Setting the Craps Stage

Craps is like no other casino game. The sheer variety of bets means you and other players at the same table may all be playing different games. A single dice roll may mean a win to you, a loss to another player, and absolutely nothing to a third.

Before you can start making your bets, you need to know how to play Craps. This section looks at the game’s objective and its important props and characters. We also have a short section on how to properly behave at a Craps table.

Casting the dice

The dice are the heart and soul of the Craps game. No doubt, you know a die (the singular form of dice) when you see it: that six-sided cube, one to six dots (or pips) marking each face.

In the game of Craps, the objective is to bet on the outcome of the roll. So you can help yourself by understanding the various combinations of dice throws. Take a look at Figure 7-1. A pair of dice has 36 possible ways to land on a given throw, which means that you have a 1-in-36 chance of rolling any single combination. But for the most part, the dice total is what matters in Craps. A 7 is still a 7, whether the dice come up 5 and 2, 6 and 1, or 3 and 4. Because some totals have multiple combinations, certain rolls are more likely than others.

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FIGURE 7-1: The possible dice combinations.

In Craps, you have the following possibilities of outcomes:

Six ways to roll a 7, or 16.7 percent
Five ways to roll a 6 or an 8, or 13.9 percent for each
Four ways to roll a 5 or a 9, or 11.1 percent for each
Three ways to roll a 4 or a 10, or 8.3 percent for each
Two ways to roll a 3 or an 11, or 5.6 percent for each
One way to roll a 2 or a 12, or 2.8 percent for each

Don’t think of Craps as a game of just dice rolls but as a game of dice-roll sequences. Craps is more than a toss of the dice; it’s a series of tosses. Most bets win or lose based on numbers thrown in a certain order. Knowing the terminology can help you keep it straight: A throw is a single toss of the dice, and a roll is the series of throws that result in a win or loss for the main Craps bets. Sometimes you even hear the word hand, which refers to every roll (as in sequence of throws) a single shooter (see “Shooting for the whole table,” later in this section) has before relinquishing the dice to the next player.

Surveying the lay of the table

Before you can start to play Craps, you need to know the landscape. You play Craps on a long, narrow, felt-covered table (see Figure 7-2) that has a foot-high ridge running all the way around, making it the perfect mini-arena for tossing dice — or racing hamsters. The standard Craps table is large in order to accommodate up to 14 players at a time. Craps is a stand-up game — no chairs for you or the other players. At the top of the ridge is the rail with two grooves (the rail rack) perfectly sized to hold casino chips. But make sure you keep your drinks, purse, cigarettes, and everything else off the rail. A built-in shelf at your knees keeps your personal items safely out of the way of the game.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 7-2: The Craps layout.

Depending on how you choose to bet, you place your bets in the designated area of the layout (the playing surface). Figure 6-2 shows the jigsaw puzzle of betting boxes. (We explain these boxes in “Relying on Strategy to Place the Best Bets,” later in this chapter.) The layout consists of two parts:

The center section is for long-shot bets (see “Avoiding ‘Sucker’ Bets” for more on high-risk bets).
The left and right wings are for the main bets.

The left and right halves of the table are identical to each other, so you can pick either one. Some space-constrained casinos have smaller Craps tables consisting of a center section and a single wing. But other than the truncated table (and reduced dice trajectories), game play at those tables is identical to play at full tables.

Getting to know the Craps crew

Before you start to play, you need to understand who’s who at a Craps table. The following four people man a standard Craps table. (You can also check out Figure 7-2 to see where these people stand during play.) They’re listed according to how much you interact with them during a session at the Craps table.

Two dealers: Each dealer covers one wing of the table. The dealer’s job is to change your currency into chips, help place your bets, and pay off winners.
Stickman: The stickman, who stands at the middle of the table and opposite from the dealers, is in charge of the dice. His job is to retrieve and deliver the dice to the felt in front of the shooter by using a long, straight, putter-shaped stick. The stickman also makes the call (announcing the results of the roll to the entire table), oversees the central betting area (placing all bets in that area for players), and instructs the dealers to pay out winners.
Boxman: Sitting across from the stickman at the center of the table, the boxman is also the bossman, overseeing the entire game, releasing stacks of chips to the dealers, and collecting cash for the house. He watches the bets and keeps a wary eye on the dice, the other dealers, and you and the other players to make sure everything’s on the up and up.

Shooting for the whole table

The shooter is a key character in Craps because she’s the player who’s rolling the dice. In Craps, shooting, or dice rolling, is a rotating affair. Each player gets a turn to roll for the entire table, and the honor moves clockwise around the table. When your turn comes around, the stickman pushes five dice toward you, and you select two. The only requirement to shoot is that you have a bet riding.

If you’re a Craps newbie, you can refuse your turn to roll the dice, but we recommend you give it a try. Shooting is part of the experience of Craps. Even if your first roll goes completely off the table or lands in someone’s drink, pocket, sleeve, mouth, or cleavage, the game continues, and nobody gets too upset. The stickman (when he’s done laughing at you) calls, “No roll.” Then the boxman inspects the errant die and gives you another shot at getting it right.

Minding Mr. Manners at a Craps table

When you’re playing Craps, most of the etiquette-related manners focus on the dice, so pay attention to where the dice are at all times. When the stickman yells, “Dice are out!” the shooter has permission to roll the dice. This is your signal to get your hands up and out of the way (assuming you’re not the shooter).

The following are some of the simple do’s and don’ts of Craps etiquette:

Keep drinks away from the rail. And definitely don’t hold your drink over the rail. Craps is a fist-pumping, back-slapping, wild game, so you’re bound to get jostled and splash your whiskey on the felt.
Don’t touch the numbers. Craps dealers keep a lockdown on parts of the layout. Players are only allowed to place chips on the bets right in front of them: the pass-line and don’t-pass bets, plus the come, don’t-come, field, and Big 6/8. The unspoken demarcation line is the come box; any bet in the numbered squares requires a dealer’s assistance. The same is true for all bets in the middle area; the stickman places those bets for all players. (Check out “Avoiding ‘Sucker’ Bets,” later in this chapter, for more info about these bets.)
Handle the dice with one hand only. When your turn comes, never use two hands — and keep the dice where the crew can see them. Casinos are justifiably obsessed with cheaters who might sneak crooked dice into the game, so these rules limit those chances of cheating.
Do your best to toss a valid throw. Toss the dice so they hit the far wall of the table and bounce off. This move ensures a random outcome and is considered a valid throw. Also, don’t toss the dice too high or too soft, and keep the arc lower than the tallest player at the table.
Leave the fancy pitches to baseball. Don’t fling the dice like a hotshot grounder to third — you’re likely to leave piles of rubble in your wake and generate a dirty look from the boxman. As a dealer once said of dice, “They’re small, light, and not made of dynamite.”

Walking through Craps, Step by Step

Craps is definitely a luck-based game, but estimating the odds successfully does require some homework so you understand the chances of rolling certain number combinations. The good news is that your odds of coming out ahead of the house are some of the best in the casino if you stick to the basic bets (despite the numerous fancy bets available).

Before you decide to join the game, make sure you’ve read the previous section, “Setting the Craps Stage,” for the lowdown on a Craps table layout and the important members of the cast and crew.

Buying in

The game cycle starts as you place chips — or have the dealer place them — onto the marked betting boxes on the table. Minimum Craps bets typically begin at $5. (The table minimum and maximum appear on the standard casino betting-terms placards on the inside wall of the table in front of each dealer.)

After you elbow your way in and claim a spot at the rail, you need to get some chips to play with. Wait until after the dealers pay out the winning bets and the dice are sitting idle at the center of the table in front of the boxman. Then ask the dealer for chips by saying “Change, please.”

Dealers can’t take money directly from your hand, so drop the bills on the table. If the dealer is busy doing something else, just wait a few seconds. The crew has its own ways to keep track of all the players. After the dealer notices your bills, she takes them and slides a stack of chips back to you. Pick them up and put them in your rail rack — the two grooves on the rim of the table that act as trays for your casino chips.

Coming out: The first roll in Craps

Before the game starts, most players at the table place line bets, which means they put money on the pass line or the don’t pass (see “Relying on Strategy to Place the Best Bets,” later in this section, to understand what these actual bets mean). The action begins when the stickman pushes five dice to the shooter, who selects two for the throw. The shooter tosses the dice to the opposite end of the Craps table for the come-out roll, the first step in the game sequence. Although this throw looks like any other, certain rules apply for come-out rolls that are different from subsequent rolls.

If the come-out roll is 7 or 11 (a natural), all bets on the pass line win even money. If the roll is a 2, 3, or 12 (Craps), then all pass-line bets lose. For example, a player sets a $25 chip on the pass line and the shooter throws a 3 and 4 on the dice (to make a 7 for a natural). That player’s bet wins, and he is paid immediately; the dealer on his side of the table places a $25 chip next to his original bet. Had the shooter rolled a 1 and 1 for a total of 2 (Craps), the pass-line bet would lose, and the dealer would remove the player’s $25 chip.

Making a point

If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point. The line bets are neither paid nor raked if a point number is rolled on the come-out; the fate of those bets now depends on the next roll.

As soon as the point is established (assume it’s the number 9), the shooter is no longer coming out. Instead, he now makes point rolls: throwing the dice until he either hits the number 9 again (makes the point) or throws a 7. If he makes the point by rolling a 9, the sequence starts over — the table reverts to a new come-out roll with the same shooter. However, if he throws a 7 before a 9, then the roll is a loser, the shooter’s turn is over, and the dice move to the next shooter.

If you make your way to the edge of the action in the middle of a game, you can quickly tell what type of roll it is by looking for the marker puck, a small plastic disc. If the roll is a point roll, the puck sits white-side-up in the square above the point number on the felt. During the come-out roll, the puck sits black-side-up in the don’t-come area (see Figure 6-2), and the dealer moves it as soon as the point is rolled. For example, if you see the white puck over the 4, you know that the table is currently in the point roll, and the shooter continues to roll until she hits a 4 (makes the point) or throws a 7 (sevens out).

Relying on Strategy to Place the Best Bets

Craps offers more than 100 different kinds of bets. The table layout (Figure 6-2) gives a mere hint of all the betting options to consider, from bets that depend on a series of rolls to one-roll bets that hinge on only the next throw. But with a variety of bets comes a variety of odds. Many of the bets in Craps tilt too heavily toward the house to be worth considering.

Before you toss down your cash and buy in at a table, make sure the table betting minimum is within your budget so you don’t make a quick exit. Minimum bets are as low as $5, sometimes even $3, but during busy times or at ritzier clubs, the minimums rise accordingly, with many tables sporting $25 or $100 minimums.

You may have a good understanding of how to play Craps if you’ve read the previous sections in this chapter. (If you haven’t, we suggest you check them out to get a good foundation of how to play Craps.) If you do understand the very basics of Craps, then this section is for you. Here we focus on betting and how you can use strategy to make the best bets.

You don’t need to understand every single bet on the table to become a good player. In fact, some bets have such poor odds that you’re better off avoiding them altogether. With so many options, you want to concentrate on the most advantageous bets. If you’re fairly new (or even an old pro) at playing Craps, we suggest you focus on the following bets.

The pass-line bet

The main wager in Craps is the pass-line bet, also called the front-line bet. The pass-line bet is popular because it offers eight ways to win and only four ways to lose, yielding a low house edge of only 1.41 percent (the casino wins an average of $14 out of every $1,000 bet). The pass-line bet works as follows:

On the come-out roll, a 7 or 11 wins.
A come-out roll of 2, 3, or 12, known as a Craps, loses.
If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number becomes the point, and the next sequence of rolls is point rolls.
A 7 is a loser after the point is established.

During point rolls, all pass-line bets can still win if the point is rolled before a 7, which can happen on the very next roll. However, the shooter may have to throw the dice dozens of times before the bet is resolved by either a 7 or the point number coming up on the dice. If the shooter sevens out — rolls a 7 before the point — all the pass-line bets lose. For example, if the come-out roll is a 10, the dealer moves the puck white-side-up into the 10 square. For the next roll or sequence of rolls, your pass-line bet wins if the roll is a 10 but loses if it’s a 7. All other numbers rolled will be meaningless (at least for the pass-line bet).

You aren’t allowed to take down (remove your pass-line bet) after the point is established, but you may increase it with an odds bet, which we discuss later in “The odds bet” section.

Most casinos allow you to make a pass-line bet (called a put bet) after the point is established. Some gamblers place these bets if they walk up to a table in the middle of point rolls. This move lets them play immediately instead of waiting for the next come-out roll. But put bets aren’t smart moves, even if they look attractive when the point is 6 or 8. The better play is to make a come bet. (See the next section for more on the come bet.)

The come bet

After the point is established on a come-out roll, only the point and the 7 can affect bets on the pass line. Because it can take a dozen or more rolls to hit one of those two numbers, the come bet offers extra playing excitement to bettors. With a come bet, every point roll can be an independent come-out roll.

You can place come bets only after a point has been established for the pass-line bettors. To place a come bet, slide a chip to the large area on the layout marked Come. Make sure you slide the chip directly in front of you so the dealers know it’s yours. Now you’re betting on the next throw of the dice. Just like a pass-line bet,

7 or 11 win outright.
2, 3, or 12 loses.
If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is thrown, that number becomes your point number. You win if that point number is thrown again before a 7, but you lose if a 7 is rolled before the point number.

So, for example, you have a pass-line bet on the board and the established point is a 6. That bet is only resolved if a 6 (win) or 7 (loss) is thrown. Before the next throw, you place a new bet in the come area, subject to the same minimum betting rules as the pass-line bet. Now the shooter throws a 2. Your original pass-line bet is unaffected, but you lose your new come bet. You put another chip on the come area, and this time the shooter throws an 8. The dealer moves that come bet to the 8 square. Now you’re rooting for two different numbers, the 6 and the 8. If either number appears, one of your bets will pay off. Of course if a 7 appears, you lose both the original pass-line bet and the come bet on the 8.

When you hear about players going on great Craps rolls, some time period is usually associated with it … 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour. You lose your turn only when you seven out, or throw a 7 after the come-out roll. Only on seven outs does the whole table lose all its pass-line and come bets. So for a hot shooter to roll the dice over and over, she must be hitting point after point after point.

The don’t-pass line bet

The don’t-pass line bet, or back-line bet, plays the opposite of the pass-line bet. If you make this bet, you’re called a wrong-way bettor. But don’t worry, it’s not immoral or against the rules to bet this way. The word wrong just means you’re betting opposite the dice, or opposite the way most people bet. How you win your bets is also opposite. If the come-out roll is a 2 or 3 (Craps), the don’t-pass bet wins even money. But if the shooter throws a 7 or 11, the bet loses. The don’t-pass line bet is fairly safe, yielding a house edge of 1.36 percent, which is slightly better than the pass-line bet.

You can only place chips on a don’t-pass bet before a come-out roll. As soon as a point has been established and the shooter is throwing point rolls, the don’t-pass bet is off-limits.

As a don’t-pass bettor, you want the opposite of what pass-line bettors want. You don’t want to see a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll (automatic loser). Instead you’re rooting for a 2 or 3 (automatic winner) and are indifferent to a 12. If a point is established, you’re hoping a 7 appears before the point number is rolled again. If that happens, your don’t-pass bet wins.

People who play the don’t pass are typically in the minority at a Craps table. Playing against the dice goes against one of the major appeals of the game: its community spirit. You cheer as the others are shaking their heads and cursing. But because the odds are slightly better, playing the wrong way is absolutely fine. Some people prefer the dark side approach, and over time the don’t-pass bets keep more money in your wallet than the pass-line bets.

In a pass-line bet, the 12 (along with the 2 and 3) means Craps. But, even though the 2 and 3 win even money in a don’t-pass line bet, wrong-way bettors tie (no money is won or lost) if 12 is rolled. (The don’t-pass rules can’t be completely opposite the pass-line rules or the wrong-way player would have the same slight statistical advantage that the casino enjoys with the pass-line. So one number, usually the 12, becomes the odd man out.) Two dice of 6s (box cars) appear on the table in the don’t-pass space to indicate that the don’t-pass line bars the 12, preserving the advantage for the casino. Even with this negative feature, the don’t-pass line is still a good bet.

The don’t-come bet

You make a don’t-come bet after a point has been established for the pass-line bet. But like don’t-pass bets, these bets are wrong-way, too. The don’t-come bets are at risk on the first throw — they lose if a 7 or 11 is thrown, but they win outright on a 2 or 3. The 12 is a push or tie — the same as the don’t-pass bar. After the don’t-come bet gets safely on base, it wins if 7 is rolled before the come-point is repeated, and it loses if the come-point is thrown before the 7.

The don’t-come bet is to the wrong-way bettor what the come bet is to the regular Craps bettor. The bet allows him to have more numbers working instead of having to wait for a new come-out roll.

BETTING AGAINST THE DICE

Craps players come in two basic flavors: right-way bettors and wrong-way bettors. Most players bet on the pass line and follow up with come bets. In other words, they bet with the dice. On the opposite side are the wrong-way bettors. They bet on the don’t-pass bets and follow with don’t-come bets — betting against the dice.

In addition to their polar-opposite strategies, right-way and wrong-way bettors hold another important difference: The right-way bettor must stick with the bet, while the wrong-way bettor can take down the bet at any time. Because wrong-way betting has the advantage of the bet after the point is established, the wrong-way bettor has no reason to ever take down the don’t-pass bet.

Wrong-way bettors enjoy the thrill of bucking the crowd and betting the “don’t.” But you’re definitely not going to win friends around the table when you win and everyone else loses.

The odds bet

One of the best bets in the entire casino is the odds bet, offered on pass-line and come bets. The odds bet is also advantageous for wrong-way bettors playing the don’t-pass and don’t-come bets, although the payout is less. Because taking odds is such a good deal, casinos sometimes don’t advertise this option. But if you look carefully, you can see the odds limit posted on the end zone under the rim where the dice bounce. If your bankroll can afford it, you should almost always take the odds bets.

You have no designated spot or box to place your odds bets, but the standard practice is to tuck them in right behind your pass-line bet. (See Figure 7-3.)

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FIGURE 7-3: The pass-line bet with odds placed behind it.

Taking odds on pass-line and come bets

After a point is established for the pass bet, you can take the next step and take odds. All you need to do is place your odds bet directly behind your pass-line bet (this is done between dice rolls). As long as your pass-line bet is still alive (whether it’s right after the point was established or ten rolls later), you’re free to take odds or back your bet. The amount allowed on this bet varies from casino to casino and can range from 1 to 3 times the norm — or up to 100 times the odds in rare instances.

For example, three times the odds means you’re allowed (but aren’t obligated) to bet up to three times your original pass-line bet or come bets with an odds bet. Some casinos vary the amount of odds you can take from number to number, allowing several times more on the 6 and 8 than they do on other points. If in doubt, just ask your dealer about maximum odds allowed.

Odds bets are called free odds because the house has no advantage over the player — the bet is a break-even proposition. By taking odds, you can reduce the house edge to less than 1 percent, so the bet is definitely worth making. If the point is rolled before a 7, you win both your pass-line bet and your odds bet. But if the 7 comes first, you lose both bets.

Say you put $5 on the pass line before a come-out roll in a casino that allows 3× odds. The shooter then throws a 4, a tough point number to hit because the shooter is twice as likely to throw a 7 before he throws a 4 (refer to Figure 6-1 earlier in this chapter for outcome possibilities). Not only is the house more likely to win the bet, but even if a 4 is thrown, your pass-line bet only pays even money, putting you at a serious disadvantage.

During the 10 to 20 seconds between dice throws, while other bettors place additional bets, you reach down and place $10 in chips behind your $5 pass-line bet. (You could have placed $15 because the casino allows 3× odds, but it’s fine to place any multiple of your pass-line bet.)

As the game continues, the shooter tosses the dice and, sure enough, it’s Little Joe! (That’s Craps lingo for a 4.) The casino pays your pass-line bet even money ($5 for $5) and puts $20 next to your odds bet. Payout odds on a 4 are 2 to 1, a reward level that exactly matches the bet’s risk. Your odds bet did nothing to improve the likelihood of the shooter throwing a 4 before a 7, but you should take advantage of the odds bets because they vastly improve the amount you’re compensated for hitting your point.

Although the pass-line and come bets pay even money, the payouts for taking odds are as follows:

When the point is 4 or 10, the odds bet pays 2 to 1.
When the point is 5 or 9, the odds bet pays 3 to 2.
When the point is 6 or 8, the odds bet pays 6 to 5.

Always make sure you place odds bets in increments the casino can easily pay off. At $5 tables, the odds cause minor problems when players take single odds on pass-line and come bets. For example, if the point is 5 or 9, your odds bet should be an even number (such as $6 or $10, rather than $5), so the dealer can quickly pay out the 3 to 2 on winners.

Laying odds on don’t-pass and don’t-come bets

The wrong-way bettor can lay odds on don’t bets just like the right-way bettor takes odds on the pass-line and come bets. However, the don’t bettor (a wrong-way player who bets on don’t pass and don’t come) gets only a fraction of his odds bet when he wins. For example, he has to risk $40 to win $20 with odds on the 4 or 10. Even though the numbers may not look like it, these are actually true odds; laying odds reduces the house advantage to less than 1 percent over the player, which makes laying odds a good option for players. (Check Figure 7-4 to see what this bet spot looks like on the layout.)

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 7-4: The don’t-pass bet with an odds bet.

Unlike the come-bet odds, which are temporarily suspended during come-out rolls, the odds bets on don’t-pass and don’t-come bets are always working or on.

The payouts for laying odds are as follows:

When the point is 4 or 10, the odds bet pays 1 to 2.
When the point is 5 or 9, the odds bet pays 2 to 3.
When the point is 6 or 8, the odds bet pays 5 to 6.

The odds calculation is slightly different for wrong-way betting. Use the example of placing a don’t-pass bet of $5 and the point number 10. When you lay odds (place odds behind a don’t-pass or don’t-come bet), you calculate based on what you would win. At a double odds table, the most you could win is twice your $5 bet, or $10. To win that $10, you’d place $20 behind your bet because the odds pay 1 to 2 when the point is 10.

Taking the maximum odds

After the point is established, you usually want to take the maximum odds that you can safely afford on your bets. Most casinos offer single or double odds, but you can occasionally find a table that offers up to 10 times — sometimes even up to 100 times — the odds for games with low table minimums. If the table limit sign indicates “3× — 4× — 5× odds,” the maximum allowed bet is three times the odds on the 4 or 10, four times on the 5 or 9, and five times on the 6 or 8. The house edge decreases as the odds increase, making the odds bet one of the best plays in the casino.

Avoiding “Sucker” Bets

Like any casino game, Craps has bets that have better odds for you as well as bets that have a higher edge for the house. In Craps, bets of the one-roll variety aren’t player friendly — you win or lose depending on the next roll of the dice, and the odds are poor on these bets.

Most of the bad bets are in the center box in front of the stickman, but — be warned — danger is everywhere, and some of the riskiest (translation: “sucker”) bets are oh so close to you. In this section, we tell you about some of the not-so-good bets and show why they’re not the best way to make money at a Craps table.

Resisting the lure of Big 6 and Big 8

A bet on the Big 6 or 8 (found in the corner of the layout, temptingly close to you and next to the pass-line bet box) is a wager that the shooter rolls a 6 or 8 before a 7. This bet pays only even money and has a whopping house edge of 9.1 percent. (In other words, it’s a horrendous bet to make because the casino wins an average of $91 out of every $1,000 bet.)

If you want to play something with a 6 or 8 in it, just mere inches away from the Big 6 and Big 8 is the more advantageous six or eight place bet, which pays 7 to 6 and has a house edge of only 1.52 percent!

Swearing off the place bets

A place bet on one of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is a wager that the shooter will roll that number before a 7. For example, you can place this bet at any time by saying to the dealer “I want to place number 5” and dropping your chips in the come area. The dealer then moves your chips to the appropriate number box. Place bets are identical to established come bets in how they win or lose. But their payout odds are different, and you have the option of taking them down and getting your chips back, should the whim hit you. Place bets are off on the come-out roll unless you ask for them to be on.

The house pays place bets at slightly less than correct odds, giving the house an edge of 4 percent on a 5 or 9 and a 6.67 percent edge on a 4 or 10.

The following are the payouts for a place bet:

A winning place bet on a 4 or 10 pays 9 to 5 (bet $5 and get paid $9).
A winning place bet on a 5 or 9 pays 7 to 5 (bet $5 and get paid $7).
A winning place bet on a 6 or 8 pays 7 to 6 (bet $6 and get paid $7).

Steering clear of buy bets

Buy bets resemble place bets but with one difference — they pay out at true odds in exchange for a 5 percent commission. Remember, the house normally reduces payout odds slightly, so the player isn’t compensated in proportion to the risk level of his bet. (True odds means the house pays in exact proportion to the actual risk of the bet.) Buy bets are off by default on the come-out roll, meaning they’re in suspended animation: They can neither win nor lose, no matter what’s rolled. Bettors are also free to bet or remove buy bets at any time. For example, the 4 or 10 buy bet is slightly more advantageous to the player than the 4 or 10 place bet because the buy bet has a 4.76 percent house edge versus the place bet’s 6.67 percent house edge.

Be sure to factor the 5 percent commission into your bets ($1 on a $20 bet, for example). The 4 or 10 buy bet is the only buy bet worth making; for the 5, 6, 8, and 9 numbers, you’re better off making a place bet. Nevertheless, players often use buy bets as a way to simplify their betting; they pay the commission and then enjoy correct odds on all their bets. Of course, the money all comes from the same place, but, as they say, “Different strokes …”

Laying off lay bets

A bet on one of the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) is to lay odds that the 7 rolls before the point number — the opposite of a buy bet (check out the previous section for more info on buy bets). But like the buy bet, you can place or remove a lay bet at any time, and it’s always working — which means the bet is active and can win or lose even on the come-out roll. Because the 7 is more likely to appear before the point number, lay bets have a better-than-even chance to win and, therefore, pay less-than-even money: A 4 or 10 lay bet pays 1 to 2; a 5 or 9 lay bet pays 2 to 3; and a 6 or 10 lay bet pays 5 to 6.

The casino takes a 5 percent commission on a win (not on the bet). So if you bet $60 on a 9, your net win is $38 ($40 minus $2 — or 5 percent of the $40 you win, not of your $60 original bet). To place these bets correctly, you need to lay $41 to win $20 on the 4 or 10 (your best bet), lay $31 to win $20 on the 5 or 9, and lay $25 to win $20 on the 6 or 8.

Passing up field bets

You can find field bets in the middle of the layout. These one-roll bets consist of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. They pay even money, except for 2 and 12, which pay 2 to and sometimes 3 to 1. The house edge on field bets is 5.56 percent and is popular with inexperienced players because it’s a one-time roll that’s simple to understand. But you rarely see Craps experts placing field bets because of the ugly house advantage.

Saying no to proposition bets

Proposition bets (also known as center bets) are one-roll bets you place on a 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, and they’re bets you can make on any roll of the dice. You can see the prop bets in the center of the table layout (check out Figure 6-2 earlier in this chapter). The stickman places these bets for you.

Some proposition bets indicate the bet pays 30 to 1, while another table layout may state the payoff odds as 30 for 1. Be careful because these two types of bets are different. A bet that is 30 to 1 is paying 30 times the bet — but a bet offering 30 for 1 pays 29 times the bet. Although for seems like an innocent little word, don’t let semantics fool you into thinking a bet pays more than it really does!

The smartest and simplest strategy is to ignore all bets in the center of the table (see Figure 7-5). If you feel an urge to play these bets, go for it. Just remember that we’re offering you expert advice because we want to help you keep your losses at a minimum. The following proposition bets can suck your wallet dry:

Any 7: A one-roll bet that pays if the next roll is a 7 and loses if any other number appears. Although the probability of rolling a 7 is 5 to 1, this bet pays only 4 to 1 (or 5 for 1, which is the same thing). The casino’s edge is 16.7 percent. Can you say ATM?
Craps-eleven: A one-roll bet on any Craps (2, 3, or 12) or the 11, represented by all those circled C and E initials on both sides of the center box. The payout is the same as for the bets for any Craps (8 for 1) or the 11 (16 for 1). House edge is more than 10 percent.
Horn bets: A one-roll bet that pays out if the next roll is 2, 3, 11, or 12 and loses if any other number appears. Horn bets may not even appear on all center-box layouts, but it’s the same as Craps-eleven. You make a wager with four chips as if you’re making four individual bets; you’re paid 16 for 1 (for the 3 or 11) or 31 for 1 (for the 2 or the 12) — but you also lose the other three wagers. House edge is 12.5 percent.
The 2, 3, 11, or 12: One-roll bets in the center box offering typical payouts of 16 for 1 on numbers 3 and 11 and 31 for 1 on numbers 2 and 12. (Some casinos may offer 30 for 1.) The house edge on these bets ranges from 11 to 14 percent.
Any Craps: A one-roll bet that pays if the next roll is a 2, 3, or 12 and loses otherwise. A box is available for this bet at the bottom of the center-bet layout. A win on any Craps pays 8 for 1, and the house edge is a stiff 11 percent.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 7-5: The center bets.

Finding out the hard way

Four different hard-way bets are available to players on the following numbers: 4, 6, 8, and 10. A bet placed on a hard way wins if that number is thrown as a pair (for example, a dice roll of two 4s is a hard 8) and loses if that number comes easy (for example, a 6 and a 2 is an easy 8). You also lose the bet if any 7 is rolled.

The bets are placed in the center of the table, but, unlike the proposition bets, they aren’t single-roll wagers; they remain on the board until resolved one way or the other. Hard-way bets are some of the worst bets on the table with the house edge a hefty 9 to 11 percent.

Rolling the Dice: Craps