Our Personal Craps Strategies

CINDY: Would you say that craps is the ultimate casino game since you have the option of shooting the dice and trying to decide the outcome? Naturally, unless you have some skill there is no overturning the house edges on the hosts of wagers.

ABBY: Agreed. There is also the camaraderie among the players betting with the numbers and against the seven. You do not see that camaraderie among the don’t or darkside aspect of the game.

CINDY: Betting at craps is a big issue for players. At least it is for me. I do not want to get blown away because I can stop myself from betting stupidly.

ABBY: There are so many bets, most of them go from bad to the worst bets in the casino – bets worse than some slot machine edges. There are a few good bets with low house edges but very few craps players just park themselves on those bets.

CINDY: Which they should in order to protect themselves. Despite house edges, we still want to give ourselves the bets chances to win and secondly, the best chances not to lose too much.

ABBY: Okay, let us say that we are going to bet only the best bets at the game. How many bets do you make and which bets are they?

CINDY: Well, I only go up on the pass line and two come bets. I take odds on all of these bets. They are they best bets at the game. Why make any other bets?

ABBY: You therefore have three numbers at risk. Three chances to lose.

CINDY: Correct. Of course, with the odds bets, I am getting more money back from my wins than just even money. The original bet is even money but the odds come back paying the correct odds for that number. And you have the one-to-one bet on the initial layout of the wager. Still, yes, I am giving away 1.41 percent of my initial bet in this game. I can’t escape that. If I am betting $25 on the initial bet I am going to lose 1.41 percent of that money. There is no other way to bet, at least no other way to bet for me.

ABBY: I go a different way, a far more radical way. I use Frank Scoblete’s radical assertion and I bet only one bet. Just one. It could be a place bet on the six or eight. Either one of these comes in with a 1.52 percent edge for the house. Or it could be one bet on the pass line or a come; either of these with full odds. Then I have the same edge on one bet that you have.

CINDY: To map this out. If you place bet the six or eight for $30, a win pays you $35. You have six ways to lose to the seven and five ways to win with a come bet but the odds on that bet will pay the real amount owed you. The come bet is a better bet overall.

ABBY: Correct.

CINDY: All the other numbers do not exist for you. They hit and it is just dead space and time. Correct?

ABBY: Correct. I have, however, really contained my possible losses by wagering this way. Who needs multiple numbers? The more numbers, no matter how you bet them, the more money over time you will lose. It doesn’t get simpler than knowing that and avoiding that.

CINDY: I agree with betting the best bets with low house edges but I just can’t restrain myself from betting multiple numbers and I will admit on rare occasions I’ve thrown out some bad bets. I am a sinner!

ABBY: I forgive you, my sister.

CINDY: Thank you.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.