Play Craps Like a Pro

"To the beginner, a game like Craps can be rather daunting. Once you have learned the basics and know the rules, however, you will find the game rather simple to grasp. As always, strategy plays an important role and following a calculated and intelligent strategy will assure any player of good, if not always winning, results. A crucial part of craps is for the player to understand that it is a game of rounds. Not much can be done to manipulate the outcome at craps. Instead of trying to predict the result of a single roll, a strategically well-planned game involves riding on the outcome and accordingly varying the amount of a bet. You must bet more when you are winning and less when you are losing. Using the Odds Try to use high-odds bets and be mentally prepared that you will not win each time the dice is rolled. Hence, take the best odds you can manage, use them in your favor as far as possible and play cleverly. The best odds on the table, in a game of Craps are Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come. Most bets can be added to, removed or deducted from, at any point of time. There are certain exceptions to this which are the come and pass bets where the player cannot go beyond the maximum bet on the odds. It is said that a Pass bet gives the house a 1.41% edge whereas a Don’t Pass bet gives a little less than 1.41%. These Line Bets form the core of a winning strategy. A part from this a player, in order to improve the best bet, must concentrate upon the Odds. He must either buy Odds in a Pass or Lay Odds in case of ‘Don’t Pass’. This plan improves your initial bet because the house takes on edge on Odds. Place an Odds Bet by supplementing the initial Pass/ Don’t Pass with an incremental amount after the Come Out roll. Generally you must buy the biggest Odds possible for the greater the Odds bet, in betting the maximum here you minimize the house advantage. Here’s a basic rule that you can follow: If you’re Laying Odds, let the Initial Don’t Pass bet be a multiple of $6 and then bet full on your Double Odds for a multiple of $12. Similarly, when Buying Odds, make your Pass bet a multiple of $5 so as to make the Double Odds, multiples of $10. Don’t Pass for Success Most players choose to play right and Buy the Odds as the paybacks appear to be larger. But here’s a piece of advice to those, playing seriously to win. The strategy is to look at playing wrong so as to take the smaller house edge and grind it out. Playing Wrong and Laying Odds is for seasoned players with a big roll and who for those who have the perseverance to spread the wins over longer play time. "When it comes to Double Odds, it may be safer to not Lay Double on each round. Let’s take a look at probabilities. You will find that there are four ways to roll a 5 and 9, three ways to roll 4 and 10 and five ways in which you will roll 6 or 8. Finally, there are 6 ways to roll a 7. Here’s the catch, when you’re betting wrong and going for Double Odds, the 6’s and 8’s will appear frequently making you lose the bet. Hence a good strategy will be to play Double Odds on the 4’s and 10’s. Be Humble One last piece of advice which comes direct from experience: Before you arrive at the table, try to know the rules and the basic terminology used in the game. Craps has its own language which may seem complicated to a novice but can easily be learned with practice. There is nothing more annoying than a pushy player who has no idea what he (it is usually a he) is doing. Make sure to learn the basic terminology, and be humble enough to admit that you may not know everything about the game"

Craps: Books for Beginners and Advanced Players

"Although craps is not a very complicated game, many people find themselves confused by its strange terminology and large numbers of betting options. This article focuses on the most recommended craps books available in the market including beginners books, strategy books for the advanced player and books that introduce the concept of dice control. 1) Craps for the Clueless: A Beginners Guide to Playing and Winning by John Patrick As its name indicates, it provides basic information on playing craps. The book is written in simple language that makes the terminology easy to understand even if you have never seen a craps table before. In addition to the object of the game, Craps for the Clueless, reveals the winning secrets of professional gamblers. John Patrick is a professional gambler, an author of many gaming guidebooks and the former host of the TV show "So You Wanna be a Gambler", which was aired on national cable network for over a decade. According to Patrick, a successful gambling is a result of four essentials, he calls "The Big Four", which are a proper use of the bankroll, knowledge of the game, money management and discipline. 2) Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win by Frank Scoblete This book supplies useful information for the newbie as well as for the experienced player. The book explains how the game can be beaten including explanations on which bets can lower the house edge and which bets should by avoided by the smart player. Frank Scoblete is one of the top selling gambling authors in the US and the director of Golden Touch, which offers seminars on craps and blackjack. Other recommended books by Scoblete are "The Captains Craps Revolution", "Forever Craps" and "Get the Edge at Craps". 3) Craps: Take the Money and Run by Henry J. Tamburin Take the Money and Run focuses on how to make fast profits from playing at casinos. In addition to introduction on the mechanics of the game and recommendations on best bets, the book offers the Increased Odds craps betting system and the Take the Money and Run discipline, which both promise to maximize the profits. The book also provides a special chapter on using the pass line bet for maximizing your profits. Take the Money and Run has special chapters on tournaments and new variations. Dr. Henry J. Tamburin has been playing for over 25 years, and his betting system and discipline are based on his winning experiences. 4) Dice Control for Casino Craps by Yuri Kononenko. This guide book offers an easy to understand introduction to the concept of dice control from the mathematical and mechanical points of view. Other recommended books that teach how to gain advantage over the house by using dice control are Frank Scoblete's "Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution" and "Craps Underground: The Inside Story of How Dice Controllers are Winning Millions from the Casinos", which offers a fascinating inside look on the game system. Conclusion: Unlike poker or blackjack, this game is not very popular, but in that lies the biggest opportunity. The casinos focus on getting a profit from the popular games. Take advantage of this, and make your profit at this game instead."

Craps Tournaments: Winning Tips and Guidance

"Craps tournaments popularity is increasing lately. If you are a novice craps player who is still intimidated by the great selection of bets or you find the fuss around the craps tables too loud, you might not be able to enjoy playing craps tournaments. If you are an enthusiastic craps shooter, taking part in a craps tournament is a great way to enjoy a more intensive craps playing experience, meet other craps fans and, of course, a chance to win bigger cash prizes as well as the desired title. Many casinos hold different types of craps tournaments to suit the different levels of skills and budgets of the players. Here you can find tips on the different types of casino craps tournaments including tips on how to choose the most suitable and enjoyable craps tournament as possible. In addition, you can find here tips on how to win in craps tournament. Choosing a Craps Tournament Cost: The cost of playing in a craps tournament can range from a free entry and a low buy in to an expensive entry fee with a high buy in. The prizes, needless to say, are corresponding; the higher the entry fee the larger the grand prize. The free tournaments are usually held on a weekly basis for promotional purposes while the high stack tourneys are pre scheduled, last for more than one day and their expensive entry fees include a cocktail party, free accommodation and other freebies. Competition: Evaluating the level of the competition you are going to face in advance can be tough. However, the number of entrants allowed to take part in the tournament can give you a basic indication on the level of the competition. Rules: Casinos often set different rules in craps tournaments. For example, some casinos require players to place a pass or dont pass bet each play on top of any other bets or limit the proposition bet to 25 dollars. Winning a Craps Tournament The main difference between playing a traditional craps game and a craps tournament is that with the latter you suddenly find yourself surrounded by competitors. While in a regular craps game you are used to compete against the house, in a craps tournament you are playing against the other entrants and especially against those who have managed to accumulate the biggest amount of chips. Therefore, playing craps tournaments requires amending of you strategy. Primarily, you can no longer ignore your opponents; you must keep an eye on their moves! Tips Always pay attention to your opponent’s chips; bear in mind that they might have been hiding chips to confuse the other players. Pay attention especially to your closest opponents; watch their moves and conclude your future bets so you will stay far behind. Start by playing conservatively; place small bets on pass and come bets. When an opportunity comes up, for example after making two consecutive points change your pattern and make dont pass bet. If during the final rolls you are still not leading, it is time to play aggressively; place large even bet your entire bankroll on one number and then hope for the best."

Craps Tips

"If it is hard to beat the house in casino game craps, it is impossible to beat it regularly. When playing casino game craps, do not expect to win most of the times. No real winning strategy exists for craps casino game. But you can minimize your losses and make the game more enjoyable to play, more entertaining if you follow some simple craps tips. Casino craps is a sophisticated game, it has so many kinds of bets that the first thing you need to do is to learn the casino craps game rules. There are two most common bets in the casino game craps rules - the pass line and the don't pass line. Whenever one of them wins, the other one loses. We will mention two other casino game craps bets which are also more important than the rest: the come bet and the big 6 and big 8 bet. Both of them as well as the pass line bet have lower house edge. - Pass line bets. The basic bet that the shooter will make a pass. Wins if you either throw a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll or repeat the point number before rolling a 7. - Come bets. In the casino game craps it is identical to the pass line bet, except it may be made on every throw once a point has been established. - Big 6 and 8 bets. The Big6 and Big8 bets are wagers that a 6 or 8 will be rolled before a 7. These craps bets pay even money. Take all odds bets and bet the maximum allowed amount in the casino game craps. If you are loosing the game, do not increase your bet as some craps players recommend. Do not forget that after all craps is a game of luck! If luck is against you, quit the game. Try your luck, play craps online, hope for the best and have fun! We do not claim that these craps tips will help you win money, this article is for information purpose only."

Craps for the Beginner

"Craps is one of the most exciting and social casino games in the world today. But the loud crowd and complicated-looking table can sometimes scare beginning players away. Craps, at its core, is actually a simple game. There is only one main bet that players need to learn before heading over to the table or checking out a virtual table online. After this one main wager, the other bets will come in time. Luckily, for the players, this one main bet has better odds than any of the other possible wagers in craps. More money is played at craps today than at any other casino game. The game is also one of the oldest of all the casino games and the only popular dice game at American casinos today. Its popularity isn’t it doubt and after a player learns the one basic bet in the game, its simplicity will not be questioned either. Before starting to play craps, a player needs to learn the basic etiquette and vocabulary of the game. Craps players have a language all their own. The terminology is also rivaled by the etiquette and politeness rules. This game is ancient and many of the players’ superstitions date back to its historic origins. Most players claim that learning the terms and etiquette is actually more complicated than learning the game rules and strategies. There are two rounds in craps. The first round is called the Come Out Round and the second is called the Point. Even though there are two rounds, there is really only one basic bet. The bet is this: the shooter – the person throwing the dice – needs to throw a 7 or 11 in the Come Out Round. These numbers mean an automatic win. A 2, 3, or 12 being rolled means an automatic loss. Any other number: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will become the Point and the game moves to the second round. The objective in the Point round is to roll the Point number before rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls a seven before the Point this is an automatic loss and a new game will begin." Basics for craps. I have more coming for the advanced. DL

Craps, terms.

"So you want to play Craps huh? Well, you better know some terminology. In today's article, I'll show you some key Craps terms. There are countless Craps terms out there, but we'll go over just the main and fun ones. Aces: This is a roll of two. When a two is rolled, both dice show one dot, hence the term. 2-Way Eleven: Dealers love this one. When you bet a 2-way eleven, you're making a bet on eleven for you and the dealers. It's a good move to tip the dealers when playing if you're doing well. Any Seven: This is a one-roll wager. Make this bet and if the next roll is a seven, you win. A seven can be rolled: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-1, and 6-1. The bet pays 4:1. The house edge is high on this one since it's a one-roll wager. Of course, you'd think it was a pot of gold when you're standing at an ice-cold table. Big 6: This bet is located in the lower section of the layout. It's called the big 6, because the wager space is a huge 6. It's a gimmick wager though, because it only pays even money. If you were to place the 6, you'd get odds on your payout. This bet stays up until it loses or you take it down. Big 8: It's the same as the Big 6, except it's an 8. You'll win every time an 8 is rolled and lose when a 7 is rolled. It pays even money. Unless you're very lazy, place the 8 instead. Big Red: No, it's not a stick of gum. This is a codeword for making a wager on Any Seven. Bones: Throw them bones. The bones are the dice. Black: This is slang for a $100 cheque-also called a chip by the layman. "Give me a stack of black," would be saying that you want a stack of $100 cheques, which is $2,000-there are 20 cheques/chips in a stack. Boxcars: Keep making this wager and you might be living in a boxcar. This is slang for the number 12-6-6 on the dice. Boxman: This is the guy who is in the suit and sitting down in-between the two dealers on the inside of the Craps table. He's the boss of the table. It's his job to make sure payouts are okay and to watch the game. You'll also see him tracking players for rewards. The Boys: Perhaps a bit sexist in these days since there are more and more female Craps dealers, but this is slang for the dealers at the table. "Here's $20 for the boys," means that you're giving $20 as a tip to the dealers. In the old days, you'd only find male Craps dealers. Buffalo: Okay, it's not an animal. When you make a buffalo wager, you're betting on each of the Hardways and Any Seven. If you want to mix it up, you can make a Buffalo-Yo wager, which is all of the Hardways and a Yo (eleven) bet. Buy: When you place a number, you can buy it. When you buy the number, you're paying a 5% commission for true odds. You'll rarely see the 5,6,8 or 9 bought. It's almost always the 4 and 10. Why? Well, when you buy the 4 and 10 you get 2 for 1 odds rather than 9 for 5. Imagine you bought the 4 for $25. Each time the 4 hits, you would be paid $50. Your commission would be $1. The commission is off the bet not the win. Also, the commission is rounded down, as most Craps tables don't have 25-cent cheques. C and E: This is an extremely common wager on the come out roll. When you make a C and E wager, you're betting on Any Craps and Eleven (Yo). It's a one-roll wager. You can make this bet any time, but most people do it on the come out roll to protect their Pass Line bets. Charting: If you go to the casinos in Downtown Las Vegas, you're likely to see a charter. Charting is when you record the action of a table. Usually this is done on a notepad. Why chart a table? Many people who do it believe there are patterns in the dice-not true. Others do it on a person by person basis, because they believe people have certain patterns. If you play online, you can do this easily and without standing out like you would at a real table. Change Only: IMPORTANT! If you do nothing else, remember this command. When you are at a real Craps table and you throw money down, it plays where it stays unless you say "Change Only." Many unsuspecting people have thrown their money down expecting change only to see it gobbled up after it lost. Now, if you want the money to be a bet, just don't say another word or say "Money Plays." That's the command for letting the money sit and play. The dealer shouldn't touch the money. Cheques: This is the official term for what many call chips. Let's say you have a $100 cheque and you want a stack of $5 cheques, you would put down your cheque in the Come area and say "Cheque Change." That's the dealer's cue that you don't want it to play and that you want smaller cheques/chips. Coloring: There are various terms that involve color. The first is color in, which is said by the dealer to let the boxman know that cheques are coming in. The next is coloring up, which is said to inform the boxman, or whoever, that the cheques are being exchanged. For instance, if you handed in a stack of red ($5 cheques, which is $100 total), the dealer might say color in, then coloring up. Next, he'll say color out and hand you one $100 cheque. Come Bet: To place a Come wager, you place the desired cheque(s) in the Come area, which is that big space right below the numbers. Think of the Come bet as the Pass Line bet. First, you place your wager. Second, a number is rolled. Your wager is moved to that number. Finally, when the number is rolled a second time, your wager is taken down and paid. You can put odds on your wager once it gets placed in a number. When you place a wager in the Come area, it will win instantly if the next roll is a 7 or 11, but it will lose instantly if the number is 2, 3 or 12. The Don't Come Bet is just the opposite. If you bet this, you want to see the shooter throw a 7 before your number. Come out Roll: This is sort of the start of every cycle if you will. The purpose of the come out roll is to establish the point. If the shooter throws a 7 or 11, all Pass Line wagers win and all Don't Pass wagers lose. If the shooter throws a 2, 3, or 12, all Pass Line Wagers Lose. The Don't Pass wagers win on 2 and 3, but push (bar) on 12. Comps: These apply to any game. When you get a comp, you get something for free from the casino. For instance, maybe you're playing Craps and the pit boss decides to comp you lunch. Comps are usually handed out to players who meet certain criteria. It's important to note that there is no way you can get a comp unless you're being tracked. This means you must register for the casino's player card. And when you get change at a table, give them your card to. Comps are also called rewards these days and most casinos have went to a system to reward players automatically. Crap: So, what is a Crap anyway-aside from the obvious? The numbers 2, 3 and 12 are Craps. And if you wager on Any Craps, these are the winning numbers you want to see rolled. When someone throws a 2, 3 or 12 on the first roll, it's called Crapping Out." My appologies again... My definition list ends at "c". So this will have to be updated at a future date! DL

Craps.... The History of.

"The historian may have a little trouble clearly defining the history of Craps. In some circles, Craps has a debatable history. I found it fairly challenging to trace the game of Craps back to one single origin. If popularity is to rule the day, then we should go with a widely accepted origin. It's largely accepted that Craps evolved from an old game called Hazard, which was allegedly created by Bernard de Mandeville. While his name might sound French, Hazard didn't come into being in France or even Europe. Nope. Hazard was forged right in the USA. The time was 1813 and the place was none other than party town New Orleans-figures right? As the legend goes, Hazard grew in popularity. And here's something to completely throw you. Many found Hazard to be too complicated, so they simplified it. The new name? Craps. Many people today think Craps is extremely complicated. Can you imagine what Hazard must be like? The tables in Vegas would be barren-only a couple rocket scientists here and there. Come on baby, daddy needs a new pocket protector. In the glory years, Craps was part of American culture. It was played in casinos and on many American streets. It was a game that was at least known about by most of society. And then the fall came. Some believe that gamblers just don't want to think much. They want to put their money down and have a set path with limited choices. The popularity decline of Craps over the past 20 years would seem to support this theory. Craps' decline helped give rise to other games-like Blackjack. In the early 1990s, Las Vegas casinos experimented with a simpler version of Craps. Many of the decisions were taken out and it was more of a carnival came. There was one dealer-think Blackjack table here. You'd make a bet and throw the dice. It failed. Real Craps players weren't interested in the novelty game and non-Craps players just didn't give a, well, crap. The casinos saw that there wasn't any real money in the game and ditched it. I think the game failed, because of one critical issue-community. Most real world Craps players play the game, because of the atmosphere. They want to be where the action is. Also, they want others to throw the dice to mix things up. There's nothing better than a full table of happy Craps players. No matter where you are in the casino, you'll hear the shouts. Craps also has an interesting twist. An empty table is hard to fill. Craps players go where other Craps players are. Take a look at any other game, like Blackjack. An empty table can be a welcomed sight. There's no other game as passionate as Craps." Gonna be a lot of posts today, my appologies for the 2 weeks down time :) DL