Tips for Winning at Craps
29 June 2006The best way to learn how to play craps is at an online casino and the best way to learn how to win at craps is by following a few simple tips. Some of the most commonly used tips by professional gamblers are listed below. Try some of them online to build up your confidence and then bring them to the craps table!
- One of the most effective craps tips concerns developing a profitable gaming strategy. The best way to do this is to practice the game. The old saying of practice makes perfect definitely extends to craps. For those players starting out, many online casinos today offer free trials of games, meaning that there is no excuse not to practice the game as often as possible.
- Know when to take chances. This obviously only comes with experience. But it is worthwhile for the cautious player to remember that craps is a game that can deliver some of the best odds and has the lowest house advantage of any casino game. It is also based heavily on luck and chance, therefore knowing when to take chances and playing confidently is crucial to being successful at craps.
- Understand craps systems. While no system can guarantee success in any game, using a proven craps system can help you win a certain number of times. Some systems can be confusing to the new player – for example, the system of ‘Hedging’, which is a technique used to cover ones bets with additional bets. Although Hedging brings the house edge down to 1.2 percent, it is often a difficult system to use. Other techniques, such as backing a pass line bet with a free odds wager can reduce the casino’s advantage to below one percent. Systems can be useful but overall are not the most simple or efficient ways of becoming successful at craps.
In the early stages of learning a simple and efficient craps strategy, it is advisable to only place bets with the lowest casino advantage. Once you’ve built up your confidence, you can try more complicated bets; some of which follow.
Avoid Proposition Bets
These bets give the house an edge of over 11 percent and are determined by one simple toss of the dice. Avoid these as much as possible.
Avoid Lay Bets
These bets feature low odds and a five percent commission for the casino. If you do want to make lay bets, ensure that you preserve your cashflow by betting in small amounts and discipline yourself accordingly. The casino will generally charge a commission of five percent on each $20 wagered.
Place Buy Bets Occasionally
These bets may return higher odds than lay bets but they still entail the payment of a five percent commission to the house. If however you insist upon making Buy Bets you should at least know what you’re up against. Try to bet only on the 4 or 10, for these two are the only numbers on a buy bet that produce the highest odds in the players favor (2:1). Betting on 9 and 5 offers 3:2 odds, while betting on the 8 and 6 offers 6:5 odds.
Place Field Bets Occasionally
Field Bets offer the house the edge of 5.5 percent and are determined on the roll of a single dice. Obviously this makes Field Bets more risky for the player than Extended Bets. However, if you have a strong sense that the shooter will roll 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12, these bets can provide you with a lot of fun.
Use Multiple Denominations when making Place Bets
In order to take full payoff odds on a place bet, you will need to bet in specific multiple denominations. Use multiples of $5 to bet on the 4, 5, 9 and 10, and multiples of $6 for betting on 6 and 8. Other amounts can result in uneven payments, which the house will round down to a neat number, retaining the difference. You should also try to keep your bets on the 6 and the 8. These numbers offer the house the lowest advantage at 1.5 percent. In comparison, betting on 5 and 9 incurs a four percent house edge and the 4 and 10 produces a house edge of seven percent.
Pass Line Bets are considered the most player-friendly in Craps. Other Bets such as Don’t Pass, Pass, Don’t Come and Come also offer low house advantages. Yet undoubtedly the bet that offers the house the lowest edge across the entire spectrum of available casino games is the Free Odds Wager.
Free Odds Wagers
A Free Odds Wager is an extra bet placed on top of an existing pass, don’t pass, come, or don’t come bet. However the difference is that the bet pays out in True Odds and the house does not receive any payout from a player’s winnings as it does from other types of bets. The casino encourages the player to make Free Odds Wagers because it has already made money off the player’s original bet.
The house edge on a Free Odds Bet is approximately 0.8%, making it the lowest house advantage ever in craps. Players tend to bet using increment amounts. For a 4 or 10, payouts are at 2 to 1, therefore increments are not necessary. But for bets on 5 and 9 for example, players should wager in even amounts to make the most of the payout on the bet. Wagering in increments of $5 is recommended for bets on 6 or 8, to prevent the house from rounding down the payout.
By remembering, practicing and adhering to these simple Craps tips, you can increase your chances of beating the house, while ensuring that it receives the lowest possible odds on the bets you make.
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