Craps 101, Part 2: The Advanced Course (***Plus NBA Playoff Picks)
The Odds, the Come, Single-Roll Bets, Multi-Roll Bets, and Buying Numbers – The things that normally confuse new craps players, and how to increase your chances of making lots of money.
By Ace Cummins
“A lady doesn’t wander all over the room and blow on some other guy’s dice.” – Frank Sinatra
So if you read Part 1 of Craps 101, you should be well versed in the basics of the most rowdy, raucous and downright fun table game in Vegas. Basically, now you know when you want to and when you don’t want to roll a 7. In craps, 7 is the most commonly rolled number (statistically), and the art of making money at the table hinges around rolling or not rolling a 7. Most of the time, it’s not rolling a 7, or big red.
The Odds
Wandering around Vegas, you might find some establishments offering better odds at their craps tables. These places are worth seeking out. Standard odds at a craps table is 2x. However, it is not uncommon to see places offer 5x, 10x or even 100x odds. I highly suggest playing at these places. The odds in craps are not referring to payouts or chances of winning. They are simply referring to the amount of money you can wager behind the line (BTL). Last week, you learned that BTL bets are THE best odds in Vegas. If you can find a table with 5x odds, you can make your BTL five times greater than your pass line bet. Most places only allow you to double your pass line bet. So rather than backing up your $5 pass line bet with $10, you can back it with $25. And if you find a 100x odds table (and you have large gonads), you can back your $5 pass line bet with $500. What’s not to love about that?
The Come
For a craps beginner, nothing gets more confusing than watching the guy next to him play the come. However, it really isn’t all that confusing. The rules for come wagers are the exact same as the pass line except they can only be made after the come-out roll. If the initial roll the come bet is made on is a 7 or 11, it wins (just like the pass line), and if it is craps (a 2, 3 or 12) it loses. If the roll is a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) then the come bet will be moved by the dealer onto a box in front of him representing that number (this is due to limited space on the table). If the point is rolled again before a 7, the bet wins. If big red, or 7, comes before the point of the come bet, the bet loses. The great thing about the come bet is that BTL odds can also be placed on a come bet just like a normal pass line bet. So instead of having to wait for another come out roll to get the best odds in Vegas, you can get the odds with every roll of the dice by playing the come. When you play the come and a point is established, the dealer (not the player) places the BTL odds bet on top of the bet in the box, again because of limited space, slightly offset to signify that it is an odds bet and not part of the original come bet.
One tricky part of come bets is that if the shooter makes his point, a player can find himself in the situation where he has a come bet (possibly with odds on it) and the next roll is a come-out roll. In this situation, the BTL odds bets on the come wagers are by default not working for the come-out roll. That means that if the shooter rolls a 7 on the come-out roll, any players with active come bets waiting for a come-point lose their initial wager but will have their odds money returned to them. And if the come-point is rolled, the odds do not win but the come bet does and the odds are returned. However, the player has the option to tell the dealer that he wants his odds working, such that if the shooter rolls a number that matches the come point, the odds bet will win along with the come bet, and if a 7 is rolled both lose.
You will also notice that there is also a don’t come box on the table. A don’t come bet is the opposite of a come bet in that the player is betting that craps will come on the next roll instead of 7 or 11, or that if a come point is made, that value won’t be rolled again before a 7. It pays just as don’t pass and also has odds in the same way. But you would have figured that out yourself, right?
Placing Numbers
Since playing the come can become very expensive, a good bet for new players is to simply place bets on numbers after the come out roll. The downside of doing this is that you do not get the same true odds as BTL bets. However, it is a less expensive way to make money during rounds. Players can place bets on certain individual numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) by placing their wager in the come area and telling the dealer, place the 6 or place the 8. Place bets are bets that the number bet on will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. If you decide to bet on the numbers, make sure you bet the correct amount of money, or you will be losing out on your maximum payout. If you bet on 6 or 8 the odds are 7:6, so bet in multiples of $6. Betting on 5 or 7 pays 7:5 and 4 or 10 pays 9:5, so bet in multiples of $5. The most exciting part about playing the numbers is that these bets are multi-roll bets and remain on the board until a shooter craps out. It is commonplace to see players press their placed number bets. This means that if the number they bet on is rolled, instead of collecting their full winnings they want to double their bet. A simple $6 bet on 6 or 8 pressed twice pays $28 dollars each time 6 rolled from that point on. Not too shabby.
Single Roll Bets
These are exactly what they sound like – bets that only last for one roll. For the most part, they are considered sucker bets, but there are a few that are worthwhile to know and learn.
Numbers (rarely bet these):
Yo: Wins if the shooter rolls 11.
3 (acey-deucey): Wins if shooter rolls a 3.
2 (snake eyes): Wins if shooter rolls a 2.
12 (box cars): Wins if shooter rolls a 12.
2 or 12 (hi-lo): Wins if shooter rolls a 2 or 12. The stickman places this bet on the line dividing the 2 and 12 bets.
The payout for these bets is usually listed right on the felt of the table. The chances of these hitting versus the actual payout is terrible. So unless you are having an ESP moment, stay away from these bets.
The Common Single-Roll Bets (I like these bets in certain situations):
Craps: Wins if the shooter rolls 2, 3 or 12.
C&E: A combined bet, a player is betting half his bet on craps and the other half on yo (11). One of the two bets will always lose, the other may win. I like betting the C&E when I am the shooter.
Any 7, or big red: Wins if the shooter rolls a 7.
The Worst (only donkeys bet the field – don’t be a donkey):
Field: This bet is a wager that one of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 will appear on the next roll of the dice. This bet typically pays more 2:1 if 2 or 12 is rolled, and 1:1 if 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 is rolled. Unlike the other proposition bets, which are handled by the dealers or stickman, the field bet is placed directly by the player.
Notables:
The Horn: This is a bet that involves betting on 1 unit each for 2, 3, 11 and 12 at the same time. The bet is actually four separate bets, and pays off depending on which number is actually rolled, minus three units for the other three losing bets. Some players do a Horn High bet, which involves betting an additional $1 on one of the four choices, with the most frequent being a $5 horn high yo bet (which means $2 on the 11, $1 each on 2, 3 & 12).
Whirl or World: This bet is a five-unit bet that is a combination of a horn and any-7 bet, with the idea that if a 7 is rolled the bet is a push, because the money won on the 7 is lost on the horn portions of the bet.
The Hard Ways (or Hardaways): Hard ways are multi-roll bets that are usually placed after a point has been established. A hard way bet is wagering that the shooter will throw a specific hard way (either 4, 6, 8 or 10), before he throws a 7 (craps out) or the corresponding easy way. A hard way is when both dice show identical values, so 2-2 is a hard way 4, 3-3 is a hard way 6, etc. When things are going well at a table, I like to throw a hard way bet when an even numbered point is thrown. It’s also a great way to get the dealers involved by placing a bet for the boys on the point’s hard way.
Big 6 and 8: If you find a table with these bets on them, ignore them. I won’t even tell you what these bets are because they are terrible. A total waste of your time. Don’t bet on these under any circumstances.
Crap Notes
The shooter is not supposed to handle the dice with more than one hand. (i.e. use only one hand when rolling the dice).
The shooter is expected to hit the furthest wall of the table when throwing the dice. A roll that doesn’t hit the wall may be considered invalid.
The shooter is usually allowed to school or set the dice in a particular configuration (with one hand) prior to rolling as long as it doesn’t slow down the pace of the game. However, some casinos have no setting rules.
Ace (and many others) considers it bad luck to say the word “seven” at a craps table. “Big Red” is the commonplace alternative.
Ace considers it bad luck when the shooter rolls off the table. More often than not, when a shooter rolls off the table, he has done so because he is a donkey. His next roll is usually a 7 and a crap out. So when a donkey rolls off the table, Ace usually pulls back any bets that he can and places a large bet on Big Red. Ace has been known to say, “$10 on 7!” loud enough for everyone to hear him when someone rolls off the table. This is the only time he will say “seven” while at the table.
Women are much better shooters than men. Ace usually bets more when women are shooting. Ace also has been known to bet the dark side (don’t pass) when donkeys have the dice in hand.
While it is mathematically a slightly better bet, wrong bettors (people who bet “don’t pass”) are considered to bring bad luck to the table. So if you go to a table to bet the dark side, be prepared. For social deviants, the dark side can be lots of fun.
***
For More Easy Money…
This Weekend’s Picks:
Spurs (+2) @ Jazz
If the Jazz are going to win a game this series, this is it, so my pick is a bit counter-intuitive. However, I think the Spurs defense is just too good for the Jazz. Plus, the Jazz aren’t playing the Warriors anymore. They might not be as good as we think they are.
Pistons @ Cavs (-3.5) *****My 5-Star Pick*****
The Pistons had some trouble on the road against the Nets and Cleveland has been waiting for this game since Lebron was drafted. Those two factors equal a Cavs blowout, making this my 5-star pick of the week.
Ace Cummins: 11-4-1 overall, 4-0 on 5-star picks
