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www.WorktheOdds.com Craps

1. How to Play 2. Table Layout 3. Good Bets 4. Bets to Avoid

 

ONE OF THE BEST CASINOS FOR TABLE GAMES OUR REVIEW

 

1. HOW TO PLAY CRAPS

Craps is one of the fastest moving and most exciting games in the casino. It can also be one of the most intimidating to newcomers. Although the Craps table layout can be confusing, once you eliminate the bets you should avoid, the game becomes much easier to understand and enjoy. Luckily, the simplest bets are also the ones with the lowest House Advantage. A full-size Craps table needs a crew of four casino personnel to run a game. At the center of the table is the Boxman who oversees all of the action and also settles disputes. Two Dealers stand on either side of the table. Their responsibilities include cashing players in and out, and collecting and paying off bets. The Stickman handles the dice and center bets. He also acts as the voice of the game, calling out rolls and winning bets. The roll rotates among players. The Stickman will offer the player whose turn it is, or Shooter, 5 dice of which the Shooter chooses 2. The first roll of the dice is called the Come-Out Roll. A legal roll needs to hit the opposite side of the table and rebound. A player keeps control of the dice until he loses a roll. A Come-Out Roll of 7 or 11 “wins” for the Shooter (he keeps control of the dice). A Come-Out Roll of 2, 3 or 12 “loses” for the Shooter (he loses control of the dice). If a Come-Out Roll is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 the Shooter continues to roll until: A. HE MATCHES THE COME-OUT ROLL If this happens the Shooter keeps control of the dice and gets another Come-Out Roll. Or, B. HE ROLLS A SEVEN If this happens the Shooter loses control of the dice. Rolling a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the Come-Out Roll is also known as “establishing a point”. VARIATIONS Some casinos offer a game called “Crapless Craps”. In this game a Come-Out Roll of 2, 3, 11 or 12 becomes a Point number instead of a win (11) or a loss (2, 3 or 12) on a Pass Line Bet. We recommend avoiding this game because the House Advantage on a Pass Line Bet is 5.4% compared to 1.41% at a regular Craps table. HOUSE ADVANTAGE: A house advantage of 2% means that, on average, the casino will retain 2% of a player’s bet. So, the lower the better. All House Advantages listed on this sited are expressed in terms of average bet amount using the strategy we recommend. » GLOSSARY CRAPS TERMINOLOGY Boxcars: A roll of sixes. Crap Out: Rolling a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out roll. Seven Out: Rolling a seven after the point has been established. Snake Eyes: A roll with a total of 2. » GLOSSARY

 

OTHER RESOURCES AT WORK THE ODDS BEST BETS SUCKER BETS LUCK VS SKILL GLOSSARY

 

2. THE CRAPS TABLE

SHOWN AT RIGHT: CENTER AND RIGHT SIDE OF TABLE (LEFT SIDE IDENTICAL TO RIGHT)

 

1. How to Play 2. Table Layout 3. Good Bets 4. Bets to Avoid

 

ONE OF THE BEST CASINOS FOR TABLE GAMES OUR REVIEW

 

3. GOOD CRAPS BETS

PASS LINE BET A Pass Line Bet can only be placed on a Come-Out Roll. This type of bet is also known as betting with the Shooter. This type of bet wins on an initial roll of 7 or 11 and loses on an initial roll of 2, 3 or 12. A Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: A. Wins if the initial number is matched later in the roll. And, B. Loses if the initial number is followed by a 7. The Shooter continues to roll until one of the two above scenarios occurs. This type of bet pays even money and has a House Advantage of 1.41%. DON’T PASS LINE BET A Don’t Pass Line Bet can only be placed on a Come-Out Roll. This type of bet is also known as betting against the Shooter. This type of bet loses on an initial roll of 7 or 11 and wins on an initial roll of 2 or 3. If the initial roll is 12, the bet is a Push, or Tie. A Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10: A. Wins if the initial roll is followed by a 7. And, B. Loses if the initial number is matched later in the roll. The Shooter continues to roll until one of the two above scenarios occurs. This type of bet pays even money and has a House Advantage of 1.36%. COME BET A Come bet can only be placed after a Point has been established (a Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10). A Come Bet is similar to a Pass Line Bet. Once this bet has been placed the next roll of the dice is a winner if a 7 or 11 is thrown, and a loser if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, the Come Bet stays on the table. If the initial roll is matched before a 7 is thrown the bet is a winner. If a 7 is thrown before the initial Come Bet roll is matched the bet is a loser. A Come Bet can be placed on each roll after a Come-Out Roll. This type of bet pays even money and has the same House Advantage as a Pass Line Bet (1.41%). DON’T COME BET A Don’t Come bet can only be placed after a Point has been established (a Come-Out Roll of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10). A Don’t Come Bet is similar to a Don’t Pass Line Bet. Once this bet has been placed the next roll of the dice is a loser if a 7 or 11 is thrown, and a winner if a 2, 3 or 12 is thrown. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, the Don’t Come Bet stays on the table. If the initial roll is matched before a 7 is thrown the bet is a loser. If a 7 is thrown before the initial Don’t Come Bet roll is matched the bet is a winner. A Don’t Come Bet can be placed on each roll after a Come-Out Roll. This type of bet pays even money and has the same House Advantage as a Don’t Pass Line Bet (1.36%). TAKING ODDS Taking Odds is a bet that is placed in conjunction with a Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Come or Don’t Come bet. If one of those bets has been placed and a point is established on the next roll, an Odds bet can be placed. Placing an Odds bet is the best bet on the Craps table because the House Advantage is 0%. You will not see any mention of an Odds bet on the craps table layout for this reason. The maximum amount of an Odds bet is a multiple of the original bet placed and varies from casino to casino. “1x odds” means the maximum is equal to your original bet, “2x odds” means the maximum is equal to double your original bet , and so on. If there is not a sign at the table listing the maximum Odds bet ask one of the table crew. Since this bet has no House Advantage it is to the player’s advantage to make the maximum Odds bet, bankroll permitting. Odds bets have no House Advantage because they pay even or “true odds”. The tables below display the probability and payoff for all Odds bets. PASS LINE OR COME ODDS POINT PROBABILITY PAYOUT 4 OR 10 1 IN 3 2 TO 1 5 OR 9 2 IN 5 3 TO 2 6 OR 8 5 IN 11 6 TO 5 DON’T PASS LINE OR DON’T COME ODDS POINT PROBABILITY PAYOUT 4 OR 10 2 IN 3 1 TO 2 5 OR 9 3 IN 5 2 TO 3 6 OR 8 6 IN 11 5 TO 6 The table below shows the House Advantage for Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Come and Don’t Come bets backed up with Odds bets at different levels. The House Advantage reflects the total amount bet. Remember that an Odds bet can only be placed after a Point is established so the following table does not factor in wins and loses on the initial roll. ODDS HOUSE ADVANTAGES BET H. A. PASS LINE / COME 1.41% W/ 1X ODDS 0.85% W/ 2X ODDS 0.61% W/ 3X ODDS 0.47% W/ 5X ODDS 0.33% W/ 10X ODDS 0.18% DON’T PASS / DON’T COME 1.36% W/ 1X ODDS 0.69% W/ 2X ODDS 0.46% W/ 3X ODDS 0.34% W/ 5X ODDS 0.23% W/ 10X ODDS 0.12%

 

ONE OF THE BEST CASINOS FOR TABLE GAMES OUR REVIEW

 

4. CRAPS BETS TO AVOID

PLACE BETS A Place Bet is placed after a point is made (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10). Place bets can be put on any of these numbers to win or lose. Multiple place bets can be placed and a place bet can be taken off the table after a roll. The table below lists the House Advantage for all Place Bets. If you make a Place bet for a number to win, the bet wins if that number is rolled before a 7. If you make a Place bet for a number to lose, the bet will win if a 7 is rolled before that number. HOUSE ADVANTAGE BY BET BET PAYOUT H. A. 4 OR 10 TO WIN 9 TO 5 6.67% 4 OR 10 TO LOSE 5 TO 11 3.03% 5 OR 9 TO WIN 7 TO 5 4.00% 5 OR 9 TO LOSE 5 TO 8 2.5% 6 OR 8 TO WIN 7 TO 6 1.52% 6 OR 8 TO LOSE 4 TO 5 1.82% BUY/LAY BETS A Buy or Lay bet is similar to a Place bet. With Buy or Lay bets the player pays a 5% commission to get true odds on a number. Most casinos charge a minimum of $1. A Buy Bet is a bet placed on a number to win. A Lay Bet is a bet placed on a number to lose. The House Advantage of all Buy and Lay bets is 4.76%. The table below lists the payouts associated with each Buy or Lay bet. NUMBER PAYOUT 4 OR 10 2 TO 1 5 OR 9 3 TO 2 6 OR 7 6 TO 5 FIELD BET A Field Bet is a one-roll bet. This type of bet is only good for the next roll of the dice. A Field Bet pays even on a roll of 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 and 2 for 1 on a roll of 2 or 12. The House Advantage for a Field Bet is 5.56%. BIG 6 and BIG 8 A Big 6 bet is a bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. A Big 8 bet is a bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. Both of these bets pay even money. The House Advantage for each of these bets is 9.09%. If you are at the Craps table and feel the urge to make one of these bets, consult a psychiatrist or make a Place Bet on a 6 or 8. The Place bet will win on the same rolls but pay out at 7 to 6 instead of 1 to 1 (the same as 6 to 6). Betting this way will drop the House Advantage from 9.09% to 1.52%. CENTER PROPOSITION BETS The large section in the center of the table is taken up by Center Proposition bets. HARDWAYS At the top of this box are the Hardway bets. A Hardway bet is bet that a certain hard combination will be rolled before a 7 or the same Soft combination is rolled. For example, a Hard 6 occurs when two 3’s are rolled, a Soft 6 occurs when a 1 and 5 or a 2 and 4 are rolled. The table below lists the House Advantage for Hardway Bets. HOUSE ADVANTAGE BY BET BET PAYOUT H. A. HARD 4 (2+2) 7 TO 1 11.11% HARD 6 (3+3) 9 TO 1 9.09% HARD 8 (4+4) 9 TO 1 9.09% HARD 10 (5+5) 7 TO 1 11.11% ONE ROLL BETS Any Craps Any Craps is a bet that the next roll of the dice is a 2, 3 or 12. This bet pays 7 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 11.11%. Any Seven Any Seven is a bet that the next roll of the dice is a 7. This bet pays 4 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 16.67%. Two A bet that the next roll will be a 2. This bet pays 30 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 13.89%. Three A bet that the next roll will be a 3. This bet pays 15 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 11.11%. Eleven A bet that the next roll will be an 11. This bet pays 15 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 11.11%. Twelve A bet that the next roll will be a 12. This bet pays 30 to 1 and has a House Advantage of 13.89%. Horn Bet A Horn Bet is a bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 11 or 12. A Horn Bet is made in multiples of $4, with 1/4 of each bet placed on each number. This bet pays out at the same odds as any individual number and the overall House Advantage is 12.5%.

 

OTHER RESOURCES AT WORK THE ODDS BEST BETS SUCKER BETS LUCK VS SKILL GLOSSARY

 

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