Table Games Craps Strategy Question

I have a question for some of the craps "experts" on this board. I have started playing a lot more craps on my last 3 or 4 trips to Las Vegas. This is after not going near a craps table my first 6 or 7 trips. I would like some opinions on if I am playing correctly, overly aggressive or not aggressive enough. The basis of my question is a couple of videos that I have watched over the last couple of days which say it is best to play your pass line bet with your odds and then up to 2 numbers with odds after placing come bets. I have been playing the pass line with my odds and then placing the inside numbers (starting with 2 units each if I am playing a $5.00 table). I never place the 4 or 10 unless someone is on a hot streak of rolling one of these numbers. I do not start pressing my bets until enough numbers have hit to replace the $$$ that I have used for my place bets. I have had both good and bad sessions using this strategy. I apologize for being long winded but I would like some input from some more experienced craps players on my way of playing and any tips are appreciated.

 

Assuming you have the bankroll for this strategy, placing come bets and taking full odds minimizes the house edge.

Some will argue that place bets are a better idea, because "with come bets you have to hit the number twice". Of course that is true, but that doesn't change the fact that the house edge is higher on place bets than come bets with odds.

 

I have had very good luck my last 2 trips with this strategy... Won $600 and $700 on my last 2 trips. I would consider myself to be a novice to intermediate player

This is playing $10 min bet tables at the Monte Carlo.

$10 pass line bet then back it up with $20 additional.
I place $12 each on 6 and 8 (best odds of being rolled). If a 6 or 8 is the number I'll usually put the $12 on the 9 (My own superstitions!)

Sometimes, If I get paid on a 6 or 8 I'll put it on another number... But most of the time just ride it out and collect each time they hit.

I'm not really into lots of other side bets but will throw one down every now and then.

Anyway... For me it's really all about playing the odds and not getting to greedy with tons of side bets.

Hope the info is helpful!

 

Just make sure you wager the maximum amount on the odds. Its one of the best bets in the casino

 

Nothing wrong with your "strategy". Craps is a streaky and volatile game and even playing your way (minimizing the HA"), can still put you down a lot.

The biggest problem all craps players face is when to quit when they get ahead. Walking away from the table when ahead is the hardest thing to do.

Walking away when down is easy because you're either frustrated or pissed or flat broke!

 

I think its a good strategy.... but I like place the points better than going through the come.But that's just me.

 

Hey Red Raider

I also live and Lubbock and share your passion for craps. Going to LV twice in January for the express purpose of dice games.

Your strategy is a good one, assuming you are properly bankrolled, and manage your chips actively. I don't know what your personal style is... If you are like most players who look for the elusive hot streak, and aggressively press your bets, you will have the occasional big win but more than likely more frequent losing sessions. I have seen people win this way, but its not the way I play personally. I am there to grind out a profit each session, minimize my exposure to wild variance, and accumulate the comps that allow me to frequently visit vegas and make my craps addiction profitable.

If you are looking for a right way strategy that has consistently worked for me, consider placing the 6 and 8 for two units, after the first hit reduce both to one unit, and after the second hit place inside for 22 (assuming $5 bets). You lock up a small profit after the first hit this way, and you can cover all the inside numbers with a very small investment. You can get a lot of action this way with minimum exposure, and also press after you have covered your initial bets to ride a hot shooter.

Yes, free odds have no edge, but a choppy table can wipe them out quickly, even though they are generally a good bet.

If you are really interested in learning craps strategy, I suggest you get away from the videos and check out a couple of books:

Advanced Craps by John Patrick
The Dice Doctor by Sam Grafstein

These are the best that I have found thus far, and while some may disagree with John Patrick's advice, I think that Advanced Craps is the most comprehensive strategy book that exists. Ultimately your success as a craps gambler will hinge on your bankroll and money management, and Patrick also covers this in depth in this book.

I hope that you continue to develop as a craps player, and that some of this information is valuable to you. If you are interested, I am also a red raider fan, resident of Lubbock, and avid craps player. Send me a PM and maybe we can talk strategy over a beer sometime.

Cheers,
Jason

 

I tend to take a conservative approach with the craps table.

A conservative bettor will make the pass line bet (w/ odds) and up to two come bets working (w/ odds). Placing the 6 and/or 8, if not already covered, would be the next step to be an aggressive bettor. I would consider every other wager on the felt to be "aggressive" at the least, with some bets having a very high house edge.

Come bets are far better than placing. Some people will tell you otherwise, but they are wrong. The math has been discussed in detail elsewhere on the board, but the short version is that
come bets have an identical house edge to the pass line bet.

Regarding the 4 and 10, NEVER place those numbers. Instead, you should always buy the 4 and 10 if you absolutely want action on them. Placing the 4/10 has a 6.67% house edge, while buying has a 4.73% edge at the full 5% commission. Most joints will just take $1 for $25 wagered, though.

 

Depending on the tables mood, I'll mostly play the same way.
Pass line w/ 2x or more odds and a couple come bets.

But... Knowing that I am the most unlucky person in life,
this is how I play on my roll only!

Starts with don't pass & full odds.
Last place I played it was a $5 table w/ $30 odds,
Then it is continuous Don't come bets w/ odds until seven out.

Once I have a pass line and 3 don't come numbers working is when I start in with the Two-way Red bets.
(It helps encourage that nice 7 since it is helping tip the crew!)

(I do warn the people next to me what I'm doing, so as not to piss them off when I do something that's taboo.
If I have the table full of bets and I "need" that seven, I ask for a new dice but only for one. If denied I'll just chuck one off the table.
Then comes the 7 winner.:Þ

 

Pass Line plus max Odds is good (Pass Line plus 3x4x5x Odds = 0.37% House Advantage).

Place Bets have a significantly higher house edge (6 and 8 = 1.52%, 5 and 9 = 4.00%, 4 and 10 = 1.67% on the LV Strip when the juice is only paid on a win).

So, if you want to minimize the house edge, play Line + Max Odds. If you absolutely want to get more $ out on a particular shooter, place the 6/8 or 4/10, but understand on average you will lose > 4 times faster than Line plus 3x4x5x Odds.

 

Man some of you guys are spot on with my experiences last couple of times I've played craps. I went to Ruidoso on December 23 and 24th and played craps at the Inn of the Mountain gods using the same strategy I talked about above. I would buy in for $200 at a time, the shooter would make a point then seven out almost immediately after I had placed my bets on the inside numbers. My $200 would be gone in 10 or 15 minutes. This happened numerous times the first day and a half and I ended going to the ATM numerous times to replenish my bankroll. To make a long story short I had just about decided to leave because I was losing money so fast that it's just wasn't fun but I decided I would try one more time and got $200 out of the ATM and bought in at the craps table and cashed out for $700. After eating dinner I came back to the same craps table, bought in for $200 again and ended up cashing out for $900 when I left that night. I think this 24 hour period is a perfect example of what some of you were saying it could go extremely hot or extremely cold playing that aggressively. I got extremely lucky on this trip, if you add what I won on the craps table and a good session I had on a $25 blackjack table I ended up making it $200 profit on the trip.
I am going to Vegas this weekend and I think I'm going to try the more conservative passline with full odds and up to two numbers through come bets and see how I do that way.

And thanks very much to everyone who posted a reply.

 

I have found this to be a bad craps strategy.




:evillaugh

 

Wow.. I didn't even know that other people from Lubbock were on this forum. I too am from Lubbock and love to play craps.

I myself play a very similar style as you TTUFAN. I have lately been placing all the numbers and using a press then take strategy. This last trip in October my wife started playing craps and playing table min plus max odds and placing the six and eight. So when we play together we have close to $200 on the table after the point is made. It can be a very volatile game but a lot of fun as well.

I never play the middle except maybe a fire bet or all tall/ all small. We really had a great time playing at Golden Gate or LVC because the table mins are only 5 dollars and drink service was fantastic.

I can't wait to return in April and maybe roll for an hour

 

On a side note how bout them Red Raiders last night….

 

Hey, I'll be the first to admit I was being stupid. In my defense I do not carry a large bankroll since my bank refunds al ATM charges.

 

The Golden Gate is my favorite place to play downtown. I am going to give MSS a try based on some posts I've read on here.

That was a great way to end the season.

 

The Holiday Bowl was a great finish to the season. Good luck to you this weekend and leave a little for me on Tuesday. Sounds like we might oughta get a little lubbock craps team together and tear the reservation up once and a while. Happy new years fellas!

 

A good conservative strategy is to play pass line and two come bets.

Don't feel pressured to take odds right out of the gate. Play a few long sessions without odds to get a feel of how long cold streaks can last.

I play a lot of craps, and the odds bet is somewhat overrated IMHO, especially if you're not properly bankrolled. I think press-and-pull when you're up is a better way to go. You also don't get rated on your odds bets.

If you're at a $10 table playing pass line and two come bets, your bankroll should be 40x that, or $1,200.

If you're going to take full odds on those same bets, your bankroll should be at least $3,600.

A lot of people will say 40x is way more than enough, but what happens when you under-bankroll yourself is, you hit a cold streak early and half or more of your money is gone, and you walk away before you have a chance for things to smooth out.

 

If you are having fun, then it is a good strategy.

With Craps one betting style/strategy could be associated with ones personality.
Personally I never have done a Come bet as I don't like that a number has to hit twice for me to win once.

Also, i like to be able to control my bets, turn on/off and even remove them.

I do play with a "base" strategy which is Pass/Full Odds along with the 6 & 8.
After that, the Field, other place bets and hardway bets are contingent upon the flow of the game.

 

I think everyone's covered some good basic strategies, with their own personalized twists. I'll throw my $.02 in:

I play the pass line, and back it up with 2x odds (1x for the 4 or 10). I place one unit each on 6 and 8, unless one of those is the point; then the other number gets 2 units.

After the first number hits, I'll rinse and repeat, but add in a come bet (same odds as above). I'll load up on numbers this way if I can, eventually replacing the place bets with come bets. I'll rarely place a 5 or 9, but will if one is the only number that has yet to get a come point. On a good roll, this can be very profitable.

The free odds are of course your best bet in the casino, but as others have stated, you need to have the bankroll to back it up. You can end up putting quite a bit of money on the table after just a few rolls (with no winners to fund them), and have it disappear just as quickly.

And I'll sometimes throw out a horn high yo, or a field bet. Usually with my winnings when an 11 or 7 hits on the come out roll. I tend to avoid all the other high house advantage bets.