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People enjoy playing craps for multiple reasons, including the interactive experience and camaraderie.
Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in dice control at craps, blackjack, advantage slots and video poker. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps dice control classes and Golden Touch Blackjack's advantage classes. I will also show the effect on the house edge of varying degrees of dice control and various betting combinations. The results should prove interesting to you. Join Dominator's Insider's Club and get Two Great Books on Craps. Get all the latest updates and events from GTC, including information on current craps and dice control seminars. Choctaw finally has bubble craps but they need another table because people sit there forever with their 1$ bets and just camp out. The casino knows you can’t gain an advantage in craps, especially not by learning dice control. They know the idea of dice control is pure nonsense. They know that they’re guaranteed a random outcome when the dice tumble across the tabletop and ricochet off those rubber spikes on the back wall.
Craps lets you physically determine the game’s outcome by rolling the dice. Contrast this to baccarat or blackjack, where you don’t even get to touch the cards that are dealt.
Another fun thing about craps is that many players like betting with the shooter through pass line and come bets. This is where the camaraderie comes in, because players cheer together when the shooter wins.
Strangely enough, the craps’ low house edge is one of the most undervalued reasons why people play. And perhaps this is why so many players make mistakes at the table and ruin their chances of winning.
Craps is always more fun when you combine winning with the camaraderie and interactivity. That said, I’m going to cover the biggest mistakes that players must avoid so they can win more often.
Mistake #1: Making Craps Bets without Knowing the Odds
In addition to the good points I covered in the introduction, another reason why people love this game is due to the betting variety. Craps offers dozens of wagers, including some exotic prop bets.
But this advantage is also a huge downside when players start making bets without knowing the odds. This might not be such a big deal in other casino games, but it’s a huge mistake in craps.
That’s because certain craps prop bets have house edges ranging in the double digits. This hurts worse when you realize that there are much better wages available.
Check out all of the craps bets below:
- Don’t pass line / don’t come bet = 1.36% house edge
- Pass line / come bet = 1.41%
- Place 6 / Place 8 = 1.52%
- Lay 4 / Lay 10 = 2.44%
- Lay 5 / Lay 9 = 3.23%
- Place 5 / Place 9 = 4.0%
- Lay 6 / Lay 8 = 4.0%
- Buy 4 / Buy 10 = 4.76%
- Buy 5 / Buy 9 = 4.76%
- Buy 6 / Buy 8 = 4.76%
- Field = 5.56%
- Place 4 / Place 10 = 6.67%
- Hard 6 / Hard 8 = 9.09%
- Big 6 / Big 8 = 9.09%
- Yo (11) = 11.11%
- 3 = 11.11%
- 2 or 12 (Hi-Lo) = 11.11%
- Craps (2, 3, or 12) = 11.11%
- Hard 4 / Hard 10 = 11.11%
- Horn = 12.5%
- Whirl World = 13.33%
- 2 = 13.89%
- 12 = 13.89%
- Any 7 = 16.67%
You can see that there are fewer than 10 bets actually worth making on the entire board. And it only makes sense to stick with the best wagers, including pass line, don’t pass line, come, and don’t come.
These bets are easy to find, because they’re written in big letters on the table. Let’s take a look at how each of these wagers work.
Pass Line
- Wins on the come out roll (first roll of a new round) when 7 or 11 are tossed
- Loses on the come out when 2, 3, or 12 are rolled
- Point number is established when 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are tossed
- You need a shooter to roll the point number before 7 to win
- Pays 1:1
- 251:244 true odds
Don’t Pass Line
- Wins on the come out roll when 2 or 3 are tossed
- Loses on the come out when 7 or 11 are rolled
- Pushes when 12 is rolled
- Point number is established when 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled
- You need a shooter to roll 7 before the point number to win
- Pays 1:1
- 976:949 true odds
Come
- Players must wait for the point number before making a come bet
- The come out roll becomes the shooter’s next roll after you make this wager
- Wins on the come out roll when 7 or 11 are tossed
- Loses on the come out when 2, 3, or 12 are rolled
- You need a shooter to roll the point number before 7 to win
- Pays 1:1
- 251:244 true odds
Don’t Come
- Players must wait for the point number before making a come bet
- come out roll is the shooter’s next roll after you make this wager
- Wins on the come out roll when 2 or 3 are tossed
- Loses on the come out when 7 or 11 are rolled
- Pushes when 12 is rolled
- Point number is established when 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 are rolled
- You need a shooter to roll 7 before the point number to win
- Pays 1:1
- 976:949 true odds
Stigma Against Don’t Bettors
Based on the house edges, it makes sense to put your money on don’t pass line and don’t come. After all, these wagers have a house advantage that’s 0.05% lower than pass line and come.
But while these “don’t” bets give you a slightly stronger chance to win, they also come with a stigma in land-based casinos.
As mentioned before, many players bet with the shooter. This creates a feeling that the pass line and come bettors are backing the shooter, rather than the casino.
Don’t bettors are often referred to as the “dark side,” because they’re wagering on the shooter to lose and aligning with the casino.
While being a don’t bettor won’t get you beat up in the parking lot, you also don’t get to share in the joy of cheering a hot shooter. Therefore, you need to decide how much gaining the extra 0.05% advantage on the house edge is worth.
Of course, you should always make don’t bets in online craps. You might as well take the best available house edge in this case, because you’re playing by yourself.
Mistake #2: Failing to Take Advantage of Craps Odds
Craps is truly unique in that it offers a bet with no house edge. Unfortunately, many craps players fail to take advantage of this wager because they don’t even know about it.
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Odds is a bet that you can place behind either a pass line or don’t pass line wager. This bet pays at true odds, which is why it doesn’t have a house advantage.
The goal is to bet the highest odds you can, because this lowers the overall house edge when combining your pass line or don’t pass line bet. The table below shows how the house advantage decreases with higher odds:
Odds | Pass Line & Come | Don’t Pass Line & Don’t Come |
0x | 1.41% house edge | 1.36% house edge |
1x | 0.848% | 0.682% |
2x | 0.606% | 0.455% |
Full Double Odds | 0.572% | 0.431% |
3x | 0.471% | 0.341% |
3x-4x-5x | 0.374% | 0.273% |
5x | 0.326% | 0.227% |
10x | 0.184% | 0.124% |
20x | 0.099% | 0.065% |
100x | 0.021% | 0.014% |
You can make odds bets in both land based and online casinos. But land-based establishments usually offer higher odds.
The Cromwell in Las Vegas has the industry’s best craps odds at 100x. Vegas’ Main Street Station offers the second highest odds at 20x
Free 25 no deposit bonus. What’s great is that you only have to make a $5 minimum bet in both casinos. You can then back your bet with the highest odds, which puts you at nearly an even proposition with the casino.
Betsoft and Playtech offer the highest online craps odds at 3x.
Obviously, this is nowhere near the top Vegas casinos. But both Betsoft and Playtech allow you to play for as little as $1 per bet.
As for making odds bets, you must wait until a point has been established before backing a pass line or don’t pass line bet with odds. Be sure to notify the dealer when making these wagers in a land-based casino, because odds doesn’t have a specific box on the table.
You “take odds” when wagering behind pass line and “lay odds” when betting behind don’t pass line. Here are the payouts based on the point numbers you lay or take:
Taking Odds
- Shooter must roll point before 7 for you to win
- 2:1 payout on point numbers of 4 and 10
- 3:2 on points of 5 and 9
- 6:5 on points of 6 and 8
Laying Odds
- Shooter must roll 7 before point for you to win
- 1:2 payout on points of 4 and 10
- 2:3 on points of 5 and 9
- 5:6 on points of 6 and 8
Mistake #3: Expecting to Win More through Hedging Bets
Some craps players are under the impression that they can win by hedging enough bets. The idea is to cover multiple numbers so that you have a strong chance to win at least one wager per round.
Here’s a common method of hedging bets: Top australian online casinos 2019 games.
- I make a $10 pass line bet.
- I make a $1 Any Craps wager.
- Any Craps pays 7:1 and wins when a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled.
- Pass line loses when a 2, 3, or 12 appear on the come out roll.
The logic is that if my pass line loses, I still win $7 from the Any Craps win.
This looks good on paper, because I only lose $3 instead of $10 thanks to the Any Craps hedge. Furthermore, I only lose $1 if any number other than 2, 3, or 12 are tossed.
But the primary problem with hedging bets is that you’re not doing anything to overcome the house edge. This is especially the case with Any Craps, which carries an 11.11% house advantage.
Hedging wagers is a fun way to get more action and create additional chances to win in each round. But don’t look at this as a way to boost your long-term odds of winning.
Mistake #4: Relying on Craps Betting Systems
Most craps betting systems amount to complicated ways of hedging bets. A perfect example of this is the Iron Cross.
The Iron Cross is popular because it covers seven different numbers and offers 2:1 payouts on some bets. Here’s a complete look at what this betting strategy entails:
- 5:4 true odds of winning
- 1:1 payouts on 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11
- 2:1 payouts on 2 and 12 (sometimes 3:1 on 12)
- Loses on any other number (5, 6, 7, 8)
- 5.56% house edge
- 2.78% house edge if 12 pays 3:1
Again, the major draw to the Iron Cross is that you’re covering seven numbers and giving yourself multiple ways to win. But the problem comes in when examining your actual odds of winning.
You can see this below:
- 1 combo forms a 2
- 2 combos form a 3
- 3 combos form a 4
- 4 combos form a 9
- 3 combos form a 10
- 2 combos form an 11
- 1 combo forms a 12
- 16 total combinations will help you win with the Iron Cross
Here are all the ways that you’ll lose:
- 4 combos form a 5
- combos form a 6
- 6 combos form a 7
- 5 combos form an 8
- 20 combinations result in a loss
Your true odds are 5:4 when taking the 20 losing combos and 16 winning combos into account. Even the 2:1 payouts on 2 and 12 aren’t much help, because they only cover 2 possible combinations.
Considering the Iron Cross’ 5.56% house edge, you’re better off sticking with pass line or don’t pass line wagers backed with odds.
Mistake #5: Believing that Dice Control is the Craps Holy Grail
Certain casino games have advantage-play methods that give you an opportunity to win long-term profits. Examples include blackjack card counting, roulette dealer signatures, positive expectation video poker machines, and skill-based games like poker and sports betting.
Some contend that you can use an advantage play technique called dice control (a.k.a. controlled shooting) to get an edge at the game.
The premise behind dice control is that you hold the dice in a specific way (a.k.a. setting) and practice your tosses. The idea is to develop your skills through habitual practice until you can control your rolls.
Bubble Craps Dice Control Techniques
In most cases, a controlled shooter is looking to avoid throwing 7s. This is why the V-shape grip, where the 3s form a V and cover all possible 7s, is one of the most popular settings techniques.
A dice control expert doesn’t have to produce the desired result very often to win long term. Instead, they only need to avoid throwing a 7 once in a while.
Here’s how this works out:
- The average player rolls a 7 on six out of 36 rolls.
- But let’s say that you only roll this number on 5.5 out of 36 rolls.
- This is all you need to gain a long-term advantage.
Dice control believers often rig up homemade craps tables so that they can practice their tosses. The hope is that with enough practice, they can control some of their rolls.
Noted gambling authors like Dominic “The Dominator” LoRiggio and Frank Scoblete have argued for years that dice control is a legitimate way to beat craps.
And they’ve earned a lot of money by pushing books and training courses on the subject of controlled shooting.
But this practice has never truly been proven to beat craps. In fact, few industry experts have stepped forward and vouched for dice control.
“There are too many variables,” said gaming consultant Bill Zender, who spoke with Vice on the matter. “If the dice turn just a fraction of an inch, they’re going to roll off that axis. I hate to say it, but I think it’s a big scam.”
Craps Dice Control
As Zender alluded to, it’s likely impossible to control craps tosses with any certainty. After all, you have to toss the dice off a diamond-patterned back wall.
Mistake #6: Playing Craps Longer Just to Get Comps
Craps players can rack up a lot of comps in a short time span. But this is only possible when you’re making multiple bets on each turn and/or playing high stakes.
The truth is that casinos don’t offer many rewards to the average craps player, because the game has such a low house edge. Many casinos only comp players on 0.1% of their total wagers.
Nevertheless, some players continue playing past their means just to chase more comps. The biggest thing to understand here is that the rewards you accumulate don’t overcome theoretical losses.
Here’s some math to explain this point:
- I make $25 pass line bets (1.41% house edge).
- The average number of rolls at my table is 119.
- My pass line bet lasts for an average of 7 rolls.
- This means I place 17 bets per hour, or $425 total.
- My comp value is $0.43 per hour (425 x 0.001 rate).
- My theoretical losses are $5.99 per hour (425 x 0.0141).
The comps that I receive in this situation are only equal to 7.2% of the theoretical losses. I doubt that any sane craps player would continue playing an extra hour for comps if they knew this.
Mistake #7: Not Getting Craps Comps in Land Based Casinos
While I definitely think that it’s a bad idea to chase craps rewards, this doesn’t mean you should completely ignore them. After all, it’s nice to pick up freebies on top of your play.
But some land-based craps players miss out on comps, because they don’t bet enough to attract the pit boss’ attention.
The pit boss needs to rate your play to determine how many comps you deserve. And they’re looking for table game players who either bet a lot of money or stay at the tables for a long time.
But they also rate player’s club members who take the proper steps to earn rewards. Here are the steps for how you can join the rewards program:
- Sign up for the casino’s rewards program, either in person or through their website.
- You’ll be issued a player’s club card.
- Take this card with you to the craps table.
- Tell the dealer that you wish to be rated.
- The dealer will hand your card to the pit boss and ask them to rate you.
- The pit boss will use your bet sizes and volume to determine how many comps you receive.
What’s nice is that you don’t have to worry about all the steps in online craps.
Most internet casinos automatically enroll you into their VIP programs as soon as you sign up and make a deposit. From here, all you need to do is start playing real money craps to earn comps.
Conclusion
Maybe you appreciate craps for the team-like atmosphere or the betting variety. But if you avoid the mistakes that I’ve covered here, you’ll also enjoy craps because it offers a great chance to win.
This is especially true if you stick with the main bets and back them with odds. Putting as little as 2x odds behind a pass line wager lowers the overall house edge to 0.61%.
Other mistakes that you want to avoid include hedging bets, overusing systems, and wasting time with controlled shooting.
Craps already gives you an excellent chance to win money. And you don’t have to use any of these strategies in a vain attempt to improve your odds.
Finally, avoid playing craps longer than you’d like just to get rewards. But on the same token, get comps by signing up for the player’s club and making sure that you’re rated.
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I wrote a about a few tips in my main dice setting guide but I will go though a few more that I did not mention and explain in further detail on how to get better at controlling the dice. Much of this advice will be helpful to get you into a good state of mind when going to the casino and to become more confident in your skills once you have already learned the basics.
The first thing you will notice when you place craps is the social environment which involves lots of noise, excitement and also distractions. This is one thing that novice players need to get used to. Even intermediate and advanced players can get caught up and lose concentration of their dice throwing abilities. So the first tip and word of advice is to start off by wagering the minimum table limit bet until you get warmed up enough.
A few things to look for when you are warming up are to see how far the dice bounce after hitting the opposite padded wall. If they are really bouncy, this is bad. If they do not bounce as much, then the dice and table are good to stay at. Sometimes casinos change the padding or the clothed felt on the table and this can alter the way the dice get thrown. The more they bounce around, the less control you have. Once you find a good table, it is best to stick with that table and keep going there whenever you play at the casino.
One thing to watch for is when the dealer changes the dice. The dice eventually get worn down and need to be replaced with ones with sharp edges and corners as well as crisp faces. Typically the dice will be changed at the end of a shift. It turns out that these fresh dice are great for dice setting and you can get more control because they have a good grip and have a good reaction when they hit the table or wall. They even work better when players try to use the backspin technique. So it is a good tip to join and throw the dice when they are fresh.
Now for a few tips regarding the social aspects of the game. Typically, players will side up with the shooter and bet for them to win. These players are known as 'right' players since they bet with the shooter on the pass line and come bar. So naturally, these players are going to be cheering on the shooter (the person throwing the dice) for them to win.
So if you are a 'wrong' player, you would be better on the don't pass and don't come bets, which are against the shooter. Many times you will also be betting against everyone else there too. Honestly though, the don't pass line bet is better than the pass line bet in terms of house edge and mathematical probabilities, so it is up to you if you want to give into peer pressure or follow the best odds. Eventually, you may get people to walk away from the table which will speed up the game. This is beneficial for dice setters since they get more chances at throwing the dice when there are fewer people around.
The best advantage to a dice setter is to be in control of the dice as much as possible. That means being the shooter and throwing many rolls per hour. In order to do this, it would be best to play on a table with fewer people so that you get your turn at the dice more often. There are some advantages to playing on a table that is crowded though. This is because there are possibly other shooters who know how to control the dice as well and you can make some more money wagering on them. Still, you will want to make sure they have good skills or those equal or better to your own.
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Another thing to be cautious of is playing on a table with no other players except yourself. If you are alone, then you will be under the exclusive watchful eye of 4 dealers. This is one of the disadvantages of playing on an empty table. The advice is to bring a friend or a few friends with you or just play on a more crowded table. Otherwise you do not want to draw too much attention from the wrong people. If you move onto a new crowded table, bet with the shooter if you want to take your turn at the dice relatively quickly.
In case you were wondering, a typical craps table goes through about 50 to 100 rolls per hour and sometimes 150 if things are going fast. Most of the time is used when dealers have to collect and pay out the winnings. Mega moolah mega jackpot winning. To speed things up, look for table that doesn't offer complicated bets or has fewer bets on the layout. Also, do not make odd sized prop bets. Make bets in whole numbers or even numbers like $10 or $20 instead of $5.50 or $17. This will make it easier for the dealers to pay out the bets and give you more throws per hour.
Tipping the dealer in craps is extremely good etiquette since these dealers have to do a lot of work compared to other casino games. If you tip the dealer, they will also go above and beyond for you as well. Some benefits that the stickman will do for you is align the dice and set them in your usual way before give you the dice. They may also offer other gaming advice such as if accidently made the wrong bet.
Tips and Advice for Precision Shooter Dice Setting
If you are a precision shooter, there are a few things you should pay attention to since these tips can greatly improve your dice control at a specific craps table. One of the first things you should look for is if there is any padding under the table felt. Believe it or not, thicker and softer padding is actually better than no padding at all. The soft padding will have the effects of 'grabbing' the dice and keeping them from moving too much, which is a major goal for precision dice control.
One way to check the padding is to listen to the dice. If they making a crackling noise like hitting wood or something hard, then this is bad padding. You can also test it by touching the table with your finger. Ideally, the dice should make almost no noise when they hit the table, which is a great indicator of soft padding.
The age of the felt itself is also a big factor in precision dice setting. Usually, the older the table, the better. This is because the older felt gets worn and tends to get the dice to stick on it. This is ideal for dice control because you want the dice to cease movement quickly in order to get better control of them. One thing to note is that the felt gets changed about once per year usually and it is good advice to wait about one or two months after new felt comes in if you want extra precision.
Believe it or not, even table lengths can be a factor. A normal craps table is about 12 feet long but some are 14 feet and others are even smaller. This is only a factor that depends on what table you like best. If you prefer the long table, go for it. Typically, dice setters can adapt to new tables as well. Now for some of the bets on the table, the free odds bet is one of the best in the house. Obviously my best tip is to wager the maximum allowed odds and this applies to both precision shooters and just regular craps players.
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Normally, the rules of the game require that you throw the dice hard enough to hit the other end of the table. There are pyramid shaped bumps on the padding along the walls of the craps table. These bumps are to ensure even more randomness of the throw by altering the axis of your dice when they bounce off these surfaces. One way to counteract this effect is to learn how to put a backspin on the dice. When doing a backspin, you want the dice to make contact with the table before hitting these pyramids in order to counteract the forward momentum properly.
A problem might arise if you have a short height. The original craps table was designed for taller players and this can make it harder to lean over the table and throw the dice properly. This actually makes it harder for everyone to control the dice as well and this is not an uncommon problem. Don't hesitate to ask the casino for a block or step stool to stand on as a platform. Casinos are usually aware of this kind of problem and they have these platforms readily available upon request.
Following all of these tips will greatly improve your craps game and dice control skills. They will also make your experience much more enjoyable and less stressful as this awesome game should be anyways.
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