Share Craps Methods and Strategies

Looking for new methods and strategies. Anyone want to share their playing strategies. Playing in a few days and would like to try some new techniques.

Here's one for starters.

Stay away from Big 6 and Big 8 and avoid the stupid bets in the center of the table. That is my method and strategy. Saw this clowns parlay hard 6 and hard 10 several times. Yeah they won it a couple of times but big deal. They spent 800 dollars to win 500. Great investment. LOL!

I just play the standard pass line and 2 come bets. I always put odds on the bets, but sometimes I don't do max odds just due to the size of my bankroll. I'll always put at least 2x odds, and then when I press my bets during a hot roll, I max the odds first before increasing the base bet.

Sometimes, mainly depending on how comfortable I am with the size of the bets vs. my bankroll, I'll place the 6 and 8 if they're not covered after the 3 points are established, or I will place an additional come bet if the 6 and 8 are both already covered. Make sure if you are placing 6 or 8 you bet at least $6 (and in multiples of $6). Some tables will let you place it for $3 and then pay off at 1-1 which is totally equivalent to betting the big 6/8, one of the worst bets at the table! Some low-minimum tables will pay $3.50 for $3 place bet, then it's fine to play the bet at $3 (but you won't find that on a cruise ship!).

Oh, and I ignore all the bets in the center of the table, other than occasionally putting in a Yo bet as a tip for the dealers. Or I might place some other crazy bet in the center for the dealers if the table is all excited and it seems to add to the excitement. But I prefer to tip them by placing a $1 passline bet next to mine and giving it some odds.

This is all pretty standard strategy. The only thing I really bring to it is my money management techniques, which basically boil down to:

1) Always have enough of a starting bankroll to last a while if the table isn't cooperating. The goal is to still be playing when the hot roll hits. A rule of thumb is about 7x your total bets. So if you are at a $5 table with 2x odds, you should have about 7 x $45 = ~$350. I'm actually a low roller, so I'd probably start with about $200 at that table and hope for the best.

2) When you press your bets, make sure you are pressing with the house's money!

What I do is manage my money like this:

1) Treat each shooter as a total reset. Doesn't matter if you are winning or losing, when the dice get passed, you reset all the amounts being bet.

2) When the shooter starts, I grab enough chips to cover that shoot (basically ~$50 if using the example from above) and put those on the top rail. I leave all the rest of my bankroll on the bottom rail.

3) If winning during a particular shooter, all winnings go on the top rail. I start pressing my bets after I win a couple points, first pressing odds up to max, then pressing the base bet. Chips for pressing bets always come from the top rail. Once in a while I might sneak a big chip down from the top roll to the bottom rail, just to make sure I don't get carried away in the heat of the action and forget to lock up some profit.

4) When pressing, I try not to get carried away, always making sure some of the profits from that roll are sitting in my rail and not out on the table. The longer and hotter the roll, the more profits should be sitting on the top rail, not on the table! Inevitably it seems like the hot roll will end one point too soon, and all your money is on the table, so be careful of that!

5) After a hot roll ends, make sure you do walk away with your profits. You don't have to leave immediately (sometime the hot table stays hot!), but make sure you don't lose it all! That means first of all, be sure to reset your bets back to minimum on the next shooter, otherwise they can vaporize pretty quickly. Also, I generally make some kind of division in the chips on the lower rail and promise myself to walk away if it goes below that mark. Basically, if the table gets cold, cash in your chips and walk away with your profit, don't stand there and lose it! If you don't have much willpower, put some of the big chips in your pocket and forget they are there!

6) If the table is cold, walk away after losing your initial investment (i.e. the $200-$350 in my example). Walk away once you don't have enough money to bet properly on the next shooter (~$50 in my example). Even if you want to come back in 15 minutes, you should treat that as starting a new session (so need another $200-$350 to start, in my example).

Those guidelines are for when betting the passline. If I'm playing don't/dark side, I play 1 don't pass and 2 don't come, with full odds (or again, as much as I can afford). I don't really have a great strategy for when to press -- I just wing that, but again with the guideline to be pressing bets with the house's money and make sure to walk away a winner once you have won some money.

(Really all of of that strategy I got from reading a good craps book -- I don't think I made any of it up, but it's what I use!)

Nancy NM: Great basic strategy.

The only thing I would comment on is that the dealers appreciate tokes on bets that they are more likely to win. Yes, you mentioned you make a pass line bet and but a rider for the dealers next to it. But, more than once dealers have told me that although they appreciate the bets on the hardways for them, they much prefer pass line or place bets for them as there is much more of chance to win.

Their favorite toke is simply giving them the tip right out and not having it in action. It is a guaranteed tip for them. But no matter how you choose to tip, it IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED no matter where you place it on the table. You are a good egg for showing your appreciation for their work.

Nancy NM: Great basic strategy.

 

The only thing I would comment on is that the dealers appreciate tokes on bets that they are more likely to win. Yes, you mentioned you make a pass line bet and but a rider for the dealers next to it. But, more than once dealers have told me that although they appreciate the bets on the hardways for them, they much prefer pass line or place bets for them as there is much more of chance to win.

 

Their favorite toke is simply giving them the tip right out and not having it in action. It is a guaranteed tip for them. But no matter how you choose to tip, it IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED no matter where you place it on the table. You are a good egg for showing your appreciation for their work.

I usually will do a pass line bet for them, since that means they win when I win, and it also has the best odds. I only make the prop bets for them if the mood of the table makes it seem right (like if there have been a bunch of Yo betters who are winning, and the table is all excited about it, I might put them up there). Also when I've cashed in and am leaving the table I'll usually hand the spare $1's to the stickman and tell him "dealer's choice", so if they really want the hand in at that point they can take it.

Also sometimes I will place the point for the dealers. I'll generally do that if there is a good roll going that hasn't been actually hitting the passline point, but has had repeating numbers on the come line (so I have made some money). I place the point for them (by putting the chips next to my passline bet, but right on the outside line), and then tell the stick man to hurry up and call the point! ;)

I consider tipping the dealers to be part of the game, which is why I listed it as part of my strategy! :)

Hi Nancy,

Great money management ideas. One thing that I don't think I do is capture my winnings on the top. I will put my buy in away in my pouch for a time so that all is on the table is profit.

Do you ever turn off your 6 & 8? Which side do you prefer and feel that you have more success with right or left?

One of my BIGGEST challenges is trying to catch a hot roll or shooter and knowing if and/or when to switch. The result of this is sitting out a totally hot shooter for not wanting to switch over from the left. I try not to go back and forth. Occassionally through several shooters I have seen hit a couple of points and then on the third or so roll I'll go left.

Hi Nancy,

 

Great money management ideas. One thing that I don't think I do is capture my winnings on the top. I will put my buy in away in my pouch for a time so that all is on the table is profit.

 

Do you ever turn off your 6 & 8? Which side do you prefer and feel that you have more success with right or left?

 

One of my BIGGEST challenges is trying to catch a hot roll or shooter and knowing if and/or when to switch. The result of this is sitting out a totally hot shooter for not wanting to switch over from the left. I try not to go back and forth. Occassionally through several shooters I have seen hit a couple of points and then on the third or so roll I'll go left.

I try not to be superstitious, so I generally won't take down or turn off any bets once they are up. The place bets are automatically off on the come-out, and I will play it that way. When playing the don't, I will never brush off the 6 or 8 -- at the moment those become the point, I am at the advantage, so why turn it down?

The only time I might take a bet down is if something obnoxious is going on at the table (a real jerk of a shooter or something). Doesn't happen very often.

As far as switching between wrong and right betting, that's a problem for me. I prefer to bet the passline -- I just prefer the flow of the game that way, so I usually will only switch to wrong betting if the table is ice cold. Then I will keep getting tempted to switch back as soon as a point is made. A lot of times (most of the time, unfortunately!) the table isn't really hot or cold, it's just up and down. In those cases I prefer to just stay betting the passline, rather than get all wishy-washy about it.

The last time I decided to switch to the don't, I did pretty well at it, and was one of the only people at the table making money.

One thing I've tried lately on the don't side is, once I have my three bets up, if the shooter starts knocking them down (repeating the numbers) I'll just quit betting. Then if he makes the actual point and has been making a lot of numbers, I'll switch over to the passline (but I'll leave any bets I already have up there -- they are still the best place, odds vs. payoff, for my money to be at that instant). So if it does develop into a hot roll, I'm in it eventually, just not from the beginning. Ideally I hope he will roll a 7 on the come out, letting me win my don't come bets, and then I'll switch sides, but you sure can't count on that happening!

Nancy NM: Great basic strategy.

 

The only thing I would comment on is that the dealers appreciate tokes on bets that they are more likely to win. Yes, you mentioned you make a pass line bet and but a rider for the dealers next to it. But, more than once dealers have told me that although they appreciate the bets on the hardways for them, they much prefer pass line or place bets for them as there is much more of chance to win.

 

Their favorite toke is simply giving them the tip right out and not having it in action. It is a guaranteed tip for them. But no matter how you choose to tip, it IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED no matter where you place it on the table. You are a good egg for showing your appreciation for their work.

What I do is I ask them play it or take it, dealers are at heart delinquent gamblers, I had to ban Uno from the break room due to the lunatics blowing their pay checks every week playing it.

So if the say play I will put the on the line, with odds, if I am getting good service as well I will throw $10 to the stick, and say "2 way hard ways I control", what this does it it put's myself and the dealers on the hard ways, but instead of the dealers having to take down their bet if it wins I can parlay it a little, give part to the dealers and part rides, always keep my bet and the dealers bet equal when doing this.

As to what do I play, anything and everything, it just depends on the way the table is running, do/don't it makes no difference to me, I am playing to make money, not friends.

Thoughts on bets not working when a new stick comes in, calling new dice when a new stick comes in..... or new dice when the dice leave the table, or for that matter same dice???

All those "carps" myths.

Yesterday I saw these two guys betting the pass line and trying to get to come numbers up. I was just watching at the time. They made 1000 dollars each in a matter of 20 minutes. The table was hot. Glad I wasn't in the game. They picked up their winnings and left.

Well, then I am playing and these two guys buy in for a grand each. I played for about 10 more minutes and made a profit. I colored up and stopped my play to watch these guys give EVERYTHING back to the casino. Unbelievable. If I make a profit like that the session is over. I stop playing for the day. I don't know to feel sorry for these folks or simply laugh at them? :confused:

Thoughts on bets not working when a new stick comes in, calling new dice when a new stick comes in..... or new dice when the dice leave the table, or for that matter same dice???

 

All those "carps" myths.

A Lloyd Lindsey Young greeting to you Lisa&Neb: When a new stickman comes in I don't do anything different. When dice leave the table I always shout in an audible mumble, "same dice." There is a belief that if the dice leave the table and you use new dice then the seven will come up quickly.

Let me try to seduce you to the "dark side." I will bet don't pass, and if the point is 4/5/9/10, lay single odds. I then bet don't come once or twice, depending on the shooter, and again lay single odds for 4/5/9/10. At that point, I wait for "Big Red"... 7.

What I like about this approach rather than betting pass/right side is I don't lose all my bets all at once. On the other hand, when the 7 comes, I win everything. Psychologically I like not having to take a big hit like that. On the other hand, you won't have the whole table cheering with you because your big win will be their big loss. I don't need the cheers, I'll just take the money, thank you. :p

I'm not looking to make a killing, and it's true it can be a grind, but it's solid if you just want to have some fun and not lose a ton. To help make sure I don't lose a ton, if the shooter makes all his points and all my bets go down, I sit tight until the shooter passes the dice. At this point, I root for the rest of the table... who hopefully will be paying me back soon.

I have played on a table with all darksiders too-- rare but it does happen. Weird but refreshing when we can come out of the shadows and root for 7. :)

Here's one for starters.

 

Stay away from Big 6 and Big 8 and avoid the stupid bets in the center of the table. That is my method and strategy. Saw this clowns parlay hard 6 and hard 10 several times. Yeah they won it a couple of times but big deal. They spent 800 dollars to win 500. Great investment. LOL!

Have you actually seen someone play Big 6 or 8? I think I would smack them...

Let me try to seduce you to the "dark side." I will bet don't pass, and if the point is 4/5/9/10, lay single odds. I then bet don't come once or twice, depending on the shooter, and again lay single odds for 4/5/9/10. At that point, I wait for "Big Red"... 7.

 

What I like about this approach rather than betting pass/right side is I don't lose all my bets all at once. On the other hand, when the 7 comes, I win everything. Psychologically I like not having to take a big hit like that. On the other hand, you won't have the whole table cheering with you because your big win will be their big loss. I don't need the cheers, I'll just take the money, thank you. :p

 

I'm not looking to make a killing, and it's true it can be a grind, but it's solid if you just want to have some fun and not lose a ton. To help make sure I don't lose a ton, if the shooter makes all his points and all my bets go down, I sit tight until the shooter passes the dice. At this point, I root for the rest of the table... who hopefully will be paying me back soon.

 

I have played on a table with all darksiders too-- rare but it does happen. Weird but refreshing when we can come out of the shadows and root for 7. :)

I only play on the dark side. It's more fun for me and it seems to tick other players off, which is why I like it. :)

I like to play for small returns over a long period of time and hopefully they add up to winnings. I use a lot of hedging in my bets. For example, if I have $10 on the DC, and the number 6 is rolled (which has decent odds of hitting again), I will hedge my $10 bet with a $6 place bet. Basically, I take the risk out of something that doesn't have great odds to be a winner. In this particular case, if a 6 is rolled, i lose $10 and win $7. If a 7 is rolled, I win $10 and lose $6. I'm risking $3 to win $4. There are a bunch of different ways to hedge and it makes the game much more interesting for me.

One comment I would make on laying odds on the DP line - I typically don't do that because you need to lay a lot to win a little. I would rather have money on the DC and try to win that way...that is why I stagger my bets. For example:

$20 on the DP and 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 rolled

$10 on the DC

If 7 comes, I win $20, lose $10 and I am ahead

If any number other than 11 comes I'm in good shape with my DC bet (even if the point hits, I still have $10 that is in a winning position on the table, only needing a 7.

Third DC bet is $15 - If seven hits, I win $30 and lose $15. and I normally stop at three numbers...or get aggressive and lay a $40 no 4 or $40 no 10, with a $5 bet on hard 10 or 4 to help hedge...

It's hard to write about, but I hope it makes sense...ha.

I only play on the dark side. It's more fun for me and it seems to tick other players off, which is why I like it. :)

HAHAHAHA! I LOVE IT!

Do you ever roll the dice when it is your turn? Or do you always pass them? I have cleared out an entire side just because I decided to roll. :D

Have you actually seen someone play Big 6 or 8? I think I would smack them...

I have seen a few people place this bet. Doesn't happen often but bets are made here.

A Lloyd Lindsey Young greeting to you Lisa&Neb: When a new stickman comes in I don't do anything different. When dice leave the table I always shout in an audible mumble, "same dice." There is a belief that if the dice leave the table and you use new dice then the seven will come up quickly.

If I'm on a hot roll (or have at least been rolling for a while) then I'll usually call for "same dice" if they go off the table. I'm not superstitious, but I know others at the table may be, so I'll do it just so they don't get upset. I don't mind catering to some of those superstitions if it's easy to do.

In my experience, after the dice go off the table, or the stick man changes, the 7 comes up on the next roll just about exactly 1 time in 6... ;)

HAHAHAHA! I LOVE IT!

 

Do you ever roll the dice when it is your turn? Or do you always pass them? I have cleared out an entire side just because I decided to roll. :D

Yup - I always roll when the dice come to me. Sometimes if I'm in a really good mood, I might actually celebrate when I win - which really is bad manners. :)

Yup - I always roll when the dice come to me. Sometimes if I'm in a really good mood, I might actually celebrate when I win - which really is bad manners. :)

Generally, I pass the dice when it is my turn. But lately, I have been throwing the bones because I have been running into obnoxious players lately. That really gets their goat and shuts them up real fast. I love it when someone gets superstious and they stop playing when I roll. It is really stupid if you ask me. What do they think? That a don't player is going to hit the seven immediately after the point is made? Crazy! :p

If I'm on a hot roll (or have at least been rolling for a while) then I'll usually call for "same dice" if they go off the table. I'm not superstitious, but I know others at the table may be, so I'll do it just so they don't get upset. I don't mind catering to some of those superstitions if it's easy to do.

 

In my experience, after the dice go off the table, or the stick man changes, the 7 comes up on the next roll just about exactly 1 time in 6... ;)

Nancy

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO NancyNM: If I don't give you a LLoyd Lindsey Young greeting Yo Eleven would shoot me. lol About one in six is about right. On average a shooter will roll a seven about every four or fifth roll. This was done by a computer anaylist sitting for hours recording rolls of dice. 4.5 rolls is what the average is. Does this mean that you can't get off a monster roll, no of course not. By the same token you could roll the devil after establishing a point.

Yup - I always roll when the dice come to me. Sometimes if I'm in a really good mood, I might actually celebrate when I win - which really is bad manners. :)

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Deckhawk: You have to play your game regardless of what other people say. Why not celebrate when you win? Other people celebrate when they win. One of the great things about playing craps is that everyone could play their own game which often is different and still be friends or at least be civil to one another.

Generally, I pass the dice when it is my turn. But lately, I have been throwing the bones because I have been running into obnoxious players lately. That really gets their goat and shuts them up real fast. I love it when someone gets superstious and they stop playing when I roll. It is really stupid if you ask me. What do they think? That a don't player is going to hit the seven immediately after the point is made? Crazy! :p

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Yo Eleven: If you don't want to shoot don't. You must play your game. It is fun to roll the dice. It makes no differnce to the dice if you roll them or if I roll them. And dice have no memory. One of the best shooters I ever saw was a guy who bet wrong. He was rolling the dice for about an hour when he lost all of his money. He was a hot shooter making point after point.

Sometimes if I'm having a bad day rolling then I'll pass my turn on being the shooter.

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Yo Eleven: If you don't want to shoot don't. You must play your game. It is fun to roll the dice. It makes no differnce to the dice if you roll them or if I roll them. And dice have no memory. One of the best shooters I ever saw was a guy who bet wrong. He was rolling the dice for about an hour when he lost all of his money. He was a hot shooter making point after point.

Sometimes if I'm having a bad day rolling then I'll pass my turn on being the shooter.

Actually, if you really want to upset some people - pass the dice in the middle of your role. If I really start knocking myself off the board I will pass the dice mid-roll. I'm not sure it is proper etiquette, but if I am wiping myself off the board I will pass.

I posted this elsewhere, but I love this bet...I'm an inveterate Daksider, but I agree that betting "with" a hot shooter is a great buzz.

To take advantage of this, my favourite bet when there's a "Hot Shooter" is to Lay all of the numbers on the come-out, working. You need to put $194 dollars on the table (including juice), but you're only risking $40 max per roll. The change from $200 goes to a two-way Doctor, 3/3 for the crew and the shooter.

If the neveS hits, you're up $114 (assuming you keep everything up), in the worst case, (a 10 or a 4), you're down 40.

I hit this three times in a row last time at the Taj, and then the shooter rolled a 6. I took everything down...smiling.

I posted this elsewhere, but I love this bet...I'm an inveterate Daksider, but I agree that betting "with" a hot shooter is a great buzz.

 

To take advantage of this, my favourite bet when there's a "Hot Shooter" is to Lay all of the numbers on the come-out, working. You need to put $194 dollars on the table (including juice), but you're only risking $40 max per roll. The change from $200 goes to a two-way Doctor, 3/3 for the crew and the shooter.

 

If the neveS hits, you're up $114 (assuming you keep everything up), in the worst case, (a 10 or a 4), you're down 40.

 

I hit this three times in a row last time at the Taj, and then the shooter rolled a 6. I took everything down...smiling.

I love my craps and consider myself a mid level player... but your terms and play her have me lost... can you break down all the best 1 at a time and how it works and how it pays? What the heck is a Dr? and juice??

please help me out!!!