New to Craps

There's no such thing as opportunities developing at a craps table due to the going getting good. The dice have no idea how they just rolled, or how they're about to roll.

Casinos love players who believe stuff like this.

Jamton34
Do most people just play the pass line, pass line and come bets, etc?
ANSWER, I.M.H.O, most people play the passline. Most newbies are told the passline is betting against the big bad casino and the don't pass is betting against the shooter. They brain wash you this way because the "don't side is actually the better way to win money and they don't want you playing that way.
In the game of craps, you are on your own. The idea is for "YOU" to win money, who cares if the shooter does or doesn't! I have 'never"---not one time been yelled at, scoffed at or even had a face made by another player for betting the don't side while he was throwing the dice.(of course I am 6-1, 250 lbs and don't care if someone did make a face!) this is another reason when you take those 'freebie" craps lessons, they don't teach you the don't side (check it out yourself---there free). They teach you the way they can slowly bleed you dry.

How do you play craps and do you stick to that plan the whole time at the table?
ANSWER; Contrary to chilcoot who wrote earlier in this post "There's no such thing as opportunities developing at a craps table due to the going getting good. The dice have no idea how they just rolled, or how they're about to roll. Casinos love players who believe stuff like this" I believe he is half right. I try to follow the math "and" I try to go with how I feel the table is going. If I feel that the table is ice cold, I bet from the don't pass line and place odds depending on the point number. I will increase my odds if I feel the table is particularly cold, or the shooter has pissed me off somehow (is a drunken fool or something to that effect).
If things start to heat up while I am playing from the dark side and a shooter hits a 6 or 8 and the other players start to get loud, I will take a chance and move my don't pass bet to the passline and take some odds. You cant do that the opposite way! why? because the casino does not want you on the don't pass line!
I always look for dice setters too. It only takes me one or two throws to figure out if they are any good or not. You must trust your instincts! Yes, I set the dice when I throw even though I am not convinced it helps.....I am however positive it does not hurt!
I say go to a low minimum bet table (like $3 or $5), preferably one with only 3 or 4 other players, so you can ask the dealers tons of questions. Some of those older craps dealers have seen it all! Do NOT ask the drunk guy with a dwindling chip stack how to play....trust me, he 'will' give you advice....all wrong!
After playing for a while you decide that craps will be your new drug of choice, go home and read up on the subject and buy some craps DVD's on e-bay. Do one thing-and do it well!
Please report back after your trip.

weggie

Thanks for all of the information. I am slowly learning enough to feel comfortable at the tables.

JT

"Half right?" Hmmm.

It's fine to choose how to play. If that's how you choose to place your wagers, have fun.

But let's not encourage the witchcraft that recent roll results somehow relate to subsequent roll results, They don't, and suggesting that a recent series of positive rolls means more positive rolls are imminent (or vice versa) is cruel.

I know it bums out craps players who want to believe in magic, but there is no magic. There's just a game with a set of rules and some dice who have no idea how they just rolled. That being said, craps can still be a lot of fun.

Chilcoot, I think what your calling witchcraft, I am calling gamboling.

Jamton34 asked for advice, technically we should be saying "craps is a negative expectation game-don't play, save your money and go home"! but how boring would that be?

Playing the pass line with odds and possibly the 6 & 8 ( if you want to live on the wild side) like most craps know it all"s tell newbies, is NOT a formula for winning, in fact it is a formula to lose money...the slowest possible way mind you, but you 'will' lose- long term- betting this way.....correct? Why give someone that advice?

Without some sort of voo-doo or witchcraft or answer to a prayer to beat the math there is no sense in playing. My personal voo doo is to set the dice--- again I am not positive it works, but I am positive it doesn't hurt, so why not try? The casino's allow it so they don't believe it works, but I still believe you have to try. I am not smart enough to count cards, but if my drug of choice was blackjack, I sure would be trying!

I also don't see how you cant trust your fight or flight senses in anything you do! Since its my hard earned money if my spidey sense says pull your money off the table things are going south or gee, this guy seems to be throwing a lot of 9's so I think I will throw $5 on the 9 to see what happens.....I do it!

Again, I think it's called gamboling!

weggie

In any negative expectation game your best bet is flat betting. But few play that way. I agree that the dice have no memory. A hot table can turn cold in an instant and vice versa. But, to me, flat betting is no fun. I make a pass line bet, take odds and then place the inside numbers. I'll increase my bet on a particular number the second time it's hit. Mathematically it makes no sense, it's just how I play. I used to make come bets instead of place bets and those do have a slightly lower house edge but I switched over to place bets years ago.

Because I'll have 4-5 numbers going I always play on a $5 table. I had no trouble finding them last week Sun-Thursday, weekends are of course tougher.

I completely agree with the last two posts. Particularly the bit about dice setting: you're right, it can't hurt.

I posted merely to make sure we never give newbies the impression that there are sparkly moments where the dice get magical and we suddenly become justified in betting big. Have fun, but be knowledgable about it.

Saints be praised! Chilcoot agrees with me!

This game is strictly for fun, so I bring a certain bankroll to the table and want it to last long enough to catch a hot roll or two. The dice have no memory, so I want to follow the trend as it emerges.

Start on the pass line with odds. I make two come bets and continue this basic strategy. :
- If there are two consecutive shooters who seven out, stop and go to the don't pass line with odds.
Here I only make this one bet. I am trying not to get killed on a cold table.
If a shooter makes his point, I go back to the pass line basic strategy.

- If I am on the pass line and the shooter makes two consecutive points, I will increase my line bet by one half unit and take odds. If he makes that point, increase the line bet another one half unit with odds. If he makes that point, stop and start over.

Personally I do this progression with the come bets as well but that takes practice to keep it all straight in your head.

How much odds to take is widely debated. Here is my opinion. There is a zero house take, but there is also a zero profit for the player. All you are doing is increasing the variance (swings) in your bankroll.
I am trying to reduce variance, so I have come to like the basic 3,4,5 odds offered at the larger casinos.
I am betting 5x odds on the 6 and 8, which hit more often than the other points, and only 3x odds on the 4 and 10. Still nice when they hit, but they don't hit as often.

Have a plan to take profits and run. If I get ahead buy 50%, I put that profit in my pocket and start over.
If I do that again, now I am playing with "the house money."

Also, I don't shoot from the don't side unless I am the only one at the table. Just being sociable.

Good Luck

If I'm shooting I'll spread the table with bets: pass line, odds, 6,8,5,9
I know the 5 and 9 dont pay back as much...but I dont care. They aren't sucker bets - just not as good as 6 and 8.

When someone else is shooting I strictly play the pass line and odds.