How To Master Craps
Joe Dante: Master Of Mischief. Back in 2018, we spoke to the great Joe Dante, who looked back on his incredible career and told us about the thrills and chills he still has in store for us By Josh Slater-Williams 18-02-21 32,797. Hello and welcome to Mastering-Craps.com. I'm Ted Knuden, a recreational gambler and odds enthusiast. Over the past 20 years or so I've refined my love of casino games a little, and developed personal strategies for approaching each of the games I play.
Want to know how to improve your craps game? Craps is all about the betting, not the dice roll. Knowing when and how to bet will make you invincible when you play craps—whether you play craps online or in casinos. These 5 simple tips on how to win at craps will improve your odds of winning while playing craps.
There are 11 numbers possible with a pair of dice; some easier to roll than others.
Those unfamiliar with the game of craps are usually put off by the large betting fields and seemingly endless rules and betting combinations. But the secret to winning at craps is to have some sort of understanding of the house edge, so you know when, where, and why to bet on each roll of the dice. All casino games are based on probability, so a little understanding of the math behind the game goes a long way. Some bets are better than others—and often at different times during the game.
Follow the basic strategy outlined below; it’s easy to remember and to implement. Get ready to boost your bankroll and your craps skills with these 5 easy-to-master tips.
1. Don’t Pass and Don’t Come With Odds
The rule of thumb is as follows: Put the smallest amount on the Don’t Pass or the Don’t Come lines and wager the largest amount behind them. The house edge is on the Don’t Pass/Don’t Come bets, which only pay out 1:1 if you win. But the player has the advantage on the Free Odds bets (those behind the don’t pass/don’t come line), which pay out at the actual mathematical odds. This means if you play it right, the house has no advantage at all.
Free Odds bets are the only bets in the casino where the house has no advantage. It’s important to bet in the right increments, because most casinos won’t pay out in fractional dollars. For example: Free Odds payouts on 6 and 8 are at a 6:5 ratio (i.e. bet $5 get paid $6), so bet in increments of $5. Free Odds payouts on 5 and 9 are at a 3:2 ratio, so bet in increments of $2. Free Odds payouts on 4 and 10 are 2:1, so bet in whatever increments you like.
2. Place the 6 or 8 Bet to Win
Instead of waiting for the shooter to establish a point, pick your own numbers: 6 or 8. When you’re playing in multiples of $6.00 (or the currency of your choice), place the 6 or 8 place-to-win bet. The 1.52% house edge makes this bet a popular choice. The winning bets are paid at 7:6 odds, which means that you’ll be paid out $7 when you bet $6 and the number hits.
The 6 and 8 are the most frequently rolled numbers other than 7. Stay away from other place bets because the house edge is higher: 4% on 5 or 9 and 6.67% on 4 or 10.
3. Place the 6 or 8 Bet to Lose
This tip is the opposite of the previous tip. You’re betting on the shooter to lose, which might make you ‘unpopular’ at a table cheering on the shooter. But you’re not gambling for them; you’re playing the odds. Place a $5 bet on the table and announce “6 (or 8) to lose.” If the 7 shows (which is a very high frequency number) then you win $4.00 as the house edge is only 1.82%. Remember, there are 11 numbers that can be rolled with a pair of dice and some numbers are much easier to roll (come up more frequently) than others. Check out the list below of numbers and the ways to roll them:
2 – one way – 1-1
3 – two ways – 1-2, 2-1
4 – three ways – 1-3, 2-2, 3-1
5 – four ways – 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1
6 – five ways – 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1
7 – six ways – 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1
8 – five ways – 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2
9 – four ways – 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3
10 – three ways – 4-6, 5-5, 6-4
11 – two ways – 5-6, 6-5
2 – one way – 6-6
4. Lay against the 4 or 10
This tip is similar to the place the 6 or 8 to lose but the payouts are much higher as, while there are six ways to roll a 7, there are only three ways to roll a 4 or a 10 as opposed to five ways to roll a 6 or 8. In this case you take the more “optimistic” approach and place $20 on the table and say “Lay against the 4 (or 10).” If you win, you get back $40!
You must pay the house a 5% commission to make lay bets, but they pay out at true odds. Also, you’re betting against the shooter, so try not to gloat if you win large amounts betting against them. And if you’re playing craps online, you’re not offending anyone.
5. Place the 5 or 9 to Lose
In this bet, you put down $8.00 (remember you have to bet in increments of $2 as the odds are 3:2, meaning for every $2 you bet you get $3 if you win) and bet that the numbers above will lose. Why? The house edge on this type of bet is low – only 2.5% so when the 7 shows (again, that happens often), you’ll win $5.00.
In addition to these tips, always remember that craps is a negative expectation game, so the longer you play, the higher the chances you have of losing. But this is how casinos stay in business, and how the house edges make or break bettors who don’t make smart bets—or know when to walk away.
These are 5 of the most effective bets to make on craps to win. By reducing the house odds you are increasing your own chances of winning big when the table is hot. Try this for yourself at Slots of Vegas Craps Table today and walk away a winner!
See also: “Fall in love with the game of craps”
In my experience as a gambler, there are people that absolutely love craps and people that really hate craps. It doesn’t seem like many people fall anywhere in the middle. I enjoy playing craps occasionally, but I’m not as big a fan as most players.
The main thing that I know is that if you want to play craps, you need to take a few steps to become a craps master. It’s not that difficult, as long as you know some key facts.
This list of nine fast ways to become a craps master includes everything that you need to know.
1 – Play Mobile and Online Craps Games
This might sound like a strange way to start an article about mastering carps. This is especially true if you play craps because you love playing in a casino around other people. Truth be told, craps players can get pretty wild.
But there are a couple of things about mobile and online real money craps that master players know that you might not. The first thing is that when you play live craps, you have almost no control over how many rolls you can play in an hour.
When you play mobile and online craps, you have complete control. Most online craps players think this is a good thing because they can play more rolls than when they play in a land-based casino. But craps masters know that it’s better to play fewer rolls.
Craps has a return to player percentage under 100%, so the more you play, the more you lose. When you play mobile and online craps, then you can risk less, which means you lose less and can play longer.
2 – Use Craps Bonus Offers
Another way to extend your craps playing time is to use an online or mobile bonus. But master craps players know that a bonus doesn’t really help them win. This doesn’t mean they don’t use bonuses at all, it just means that they have realistic expectations.
Here’s How a Normal Craps Bonus WorksFirst, you make a deposit, and the casino matches it. If it’s a 100% match, when you deposit $300, the casino gives you $300 as well.
The problem is that they don’t just give you the extra $300 without any strings attached. The main string is that you have to make bets totaling a multiple of the deposit and bonus amount before you can get any of your cash withdrawn.
And the requirement is almost always so high that you don’t have any of the bonus left when you clear it. In fact, you usually don’t have any of the bonus or your deposit left. And this is exactly what the casino planned to do when they gave you the bonus in the first place.
3 – Craps and Comps
Something that you can use to help you when you play craps is comps. If you play craps in a casino that offers a comps scheme, you need to take advantage of it.
You can’t beat craps, but you can get some of your losses back in comps. The comps you get back for playing craps isn’t going to be cash in most cases, but it’s better to get a meal or something else for your play than to get nothing at all. And nothing is what you get when you play craps and don’t sign up to get comps.
Craps isn’t the only game you can earn comps for playing. Every casino player should sign up for comps before they play.
4 – Don’t Pass Is Better Than Pass
Every craps session starts with a roll called a “come out roll.” This starts a series of rolls when a point is set. You don’t have to make a come out roll wager to play craps, but you have to make one of these wagers if you want to have access to the best wager on the table.
This is why it’s important to know which of the two come out roll options is better. And it’s not the one that most craps players use. Most craps gamblers use the pass line wager. And it’s not a terrible option. It’s just not quite as good as the other option.
The don’t pass option has the highest return to player number at the table. In addition, this is one of the two wagers that master craps players make. In fact, master craps players only make two wagers. The don’t pass line and the odds are the two wagers you should use if you want to be a master craps player.
5 – Always Bet the Odds
After you make a don’t pass line wager and a point is set, you have the option to place a special type of wager that’s called an “odds bet.” The odds bet is the best wager in the entire casino, so you should take advantage of it every chance you get.
The return to player percentage over time on the odds is exactly 100%. This means that over time, you’re going to get back as much as you bet. This is a big deal because it’s the only wager in the casino that offers true even odds.
Overall, craps still has a return number under 100% because of the come out roll, but you have to take the odds.
6 – Controlled Shooting
This is one of the most controversial things in gambling. And I rarely find anyone with an opinion that isn’t firmly on one side or the other.
Some craps players believe that you can set and throw dice a certain way that alters the outcome of the roll. Others claim that this is crazy and that you can’t possibly alter dice roll totals.
I don’t know if you can do it or not, but I do know that if you can do it, you can make money playing craps. In fact, if you can alter the outcome of two or three rolls out of every 100, you can erase the house edge.
The possibility of finding a way to beat craps is enough to at least investigate how dice control works. This is the only way you’re going to find out if it’s real and if you can use it.
7 – Craps Systems
You’ve learned everything that master craps players know about playing with a high return and possibly a technique you can use to beat craps. And this is almost everything you need to know. But there are two other things that you need to learn.
The first thing is that craps systems beyond what I’ve already covered don’t help you win. It doesn’t matter how good a craps system looks or sounds, it’s just going to waste your money. Stick with what you learned earlier in this article and skip craps systems.
8 – Bet Minimum and Maximum
The last thing you need to know to become a master craps player is how to bet. I don’t mean how to actually place your bets, I mean how much to bet on the two bets that you make.
You should always make the smallest bet possible on the don’t pass option. And you should always bet the maximum amount possible on the odds.
Of course, you need to have a big enough bankroll to make the maximum odds wager, but as long as you have enough to keep from going broke if you get unlucky in the short term, a minimum come out roll wager and a maximum odds wager is the way master craps players bet.
9 – Craps Variations
I’ve seen several different craps variations, including crapless craps, and they all have one thing in common: None of them offer any wagers that are better than the classic game of craps. This is why I always play craps and ignore all of the other variations.
Casinos don’t have any reason to offer a version of craps that has a higher return than the game they already offer. So, any new craps-based game is likely to offer a lower return, which makes it a worse game.
Of course, I’m always looking for an edge, so I make a note about any new casino game I see so I can look up the numbers later. And this is what gambling masters do, so you should be doing the same thing.
Conclusion
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Mastering craps is one of the best things you can do as a casino gambler. Craps is a fun game that offers a ton of social interaction. And if you know the best wagers, it offers a high return percentage. And if you don’t like social interaction you can get all of the other benefits playing online or in a mobile casino.
The big mystery about craps is controlled shooting. Many say that it’s not real. But if it is, it makes craps beatable. You’re going to have to judge if it works for yourself.
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