- Craps Strategy For Beginners
- Craps Strategy Chart
- Safe Craps Strategy
- Craps Pressing Strategy
- Don't Craps Strategy
Although I have tested a lot of systems, I don't need to test all of them to know they are all worthless. No system can ever pass the test of time. It is not unusual to win for a while with a system, but if you keep playing the odds will eventually catch up to you and you will fall behind.
For more information about the futility of betting systems, please see The Truth about Betting Systems.
A casino I played at had the 3,4,5 odds system where you were allowed 3x on the 4 and 10, 4x on the 5 and 9 and 5 x on the 6 and 8. I feel that with this 'system' of placing odds, you reduce the fluctuations (with respect to standard 5x odds on all numbers) in your bankroll, and change the distribution of net gain/loss per session, i.e. you would produce a sharper peak located slightly more to the loss side than with 5x odds. Is this so, and could you put some numbers to it?
The Best Strategy for Winning at Craps Truth be told, there is no best strategy in craps, and if there was, no other strategy would be used. Apr 07, 2021 Safest Bet in Craps While playing craps, you’ll have a variety of bets that depend on the next outcome or a series. Each roll of the dice is not related to the last. So, if you want to win at craps, you should keep that in mind as the shooter rolls. This ended in Safest Craps Strategy the early 2000s with the arrest and indictment of some of the major players in Safest Craps Strategy the sports betting world. Another major event in Safest Craps Strategy the regulatory landscape in Safest Craps Strategy the U.S. Include the passing of a law making all real money online gambling financial.
That is known as 3-4-5X odds, and is now pretty common. The following table shows all the possible outcomes, for the pass and odds combined, with full odds.
Return Table with 3-4-5X Odds
Another good craps strategy is the parlay betting strategy popularly known as ‘pyramid betting’. It is a type of bet that combines the original bet with the winnings. This strategy depends on subsequent wins to be successful. So, if an independent bet wins, the entire bet wins.
Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|
Pass line win | 1 | 0.222222 | 0.222222 |
Pass line loss | -1 | 0.111111 | -0.111111 |
Point of 4 or 10 & win | 7 | 0.055556 | 0.388889 |
Point of 4 or 10 & lose | -4 | 0.111111 | -0.444444 |
Point of 5 or 9 & win | 7 | 0.088889 | 0.622222 |
Point of 5 or 9 & lose | -5 | 0.133333 | -0.666667 |
Point of 6 or 8 & win | 7 | 0.126263 | 0.883838 |
Point of 6 or 8 & lose | -6 | 0.151515 | -0.909091 |
Total | 1.000000 | -0.014141 |
The standard deviation per pass line bet is 4.915632.
Unlike most gambling writers, I don't put much emphasis on betting strategies. Assuming the same game and bet, there is no one right or wrong strategy. They all behave differently in the short run, but in the long run you will give the house the same percentage of total money bet.
This is similar to a question I got last week. Yes, it is true that there are ten ways to roll a 6 or 8, and six ways to roll a 7. However, one must not look at the probabilities alone, but weight them against the payoffs. The place bet on the 6 and 8 pays 7 to 6 odds when fair odds would pay 6 to 5. By making six unit place bets on the 6 and 8, and taking the other down if one wins, the probability of winning 7 units is 62.5% and the probability of losing 12 units is 37.5%. If the player must cover both the 6 and 8, then the place bet is the way to go. This rate of return isn't bad but could be better. For the player who puts a priority on minimizing the overall house edge, the best strategy is to make combinations of pass, don't pass, come, and don't come bets, and always take the maximum allowable odds.
The better system is to bet on the don't pass only and take full odds. Yes, betting on both does increase you chances of winning on any one bet. However you are suffering a higher combined house edge by betting on both the pass and don't pass and it will cost you in the long run.
Yes, it was luck. It helped that you stuck to the low house edge bets. However, next time, make the line bets with odds only, and don't bet the field, especially if it pays 2 to 1 only on both the 2 and 12.
No combination of bets can give the player an advantage. In your example you would lose one unit for every 12 on the come out roll. You don't make up for it laying the odds. While you usually win laying the odds, you have to risk more. In the end, laying the odds has zero house edge.
As long as you are backing up your pass and come bets with full odds, it doesn't make any difference how many come bets you make. However, it does reduce the overall house edge to keep the odds on your come bets working on the come out roll.
You should never remove a don't pass bet after a point is made! Once a point is made of 6 or 8 the don't pass has equity of 9.09% of the bet amount, which you would be throwing away by taking the bet down. The equity of a don't pass bet on a point of 5 or 9 is 20%, and on a 4 or 10 is 33.33%.
Thanks for the compliment on my site. The best thing I can say about this system is that it composed of low house edge bets. Yes, a 12 will lose the pass bet and push the don’t pass on the come out roll, this is where the house edge is. By making the pass bet you are increasing the overall house edge. If you’re afraid losing you shouldn’t be playing at all. Never hedge your bets. So my advice is to stick to just the don’t pass and laying odds. Yes, you’ll lose some on the come out roll. However if you don’t lose on the come out roll the don’t pass bet will usually win.
I am a novice, just starting to play. My question concerns the 'Five Count Doey/Don’t' System. The way I understand the system:- Wait until the shooter establishes a point.
- Play both come/don’t come (same amount). Until you have a maximum of four numbers
- After the shooter has rolled five times without rolling a 7, take odds on all your numbers on the front side.
The rationale: Limit your exposure until you find a 'qualified' (five rolls without a 7) shooter. Only betting the odds so there is no 'house edge'! Can you compare this system with just playing pass/come and taking the odds?
As I stated in the other craps strategy question you are only mixing another house edge bet into the game by betting on both the pass and don’t pass, or come and don’t come. It is also not going to help to wait until a shooter hits five points. The probability of making a point is the same for me and you as it is for somebody who just threw 100 points in a row. In other words, the past does not matter. As I stated to the person who asked the other question (whom I think may also be you) don’t make opposite bets, just stick to either the do or don’t side and always back up your bets with the odds.
Unless bankroll preservation is very important to you then Kelly betting won’t help. I would just flat bet. Nice strategy to milk the comp system.
The American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling has the following 'anything but seven' combination of craps bets that shows a net win on any number except 7. Here's how much MENSA advises to bet in the 'Anything but 7' system:- 5- place $5
- 6- place $6
- 8- place $6
- field- $5
- total= $22
They claim the house edge is 1.136%. How is that possible if every individual bet made has a higher house edge?
Good question. To confirm their math I made the following table, based on a field bet paying 3 to 1 on a 12. The lower right cell does shows an expected loss of 25 cents over $22 bet. So the house edge is indeed .25/22 = 1.136%.
Mensa Anything but Seven Combo
Number | Probability | Field | Place 5 | Place 6 | Place 8 | Win | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 0.027778 | 10 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 10 | 0.277778 |
3 | 0.055556 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.277778 |
4 | 0.083333 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.416667 |
5 | 0.111111 | -5 | 7 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 2 | 0.222222 |
6 | 0.138889 | -5 | 0.000000 | 7 | 0.000000 | 2 | 0.277778 |
7 | 0.166667 | -5 | -5 | -6 | -6 | -22 | -3.666667 |
8 | 0.138889 | -5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 7 | 2 | 0.277778 |
9 | 0.111111 | 5 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0 | 5 | 0.555556 |
10 | 0.083333 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.416667 |
11 | 0.055556 | 5 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.277778 |
12 | 0.027778 | 15 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 15 | 0.416667 |
Total | 1 | -0.25 |
The reason the overall house edge appears to be less than the house edge of each individual bet is because the house edge on place bets is generally measured as expected player loss per bet resolved.
However, in this case the player is only keeping the place bets up for one roll. This significantly reduces the house edge on the place bets from 4.00% to 1.11% on the 5 and 9, and from 1.52% to 0.46% on the 6 and 8.
For you purists who think I am inconsistent in measuring the house edge on place bets as per bet resolved (or ignoring ties) then I invite you to visit my craps appendix 2 where all craps bets are measured per roll (including ties).
Craps Strategy For Beginners
Craig from Los Angeles
No. I had to Google this to find out what this is. This appears to me to be an amusing urban legend about some young scientists who developed a winning craps system. The story is told at Quatloos. I would file this under other fictional stories that have become mistaken for fact, like Joshua’s missing day. As I have said hundreds of times, not only can betting systems not beat games like craps, they can’t even dent the house edge.
If the player bets $5 on the field and 5, and $6 on the 6 and 8, then he will have a net win of $2 on the 5, 6, and 8, $10 on the 2, $15 on the 12, and $5 on the other field numbers, assuming that the 12 pays 3 to 1 on the field. The player will lose $22 on a 7. On a per roll basis, the player can expect to lose 25 cents compared to $22 in bets, for a house edge of 1.136%.
This begs the question, why is this lower than the individual house edge of each bet made? It’s not. The reason it seems that way is the result of comparing apples to oranges. The house edge of place bets is usually expressed as the expected loss per bet resolved. Looking at the individual bets on a per-roll basis, the house edge on the 5 is 1.11%, and on the 6 and 8 is 0.46%, according to my craps appendix 2. Comparing apples to apples, the house edge is a weighted average of the house edge on the field, 5, 6, and 8, on a per-roll basis, or (5/22)×2.778% + (5/22)×1.111% + (6/22)×0.463% + (6/22)×0.463% = 1.136%.
For the benefit of other readers, the 5-Count is a method of slow-playing craps, as discussed in ’Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution’ by Frank Scoblete and Dominator. As the book states, it is a way of betting nothing on some rolls, reducing your expected loss on random shooters, while still getting the full comp value of table time.
The way the 5-Count works is you start counting rolls as soon as a new shooter throws any point number. When you get to five rolls after you start counting, the shooter is deemed worthy, and you start betting. However, you if the 5th roll is not a point number, it doesn’t count.
The book says you will only be betting 43% of the time, which I agree with. It is common for craps players to not bet, bet small, or bet the don’t pass on new shooters, as a way to qualify him. Once a shooter has made a point, or thrown lots of point numbers, the other players will gain confidence in him, and start betting with him. So, this kind of strategy seems natural. When casinos rate your average bet, they don’t lower the average for betting nothing some of the time. However, sometimes they will dock your time, especially if you are betting big.
An alternative strategy is to wait until the shooter makes a point. Under this strategy you will only be betting 40.6% of the time, less than the 43.5% with the 5-Count.
Yes! I’ve said many times that betting systems not only can’t beat a house edge game, they can’t even dent it. That includes denting it in the house’s favor. In other words, even if he tried to lose, he still only gives up 0.18% over the long-run, under your assumptions. Over a shorter time, he probably could do this, but not over 'years.' Some might argue that to deliberately lose, the player should do an anti-Martingale, where the player kept pressing his bets until he lost. However, a problem there is that a winning player will eventually reach the table maximum, which is rather low in craps. It just goes to show how futile betting systems are.
Craps is known for being one of the easiest games to learn on the entire casino floor. Not only that, but it provides some pretty favorable odds to gamblers of all skill and experience levels.
While the learning curve might not be as significant as it is with other games, there are still a number of strategies that can help take your success up a notch. If you’re new to the game, it’s important to understand the basics and put them into action.
In this article, I’ll lay out the top 7 strategy tips for craps beginners.
1 – Bet the Right Way
One thing that can get lost in a gambling strategy (somehow) is the importance of not just playing the game the right way, but betting the right way as well. For this particular game, betting the right way means something additional.
When it comes to craps, play the pass and come bets with the table. These are the bets which are widely thought to be the best because of the low house edge, and are well-suited for beginners who aren’t as familiar with the game.
Craps Strategy Chart
The most popular bet for craps is a pass line bet which has a house edge of only 1.4%. What you need to know is that you only have four ways to lose, so your odds are quite favorable.
2 – Look for the Right Shooter
Think dice rolls are completely random? You might be surprised to learn that some shooters have developed ways to take at least some of the unpredictable nature out of their roll.
For ExamplePlayers who shake and roll the dice in their hands prior to their throw probably don’t have much control over the outcome.
On the flip side, some players roll exactly the same way each time and have a higher probability of getting a winning outcome.
When you walk into the casino and are looking for the right table to start placing bets, do your best to find someone who looks like they’re in relative control of the throws they’re making. It sounds like a small thing, but any time you can take measures to reduce unpredictability in gambling, it’s worth taking advantage of the opportunity.
3 – Manage Your Bankroll
You might not be as experienced as some of the other players at the table, but it only takes discipline, not skill or experience, to effectively manage your gambling bankroll.
If you’re unfamiliar, your bankroll is the pool of money that you’ve set aside for the sole purpose of gambling. Most experts recommend only betting a small, predetermined percentage of that bankroll on any one play. You can determine the percentage for yourself, but keeping it between 5% and 10% is most effective.
Remember that it’s crucial, especially when you’re just starting out, to think of gambling as a long-term game. Trying too hard to hit the jackpot and betting huge amounts of money is a good way to drain your bankroll and put you in a bad financial position.
4 – Be Wary of Prop Bets
In craps, there are a number of advanced betting combinations that can result in huge payouts. However, in order to use these to your advantage, you need to have a pretty solid grasp on how the game is played.
In my opinion, if you’re new to craps, it’s in your best interest to stay away from these prop bets and stick to something that you understand. Prop bets have a much higher house edge than regular bets, and the added risk means that if you aren’t making the correct plays, you could just be giving money away to the casino.
Not only do you need to be aware of the odds on prop bets, but they also require you to have a significant level of knowledge in regards to the board layout and gameplay process. To make things even more complicated, there’s a specific etiquette preferred when making these bets as well.
I’m not saying that prop bets should be totally off your radar forever, but it’s best to observe others utilizing them before you start throwing down your money hoping for a big win.
5 – Practice Online
Nobody likes to feel like they don’t know what they’re doing – especially when surrounded by a bunch of strangers who do know what they’re doing. Unfortunately, the only way to get experience is to go through the learning curve, as uncomfortable as it may be.
Throughout most of history, this has meant that beginner players had to positon themselves at the table right next to the experts, and let their inexperience shine. However, in today’s world, there is another option that has helped countless beginner gamblers: online gaming.
The best part of online casinos is that they provide users with a place to hone their skills, without the social embarrassment or anxiety that comes with being new to the game.
Even more beneficial is the fact that there are plenty of sites that don’t even require you to risk any money in order to learn.
Before you visit a casino and start wagering your hard-earned money, make sure you know what you’re doing. Find a free online site that allows you to learn the game, then move on to a low-limit, real money online casino, and then you’ll be ready for the real thing.
6 – Don’t Listen to the Dealer
I don’t actually mean you should tune him or her out, but rather you should not fall victim to their appeals to increase your bet.
Dealers, although they might be technically impartial, still work for the casino. The more money they’re able to collect from their table, the better they look when being evaluated by their bosses.
During your time at the craps table, you’ll likely hear dealers encourage players to “bet hardways,” which is a prop bet in which you need equal numbers on the dice to add up to a certain number. For example, a 5-5 is the “hard way” to make a 10.
These bets do have a nice payout if you hit, but the odds of that happening are unlikely, and don’t fit into the strategy of someone who is looking to play conservatively and learn the game.
The bottom line is, if the dealer suggests you do something, politely decline and continue on with betting the odds.
7 – Learn the Etiquette
As I mentioned earlier in the article, there is a certain etiquette to prop bets. There is also a larger set of “unspoken rules” that you’d be wise to follow if you want to fit in.
Safe Craps Strategy
First, it’s important, regardless of which game you’re playing, to tip your dealer. This should be a pretty standard practice at any casino. Simply put, don’t leave the table without showing the dealer a little appreciation by way of a tip.
The second, and much less obvious craps etiquette practices involves the number seven…as in, don’t say the number out loud.
In fact, it’s considered so unlucky that if you do say it, people will even leave the table. If you must bring it up, some refer to the number seven simply as “devil.”
Finally, it should be noted that craps is a fast-paced, action-packed game. One easy way to make the table mad is by shooting slowly or generally slowing down the speed of the game. This is why it’s so important to know what you’re doing before you step up to the table.
Conclusion
Craps Pressing Strategy
Craps can be one of the best games for less experienced gamblers because of the low house edge. With that being said, it’s important that you don’t try to get too fancy with your plays until you truly understand how the game works.
Don't Craps Strategy
Practice your skills online before heading to the casino, and keep these tips in mind when you’re ready to play. If you manage your money and stick to the appropriate plays, you could be walking out with some extra cash in your pocket.
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