Category Archives: Craps

Craps dice control and dice setting techniques

Advantage Player Craps, Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Strategy, Craps Systems, Gambling, Uncategorized

A few days ago I wrote a large article and guide to dice control. I think you will find the bulk of your information there but I will definitely be adding a few more pages there that will go into more details and get into the specifics of controlling the dice. If you do not know what dice control is, I will explain a little bit about it.

Basically, this is just a technique used by “advantage players” as a way to gain an advantage to the game of craps. The methods used here lie in a type of grey area between legal and illegal as well as being a form of cheating. This is synonymous to how card counting works with blackjack. Technically, dice setting (or dice control) is not illegal, but casino still have the right to throw you out if you get caught.

The whole purpose of the strategy is to control which numbers the dice will land on when you throw them. It’s a lot like bowling, pool or darts where you need to fine tune your skill and learn how to precisely throw the dice so they land on a specific number. For example, you could make a ton of money by consistently throwing snake eyes or boxcars (the number 2 or 12), the same thing goes with the number 7, which is even easier to control because of the large number of combinations available.

All I can say is read that article and just keep on practicing because it takes some serious skill, which can result in some serious payouts as well. Really, the whole name of the game is to throw the dice on an axis. Basically you just need to line up both cubes so that they stack together into a rectangular block. Then you will want to throw them as a single piece and finally you will want the dice to fly through the air as a single piece as if they are glued together. You also want them to be thrown straight and level to the table so that they bounce at the same time. This is really the whole strategy.

You also want to throw them hard enough so that they bounce off the opposite wall of the table. Some general tips is to make the least amount of contact with the dice and to apply as less pressure as possible on them. All the specifics are in the article and they should be very helpful for beginners to get started and to learn what these techniques are all about.

What kinds of craps bets work best with betting systems?

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Betting, Craps Systems, Gambling

This is a very important topic that I think will benefit people who use betting systems. As you may already know, betting systems can be used in just about any casino game including craps. They are usually just patterns of styles of betting that players can do in order to manage bankrolls and risks. Some well known betting systems are the Martingale, Parlay, Paroli, Labouchere, Fibonacci and etc. All of these require an important element in order for them to work properly.

The main requirement is that players need to be wagering money on a bet that pays out even odds. That means the house edge must be as small as possible and the odds of winning being nearly 50:50. Some bets are better than others for these kinds of strategies because the house edge differs slightly.

For example, if you wagered on snake eyes, the house edge is 13.89% and pays out 30:1 odds. The big red seven bet has a house edge of 16.67% and pays out 4:1 odds. So which bet would work best with a betting system? First of all, the any seven bet would work much better because the odds are closer to 1:1 than the snake eye bet, even though the house edge is worse. Still, both of these bets are terrible for betting systems.

The key is to get something that pays out 1:1 odds or something that you can win with odds nearly equal to those of flipping a coin and betting whether it will land on heads or tails. Below is a list of the best craps bets to use with craps betting systems:

Pass Line – 1.44%

Don’t Pass Line – 1.36%

Come – 1.44%

Don’t Come – 1.36%

Each of these bets pays 1:1 even odds and can be increased even better when including the free odds. Always remember that the house edge doesn’t mean much. Even if the any sevens bet paid 5:1 odds with 0% house edge (one of the best in the house), it would apply terribly with a betting system. For instance, if you used the Martingale craps system here, you would have to lose 5 times on average before finally winning, which means you would have to double your bets five times. It is already risky enough using Martingale when you lose 1 out of 2 times! Imagine doing that with the snake eyes bet when you lose 35 times for every win.

Although, when you find all of the 1:1 payout bets, the one with the lowest house edge is the better one because you win more often in the long run. For instance, the don’t pass and don’t come bets are the ideal ones (I always play the don’t pass bet). The free odds increases your advantage against the house, but you probably don’t want to uses these in one of the basic systems yet because it gets complicated when some bets you are allowed to place them and in others you are not. Plus the amount of money you are betting is directly related to how much you need to bet on the odds bet and that can throw your whole system off. I will try to include a few advanced systems specifically for craps in the future though.

My night trying out some craps gambling moves

Casino Craps, Craps, Gambling, Uncategorized

I headed back out to the casino last night to try out some craps again. This time I only got $20 in free bonus money from the casino, but it’s better than nothing! One thing I wanted to see is if this casino had some different variations to the normal craps rules that I’ve been talking about. As expected they have all of the same rules and all of the various types of bets, except for the fire bet of course.

Although, on Friday nights they actually do change the rules a bit by letting players win 5 for 1 odds on any seven (the big red bet) and a payout of 8 for 1 on the any craps bet. Both of these bets pay out true odds, which makes them the best bet in the house. This is why the casino allowed changes in the rules for one day out of the week. This basically attracts lots of people to the tables, including people who don’t know the game well. In the end, it makes a ton of money for the casino by just getting people in the doors and creating an exciting atmosphere.

If you have a craps table at your casino, it would probably be beneficial to see if they have any special nights like this. Even better, a casino in your area might make this rule permanent for every

Online casinos and craps for Macintosh users

Casino Craps, Craps, Gambling

If you use a Mac and you have been looking around for online casinos to play at, you may have noticed some problems getting the game to work on your computer. There is actually a few online casinos that I will show you that will be playable on the Macintosh operating system as well as the Windows XP and Vista. I will also explain why craps and other casino games sometimes do not work on the Mac.

First of all, many people decided to get a Mac because of the reputation for better security over the internet. In the old days, most people had Windows and computer hackers and virus makers knew this. They studied up on the operating system because they could hit a wider range of computer users and get more rewards for their work. The Mac on the other hand didn’t have many users, so hackers and “phishers” didn’t bother doing all the work to try learning another system, hence leaving the Mac users alone. This is one reason why the Macintosh nowadays seems to be much more secure, but that isn’t the whole story and it gets more complicated than that too.

Now for online casinos. Software developers for gambling systems built and engineered their programs to work with Windows and the application ran with the executable file extension “.exe”. Again, they didn’t bother developing a who separate program for Mac users at the time since everyone used Windows and Mac doesn’t use “.exe” files unless it has an emulator built in. So essentially, online casinos didn’t work on the Mac.

Now that Macintosh is taking a greater share of the customers, a few online casinos are designing their games to work with the Mac. CasinoMax and Black Diamond Casino happen to be some of my all time favorite casinos and they accept US players as well as Macintosh users! Both of these casinos are owned by the same company, which is highly reputable and uses Real Time Gaming software to power their games.

Players can also play with real money or just practice the games for free. They even have a VIP program as well for the high stakes players out there. One thing to note is if you are located in the United States, you should visit these sites and take a look at their payment methods. I know they accept US players but there are many banking options to use.

How to use the fire bet in craps

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Betting, Gambling

The fire bet isn’t actually a standard bet. In fact, not all casinos allow this bet on their tables. For the casinos that do, this is actually a type of side bet that is usually found on table games. Also, you will typically find tables that support this bet at the bigger casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, but even some of the smaller ones will allow it.

Basically, this is a huge multi-roll bet. You want the shooter to throw point numbers on the come out roll and then hit those same point numbers again to end the round. There are only six available point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. In order to win the jackpot or the entire fire bet, a shooter must throw all six individual point numbers on the come out roll and then “make” those points. Most importantly, the shooter must not roll a 7 or else the round ends and the whole cycle has to start over again.

Another thing to remember is if you establish “9” as the point and throw again before a seven, that would count as completing 1 of 6 points. After the “9” has been done, the dealer will place a fire marker on that number. If the shooter throws another 9 and clears the point a number of additional times, it still only counts as marking 1 of the 6 numbers. You still have to clear 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 as well, all without rolling a 7

The fire bet does not pay out for the first three points that are completed, but the payout odds are as follows:

4 points pays out 24:1

5 points pays out 249:1

6 points pays out 999:1

As you can see, players can win $1000 for every $1 bet. For example, if someone placed a $100 fire bet, they could win $100,000! Of course only the big casinos like those in Vegas would allow the betting limit for this side bet to be this high.

What are the free odds craps bets and how to use them?

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Betting, Craps Strategy, Gambling

The free odds bet is actually the greatest bet in the entire casino and in the game of craps. The reason this is such a wonderful bet is the fact that they pay out true odds, which means the actual odds of winning are the same as the payout odds. This also means the house has no edge, advantage or profit margin. Basically the house has a 0% edge!

The odds bet is usually made as a complement to the pass line or don’t pass line bets. They also apply to the come and don’t come bets as well. When you place any of these line bets, you wait until the shooter rolls the dice. If you don’t crap out or seven out (depending on what you are betting on), then a point number will be established. It is only after the point is made that the odds bets become available.

Players may only place odds bets in multiples of their original line bet wagers. For instance, players can bet in 1x, 2x or 3x their bet increments. Large casinos like those in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Monte Carlo and etc., will allow 10x, 50x and even 100x odds bets. This can also be found at some online VIP casinos as well depending on if the casino will allow players to customize their craps tables like it has been known at the CasinoMax. Take a look at our Las Vegas multiple odds percentage chart to see how much your odds improve as you increase your odds bets.

The general rule of thumb is the higher the multiplier of odds bets you place, the lower the house edge gets. Remember, the odds bet itself is pays true odds, but you are using this in addition to your line bet, which already includes a small house edge. Placing an odds bet will just reduce the mathematical house edge to fall in your favor as you put more money on odds. Also, the pass and come odds are the same thing as well as the don’t pass and don’t come odds. True odds is true odds! Remember, the don’t pass line has just slightly better odds than the regular pass line bet.

I put a lot of links in this post because there is a lot of information about this bet since it is more of an advanced strategy. I would suggest reading a lot about the rules in order to get a good grasp of this part of the game. Once you understand this aspect of free odds, you will get a huge appreciation for the game as I have and just how rare it is to get such great odds and luck.

No house edge for “big red” and any seven bets

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Betting, Craps Tips, Gambling

Big red and any sevens is basically the same bet. When a player wagers on this bet, they are betting that the shooter will roll a seven on the very next roll, making this a single roll wager. If you win on the come out roll with a 7, players usually will win $4 for ever $1 bet or 4:1 payout odds. This leaves a huge house edge of 16.67% which makes this bet the worst one in the house and one of the worst ones in any game at the casino!

Wagers with really high house edges like this are usually common with the proposition betting options. The proposition bets are available in that area at the center of the table between the two identical major layouts where the line bets and points are. Basically the propositions are usually indicated with pictures of dice on the table layout and where you are allowed to bet on snake eyes, boxcars, etc.

So the title of this article says “no house edge” right? Well, as a matter of fact, some casinos have different rules that allow for changes in the payout odds. In fact, CasinoMax allows for 5:1 payouts or winning $5 for every $1 bet. Interestingly enough, the odds of rolling a seven have these same odds as well. When the actual odds of rolling something are the same as the payout odds, that means the difference between them is zero. This difference is also the house edge, which would be 0% as well.

This is known as being paid true odds and there is almost no bet in any casino game that will pay out true odds because the casino never profits from it since everyone has fair equal odds of winning. In the long run, everyone breaks even but players have a much better advantage in the short run than they would have with a house edge! Normally the big red 7 bet pays out 4:1 odds but that is why you should always be diligent of the rules because you could catch a hidden gem that not many people would know about. If the casinos alter the rule for this bet, they probably have for a few other bets as well. So if you see something like “any seven pays 5 for 1”, then this is an awesome deal!

Winning Craps Tips for Beginners and New Players

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Tips, Gambling

If you are a first time player, the first thing you will notice with the game of craps is how complicated it looks, just by the display of the table layout and all the fancy terms and jargon that you will see players use. Once you actually know even the basics, the game will become even easier to understand entirely and the bets will become much simpler to work with.

Tip 1 – The first word of advice is to learn how to play craps effectively. By learning the game, I mean understanding what each bet does and also learn what craps words mean as well. Click the links to read everything about the basics of the game and what everything is. Not only will you know how to place bets, but you will also learn which bets are good and what ones are bad. This is the biggest mistake of new players. It is also wide to ignore superstitions and false advice from other players who may not know what they are doing either.

Tip 2 – I would recommend staying away from proposition bets. Once you learn about the bets, you will know that the proposition wagers are those bets in the center of the table with names such as: snake eyes, boxcars, any craps, big red and etc. All of these have very large house edge, which means the casino will be taking a lot more money from you. Some casinos have different rules though, so these bets can actually become the best ones in the house. Though, you should stay away from these bets until your knowledge of the game is solid and you know which rules are good or not, which are explained on the pages here.

Tip 3 – Learn how to use good etiquette in craps. Not only will this make your experience at a real craps table more enjoyable, it will also avoid unintended casino security problems, such as unintentionally walking away from the table with the dice in your hands for example and having the casino get worried that you might be switching the dice with fixed ones!

Tip 4 – A good idea is to watch what everyone is doing on the craps table if you are unfamiliar. There is nothing wrong with walking up and just watching the game all night long. It is not a requirement that players must wager money on every roll of the dice either, so it is definitely good advice not to rush into the game or play too quickly.

Tip 5 – Take advantage of the free odds bet. You can use this bet once you learn about the come bet or the pass line bet. They pay out true odds, which means the casino has no house edge! If you don’t know what it means to be paid true odds, this would be something to study up on with our guides. When you get the knowledge and advance from a beginner to a more experience player, you will truly appreciate what true odds are and how craps is a one of a kind game that you will not find anywhere else. Not just in terms of fun and excitement but in mathematical odds and great chances of winning.

Using the Martingale Craps Betting System

Casino Craps, Craps, Craps Betting, Craps Strategy, Craps Systems, Gambling

If you didn’t already know, the Martingale strategy is one of the most popular and well known betting systems in existence. These systems are usually great for risk and bankroll management and guide players into betting by a series of patterns. Not only can this system be used in craps, but it can be used in just about any other casino game. First of all, this is a negative progression strategy, which means that you actually increase the size of your bets whenever you lose. This is also one of the riskiest, yet profitable betting system to use and I will explain it below.

The first important requirement for using the Martingale is to wager on bets that have nearly even odds and even payouts. An example of this would be the pass line or don’t pass bet, which pays out 1:1 (even) odds and also has a very low house edge. The lower the house edge, the better this system will work. Depending on the rules of the craps table, some bets have no house edge at all. For example, the any craps bet and the any seven (big red) pays out true odds (no house edge!) when playing at the CasinoMax‘s crap table. Generally though, the free odds bet in addition to one of the pass bets are perfect for using the Martingale system.

Now the first thing you do is wager 1 chip, which can be $1, $5, $100 or whatever you plan on betting. If you win, then the proceeding bets will always be 1 chip. Basically you never increase the size of your bets when you win. If you lose the bet, then you double the number of chips on the next bet and you keep on doubling up each time you lose consecutively. If you go on a losing streak, your bets would go from 1 chip to 2, then 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and so on. If you are using $100 chips, your bet would be $6400 after 6 losses in a row! If you finally win on that bet, then you return to your original 1 chip bet.

The benefit and advantage of the Martingale system when playing craps is you will always end up with a profit of 1 chip whenever you win, even after a long string of losses. The disadvantage is having to worry about table limits. For instance, if you were betting $100 chips and the table limit was $5000, you would be unable to wager $6400 in order to keep on pace with the strategy. Ideally, you would want to start with a very large bankroll and also begin with the minimum bet or minimum table limit, that way you have lots of room to move. If you started off with $1 chips, you would have to lose 12 times in a row before hitting the table limit, as long as you have a large enough bankroll to play with.

Losing 12 times in a row is somewhat rare, but it does happen. The larger your bankroll is and the larger the table limit is, the better chances you have of winning. This is a great strategy to use if you are a high roller and play on tables with high stakes craps. Still, the Martingale system is notorious for being risky so it is a good idea to know what you are doing in this game first.

Why US Players Find it Hard to Gamble and Play Craps Online

Casino Bonuses, Casino Craps, Craps, Gambling, Uncategorized

This is an important topic for players located in the United States. You probably have tried gambling at online casinos over the past few years only to realize that there is a certain anti-gaming law. If you are a US citizen or player, there are a few important things you should know about this law and what it means to you as a gambler.

First of all, it is not illegal for US players to gamble. Any law like that would be blasphemy against the US constitution because no one can tell you what you can or cannot do with your own money in your own home. The law is actually directed at the US banking system instead and it works in a kind of loophole around the constitution. In one way, this law bans or impedes gambling indirectly.

Basically, the law restricts the banks from transferring money from players to casinos. It is also the banks who get punished by this law in the end and that is why many e-teller players like Neteller and big name companies like this decided to follow through and ban this kind of transaction. There are still smaller banking places that you can use over the internet who cannot be touched by this law and this is how US players can finally get back into the action of gambling.

Still, many casinos will not allow US players because it is inconvenient for them to work with smaller banks and constantly change their payment methods for deposits and withdrawals. Though, CasinoMax and Cherry Jackpot casinos are some of the best gambling places around that allow US players nowadays and I would recommend checking them out if you are a US based visitor and even for people outside of the USA. Another great benefit about these two casinos is they allow deposits by credit card. You would need to check out which other payment methods are available on these sites because there are many of them available and the list changes regularly. I know these two casinos, owned by the same company, have been known to have very convenient and quick services for US players as well.

So the bottom line is the anti-gaming laws, at least in the US, do not ban online gambling. They just make it harder for people to play online and many US players give up trying to play at online casinos due to frustrations and slow response time. The good news is that the US Congress is talking about rolling back these laws soon, so we will be keeping an eye on it in the future.