Craps Betting For Beginners

1. Craps Betting For Beginners Don't Pass And Come
2. Best Craps Bets For Beginners
3. Craps Betting For Beginners
4. Craps Betting Strategy For Beginners

History – How To Play – Rules – Odds – Strategy – Pro’s Perspective

One of the easiest bets is called 'The Field'. This is a one time bet for the dice to roll a 2,3,4,9,10,11, or 12. It pays 1 to 1 so betting $15 wins $15. Usually a 2 or 12 wins more! Craps is one of the most fun casino games there is, but for the first timer this game of dice can appear daunting. But fear not, our craps for beginners guide will help you with that! In simple terms, craps is a game of dice where you can bet that the shooter wins or loses.

1. Betting in Craps & Craps Strategy. When playing Craps, the most common craps bets are pass line, place bets, hard ways and craps & eleven. Below are several betting terms that you should familiarize yourself while playing craps. Pass Line Bet: Players are betting that on the first roll 7 or 11 rolls to win, 2, 3, or 12 loses. If a number such.
2. Craps rules determine how a typical round of dice shooting happens. Craps rules are easy to learn, though the game has a lot of slang and terminology which might cause issues for beginners. Craps also has a lot of different bets, so a tutorial is needed when learning to play craps.
3. When placing a bet on a craps shooter, the best bet to make is either a Pass Line bet with full odds or a Come bet with full odds. This is because for both the Pass Line and Come bets the house edge is only 1.41%. This means that every $10 you bet, you will lose just 14 cents (on average over time).

Craps is a table game played with dice that is highly popular in land-based casinos. Although it can be played at online casinos, it is more fun and exciting at land-based casinos. Whenever you enter a land-based casino, you will find a table that has players around it screaming and yelling numbers — this is the Craps table. There are two types of Craps. One is casino craps. In this game, players at the Craps table are all betting against the house or the casino, which is why it is called Casino Craps. The second kind is called Street Craps, which is where players play against each other — it used to be played in the streets, hence the name.

Craps is a game of pure luck as it all depends on the dice and the numbers that are rolled. In this game, players will place wagers on the outcome of the two thrown dice. A player who throws the dice is referred to as the shooter. After the dice have been rolled, players will be paid according to the outcome. Some wagers need more than one roll, while other wagers can be settled after one roll. In this tutorial, we are going to discuss the payouts and the different wagers that can be placed at the Craps table as well as the rules players will have to follow while playing at the table.

Craps History

Evidence suggests Craps may have originated and evolved during the ancient Roman Empire. While in camp Roman soldiers used to carve the knuckles of pigs into cubes and would toss them over their shield. The term “To Roll the Bones” originated from this game. Other theories claim Craps originated in the Middle Ages with the people in the Arabian deserts as they used to play a game that was quite similar to Craps called Hazard or Azzahr.

The definitive rules of this game were founded in the early 1700′s by Montmort. The roll that had the lowest value was referred to as crabs. While many believe this is where Craps got its name from, others believe the word evolved from Crapeaud, which is the French word for toad. Other theories claim the French were trying to reclaim the game as their own and they took the English word Crabs and spelled it in French as Crabes. In the 1700′s, the game succeeded in crossing the Atlantic Ocean and reached Acadia, the French Colony.

In 1755, the French lost their colony and the people of Acadia relocated to Louisiana. They brought the French game Crabes to Louisiana, but the game had changed to Creps or Crebs. By the year 1842, Craps started to be the dominant term and is still the name that is prevalent to this day.

During World War II, the Street version of the game became very popular and was played by the soldiers who used their blankets as the gaming surface. There was no wall to stop the dice from rolling out so they used blanket rolls to prevent it.

It is also important to note that the Craps version in modern America was brought by in Bernard Xavier Philippe, who was not only a politician but a gambler too. His version of Craps had a flaw that allowed players to exploit the game by taking advantage of the wagering system or by using fixed dice. This problem was fixed by John H Winn who introduced a new wagering option: “Do Not Pass”. This wagering option is used to this day at any casino that offers craps to its players around the world.

How to Play Craps

As mentioned before, there are two types of Craps, we are going to discuss the gaming procedure of the most commonly played Craps version, Casino or Bank Craps. This version is played at casinos, this is why in this game, players will place wagers against the casino. The payoffs of the game may differ from one casino to the next.

In this game, players will take turns in rolling the dice. As previously mentioned the player throwing the dice is called “The Shooter”. Before the shooter throws the dice, players will place their chips on the bets they want. They will find the different bets on a piece of green cloth; this piece of cloth has different available bets printed on it. Players can therefore easily place their chips on the bets they want to wager on. Players can usually go ahead and place their chips but there are some wagers that require players to ask the croupiers before putting them.

In order for a Craps player to get the chance to throw the dice as the shooter, he has to be active at the table by placing bets on either the Pass line or the Do Not Pass line wagers. These bets are also sometimes referred to as Right & Wrong or Win and Don’t Win bets.

Players will roll the dice and keep passing it on in a clockwise direction. The player who is throwing the dice, the shooter, will roll his dice until he loses by getting a 7 or until his round is completed. The dealer in this game, also known as the Stickman is the person who represents the casino. He is called a Stickman because he uses a stick to collect the chips and move the dice around. The Stickman will present the shooter with 5 different dice and the shooter chooses 2 of them. The remaining dice will be placed in a bowl.

There are numerous bet types that can be placed at the Craps table; we are going to discuss the most common one below, the Line Wager. The line wager contains two bets; they are called the Pass Line and the Do Not Pass line wagers. The first one is a bet that the shooter could win.

If the first roll which is also referred to as the come out dice roll lands on either a 7 or an eleven, then the dice shooter will win. If the dice is equal to 2, three, or 12, then shooter will lose. On the other hand, if the dice has any other outcome than the ones mentioned, this value will be called “Point”. In this case, the shooter will have to throw the dice again.

If he succeeds in rolling the point value before rolling a 7, he will win but if he rolls a 7 before he rolls the Point value, he will lose. The other bet is called the Do Not Pass wager, it is the exact opposite. Both bets pay 1:1.

Craps Rules

The rules at the Craps table include the wagers and the payouts. Apart from these basic rules, there are also some other unwritten rules that casinos implement at the Craps table. If you are a new player, after getting to know the basic payouts, rules and gaming procedure, you should also get to know these etiquette rules because you will be expected to abide by them at any casino.

Some of these rules are concerned with the security of each casino, including the following:

1. You are not permitted to handle the dice with both your hands. This includes shaking the dice in your hands before you throw them. Players are also expected to keep their hands on the surface of the craps table while they are handling the dice.

2. The shooter is required to throw the dice so they hit the other side of the table. Rolls that do not reach the other wall of the Craps table are called Mellenberg Rolls. Some casinos allow these rolls if they get past half the distance to the other wall. Any dice rolls that do not get past half the distance will have to be repeated because these short rolls can be controlled to somw extent.

3. Players should toss the dice on the table. Not slide them.

4. If the thrown dice by some chance hits other players or the hand of the dealer and still lands on the table, it can be counted provided that the players have not interfered with the rolled dice. Some casinos may deem these as no rolls and request the player re-roll the dice.

5. At some casinos, players will be able to call bets. Calling bets means they can start placing bets while they are waiting for their chips — they will call the bet and place it when they get the chips. Casinos that don’t allow such bets will have the words “No Call Bets” printed on the table of the game.

6. Casinos have the right to ask Craps players to leave the table at any given time without having to give any specific reason.

7. Do no toss chips on the craps table. Place them slowly.

8. Whenever players are offered to be the shooter, they are allowed to hand it to any other players at the table.

9. When players place service bets, which are bets that the dealers place on their behalf, they should tip them.

10. Players will tip dealers by throwing the tip on the table and saying “For the Boys” or “For the Dealers.” It works both for male and female dealers.

Craps Odds

Understanding and knowing the odds of the dice to get a certain outcome is the essence of Craps. If you are going to place real money wagers at a Craps table, it is essential for you to remember these odds. First of all, you will have a slight disadvantage when you place the Pass Line wager: the odds of winning are 970 out of 1980 times. In other words, the edge of the house for this wager equals 1.414 percent.

You can find the different bets that can be found at casinos, as well as their odds and the house advantage of each wager illustrated below:

The Pass Line wager has odds of 251 to 244, which is why players will be paid even money for this bet. The house advantage for this bet equals 1.414 percent. A Do Not Pass wager has odds of 976 to 949. It also pays even money and the house advantage equals 1.404 percent.

For Pass Line Bets:

– Betting on four or ten has odds of 2 to 1 and it pays out on the same rate, 2:1.
– Betting on five or nine has odds of 3 to 2 and it pays out on the same rate, 3:2.
– Betting on six or eight has odds of 6 to 5 and it pays out on the same rate, 6:5.

All of these bets have the same house advantage that is equal to 4.76 percent.

For Do No Pass Line Bets:

– Betting on four or ten has odds of 1 to 2 and it pays out on the same rate, 1:2. The house advantage is equal to 2.44 percent.
– Betting on five or nine has odds of 2 to 3 and it pays out on the same rate, 2:3. The house advantage is equal to 3.23 percent.
– Betting on six or eight has odds of 5 to 6 and it pays out on the same rate, 5:6. The house advantage is equal to 4 percent.

For Field Bets:

– Betting on 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 pays 1:1
– Betting on 2 or 12 pays 2:1

All of these bets have odds of 5:4 and has a house advantage that is equal to 2.78%.

For One-Roll Bets:

– Any Seven has odds of 5 to 1, pays 4:1 and it has a house edge of 16.9 percent.
– Any Craps has odds of 8 to 1, pays 7:1 and it has a house edge of 11.1 percent.
– 2 and 12 Craps have odds of 35 to 1, pays 30:1 and it has a house edge of 13.9 percent.
– 3 and 11 Craps have odds of 17 to 1, pays 15:1 and it has a house edge of 11.1 percent.

British casinos are tightly regulated and they offer better payouts on some of the best.

Craps Strategy

Craps is a dice game in which players will entirely either win or lose depending on the outcome of the dice. There isn’t any skill or decision making involved in the game — it is purely based on luck. There are no strategies or techniques to this game either. Despite that, there are some betting tips that can help players minimize their losses and increase their odds.

If you are a beginner, it is better to stick to the Pass Line Bet because the house edge of this wager equals 1.41 percent. The rest of the Craps bets at the table offer worse odds, so this is the best bet for new players. Although the Do Not Pass offers better odds as it has a house edge of 1.36 percent, it is frowned upon because you will be betting against the shooter and people will not appreciate that. It is safer to bet on the Pass Line wager because you wouldn’t want to antagonize and cross the shooter for a small 0.05 percent advantage.

Craps Dice Probability Chart

The best bet in craps after the first roll is the odds bet. Once a point is determined, players will be able to place an additional wager that is a multiple of the pass line bet. The multiple differs from one casino to another, but the most common is 2X. The best thing about the odds bets is that it pays according to their true odds, which means the house has a 0% advantage; players should always place these bets.

Stay away from the proposition bets. These bets are settled in one roll.

Although the dealer might tempt you to place these bets, you should not because they have the highest house advantage.

Players are also advised to tip the dealers at the Craps tables. This is not a bribe — in no way can the dealer interfere or affect the outcome of the dice. On the other hand, they can guide you and help you throughout the game. Dealers rely on these tips and they are a great part of their salary. Tipping the dealer will create a repoire and you will receive invaluable advice that will help elevate the level of your game.

Players should also read about the etiquette and learn the unwritten rules of Craps are. Some casinos will give players the boot and request that they leave if they are not following and abiding by these etiquette rules. You can find out more about these rules at the “Rules” section of Craps on this website.

Lastly, players are advised against taking tips from other players at the Craps table, no matter how tempting it might be, because the other players will not always give the correct advice.

Pro’s Perspective: Craps Strategies and Tips

With John Grochowski

Players who take the house edge seriously will quickly come to the conclusion that only a few bets are worth taking. Pass or do not pass and come or do not come are the basics, and some players also like place bets on 6 or 8 despite a slightly higher house edge just so that they can get the most frequently rolled non-7s working for them.

One-roll Bets and House Edge

One roll bets aren’t worth a second look. Why settle for an 11.1 percent house edge on any craps when you can bet pass at 1.41 percent? Given that a player is sticking with the best bets, the next question to arise often is, “Should I take the odds?” The answer depends on your bankroll and bet size.

There is no house edge on the odds. Paying at true odds, they’re a rare example of even bets in a casino. To take the odds, however, you must bet pass or come, or don’t pass or don’t come, and those bets do carry an edge. If you’re a table minimum bettor, it’s between you and your bankroll as to whether you take the odds.

The Reality of Craps Odds

Let’s say you’re at a table with a $5 minimum bet, and you bet that minimum on the pass line 100 times. You have $500 at risk. The 1.414 percent house edge means that at the end of the trial, the average house take from your $500 is $7.07.

Now let’s say you bet the $5 minimum on a pass and $10 in double odds. Per 100 trials, you risk $500 on a pass and $1,000 double odds. The odds are a break-even bet, so on average, the house take is zero, while the house take on your pass bets remains $7.07. When results deviate from average, you can have much larger wins when you take the odds, and also much larger losses. Your average loss comes back to that same $7.07 with or without odds.

Now let’s say you increase your pass bet to $15 without taking odds. Your risk per 100 trials increases to $150, and your average loss increase to $21.21.

Advantages to Taking Odds

Here’s where it’s to your advantage to take the odds. Instead of increasing your pass bet to $15, leave it at the table minimum of $5, then use the rest of your intended bet increase to take the odds. That leaves your average loss at $7.07 while opening the door to larger wins.
Many modern casinos offer more than double odds. Some offer up to 100x odds, and it’s become increasingly common for American casinos to offer 3x, 4x, 5x odds, meaning you can make an odds bet of three times your pass or come bet if the point number is 4 or 10, four times on 5 or 9 or five times on 6 or 8.

Regardless of what odds the casino permits, the most advantageous play is to use the odds bet to keep your pass or come bet low, then to put more of your money on the higher-paying odds.

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.

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

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.

1. Wait until the shooter establishes a point.
2. Play both come/don’t come (same amount). Until you have a maximum of four numbers
3. 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.

• 5- place $5
• 6- place $6
• 8- place $6
• field- $5
• total= $22

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

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).

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.

Craps Betting For Beginners Don't Pass And Come

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.

Best Craps Bets For Beginners

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.

Craps Betting For Beginners

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.

Craps Betting Strategy For Beginners

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.