Craps Basic Strategy
Of all the casino games available, craps must be the one that requires the fastest thinking. With the right betting systems you can reduce the house edge on a craps game to as little as 1% for backing a pass line bet with a free odds wager, or 1.2% for hedging a bet, but the best way of learning craps strategy is to first of all internalize the bets that you should not be making; remember not loosing is winning.
First off, Proposition Bets are a no-no. This type of bet is based on a single dice roll and comes with a house edge of a whopping 11%; unless you have a message from the heavens this is not a bet to make.
Next on the list of bets not to make is the Lay Bets. With a 5% commission and low odds this is best avoided at all times. If however you really do want to make a Lay Bet you should consider that casinos tend to charge commission on every $20 and so precise amounts should only be dealt with. These amounts should only be laid as follows; multiples of $40 on 4 & 10, multiples of $30 on 5 & 9, multiples of $24 on 6 & 8.
Another type of bet that suffers from a 5% commission, and therefore should be made with care is the Buy Bets. These bets are not for beginners at all, however after a while at the tables if you wish to give them a go, you can do so but should only make them on the 4 or 10 ? these produce the highest odds for the player at 2:1. The next closest odds are the 5 and 9 that offer 3:2, whilst the 6 and 8 give 6:5. Just as with the Lay Bets, casinos charge the commission per $20 bet on the Buy Bets too and so you should only bet in exact denominations of $20.
Finally a "do-do" tip, rather than a "no-no" tip: Free Odds Wager are good ? take them when you can. This type of bet is basically an additional bet on top of the bet you already have, be it a pass, don't pass, come, or don't come bet. The reason that the Free Odds Wager is so wonderful however is that it offers True Odds as opposed to House Odds - in short this means that if you win a Free Odds Wager, the casino makes absolutely no money off of it what so ever. In terms of strategy for making your Free Odds Wager, you should make your bets in increments, which will vary depending on the point. If the point is 5 or 9 the payout is 3:2, and thus you should make a Free Odds Wager of an even sum. If the point is 6 or 8 however, you should make your Free Odds Wager in $5 increments, this means you'll get a real payout rather than one that got rounded up or down.
Most Common Bet Types
Winning depends on your bet, and there are many different bets which pay at a variety of different odds.
The most common bets are Pass Line and Don't Pass Line bets. Pass Line bets win under two circumstances. If the come out roll is 7 or 11, the bet automatically wins. If the come out roll rolls a point, and the shooter subsequently rolls the point before rolling a seven, the Pass Line bet wins. If the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12, anyone who has bet on the Pass Line loses automatically. Likewise, if a point is rolled on the come out roll, but the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point again, the Pass Line Bet is lost.
The Don't Pass Line bet is basically the opposite, except that the 12 is usually a tie rather than a win. Sometimes, instead of 12 being a tie, 2 is a tie. This doesn't change the odds and varies from casino to casino. To summarize, 2 or 3 is a winning come out roll for a Don't Pass Line bet, while 12 is a tie. 7 or 11 is a loss. If a point is rolled, and not re-rolled before a 7, it is a win. If the point is re-rolled before a 7, the Don't Pass Line bet loses.
You can also choose to make a Come Bet. The bet is identical to the Pass Line bet, except it can be made at any point after the come out roll. The next roll functions as a new come out roll. Likewise, you can make a Don't Come bet, which functions like a Don't Pass Line bet.
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