Betting Strategy: Study the Odds when Betting Craps
People love craps. It has always been one of the most popular games in the casino. There is a lot of action and camaraderie. Craps also allows players to physically determine the game’s outcome with the rolling of the dice and this interactive aspect of the game can not be overlooked when talking about its popularity.
However, players are simply able to win a lot of money in a short amount of time, and this is the most important aspect of craps in every way. There are plenty of mistakes players make when playing craps but the biggest one is just not knowing the odds of the bets available. In every player’s defense, the craps table can be a very intimidating place. There are hundreds of wagers to place, dozens of players placing bets, and lots of money flying around. With this in mind, the best way to be successful at craps is to keep it simple and know the odds. In this article, you’ll learn the best methods to win at craps.
Know the Odds
Craps offers dozens of wagers, everything from the simple to some exotic prop bets. However, this advantage can have a huge downside when players start making wagers without knowing the odds. This might not be such a big deal in other casino games, but it’s a huge mistake in craps, and that’s because certain craps bets have house edges ranging in the double digits while others have none at all. This hurts worse when you realize that there are much better wagers available. Due to this, there are fewer than 10 wagers actually worth making on the entire craps table. It only makes sense to stick with the best wagers, which include pass line, don’t pass line, come, and don’t come. These bets are easy to find, easy to play and have the best odds available.
Use the “Don’t” Bets
When it comes to the house edges, it makes sense to put your money on don’t pass line and don’t come. After all, these wagers have a house advantage that’s 0.05% lower than pass line and come. However, it is important to mention that while these “don’t” bets give you a slightly stronger chance to win, they also come with a stigma in land-based casinos. Many players bet with the shooter. This creates a feeling that the pass line and come bettors are backing the shooter, rather than the casino. Don’t bettors are often referred to as the “dark side,” because it appears they’re wagering on the shooter to lose and therefore wagering with the casino.
While being a don’t better won’t get you punched in the face, you also don’t get to share in the camaraderie of cheering on a hot shooter. Therefore, you need to decide how much gaining the extra 0.05% advantage on the house edge is worth. Remember, you don’t need to make friends, you want to make money and while .05% advantage doesn’t seem like much, at the end of the day, it really is. Of course, you should always make don’t bets in online craps. You might as well take the best available house edge in this case, because you’re playing by yourself.
Bet the Odds
Craps is truly a unique casino game in that it offers a bet with no house edge called the Odds. It can be a bit confusing obviously because there are odds of winning every wager and then there is the actual Odds wager. Unfortunately, many craps players fail to take advantage of this Odds wager because they don’t even know about it. Odds is a bet that you can place behind either a pass line or don’t pass line wager. This bet pays at true odds, which is why it doesn’t have a house advantage. It is important to remember that the goal is to wager the highest odds you can, because it will lower the overall house edge when combining your pass line or don’t pass line bet. You can make odds bets in both online and land-based casinos. However, it’s important to remember to shop around because every casino will offer different odds. The trick is that you can make the minimum bet initially. Then, you can back your wager with the highest odds, and this will put you to a nearly even position with the casino. Some places will allow a minimum of $1.
When making the Odds wager, you must wait until after the point on the craps table has been established before backing up a line Odds wager. In a land-based casino, be sure to tell the dealer as there is no box for this wager. Just remember, you take odds when wagering behind the pass line and you lay odds when betting behind the don’t pass line.