How Does Crapless Craps Differ from the Traditional Craps?

On a trip recently to Vegas, I discovered the town’s latest attempt to separate me from my gambling budget quicker and the newest bastardization of a popular game: “Crapless” Craps (at the Stratosphere). Heard of this one yet? It’s where there is no pass line losing bet on the come out roll, BUT, rolling a 2, 3, or 12 becomes the number you have to hit in order to WIN a pass line bet before rolling a 7, as opposed to the usual 4,5,6,8,9,10. I can only assume the odds on this game are significantly worse than traditional craps, and therefore, something we should expect to see on a regular basis going forward at Strip resorts?

Yes, we’ve heard of it. It’s been around a long time, upwards of 30 years.

Crapless Craps is similar to traditional craps, with a few key differences that, as you suspect, make it a slightly worse game than regular dice.

For one, the 2, 3, 11, and 12 are points; in other words, there are no craps, so you can’t lose on the comeout roll. But you don’t win on the 11; the only way the comeout is paid off is on the 7. With the 11 out of the running, even with the risk of losing on a roll of 2, 3, or 12, the house edge on the Crapless Craps comeout is 5.38%, worse than roulette and much much worse that regular craps (1.4%). Single odds reduce the edge to 2.94%; you have take 5X odds to get it down to around 1%. Problem is, most versions allow only 2X odds, except on the 2 and 12 (6-to-1 at 7.14%) and 3 and 11 (3-to-1 at 6.25%); some versions offer slightly different options and, thus, have different house percentages.

For another, you’ve got the four extra points, but those aren’t reason to count your winnings in advance. For the 2 and 12, only one combination of the dice earn out, as opposed to six combinations for the 7. At regular craps, any action on the 2 or 12 is a sucker bet (with an edge of 7.1% to 14.3%, depending). The odds don’t get much better for the 3 or 11 (6%-10%); again, these numbers depend on the rules.

Okay, but why don’t players just bet on the don’t pass? Good question. The reason is, it’s not allowed. There’s no “wrong” betting in Crapless Craps.

The best bet at Crapless Craps is placing the 6 or 8 (1.52%).

The main attraction of Crapless Craps is that you can’t lose on the comeout, so you have action for at least two rolls. Also, there’s the novelty effect, with some different longshot options.

We wouldn't expect Crapless Craps to catch on in Vegas, where it's available at only three or four non-Strip casinos. Most crap players prefer traditional dice, for obvious reasons, and that game provides a big enough edge for the house that it doesn't need to take up space with a game that won't be as popular.

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Dave Apr-09-2018

Photo?

But what is that photo at the bottom of the article? It’s certsinly NOT a crap less craps layout. Nor is it a craps layout. 

It looks like a craps variant designed to play on a standard BJ type table. 

Inquiring minds....

Stewart Ethier Apr-09-2018

Improved crapless craps

US Patent No. 7,134,660 Abstract:  Crapless Craps, a game that has existed for more than 20 years, is a modification of standard craps designed to eliminate the possibility of the pass line bettor losing on the come-out roll. However, it has several serious drawbacks that have prevented it from achieving significant popularity with the gambling public. No-Crap Craps is a modification of Crapless Craps created to overcome these shortcomings. This aim is achieved by regarding every number except 7 as a point number, but with numbers 2 and 3 grouped together as 2-or-3, and numbers 11 and 12 grouped together as 11-or-12. When betting against the shooter, a seven-out after point 11-or-12 pays half. The result is that the house advantages of the pass line bet and the don't pass bet are exactly those of standard craps.

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