GamingTips

On the Craps table there are a few really good bets, a lot of sucker bets, and 2 bets that should never, ever be bet.

Those bets are the Big 6 and the Big 8.  They appear on the lower, outside corners of the layout on each side, between the two Don’t Passes.  They are usually in red, in big boxes, and simply say “6″ and “8.”

Some casinos have even had the kindness to take these bets off the table, but if they are there, don’t bet them.

These bets are exactly identical to a 6 or 8 place bet, except that they pay even money.  That’s right.  You can make a bet that pays 7:6, or you can bet the exact same bet, and it will pay even.  So not only are you increasing the house odds by 20%, you’re doing it for no reason.

I can understand people betting the field, the horn, the hardways, and other bad bets.  Gamblers are superstitious people, and some of us like our certain numbers or dice combinations.  But remember, if 6 or 8 is your number, bet it as a place bet, not the “Big 6″ or “Big 8.”

Alright.  I thought I might as well mention this just for fun.  Private Craps games can be fun, and really simple to start.  All you need is two flat surfaces, one lying down, and one standing up, two dice, and at least one friend.

You just take turns shooting, and the same basic principals (mostly the pass line and odds) apply.  The main difference here is that there really are no rules to the bets.  In general, the entire game will agree on what odds to pay (particularly on the 6 and 8, which can be tough to pay), but, other than that, you can bet pretty much whatever you want.  This is because your friends are booking the bets, rather than a casino.  The only requirement for a bet is that you can convince somebody to “fade” or take, the bet.  That is, if I want to bet $5 at 30-1 that a 4 will come up, and then a 5, I can do that.  Provided that I find somebody at the table who is willing to “fade” the $150.  Also, you do not have to fade a complete bet.  This is particularly important on odds bets.

 For instance, we come out, and roll a 4.  Knowing that the odds are 2-1, Joe puts $100 down.  I want to lay odds, but really don’t feel like risking $200.  I put down $50.  Now, on of two things can happen.  Someone (or someones) else can fade the remaining $150.  Then the $100 stands complete.  Or Joe can pick up $75.  This now leaves him with a $25 free odds bet on the 4, faded by my $50.

Now, the other interesting thing is that you don’t have to bet the line in order to take or lay odds.  That is, you can make, or fade, a free odds bet without having a pass or don’t pass bet working.

 Finally, the 12 is usually not barred in private games.  What this actually means is that the don’t pass better has a slight advantage on the line bets.

Finally, you will usually notice that in private games, it’s only really the line and odds that get action.  This, again, is mostly due to players being most comfortable booking these bets.  This comes not only from the financial standpoint, but also from the standpoint of tracking money.  It’s fairly easy to keep track of a few pass/don’t pass, and taken/laid odds betts.  In fact, at any given time, the outcome on all of these bets will be the same.  That is, if the dice pass, they are all given to one player, and if the dice don’t pass, they go to the other player.  The simplicity of these bets is what keeps the private dice game working, because remember, there is no layout.

Alright.  On to the next set of proposition bets on the layout.  The horn.  These are the bets on the four outside numbers (2,3,11,12) which lie in the center of the layout.  These are one roll bets, and are controlled by the stick man.  You can bet any number individually, or may bet the “horn” for all four, or a “horn high” to bet in units of 5, with the extra going on the number you call high.  For instance, a $5 horn high 11 is a $1 bet each on the 2, 3 and 12, and a $2 bet on the 11.

Horn bets on each number pay off as follows-

2/12-30 for 1

3/11-15 for 1

When you bet the horn, these bets pay 30 for 4 and 15 for 4, respectively.

Remember that the word for is not the same as the word to.  3o for 1 is actually 29 to 1, because they give you 30 and take your one.  Similarly, 30 for for is actually 26 for 1.

Now, let’s look at the math here.  There are 1 in 35 ways to roll a 2 or 12.  It pays 29:1.  That’s a house advantage of about 19 % on those bets.  Similarly, there are 2 ways of 35 to roll a 3 or an 11.  They pay 14:1.  That’s a 25% house advantage.  I would not recommend these bets.

Finally, let’s look at some terminology for these bets.

2- Although many people call this snake eyes, you will never hear casino staff call it that.  It does, however, go by the name “aces.”

3-”ace deuce”

11- “yo”

12- “midnight” or “boxcars”

Alright.  Let’s delve further into the realm of bad bets in Craps.  We’re now getting into the center of the table, called the proposition bets.  We’ll start with the Hard Ways.  The Hard Ways are a bet controlled by the stickman (the casino staffmember located in the center of the table, on the same side as the players).  That means that in order to place this bet, money is tossed toward the center of the table, and the bet called out.  Generally, there is a $1 minimum bet for proposition bets, including the Hard Ways.

 Hard Ways come in four numbers: 4, 6, 8 and 10.  They are all of the even numbers possible, except 2 and 12.  The bet is a bet that the 4, 6, 8, or 10 comes up as shown on the table (a matching pair) before either a) the number comes up any other way, or b) a 7 comes up.

 The bets pay 8 for 1 on the 4 and 10 and 10 for 1 on the hard 6 and hard 8.  Keep in mind that when they say “for” it basically means that the actual payout is one less.  That is, they give you 8 chips for your 1 chip, or they pay you 7:1

Now let’s look at the actual odds.  For all hardways, there is only one way to roll the number hard.  Now, for each of the numbers, seven loses.  That means there are 6 ways to lose to start with.  On a 4, there are an additional 2 ways to lose (1/3, 3/4) as there are on a 10 (4/6,6/4).  That means that there are 8 ways to lose.  Which means the actual odds are 8:1 on a four.  The bet pays 7:1.  That’s a bit over a 14% hold.  On a 6 and 8, there are the same 6 ways to roll a 7.  There are also 4 more “easy” ways to roll a 6 (1/5,2/4,4/2,5/1) or an 8 (2/6,3/5,5/3,6/2).  That’s a total of 10 ways to lose, versus one to win, or 10:1.  That’s a little over 11% on the hold.

 Again, considering that there are bets where you will (long term, on the average), lose only 6 cents for every $100 you bet, why give the house $11 or $14 on the same $100.

Just a review of verbiage for placing hardway bets.  To place a bet on an individual hardway, ask for a “Hard 6″ for example.  To place an equal bet on all four hardways, say “Hardways.”  What if you want to bet $5, putting the extra dollar on the 6?  “Hardways, high on the 6.”

 Also, hardways can be either “on” or “off” on the come out roll (before a point is established).  Most casinos will inform you of the default, but you may always choose to either work or not work your hardways on the come out.  For example, in most Las Vegas casinos, the “hardways work unless you call them off.”  And the stickman and pit boss will say exactly those words each time a new shooter shoots or a point is made.

Alright.  This post is going to be dedicated to two things.  First, explaining how the Place Bet works, and second, explaining why you shouldn’t do it.

Place bets are bets “placed” on specific numbers.  To place this bet, you drop your money on the table and let the dealer know what you would like to place.  For instance, put $5 down and say “Five dollar nine please.”  The dealer will then position your chip in the appropriate position along the edge of the “9″ box.  First lesson of place bets, if you absolutely must do them, is that you should always use increments of $5, except on the 6 and 8, where you should use increments of $6.  This is because of the way the bet is paid.  A place bet is a bet that the number you placed comes up before a 7.

 Now, as we all know, a 7 is the most commonly rolled number.  So, the house pays this bet at what I like to call “house odds.”  Which is to say they pay more than even money, but less than “true odds.”  The bets pay: 9 to 5 on a 4/10, 7 to 5 on a 5/9, and 7 to 6 on a 6/8.  If anything other than a 7 or the number you have placed is rolled, this bet is unaffected.

The bet is considered off when the game is off, and working when a point has been established, although you may call it off or working at any roll.  This bet is entirely within your control.  Even though the dealer keeps track of the bet for you, you can have them pull it back, increase it, or move it to another number entirely at your discretion.

 Now, for why you shouldn’t play place bets.  First, let me say that this mostly applies with larger bets.  The odds, however, are “house” odds, and not true odds.  Even though the differences in odds seem small, they are huge.  For instance, the hold on a pass line or come bet with double odds is .06%.  The hold on a place bet on the 4 is calculated below.  There 6 ways to roll a 7 and 3 ways to roll a 4.  That’s 2/1, or 10/5.  The bet pays 9/5.  That’s only a difference of 1/5, right?  That’s 20%.  That is more than 20 times the hold on a come bet which brings your money to the four.  The hold is a little bit different for each pair of numbers, but, it is always significantly higher than the hold on a pass or come bet.

There are three arguments I hear for why to place come bets:

If I put my money on the come, I have to wait for a number to come up twice, not just once.  This is true.  But, remember that luck is blind and the dice have no memory.  Just because the number came up once does not actually decrease its chances of coming up again on the very next roll.

I want to make sure my money goes to a 6 or 8, because they’re more likely to come up.  Yes, you are more likely to win money on a 6 or 8 place, pass line, or come bet.  But, you’re not winning as much money.  On a 4 or 10, you get paid 2 to 1.  So yes, you will lose that bet more often, but when you win, instead of winning $30 on a $25 odds bet, you win $50.  Mathematically, all of the numbers are equivalent for pass and come bets.

It pays the same, I might as well pick my number.  This is true on low limit tables.  For example, a $15 place bet on the 4 will pay $27.  A $5 come bet with $10 odds will actually only pay $25.  An $18 place bet on the 6 will pay $21.  A $5 come bet with $10 odds will pay $17 (although it is only a $15 bet).  But, what you need to take into account is the first roll on the come or the pass line bet.  There are 8 ways to roll a 7 or 11 (winner) and 4 ways to roll a 2, 3, or 12 (loser) on the first roll.  It’s not as simple as saying that the odds are 2:1 in your favor, because there’s also 24 ways to get a point.  But, this roll significantly affects the odds.  On a place bet, you don’t have this boost.  Also, with higher odds and/or higher limits, the advantage to odds bets becomes much more clear.  For instance, say that you are now allowed to take 5 times odds.  A $30 place bet on the 4 pays $54.  A $5 come bet with $25 odds will pay $55.  At ten times odds, a $55 place bet will pay $99.  A $5 come bet with $50 odds will pay $105.

 The bottom line is, even though at first glance the place bet may look better than the come bet, mathematically, it is a terrible bet.

Alright.

This post is going to deal with bettingthe field. I’m starting with this because it is probably one of the easiest to understand, and one of the most common, bets on the layout.

The key thing to remember about the field is that the field is a proposition bet, that is, a one roll bet. Other than that, everything about it is written right on the layout. It is simply a bet that the numbers that appear will repeat before a 7. Those numbers are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Also, as it will appear on the layout, the 2 and the 12 are special. They will pay either double or triple. Usually in Las Vegas, the 2 and 12 will pay double. In some off-strip casinos, one will pay triple, and the other double, and at some Indian casinos, both will pay triple.

Now let’s look at the odds, and why betting the field is a bad idea.

Take a look back at my post on Craps Odds. You’ll notice that there are 16 ways to roll the field numbers. It seems like a lot of numbers, but keep in mind that the four numbers that don’t appear on the most common numbers. In fact there are 20 ways to roll the non-field numbers. So, add one each for the 2 and the 12, which pay double. Now, the odds are 18:20, or 9:10, or 90%, giving the casino a 10% hold. Again, let’s compare that 10% hold to the hold on someone placing a come or an odds bet with double odds. The hold in that situation is 0.06%. Which bet would your ather take?

Alright.  For all of its reputation as a complicated game, Craps is actually pretty easy in terms of figuring out strategy and odds, and here’s why.  Unlike in card games, once a value comes up on the dice, it is not “discarded.”  The same two dice, with all six sides, are put back into play.  And, since luck is blind, the odds of a particular number coming up on any given roll are always the same.  So, here is a basic chart that helps explain how the odds work.  It is the odds of any particular combination of numbers coming up.  When I get into explaining bets and odds, I’ll refer back to it.  Just so you know, a “hard” number is a pair, and an “easy” number is any other way of rolling that number.

2-1

3-2

Hard 4-1

Easy 4-2

4-3

5-4

Hard 6-1

Easy 6-4

6-5

7-6

Hard 8-1

Easy 8-4

8-5

9-4

Hard 10-1

Easy 10-2

10-3

11-2

12-1

Total-36

Now, first of all, the means of calculating this.  There is one way to roll a 2, that is, a 1-1.  There are two to roll a 3, that is, a 1-2, or a 2-1, etc.  There will always only be one way to roll a number hard.

The pattern is important to note too.  Once you understand this, it will make it easier to remember odds for the main bets in craps.  Note that the odds are pyramid-shaped.  7 is the easiest number to roll, and outside of 7, the numbers, in pairs, get harder and harder to roll.   That is, 7 is the most common number, 6 and 8 are the next, 5 and 9 the next, 4 and 10 the next, 3 and 11 the next, and aces and boxcars (2 and 12) the hardest.

Why odds bets are the only bets on the casino floor on which the house has no advantage.  Look at the chart above.  Let’s go through each roll individually.   For a 4, there are 3 ways to roll it, versus 6 to roll a 7.  Or 3/6, or 1/2.  Note that the odds pay you the inverse of this.  Similarly.  There are 4 ways to roll a 5 or 9, to 6 ways to roll a 7, or 4/6 or 2/3.  The odds pay 3/2.  For a 6 and 8, there are 5 ways to roll it, and still 6 to roll a 7.  That makes true odds 5/6, which is why the odds pay 6/5.

It can also be seen why some bets that look great are sucker bets.  For instance, the proposition bet on “box cars,” which pays 30 for 1.  First of all, 30 for 1 is actually 29 to 1.  They give you 30 for the one they take from you.  Confusing, right?  Well, here’s the odds.  The bet pays 29:1, but should pay 36:1.  Now, that doesn’t seem like a big difference, but:  36-29=7.  7/36=19.44%.  That means that for every $100 you bet on aces or boxcars, the casino expects to keep $19.44 of it.  Compare that to the fact that there are bets on the Craps layout on which the casino expects, in the long run, to hold 6 cents for every $100 bet.

Again, the nice thing about Craps is that with this basic chart (which was not difficult to come up with) any bet and its payout can be evaluated to determine the hold using simple division, fractions, and percentages.

Betting wrong in Craps is the common term for people who bet “against” the shooter.  In reality, the shooter is also allowed to bet wrong, so this is not technically correct.

But, betting wrong is almost exactly opposite of betting right.  One important phrase on the table is “Bar 12,” which means that a 12 on the Come Out is a push.  That is, 7 or 11 lose on the Come Out, 2 and 3 win, and 12 is a push.  This evens out the odds on a Don’t Pass bet on the come out roll.

After the Come Out roll, a player may “lay” odds behind their bet.  The bet is actually a bet that a 7 does come up before the point repeats.  Since 7 is the most common combination of dice, the odds are actually in your favor.  However, the odds you lay reflect this.  That is, the odds laid pay the following:

6 or 8 pay 5:6

5 or 9 pay 2:3

and 4 or 10 pay 1:2.

 That’s right.  You will win less than your original odds bet. This is okay, because you will win more times than you will lose.

The Don’t Come is exactly the same as the Don’t Pass, but it is bet once the game is on.

Alright.  For the sake of simplicity, I’m breaking up the Craps into multiple sections.  I’ll get more into detail on strategy and odds and such later, but, do know that I’m starting with what are the two best bets on the table (and, for that matter, the casino floor), as well as the two most central to the game of Craps itself.

 First, a basic clarification.  Only one person rolls the dice at a time in Craps, and this player rotates whenever a player sevens out.  All bets placed on the table are bets on the performance of this one roller, or “shooter.”

 The Pass Line is the basis of the entire Craps game.  The pass line should be bet when the “button,” or round plastic disc in front of each dealer, is black, and reads “off.”  This initial roll is called the come-out roll.

A bet is placed on the pass line.  On the come out roll, this bet wins even money on a 7 or 11, and loses on a 2, 3, or 12.

Any other number, as an attentive player will notice, is listed in a box across the top of each side of the Craps layout.  If any number other than 7, 11, or 2, 3 and 12 (Craps) is rolled, the button is flipped to the white “ON” side in or behind the box with that number, and the game is on, and the number rolled becomes the point.

Now, the pass line bet is a bet that the “Point” will repeat before a 7 is thrown.  This bet pays even money.  Now for the good part.  There is a bet, which, not surprisingly, is not listed on the layout, but is available at any casino craps table.  It is the odds bet.  It is the only bet on a Craps table, or on the casino floor, on which the house has no advantage (other than the fact that it must be attached to a pass line bet).  This bet pays true odds, or the actual odds that the number will repeat before a 7.  The odds very by point.

6 and 8 odds pay 6:5

5 and 9 odds pay 3:2

4 and 10 odds pay 2:1.

The maximum ammount of the odds bet should be listed next to the table limits.  For instance, in Las Vegas, it is common to see signs that read,

“Table limit-$5-5000

2xodds”

This means that you can bet twice your original pass line bet as an odds bet, or “behind the line.”

The pass line bet and the odds bet are only affected by rolling the point or a 7.  If the first roll is a 6, any number other than a 6 or 7 will leave the bets in tact.  A 6 will result in the pass line being paid even money, and the odds being paid 6 to 5.  Finally, a 7 will result in a loss of both the pass line and odds bets.

The come bet is identical to the pass line, except that it is made once a point has been established.  A player may only bet the “come” line when the game is “on.”  On the very next roll, a 7 or 11 will win even money; any Craps (2, 3, or 12) will lose.  Any other number being rolled will result in the dealer (not the player) sliding the bet into the box marked by that number.  To place odds on this bet, the player will drop chips on the table and ask the dealer to place the odds.  The bet will then remain intact unless the same number is repeated, or a 7 is rolled.

In the event that the point is rolled before a come bet hits or loses, the come bet still remains in tact.  The only confusing part about this is that, on a come out roll, the bet is working and the odds are not.  That is, if the point is 6, and a player has a come bet on the 9, and a 6 is rolled, the 9 bet is still the same.  If, on the very next roll, a 9 is rolled, the player will be paid even money on the come bet, and their odds will be handed back, but not paid.  If a 7 is rolled, the come bet will be lost, but again, the player will be given back their odds.