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Table Games How do you play craps?

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by DonnyC, Jan 25, 2015.

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  1. DonnyC

    DonnyC VIP Whale

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    I never make a ton of $ at craps.

    I love the game because i never loose a ton of $ at craps either.

    Learned the game at Slots of Fun (when they still offered it) and I think it was $1, though I remember a time it was $3.

    From there we took some 1/2 hour lessons at Circus Circus...and away we went!

    Usually just played the come line no odds. Yah, not the best odds (maybe should have backed with odds) but the bank roll was small and the idea was to get some play in. Played at Slots Of Fun till 3:00 or 4:00 am with hardly any $ lost.

    Have got older, sometimes have more $. Craps holds a special place in my heart...but never made tons on it. Realistically the most I've walked away with was a $200 profit off a $5 table where I played 6;8 working and pressed after after the 3rd, 4th...hit on each number.

    Sometimes i toss the dice for a minute, sometimes over a 1/2 hour per turn.

    Sometimes guys win $ off my rolls or at the table I'm at. Yet I seem to scrape by.

    I know that the more you bet the more you can win (or loose).

    But for you guys who occasionally hit a good table how do you bet, and press?

    Thanks
     
  2. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    You are really seeing craps through rose colored glasses!
    Craps has the same odds as other games except that a lot more money is moving back and forth.
    LIke all other games, the more aggressive you press your bets the more you stretch the win/loss variance. Constantly putting your winnings back on the table makes it necessary to roll about 10 numbers just to show a win on the shooter. So, many more losing rolls occur before the player gets a winning roll. Yes, they win a lot on a good roll, but all of the moderate rolls for you were losers for them.
    The best play is still the Pass/Dont Pass with at least double odds with additional Come/Dont Come with at least double odds; and/or the 6/8 bets in units of $6.
    To answer your question, I play Pass Line ($10) with triple odds ($30). Then I play either 2 come bets with triple odds OR the 6/8. I feel you should take something off the table on every win, so I will usually play the 6/8 for $30 and press to $42 on the second hit, $60 on the third, same bet on the forth and $120 on the fifth.
    I can't see approaching a table with less than $500 for this kind of play. A lot of money goes back and forth. You will lose much more often than you will win.
     
  3. fadetheseven

    fadetheseven High-Roller

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    No one makes money at dice. You pick a betting strategy/level appropriate for your personality/bankroll. The most exciting way to play is bet lots of numbers and press aggressively. The least volatile is betting only pass or don't with max odds.

    I used to bet all the numbers and won only a few times over 10 years. People say pressing aggressively is the only way to make money. I've seen enough to know that lightening may strike a few times, but you'll most often flame out.

    I'm trying pass only and seeing if I still enjoy the game. It's a slow grind so many people don't play this way. The way I look at it is that it's similar to the don't pass but you get to cheer with the table.
     
  4. jrinct1

    jrinct1 VIP Whale

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    Ok now for the sarcastic version.....Stand next to me . Bet the EXACT OPPOSITE as I do.. You will usually WIN! LOL!! I agree in principle with both above posters..
     
  5. PayTriple

    PayTriple VIP Whale

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    Agree with the above 3 posters.
    Don't expect to win money, just have fun.
     
  6. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    Keep doing what you are doing and be thankful you don't have major losses. I love the game for me it always seems to be taking me for $500-1000 a session however on the rare occasion that I do win it's usually for pretty big money. Gotta risk a lot and spread it over the table to have a chance to really win and most people simply aren't willing to put a couple hundred bucks out on a roll knowing it could be gone in an instant. So simply put, keep playing your game and hope the small variance continue!
     
  7. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    100% true
     
  8. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    In my youth the first three or four times I played craps, I lost. So I read articles and books then had something like five winning times in a row! Man, did I have a system!
    Playing the same system now for over 30 years now I've had a few nice sessions and a whole lot of losing ones.

    The above posters are correct. Have fun. Don't be like my friend who has been going to casinos with me for almost 40 years. He always discovers a new, sure-fire system and bores me with the details. During the trip, I drive him to the bank as he has exhausted his self-imposed limit at the ATM.
     
  9. hundth

    hundth Low-Roller

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    If you want to make money you have to be aggressive. Personally once I've payed for the numbers I'm betting I press every hit. You can't go wrong when your playing with their money.
     
  10. Knucklehead69

    Knucklehead69 Low-Roller

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    Pass line with 3X odds for 6, 8.... 2X odds for all other numbers.
    Place bets on 6 and 8.
    Fire bet every now and then.
    If I'm winning I might up the amounts until I start going the other direction.

    I've had fun and left the table with winnings more often than not using this strategy.
     
  11. crapsguy5000

    crapsguy5000 Low-Roller

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    I consider myself as an avid "Dark Sider". What I do is bet Dont Pass, if I lose to a natural 7 or 11 I wait for a point number. If I win on a 2 or 3 I increment up in $5.00 units. Once a point is established I lay double odds on fours and tens and single odds on the 5, 6, 8 ,9. I than make Don't Come bets for the next four rolls again laying odds. Once a number repeats I do not lay odds but let the bet go up against the number. I than sit back and wait for the shooter to pick me off or seven out. If a shooter picks off all my numbers I leave or wait for him to seven out and start again on the next shooter. Theory is to take advantage of the short rolls and avoid the hot shooter. Also, if the shooter sevens out and I win a Don't Pass bet I will increment up in $5.00 units. A few cold shooters and I have a pretty good Don't Pass bet going on a Don't Pass streak.
     
  12. boxofbirds

    boxofbirds Royally Flushed

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    You can do this with me as well.

    I know its a negative EV game, but I wish I could have a nice win on this game. Everything else I play I've walked away a winner much more often than this game. Granted I've only played 16 sessions to date, but I've only walked away a winner twice, one for $150, and one for $80.... Ok, a couple times I broke even, but those were after almost losing everything and then hitting a good roll and quitting while I still had my BR intact. I've tried, pass only with odds, come bets with odds, don't pass with odds, 6/8 pressing after 1 win, mixing up pass/don't pass, field bets, 5 count, all kinds of strategies. I think the answer is just to get lucky?
     
  13. hundth

    hundth Low-Roller

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    Honestly you need to have a big enough bankroll to play your style at least once around the table.
     
  14. Harry Lyme

    Harry Lyme VIP Whale

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    Other than throw a buck or more at the hardways, this is about what I do. If the table is decent, but not killing it, I'll only place 6 & 8 for the minimum. If the roll gets to 4 or 5, I throw in a couple of come bets, single odds to start. If things are going well enough I go to $30 for 6/8, take a win, then press. If the hits aren't coming I switch the the don't or sit out a roll or two, occasionally throwing out a come bet.

    Above all it's pure dumb luck. I've had a ton of crappy sessions but have had enough good sessions to be up decently in just under two years playing. I've never taken a bunch of chances, I don't play much in the middle of the table, and I leave the table when it's time. The bottom line is I have fun and love the challenge of the game and trying to best the house. Plus my Pepsis come quicker than at any other table game, haha.
     
  15. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    The only way to make money at craps is when you do hit that good roll and you make a chunk of change you immediately color up and walk away.

    As an example - early on in my craps playing days I had a 45min roll and I was still relatively passive in my pressing. So while I made $900 on the roll it paled in comparison to what some of the other players had banked. As soon as I sevened out the majority of the table colored and ran away. The dealer said that seasoned players know that its rare for those rolls so when they come they will bank the profits because it'll eventually get put right back into the casino's pockets.

    As for the question...how do I play?

    horn hi yo on every come out roll
    always play the fire or all small/tall
    pass line with full odds
    place three inside numbers
    if the point is an even number I play anywhere from $10-25 on it depending on if I am up

    That is how I start off. I will increase my inside place bets after awhile and I always go all the way across when I shoot.
     
  16. Its Only Money

    Its Only Money VIP Whale

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    Almost the exact same way as I play, except I don't play the horn hi yo on the come out. I always bet a Yo after a Yo though, see a Yo bet a Yo. If the shooter is hot I will then buy the 4 and 10. I've started to press much more aggressively now too.
     
  17. Rush

    Rush MIA

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    Almost all gamblers are losers because of one downfall: Lack of discipline. We all sit here and type how we do this and do that, and when we get to the table we will make this, and set aside that........It's all bullshit. Once you are at the table, your "rules" go out the window! You, know it......and I know it.
     
  18. PayTriple

    PayTriple VIP Whale

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    Whether you have "discipline" or not, if you play a negative expectation game, you will lose in the long run. As someone wrote earlier somewhere on this board and elsewhere, you just can't beat the math.
    If you want to maximize your winnings/minimize your losings, then you need to exercise the discipline of NOT playing at all.
    But that is just too tough, isn't it? Hehehe......
     
  19. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    Just bet $10 on midnight every roll. :)

    But seriously, everyone has their own preferred way. I suggest you watch others play and see what you like.
     
  20. JB in MN

    JB in MN Low-Roller

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    I don't know that I have much to add to what has been posted but I've rolled enough craps where I'm comfortable with my play. I think it's a game where you'll come away losing sessions more than winning, but when you win it can be big - big enough to offset the losing sessions, which I guess is why I/we keep coming back.

    I play a version learned from Grafstein. Wait for a qualified shooter (natural on come out or shooter makes a point) then pass line. Parlay naturals on the come out (fireman), if so then no odds; otherwise single odds. Then I play the converted come: place the number rolled for the same amount of a come+single odds. Play two converted come bets for three numbers working. After the point is hit, increase/smart progression of the base bet, e.g., 10, 15, 25, 50 etc. and start over at the base level after shooter sevens out.

    Does it work? Hell no, and it's a pain in the ass more often than not, waiting for the qualified shooter, etc. BUT. Waiting like that prevents those repeating PSO rolls that empty the chip racks faster than the CW brings two drinks.

    My last trip I played as above and lost three sessions, always walking at a 50% loss on a $500 buy in; but I doubled+ my buy in on another session. Regardless I was served drinks the whole time and even if I wasn't betting every roll my rating didn't seem to be affected. At one session I parlayed several naturals on the come out to a $300 pass line bet. Didn't win, but holy cow I had some adrenaline running.

    I do vary from the above. If I'm playing at Cosmo and Steve is my dealer, I still play qualified shooter, but then play pass line w single odds and then come w single odds and let Steve do the rest. Even if I lose I get entertainment value from watching him work (and I still walk at a 50% loss). Steve was stickman when I had that $300 passline bet mentioned above, and the look he gave me after seeing it was priceless. I'll also put dealers on the line after a point has been made. Last trip I would buddy up with the person next to me and one of us would play dealer on the line and the other play the odds on that bet. Good camaraderie.

    Having said the above ... I find it interesting that not a single poster has mentioned the field. I have watched countless people at the table play the field and walk away with a ton of chips. Probably just as many playing the field but losing as many chips but I didn't notice. Anyone here have thoughts on the field, I feel like I should be playing it but I just ... can't ... do ... it?!! Lord knows we've all seen shooter hit 3 ... 4 ... 11 ... 2 ... 3 (again) ... yet I can't bet it.

    I was rolling with PT recently, honestly I was pretty lit and couldn't keep track of his play. We were betting dark, I was just doing single bet w odds and doing well at it - but nowhere near as well as he was. I think he had a version of an iron cross, a don't bet w odds, field bet, and a number placed? PT don't mean to put you on the spot but if you'd care to elaborate. The one take away he had, that I remember, was to get a feel for the table when buying in, pass or don't. I tried taking that to heart for the rest of my trip but I'm just not entirely comfortable playing the don't at this point (ha), though I can see my play changing.

    FWIW.
     
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