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About Craps Strategy
Casinos almost always have
their odds published on the Craps table. An odds bet is a
supplement to the original pass line bet and it can
range anywhere from 1 to 100 times your original bet,
depending on the house odds. A pass line bet with odds
cannot be made on the "come out roll", as it can only be
made after the point is set. For example, if you were
betting $5 on a pass line bet and the point got set to
4, you could place an equivalent or larger bet just
below your original wager.
Place the chips half-on and half-off the bottom of the
pass line. If on the next roll a 4 is hit you win your
pass line bet back, and an additional sum of money
derived from the odds bet. In this case, the payoff is 2
to1 on the odds bet. The actual number the point is set
to determines the payout on odds bets. If the point is
set to 4 or 10, odds bets are paid back at 2 to 1 odds.
If the point is set to 5 or 9, odds bets are paid back
at 3 to 2 odds. If the point is set to 6 or 8, odds bets
are paid back at 6 to 5 odds.
The odds bet is usually explained as being an
intelligent bet in the game of craps. This is because
the more you wager (double, triple, quadruple odds bet)
the lower the house edge drops. A standard pass line bet
holds a house edge of 1.41% - respectable, and compared
to many other casino games you have to choose from its
downright excellent, but take into account the potential
for odds betting and it's a whole different story. The
house edge on a pass line bet with ten times odds is an
incredible 0.18%.
For quick reference here is a chart showing the
advantage derived from each stage of odds bets.
Bet Casino Payoff
Casino Advantage:
-
Pass Line Bet Even Money 1.41%
-
With Single Odds (1x) Even Money Plus Odds 0.85%
-
With Double Odds (2x) 0.61%
-
With Triple Odds (3x) 0.47%
-
With Five-Times Odds (5x) 0.33%
-
With Ten-Times Odds(10x) 0.18%
Below are some other Bet strategies:
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The Don't Pass Bet
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The Come Bet
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The Don't Come Bet
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The Hard-way Bet
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The Buy Bet
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The Proposition Bet
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The Field Bet
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The Place Bet
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The Lay Bet
-
The Don't Pass Bet
If you're in a land based casino and having a good time
at the craps table, maybe making a few new friends, then
you probably shouldn't bet on the don't pass bet.
Essentially its like betting against the shooter or
against the dice, which means you win when everybody
else loses. Not that there is anything wrong with that,
but you want to keep those new friends don't you? You
want to be invited to the next party no? Craps is a
party game in a casino, filled with good vibes, my well
learned advice, don't disrupt the vibes. They may have
nothing at all to do with mathematics, but they are no
less important.
On the don't pass bet (to make this bet place your chips
in the narrower section just beyond the pass line
labeled don't pass) made on the come out roll, you lose
on a 7 or 11, and win on a 2 or a 3. A 12 on the come
out roll is like a push in blackjack, it's a standoff
where nobody wins or loses. If anything else is rolled
it becomes the point, and you win if a 7 is rolled
before the point is repeated. Notice how this is the
opposite of the pass line bet, and notice how you win
when the shooter loses. Seems awfully nice of the casino
to offer an opposite bet of the normal one, wouldn't the
house lose their statistical edge? Only if they kept the
numbers straight. Sadly on a don't pass bet with odds,
the casino pays out pretty crappy amounts. The odds of a
7 coming out before a 10 are quite good so the casino
has to hedge its bet in effect.
The Come Bet
You'll quickly notice the large area of the craps board
labeled with 'COME' smack dab in the middle of the
playing area. Make sure you have read the section on the
Pass bet in our craps rules section and earlier in this
section, if you know all there is to know about the Pass
line bet, then you wont have any trouble getting your
head around the simple 'COME' bet. The easiest way to
think about the COME bet is to think, it's exactly the
same as the Pass line bet, but can be made after the
point is set. There is no such thing as a come bet on
the come out roll, because it would be exactly the same
as a Pass line bet.
Say I wanted to make a come bet, and the point had been
set to 5. I would put my come bet down in the come
section and wait for the next roll. If a 7 or 11 is hit
you win (while the shooter looses), and you lose on a
craps shot (2, 3 or 12). If it's any one of the other
numbers, this becomes your 'come point'. If your 'come
point' is rolled before a 7, you win. So say a 9 is
rolled, at that time the stickman moves your come bet to
the 9 on the board. Now if the shooter rolls a 9 before
a 7 you win, if they roll a 7 before a 9 you lose. Also
remember that on come bets you also have the ability to
place "odds" bets just like pass line bets after your
'come-point' is established.
The Don't Come Bet
The don't come bet is the opposite of the come bet, much
in the same way the don't pass bet is the opposite of
the pass bet. The don't come bet must be made after a
point is set by the shooter. If a 7 or 11 is rolled you
lose, if a 2 or 3 is rolled you win, and a 12 is a
standoff. Otherwise a come point is set and you win if a
7 is rolled before the come point is repeated, and lose
if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled. The
don't come bar is highlighted in our graphic.
Once again the odds are in your favor that a seven would
be rolled before a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 so the odds bets
pay the opposite of a pass line odds bet.
The Hard-way Bet
Named that way because it's a hard way to win, just
kidding, but the hard-way bet has some pretty horrible
odds, so I recommend you stick with pass line bets with
odds for the most part. Actually the 'hard' bit derives
from the doubles involved. To roll a 'hard eight' means
to roll it with double 4's, to roll a 'hard 6' means to
roll it with double 3's. So in craps the only hard-way
bets that exist are a hard 4, 6, 8, and 10. When you
make a hard-way bet your betting that the hard version of
what your betting on will come up before the soft
version, or a seven. The soft version is the opposite of
the hard version. Two threes is a hard six, but a 4 and
a 2 is a soft six.
Odds are not completely consistent from casino to casino
on the hard-way bets but generally they go like so: a
hard 4 pays 7 or 8 to 1, a hard 6 pays 9 or 10 to 1, a
hard 8 pays 9 or 10 to 1, and a hard 10 pays 7 or 8 to
1.
Hard-way bets are usually placed to add a little spice to
the game, not in any effort to win more money. This is
emphasized by the fact that the house edge is something
atrocious on these bets. For a 4 or 10 the hard way,
there is an 11.1% house edge, for a 6 or 8, it's around
9%.
The Buy Bet
You may find some people who look like they know what
they're talking about around the craps table 'buying'
instead of 'placing' numbers. What's the difference, why
do we care? A buy bet decreases the house edge and
enables you to win more. The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
can all be bought, but usually the 4 or 10 is picked
because its pays off better. The buy bet is similar to
the place bet in that the number you buy must come up
before a 7 does. The odds are higher for a buy bet. 2:1
on a 4 or 10 buy, 3:2 for a 5 or 9, or 6:5 for a 6 or 8.
The catch is, you have to pay a 5% commission on any
bets you buy (often called a 'vig'). Depending on how
much you bet, buying a bet can make you more money in
the end even after accounting for the 'vig'. The odds
are only in your favor on a buy bet for a 4 or 10, so
stick with the place bet on any others.
The Proposition Bet
Proposition bets are the ones you can make in the middle
of the table, and exist only on the 'next roll'. As one
roll bets they can be heart racing and exciting, an
integral part of the craps experience.
These bets include:
any seven bet With the "any seven" bet you're
betting the shooter will hit a 7 on the next roll.
Horrible house edge, never make this bet.
snake eyes bet With the "snake eyes" bet you're
betting the shooter will throw a two on the next roll.
yo eleven bet With the "yo eleven" bet you're
betting the shooter will hit an 11 on the next roll.
any craps bet With the "any craps" bet you're
betting the shooter will throw a 2, 3, or 12 on the next
roll.
any three bet With the "any three" bet you're
betting the shooter will throw a 3 on the next roll.
midnight 12 bet With the "midnight" bet you're
betting the shooter will throw a 12 on the next roll.
horn bet With the "horn" bet you're combining the
snake eyes, 3, yo 11, and midnight bets.
Just to illustrate the horrible house edge on many of
these proposition bets I have provided a table:
Bet Casino Payoff Casino Advantage
Any Seven 4:1 16.67%
2 or 12 30:1 13.89%
3 or 11 15:1 11.11%
Any Craps 7:1 11.11%
Horn Bet 2 or 12 - 27:4 3 or 11 - 3:1 12.50%
The Field Bet
The field bet is also among the smarter bets in craps,
but not the great odds you get with odds on the pass
line. The field holds approx a 5.5% house edge. As
you'll notice in our graphic, the field is an area on
the craps table just beyond the don't pass bar. The
other handy bit about a field bet is that it can be
played on any roll, so it's a very non-threatening move.
The great aspect to the field bet is the simplicity.
It's a one-time bet which states simply: if the shooter
throws a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 (any of the numbers
in the field area) then you win. If a 5, 6, 7, or 8 are
thrown then you lose. There is no trick to placing your
chips on one of the numbers in the field, its just
anywhere you want and any of those number can be hit. If
your betting on the field, most casinos also give you a
bonus if a 2 or a 12 is thrown (notice the circles on
those numbers). Many casinos pay 2x your bet when a 2 or
"snake eyes" is thrown and some even pay 3x your bet if
a 12 (commonly called a 'midnight') is thrown.
So look at that, even if you're just a beginner you
already know exactly how to make a pass bet, a pass bet
with odds, and a field bet. Most of the wagering at a
craps table revolves around just these betting
techniques.
The Place Bet
The place bet is a variation of betting with a number.
You can make a place bet anytime by handing the dealer
your bet and saying 'I want to place the 8' or whatever
number you want to place bet for. You can make a place
bet at any time on any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. If the
number you have 'placed' is hit before a 7, you win and
you're paid as follows: 4 or 10 placed - 9:5 odds, 5 or
9 placed - 7:5 odds, 6 or 8 placed - 7:6 odds.
Notice the pass line bet offers better odds, so
basically you should stick with it over the long run.
Although you can technically place a place bet at any
time, it is impossible for it to come into effect until
the shooters point is set, therefore it is more
acceptable to ask for this bet after the come out roll
is over.
The Lay Bet
An unusual and uncommon fellow, the lay bet resembles
the don't pass and don't come bets in that you are
playing against the dice. The lay bet can be made at any
time. In essence it's the opposite of the buy bet, and
the same as the don't come bet, but with different odds.
The lay bets may be placed on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The
bet is on the fact that a seven will be rolled before
your number. 7 is more likely to come up than any other
number so the casino requires you to wager more than you
could win. This bet also requires a commission of 5% on
average. If the bet is on 4 or 10 you get 1:2 odds, on 5
or 9 2:3 odds, on six or 8 5:6 odds. Lay bets are
usually only made by people who think they understand
more about what's going on that is probably possible. I
would be surprised if anyone were ever in a position
where a lay bet is the best option, I recommend sticking
to the basic bets if your not an expert already.
Good Luck
Online Casinos USA
Team
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