This is probably the best strategy for Craps if you want to protect your bankroll. After the come-out roll, the don't pass bet will protect you against the 7, which is the most common dice combination. Craps Strategy – The Best Bets For an optimal craps strategy, the best bets you can make are Pass/Don't Pass and Come/Don't Come. If you stick to them, the house will only have an advantage of around.
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Learning the basic craps strategy can have great benefits in your betting game. Some of them minimize the house edge to almost nothing. There are no casino games other that craps that can offer better odds except for blackjack with card counting strategy. There really isn't any way to improve your edge over the house edge, but you can make it nearly zero. The dice control concept is theoretically a way to actually cheat at craps, but it's extremely hard to do and it's advanced. Dice control strategy will be discussed in another craps article.
Tips and Strategies
When beginning a game of craps, it's essential to know the game and all the basic rules first so that you understand the bets. When playing at the local casino, you'll usually find everyone using unfamiliar terminology as well. So the best things to do are read about the game and learn a little bit about different bets that can be played and the table layout. A great way to practice this game is to play at an online casino with less distractions first. This way you can learn the game before you end up losing your money to bad betting strategies.
Best Craps Bets
I should tell you right away that the best craps bet is the 'don't pass' bet with the free odds bet. This combination can ultimately lower the house edge to 0.01%, which is ridiculously low at a casino. You can use this strategy and make a ton of money, or at least keep playing for a very long time without losing your bankroll. Because of this fact, this is why craps is such a wild and spectacular experience.
Another good craps bet is the pass line bet. This bet is the second best bet on the craps table and the house has a slightly greater edge. People like to bet for the shooter, usually due to peer pressure in a casino and will take this bet rather than the 'don't pass' bet, which is actually a better wager. This is where online casinos have a huge advantage over land based casinos because there is no peer pressure or anyone pressuring you to make a slightly worse bet.
These two bets are the best ones to take before the come out roll. After a point number has been made, then these two bets go into a second phase and the strategy gets a little more interesting. During the second phase of these bets, you can make an odds bet. You are essentially betting that a point number will be rolled before a seven, and we all know that the seven is the most probable roll out of any other number.
Once the point has been determined after the come out roll, you can make your free odds bet. Usually this is a multiple of your original bet such as 2x, 3x and even as high up as 100x at Las Vegas craps. This multiple is usually limited, but the craps strategy says that the higher multiple that you choose, the lower the house edge gets overall. Free odds always pay true odds and the house has no edge. Your total odds is an average of this free odds bet and the pass line or don't pass bet, so your absolute odds are not exactly zero, but almost.
Worst Craps Bets
There are also some bad bets out there as well. These are sometimes known as proposition bets and these have a huge house edge. Normally the people who fall for these bad bets are uneducated about the craps strategy or they don't really know the mathematics behind the bets. Other players may not even know about the free odds bet to begin with because the bet itself isn't displayed on the craps table! This is why the odds bets are sometimes known as the secret craps bets because many people easily pass them up, even if they are intelligent and understand the game.
Some of these bad proposition bets are the big six bet or the big eight bet. You win when a 6 or 8 is rolled and you are paid even money. This is a very bad bet because as you can see from our odds and probabilities page, this is less likely to be rolled than a 7. When you get down to it, the house has a 9.1% edge, which is a huge disadvantage for you because the casino makes lots of money from this bet and you lose lots of money. This is bad craps strategy.
These aren't even the worst craps bets. There are far worse ones than that. Hard 4 and hard 10 are both bets that have a house edge of more than 11%. If you want a good craps tip, stay away from these. The casino is robbing you here!
Even worse are the proposition bets. These are displayed on the craps tables as images of dice in a smaller box in the middle. Also, these kinds of bets only last for one roll at a time unlike most of the bets that stay until the end of the round when a seven is rolled. This means if you are betting on snake eyes or box cards (2 or 12), you have a 1 in 36 chance that they will be rolled, but the dealer pays you 30 to 1 odds, which is a terrible craps bet. The house edge is almost 15% and is one of the worst in the casino. This is just proof that if you don't know the craps strategy or don't follow the tips, you could end up losing a lot of money really quick.
Advice on Craps Bets
My advice is to just stick with the good bets mentioned above and don't play the bad ones unless you have money to burn, just want to entertain the people at the table, or just have a gut instinct that a lucky roll is about to come out. For another tip, don't get intimidated by how complicated the craps table is. The casino only wants people to lose concentration and make bad bets this way, but the basic betting concept is actually quite simple if you stick to just the few good bets.
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.
A casino I played at had the 3,4,5 odds system where you were allowed 3x on the 4 and 10, 4x on the 5 and 9 and 5 x on the 6 and 8. I feel that with this 'system' of placing odds, you reduce the fluctuations (with respect to standard 5x odds on all numbers) in your bankroll, and change the distribution of net gain/loss per session, i.e. you would produce a sharper peak located slightly more to the loss side than with 5x odds. Is this so, and could you put some numbers to it?
Best Strategy For Craps Tournament
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.
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Return Table with 3-4-5X Odds
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass line win | 1 | 0.222222 | 0.222222 |
| Pass line loss | -1 | 0.111111 | -0.111111 |
| Point of 4 or 10 & win | 7 | 0.055556 | 0.388889 |
| Point of 4 or 10 & lose | -4 | 0.111111 | -0.444444 |
| Point of 5 or 9 & win | 7 | 0.088889 | 0.622222 |
| Point of 5 or 9 & lose | -5 | 0.133333 | -0.666667 |
| Point of 6 or 8 & win | 7 | 0.126263 | 0.883838 |
| Point of 6 or 8 & lose | -6 | 0.151515 | -0.909091 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.014141 |
The standard deviation per pass line bet is 4.915632.
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.
I am a novice, just starting to play. My question concerns the 'Five Count Doey/Don't' System. The way I understand the system:- Wait until the shooter establishes a point.
- Play both come/don't come (same amount). Until you have a maximum of four numbers
- 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'! Yahoo free slots machines. 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.
How To Play Craps
The American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling has the following 'anything but seven' combination of craps bets that shows a net win on any number except 7. Here's how much MENSA advises to bet in the 'Anything but 7' system:- 5- place $5
- 6- place $6
- 8- place $6
- field- $5
- total= $22
They claim the house edge is 1.136%. How is that possible if every individual bet made has a higher house edge?
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
| Number | Probability | Field | Place 5 | Place 6 | Place 8 | Win | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.027778 | 10 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 10 | 0.277778 |
| 3 | 0.055556 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.277778 |
| 4 | 0.083333 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.416667 |
| 5 | 0.111111 | -5 | 7 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 2 | 0.222222 |
| 6 | 0.138889 | -5 | 0.000000 | 7 | 0.000000 | 2 | 0.277778 |
| 7 | 0.166667 | -5 | -5 | -6 | -6 | -22 | -3.666667 |
| 8 | 0.138889 | -5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 7 | 2 | 0.277778 |
| 9 | 0.111111 | 5 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0 | 5 | 0.555556 |
| 10 | 0.083333 | 5 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.416667 |
| 11 | 0.055556 | 5 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 5 | 0.277778 |
| 12 | 0.027778 | 15 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 15 | 0.416667 |
| Total | 1 | -0.25 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
