Rollin’ Dem
Bones: The Basics Of Craps
Casino games were not designed to intimidate.
When you look at a game, casino operators don't
want your reaction to be, "That
looks too hard. Think I'll take a pass." They want you to reach into your
wallet and bet your money.
Every casino game is simple at its heart, designed so that anyone can learn
to bet within a hand or two. There may be complexities buried within the game–you'll
win more often at blackjack if you learn basic strategy–and you'll be better
off at baccarat if you learn never to bet on ties. But the basics of every
casino game are kept simple enough that any newcomer can start betting almost
from the instant he arrives at the table.
That even goes for craps, which at a glance is the most intimidating game in
the casino. The table layout is the busiest in the house, with markings on
the felt touting dozens of possible bets. The game also moves very fast. A
beginner might go on overload, dazed by too many options along with the speed
of the game.
What the beginner doesn't realize is that most of those options aren't worth
knowing. There are a few very good bets at the craps table–craps can have
one of the lowest house edges in the casino–and many very bad bets–craps
also can have one of the highest house edges in the casino.
As we continue our look at the basics on how to play casino games, let's start
with one of craps' good bets. Learn how to bet the pass line, and you have
enough to get started. In fact, if you stick with the pass line, you'll be
getting a better deal than many experienced players who know every proposition
on the table– and too often fall for the sucker bets.
The pass line bet is a multiroll wager. You don't win or lose on every roll.
There is some waiting involved, and that's not a bad thing in a game that moves
as rapidly as craps.
It all starts with the comeout roll. How do you know whether the shooter's
next roll is a comeout? On the table, there is a black-and-white disc called
a "puck." When the next roll is a comeout, the puck is turned to
the side that says "Off" and placed on a corner of the layout that
says "Don't pass."
If the puck is turned to "Off," you're ready to make a pass line
bet. You place a chip or chips directly in front of you in the area marked
off as the pass line. The shooter then rolls, and if the two dice total 7 or
11, pass-line bets win. If they total 2, 3 or 12, pass line bets lose.
What if the total is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10? Then that number becomes the point.
The puck is flipped to the side that says "On," and placed in the
box marked with that point number.
Once a point has been established, the shooter rolls again until he either
repeats the point number or rolls a 7. If he rolls the point number again,
pass-line bettors win. But if a 7 shows up first, pass-line bettors lose.
No other numbers matter. If the shooter rolls a 6 on the comeout, then the
pass-line sequence ends only when he rolls another 6 or a 7. If he rolls a
2, 8, 11 or any other number, it does not affect the pass-line bet. The shooter
just rolls again and again, until the bet is settled.
If the shooter makes the point number, he keeps shooting as the pass-line sequence
starts again with a new comeout roll. But if he rolls a loser 7, he "sevens
out," and the dice are offered to the next player to the shooter's left.
That's easy enough, right? Place a bet on the pass line. If the shooter rolls
7 or 11, you win; if it's 2, 3 or 12 you lose. Any other number becomes the
point, and if the shooter repeats that number before the next 7, you win, and
if a 7 comes first, you lose.
Stick with pass, and you're playing a game with a house edge of only 1.41 percent.
On the average, you'll lose $1.41 of every $100 you risk but have a good shot
at some winning sessions. Blackjack players who learn basic strategy do better
(house edge about 0.5 percent), and so do baccarat players (1.36 percent on
banker, 1.17 percent on player). But you're getting a better deal than those
who play double-zero roulette (5.26 percent), Caribbean Stud (5.22 percent
of the ante) or Let It Ride (3.5 percent of one bet).
As you gain experience in craps, you'll find most players like to have more
than one wager working at a time. They think it adds to the excitement of the
game to have bets decided on nearly every roll, instead of waiting for a point.
Can you make multiple bets while still keeping the house edge low? You can
when you bet on "come."COME ON! COME ON!
When a craps table is hot, there's no more raucous place in a casino. Most
craps players tend to bet with the shooter, so they win together and lose together.
That makes craps a more social game than, say, blackjack. A blackjack player
who wins three or four hands in a row is pleased to see the chips multiply.
Let a craps shooter roll three or four winners in a row, and the place is in
an uproar.
Beginners who decided to test out their new knowledge of the pass-line bet
after reading about it here last week may have caught a glimpse of that. Maybe
they found a table with a shooter on a roll, and the players cheering with
every number. And maybe they didn't really feel a part of it yet.
That's partly because the pass line is just a start. It's a good start–a wager
with a 1.41 percent house edge that makes it one of the best bets in the casino.
But it's also a bet that can take a while to settle. Maybe, with a bet on the
pass line and a point number of 10, you've felt a little left out as the shooter
rolls 6, 9, 4, 8 another 6. The other players are whooping and hollering .
. . and you're just waiting for your bet to be decided, wondering what all
the excitement is about.
Why the difference? Because most of the other players have more than one bet
on the table at a time. They don't stop with the pass line. They like to have
lots of numbers working.
Now the sad truth is that many of the other bets are truly awful, with house
edges up to 16.67 percent. But you can buy in to more of the excitement without
giving away any extra edge to the house.
(A word of caution: As with any game of chance, do not bet more than your bankroll
can easily handle. If you've decided $5 per betting sequence is what you can
afford and the table minimum is $5, then stick with $5 on pass or its flip
side, don't pass, and ignore everything else. If, on the other hand, you plan
to bet $10 or $15 per sequence, you might want to break it down into two or
three wagers.)
The key is a wager called "come." It's a bet that defies the gambler's
maxim that any bet that's displayed big and bold on the table layout is bound
to be bad for bettors. The come area is among the largest on the table, but
it carries the same 1.41 percent house edge as the pass line.
Is it difficult to play the come? No more so than the pass line. In fact, the
come bet is the same as the pass-line bet, except that it's made at a different
point in the shooting sequence.
Remember how the pass line works from our discussion last week? Look for a
plastic disk, called a "puck." If it's flipped to the side labeled "off," the
next roll is a comeout.
That's when you place a bet on the pass line. If the shooter rolls 7 or 11,
you win, if it's 2, 3 or 12 you lose. Any other number becomes the point, and
if the shooter repeats that number before the next 7, you win, and if a 7 comes
first, you lose.
The time to place a come bet is when the puck is flipped to the side that says "on," and
placed in a numbered box to signify the point number. Place a bet by putting
chips in the come area directly in front of you. If the shooter then rolls
a 7 or 11, your come bet wins, but if the roll is a 2, 3 or 12, the come bet
loses. Any other number becomes your come point, and if the shooter repeats
that number before the next 7 you win. If a 7 comes first you lose.
Let's try an example. Before the comeout roll, you place a chip on the pass
line. The shooter rolls a 4. The puck is flipped to "on" and placed
in the box marked "4." You then place another chip on come. The shooter
rolls a 6. A dealer then moves your chip from the come area into a box labeled "six," signifying
you have come bet on 6. Then let's say the next roll is another 6. Your come
bet wins, but your pass-line bet stays in action, waiting to see if another
4 is rolled before the next 7.
I like to follow a pass-line bet with two come bets, giving me three numbers
working.
There is a faster way to get multiple numbers working, called "place bets."
Right Place, Right Time
We've gone over how to make pass and come bets at the craps table. Both are among
the best bets in the casino, with house edges of 1.41 percent. For every $100
wagered on pass or come, the house keeps an average of $1.41.
Both are wagers for the patient, taking an average of three rolls to decide.
And craps players aren't noted for their patience. Instead of waiting for the
shooter's roll to determine their point number, many players want to be in action
right now.
Not only that, some players don't want to take the chance on the shooter rolling
a 4 or a 10 as the point. They want their money on 6 and 8, which other than
7 are the most frequent rolls.
What to do? Players often turn to "place" bets.
If you've been with me the last two weeks, you know that on a pass-line bet,
the sequence starts with a comeout. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, pass bettors
win; if the roll is 2, 3 or 12, they lose. Any other number becomes the point,
and for pass bettors to win, the shooter must repeat that point number before
rolling the next 7.
Place bets are similar, except that there is no comeout roll. You pick your own
point. Put chips on the layout and ask the dealer for place bets on your number
or numbers. If the shooter rolls your number before the next 7, you win. If a
7 comes first, you lose.
Winning bets on 6 or 8 are paid at 7-6 odds, while 5 and 9 are paid at 7-5 and
4 and 10 at 9-5. To take advantage of that, make sure your place bets on 6 or
8 are in multiples of $6. Casinos won't break down winners into fractions of
a dollar. Bet $6 on 6, and if you win, you get $7. But if you bet $5, your winnings
are only $5. You won't get the change.
Let's walk through a place bet. You put $6 on the table and tell the dealer you
want to place the 8. The dealer moves your chips into the box on the table marked "8," at
a point on the edge that corresponds to your position at the table. (That's how
they keep everyone's bets straight.) The shooter rolls a 5. That doesn't affect
your bet, and it stays on the table unless you choose to take it down–there
is no mathematical edge in doing so. The shooter then rolls an 8. You win and
are paid $7, and you may choose to also take back your $6 bet or leave it for
the next sequence.
You may make more than one place bet at a time. If you want to have both 6 and
8 working, that's no problem. If you want to bet on all the point numbers, the
casino would love the action– although your wallet wouldn't.
What's the house edge? If you stick to place bets on 6 and 8, you spot the house
1.52 percent, just a little more than if you stick with pass and come. That's
a little misleading because place bets are decided in fewer rolls than pass or
come. On average, your money goes a little faster with the place bets.
The other place bets are wagers to avoid. The house edge nearly triples to 4
percent if you place 5 or 9, and it soars to 6.67 percent if you place 4 or 10.
Let's take a look at how the house edge on 4 is derived. Of the 36 possible combinations
of two dice, six add up to 7 and three total 4. In an average nine decisions
on a place bet on 4, you will win three times and lose six. Let's say you're
betting $5 a pop. In nine decisions, you risk $45. Winning bets pay 9-5 odds,
so each time you win, you get $9 in winnings and you retain your $5 bet for a
total of $14. With three winners in the sequence, when it's all over, you have
$42. You've lost $3. Divide that $3 by $45 in total wagers, then multiply by
100 to convert to percent, and you'll find the house has kept 6.67 percent of
your money.
You can reduce the house edge on 4 or 10 to 4.76 percent by buying, instead of
placing, the numbers. To buy a number, you pay the house a 5 percent commission.
In exchange, winners are paid at true odds of 2-1 instead of the 9-5 on place
bets. Buying other place numbers does not reduce the house edge.
There is a way to get true odds at craps without paying that 5 percent. We'll
check out the free odds next week.
Free Odds
Who says the casinos never give the player an even break?
They do just that at the craps table by offering free odds, that rare casino
bet with no house edge.
In our craps primer the last few weeks, we've looked at how to make some of the
better bets available–the pass line, come, and place bets on 6 and 8.
There's nothing we can do to lower the house edge on our place bets on 6 and
8 from its 1.52 percent, but with free odds, we can make our pass and come bets
even better than the 1.41 percent starting point.
By reserving a portion of our pass and come bets for the free odds, we can reduce
the overall house edge to 0.8 percent where single odds are available, to 0.6
percent with double odds, all the way down to 0.0021 percent with the 100 times
odds available at the Empresses in Joliet and Hammond.
How do we get that deal?
To start, we have to make either a pass or come bet. (We also can lay odds with
a don't pass or don't come bet, but more on that next week.)
Let's use a pass bet as an example. We start with a comeout roll–we know it's
a comeout because the plastic disk, or puck, is turned to the side that says "Off." Before
the shooter rolls, we place our bet directly in front of us in the area marked "pass
line." If the roll is 7 or 11, we win and our bet is paid at even money.
If it's 2, 3 or 12 we lose.
If the comeout roll is any other number, it becomes the point, and that's where
things get interesting. Once a point is established, we're allowed to make a
second bet behind our pass-line wager, called the free odds.
If the shooter then rolls a 7 before he rolls that point number again, we lose
both the pass bet and the free odds. But if he rolls the point number, good things
happen. We win, and our pass bet is paid at even money. Our free odds are paid
at the true odds of making the point.
Say we've bet $5 on the pass line and backed it with $5 in free odds. The shooter
rolls a 6, then rolls another 6 without rolling a 7. We win $5 on our pass line
bet. Even better, we win $6 on our free odds, since the true odds against rolling
a 6 before a 7 are 6-5.
How are true odds determined? There are 36 possible rolls with two dice, and
six of them total 7. Five total 8 and five total 6, so the odds against rolling
an 8 are 6-5, same as odds against rolling a 6. Four rolls total 9 and four total
5, so the odds on 9 or 5 are 6-4, which reduces to 3-2. Three rolls total 10
and three total 4, leading to odds of 6-3, which reduces to 2-1.
The example above used single odds, with a $5 pass bet backed by a $5 free odds
wager. Most casinos offer more odds, but that doesn't mean we have to take the
full amount available. Let your bankroll be your guide. If you're playing in
a 100x odds game and can afford only a minimum pass bet plus double odds, then
keep your bets at that level. If you go on a winning streak and want to increase
your bets, leave your pass bet at the table minimum and increase your free odds.
That way a greater proportion of your wager is paid at true odds, and you minimize
your exposure to the house edge.
Come bettors also can take advantage of free odds. Come bets work the same way
as pass-line wagers, except they're made on rolls other than the comeout.
Let's walk through a sequence in a double-odds game, starting with a comeout
roll. You put $5 on the pass line, and the shooter rolls a 4. You then back your
pass bet with $10 in double odds and make a $5 come bet.
The shooter then rolls a 6. That 6 becomes the point for your come bet, and the
dealer moves your wager to the box marked "Six," at a point corresponding
to your spot on the table. You then may back with double odds by putting $10
in chips on the layout and telling the dealer, "Odds on my 6." The
dealer will place the free odds wager off center, atop your come bet.
If the next roll is a 7, your pass bet, come bet and the free odds on both lose.
But let's say it's a 6. Then you win $5 for an even-money payoff on your come
bet, and you win $12 for the 6-5 payoff on the free odds. Your pass-line bet
and the odds backing it remain alive for the next roll.
What if the roll had been 4? Then you'd have won $5 on the pass line, and won
$20 for the 2-1 payoff on the free odds. Your come bet would remain alive. The
free odds on the come bet would stay on the table unless you asked the dealer
to take them down, but would be inactive on the next roll. That's because the
next roll would be a comeout for pass-line bets, and free odds on come bets usually
are inactive on comeouts unless the player specifies that they're working.
So far, all the bets we've discussed have had the player betting with the shooter.
You also can take the opposite side and bet against the shooter.
Do The Don't
Most craps players like to bet with the shooter. They win together and lose together,
cheering on a hot shooter and commiserating over a cold streak.
That doesn't mean you have to bet with the shooter. Some of the best bets on
the table will have you betting against the shooter making his point. Not that
betting that way is any shortcut to popularity. There are players who resent
those who bet the opposite side. Those who bet against the shooter are even called "wrong
bettors."
But there's nothing really wrong with betting the other side. In fact, the odds
are just about right. The two most common "wrong" bets are "don't
pass" and "don't come." As you probably suspect, if you've been
following this craps primer the last few weeks, don't pass and don't come are
the opposite of pass and come.
Just as with wagers on the pass line, the sequence for don't pass bets starts
with the comeout roll. You'll know it's the comeout if the plastic puck is flipped
to the side that says "Off."
On the comeout, pass bets win on 7 or 11 and lose on 2, 3 and 12. Once a point
is established, pass bettors win if the point is repeated before a 7 is rolled,
and lose if the 7 comes first.
Don't pass is almost the opposite. The only portion of the don't pass wager that
is not the opposite of the pass wager comes when a 12 is rolled on the comeout.
Pass bets win, but don't pass bets just push–that is, they tie and the bettor
keeps the wager.
Otherwise, don't pass bettors win when pass bettors lose, and lose when pass
bettors win. If on the comeout, the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, don't pass bets
lose. If the shooter rolls a 2 or 3, don't pass wagers win. And there's that
push on 12.
If the comeout roll is any other number, it becomes the point. If the shooter
rolls a 7 before repeating the point number, don't pass bettors win. If the point
number comes first, don't pass bettors lose.
What's the house edge? Just 1.4 percent, a tiny fraction better than the 1.41
percent on the pass line.
What if you walk up to the table and the puck is flipped to "On" while
sitting in one of the numbered boxes? Then it's not a comeout roll, and it's
not time to bet don't pass. Instead, you can bet don't come.
Don't come works just like don't pass, except the betting sequence starts on
a roll other than the comeout. If you place a bet in the area marked "Don't
come," the shooter's next roll serves as your equivalent of the comeout.
You win on 2 or 3, push on 12 and lose on 7 or 11. Any other number becomes the
point before your don't come bet. If the shooter rolls a 7 before that point,
you win, and if the point comes first, you lose.
For a pass/come bettor, the comeout roll is the best part of the bet. There are
eight ways to win–six combinations of two dice that total 7 and two that total
11–and only four ways to lose–one way to make 2, one way to make 12 and two
ways to make 3. But if a point is established, the pass/come bettor becomes the
underdog, no matter what the point number.
It's just the opposite for a wrong bettor. The comeout roll is the worst part
of the don't bets, with only three ways to win–one way to make 2 and two ways
to make 3–and eight ways to lose–the same eight that are winners on pass and
come. But once a point is established, don't pass/don't come bettors become the
favorites, no matter what the point number.
So far, we've concentrated on the good bets at craps–pass, come, place 6 and
8, free odds, don't pass and don't come. But there also are some real stinkers
on the layout.
The Bad And The Ugly
Craps gives the player one of the best shots to win in the casino, provided the
player sticks to the best bets offered.
We’ve dissected those best bets–pass and don't pass, come and don't come,
the free odds and place bets on 6 and 8. All are among the best bets at casino
games. The highest house edge of the lot is 1.52 percent on placing the 6 or
8, meaning that in the long run, the player loses $1.52 for every $100 wagered.
But if craps is a haven for the knowledgeable player, it's also a trap for the
unwary. Let's check out some bets to avoid:
Field: It's tempting to bet the field. It gives you LOTS of numbers–you win
if the roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. If the roll is 2 or 12, you're paid
2-1 instead of the even-money payoffs you get on other winners. (Some tables
even pay 3-1 on 12).
But there are problems. The most frequent roll is 7, followed by 6 and 8, and
they are not winners in the field. Neither is 5, which is tied with 9 as the
fourth most frequent roll. The bottom line is that 20 losing combinations will
turn up for every 16 winners.
The house edge is 5.6 percent on most tables, dropping to 2.8 percent if the
12 pays 3-1. That's either four times or double the 1.41 percent house edge on
the pass line. Even worse, since the field bet is decided on every roll as opposed
to the approximately three rolls it takes to decide the pass bet, you lose your
money much faster on the field.
One-roll propositions: On the center of the table layout, you'll find a wide
variety of wagers. You can't place these yourself–you have to put your money
on the layout and ask a dealer to place the bet for you. Here's a tip: Don't
ask. All the center-table propositions are bad bets.
Let's use the one-roll bet on 12 as an example. Instead of the true odds of 35-1,
some pay 30-1, meaning that when a 12 is rolled you get 30 units in winnings
plus keep your original wager. The house edge is an astronomical 13.9 percent.
Others pay 30-for-1, meaning your bet is included in your 30-unit return when
you win. The house edge steps up to 16.7 percent. Yuck.
One-roll bets include 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, any craps (2, 3 or 12) or C & E (craps
and 11, which means 2, 3, 11 or 12), with house edges ranging from 11.1 percent
(3 or 11, with either paying 15-1, or any craps, paying 7-1) to 16.7 percent
(2 or 12, either paying 30-for-1; 3 or 11, either paying 15-for-1, or any 7 paying
4-1). That's much too much to spot the house.
Hardways: Bet hard 6, and you win if two 3s roll before a 7 or another 6. The
requirement that both dice show the same number makes it a hardway.
Payoffs are 7-1 on hard 4 or 10, and 9-1 on hard 6 or 8. House edges are 9.1
percent on 6 or 8, and 11.1 percent on 4 or 10. Since these are multiple-roll
bets, your money doesn't go quite as fast as on the one-roll propositions, but
still, why spot the house this much when there are so many options with a fraction
of the house edge?
Big 6 and Big 8: These work much like place bets on 6 or 8. Bet Big 6, and if
a 6 rolls before the next 7, you win, and if the 7 rolls first, your lose. The
key difference is that Big 6 and Big 8 pay only even money, while place bets
on the same numbers pay 7-6 odds. If you want to play 6 or 8, bet in multiples
of $6 and stick with the place bets. The house edge there is only 1.52 percent,
while on Big 6 and Big 8 it's 9.1 percent. Ouch.
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