- Author: Ed
- Filed under: Craps
- Date: Jul 17,2008
We’ve been through the basics, the rules and had a little bit of practice at this very addictive game. So – how did your practice go? I bet I can guess. You found yourself winning a-lot of the time, and you now thing craps is a very easy way to make money online?
Sorry. This just isn’t the case. Craps is a game of chance. When computers and chance get involved – you get problems. However, I’m not telling you to stop.
To take our playing to the next level, we need to learn about the house-edge. More importantly we need to find out a way to eliminate the house-edge.
So far we’ve learned about all the various bets we can place. We now need to learn about the house-edge so we can minimize the chips the house takes from us.
Forget about place bets / lay bets / field bets / craps bets / hard way bets. Forget about all those bets because the house edge is far too high. What we’re going to focus on is the pass line, and the come bet.
House edge on the Pass / Come bet: 1.41%
House edge on the Don’t Pass / Don’t Come: 1.40%
Compare this to roulette European: 2.7% American: 5.2% I think I’ll stay with craps. Craps is a game that is both more fun, and has lower house-edge. But on a computer we really do need to be careful. This is where good money management comes into play.
But, you probably witnessed in your test play-run that you were winning an awful lot. If you model this into a chart you’ll find out that over the short-term – yes you do win. But long-term you eventually succumb to the house edge and eventually start to hit the red. So we need to limit the house-edge even more so that we can make more money.
What we’re going to do next – is look at a special betting technique. Taking odds, Taking odds is a way in which you can reduce the house-edge to 0.6% and it is one of those "secret" blackjack strategies many people won’t tell you. We will, but let’s save it for another day!
- Author: Ed
- Filed under: Craps
- Date: Jul 15,2008
We did have a post up previously but it seems to have disappeared, so here’s a repost.
So, we’ve had a look at the craps table, a look at some basic rules, now we’re going to take a loo at the huge variety of bets you can place. This is where the game really gets complicated, and its where a bit of forward reading and thinking will get you to the goal posts that bit quicker. So here’s a quick guide or (Pt1) of the "continued" post you will see directly below.
So we’re going to start with a more detailed look at the table.
This is a great picture, as we can see everything. What you need to do, is split it down the middle. So now we have effectively 2 craps tables and the bit on the middle ( for proposition bets ).
Pass Line / Don’t Pass Line
To start playing craps you really only need to know one thing. The pass line. This is the most basic bet. But what is it ? The Pass line bet is a wager that when the dice have their first roll ( the come-out roll ), it will either be a 7 or an 11. Winner takes double.
However – if there isn’t a 7 or 11 but a 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 your money stays in play and the number that gets rolled is called the "point". Your now waiting for the point-number to be rolled again. If a 7 gets rolled before your number you loose, also if 2 – 3 or 12 get rolled, you lose. But, if he manages to roll your point-number before a 7 you win the bet.
Don’t Pass Line
You can probably guess that this bet is the opposite of the pass line bet. What you are doing here is betting not on a 7 or 11 but for a 2 3 or 12. When a point gets established – you’re betting that a 7 will be the first number rolled.
This bet is pretty much the fundamental game of craps. A-lot of people stick to this bet when they play the game, because the odds for this game are greater. The post below details many of the other bets, Once you’ve had a quick read of that – just have some fun on a practice table for free.
- Author: Ed
- Filed under: Craps
- Date: Jul 13,2008
So to continue on from our previous post we’re going to give you some more jargon. Don’t worry very soon things will become clear – and in-fact this is about the last of it.
Come bet / don’t – This is pretty much the same as a Pass line bet but with the following key difference. You are placing your bet after the point has been established. After your come bet is placed ––- the first roll will establish the come point.7 or 11 is a winner, and don’t forget 2 3 or 12 loses. You can also take odds just like the pass line bets
Place Bets – For this bet to play you’re waiting for a point to be established. Once this is done you can make a place bet on a number from 4 – 10 hoping it will come up before the next 7 is rolled. You can bet one or all of the numbers.
Field Bets – This is a tricky bet and it is somewhat hard to explain. Look at our picture of the craps table and you will see a field area with numbers. You are betting that 2/3/4/9/1/11 will get rolled. If 5,6,7 or 8 is rolled you will loose.
Proposition – Proposition bets are made up of any roll of the dice. They are split into two sections, Hard-ways and One Roll bets. One Roll bets are bets on a single roll of a number, and Hard-ways are when you bet on a pair coming up i.e. a hard-way 6 is two threes coming up. You lose if 6 gets rolled by the sum of its parts i.e. 4 and 2 5 and 1.
That is essentially the basics of craps betting. We will go on to talk about odds and other things with our next article
Good luck everyone!
To break it up a little, and let everyone have some practice – we’ve done a little bit of research and had a look to find the best online casino "craps" rooms. These are places in which you should be able to play money free with "pretend-cash" to learn the game and figure out its remarkably complex rule-set.
We say rule-set but the rules are not so complex. What makes the game complex are the various betting rules, and this is what you have to learn because if you don’t your money will not last long.
Take some time – and using our guide, learn how the betting rules work. Don’t risk your real cash at the minute, until you are clear on the rules and have devised a money-management system. Craps like any casino game requires money management. If you don’t know what it is – look back a few pages and find out.
So without further Adieu:
Jackpot City is certainly one of the bigger brands when it comes to casinos. They have lost the gloss and the glitz that many casino adverts have and they have went for a purely corporate and professional look. This is to their credit. They offer Vegas Craps which is a very authentic version and not quite as corny as Unibets "Magic Hand" but we had some issues getting the "online" casino to work on our browser. We use a corporate network solution which may explain it, so don’t be deterred. These are one of the larger faces in the casino industry, and remember we’re looking to play for free right now. Even so; getting an account with a reputable brand isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
World Winner is a popular "corporate" provider. That is they provide games under the AOL brand, and others such as MSN also. They have a huge range, but sadly they don’t seem to offer a good version of craps. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a go at Bejewelled though – It’s addictive… Really
Unibet are mostly known for their sports book. This doesn’t mean they have a bad online casino, it just means it is a bit quieter. They offer a range of games, and the one we are looking for at the minute, is craps. You’ll find their craps link hiding amongst the list of "table games" on their website, and when you click on it, it will load up instantly in a java applet (no download required). This is a great thing for us, because right now we want to play quickly, and to play for free. So give it a try and see if you like the feel of this casino. We personally think they’re small – but for you; that may be a good thing. By the way; have fun with their "virtual-hand".
- Author: Ed
- Filed under: Craps
- Date: Jul 9,2008
For those of you that have never walked into a casino and visited the craps table, you’ve missed out on a fair bit. Of all the casino games, craps has to be one of the most energetic and sociable ones out there. However, sadly it is also one of the most complicated.
In the next few posts, we’re going to be telling you all a little about craps, how it works – how to play the game, and how to become more successful at this very complex looking game.
So to start off with the series, let’s take a little look at a craps table.
As you can see there is a lot to take in, and it looks very complicated. However, as is the rule with most casino games – it is only designed to LOOK that way.
The secret, is to do exactly what you are doing now – read up about the game beforehand in a neutral environment.
So – Craps.
The basic theory behind the game, is that players take turn to be the “Shooter” that is the person rolling the dice. and the other players all bet on the person rolling the dice.
To go any further we need to give you a bit of a mini-glossary as the game has some ‘jargon’ that is hard to understand.
Come out – This is the first roll of a round.
Craps – when the come-out roll is either 2 3 or 12
Natural – when the roll is either 7 or 11
Point – 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9
This is just the beginning – next time we’re going to concentrate on more jargon and some basic playing rules.
Good Luck!
