make some of these bets, you can expect to occasionally get
lucky and do well. More often, however, you will rapidly deplete your gambling
bankroll.
Place bets on the 5 and 9
carry a house advantage of 4%, and place bets on 4 and 10 carry a house
advantage of 6.6%.
Big 6 and Big 8 bets are the
same as placing the 6 and 8, except that these bets pay even money, thus giving
the house an edge of 9.1%.
Then we have the hard way
bets, lay bets, horn bets, etc. I do not wish to get into these bets, other
than to say they all carry a hefty house edge and are not recommended by
me.
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