Craps Dealing Tips

Craps is an absolute blast, and one of the most exciting games in a casino, but it can be intimidating to new players.

We’ve slapped together 10 common craps mistakes made by newbies.

The nature of gambling games – craps especially – is to be streaky. But a streak can win or end at any time. Here Are 10 Easy Steps to Beat Craps – Yeah, Right. I don’t have a problem with writers offering tips for how to beat craps. Heck, I offer tips for craps players in some of my posts, too. My problem is the overselling of these tips. Don’t remind the dealer of your bet if you haven’t gotten paid right away. Watch the dealer and your spot in the order. If you have, say, a hard-way bet that was somehow forgotten (it can happen), it’s certainly appropriate to politely remind the dealer of your hard-way bet, but do so only after the standard place bets have all been paid. The dealer puts $24 in the Come area so the boxman can verify it, and then the dealer puts the chips in the tip box or in the section of the table designated for dealer tips. Note that in most casinos, when a dealer bet wins, the bet is done and comes down. In this example, that’s where the $24 comes from: the $3 bet plus the $21 in winnings.

1. Trying to hand cash to a dealer.

Dealers aren’t allowed to take cash from your hand, so simply lay your money on the table. The dealer will give you chips, and you’re ready to stick it to the house.

2. Not holding the dice over the table.

There are lots of rules in casinos, typically intended to either keep people from cheating or employees from stealing. Always keep the dice in sight of the dealers and boxman. We’d explain what a “boxman” is, but it’s not that kind of list.

Want to make $1,000 from a $1 investment? Bet a “hard six.” Hit it three times before you “seven out” and you get a grand!

3. Touching the dice with two hands.

It’s exciting shooting the dice, and if you’re a craps virgin, experienced players are going to love having you shoot the dice, too. Just make sure to only use one hand to shake or throw the dice. Using two hands makes the house nervous (as some cheaters try to switch the dice for loaded ones).

4. Not hitting the back wall.

Throw the dice all the way down, or the dealers will let you hear about it. This ensures each roll is truly random, and there’s no funny business (sometimes called “dice control” or “precision shooting”) going on.

Just look for these bad boys at the opposite end of the table, and hit them with the dice. No pressure.

5. Not knowing the chip denomination colors.

We saw this one at a downtown casino recently, and it was adorable. Before you begin play, make sure you know the colors associated with each denomination of chip. Red chips, for example, are typically worth $5. Green are worth $25, and so on. This helps a lot when a helpful dealer says, “If you’d like to bet on 6 and 8, I’ll need $12.” Otherwise, chaos.

6. Holding a drink over the table.

Yes, people sometimes drink when they gamble. That leads to spills, and the felt on table games is especially vulnerable. So, take a sip and place your drink on the special “rail” down below (and don’t forget to tip your waitress). The chip rail is on top, by the way, with ample room for your winnings.

See the drink rail? It’ll keep your cocktail out of harm’s way.

7. Dangling hands over the table.

Seasoned gamblers are very superstitious, especially craps players. Avoid their hard stares by keeping your hands out of the way of the dice. Hands are better put to use clapping in support of hot shooters.

8. Shouting out late bets.

“Get your bets in early!” is a common saying among dealers. Waiting until the last minute to make a bet can cause confusion and delays at the table. Make your bets when the dice are in the middle of the table, before they’re pushed to the shooter.

9. Mistaking dealer placed bets for self-serve.

Some craps bets are made directly by players, and others are made by the dealers. For the most part, anything within arm’s reach is your responsibility. Otherwise, set your chips in the middle of the table (the area marked “Come” is a good spot), and tell the dealer your bet. If you’re confused about which bets are which, just watch and ask questions. You’ll find other players and dealers are very helpful. Note: It’s best not to ask lots of questions during a hot roll. You’ll mess with the mojo.

Craps tip: Don’t bet the Big 6 and 8. The same bet pays more if you “place” those numbers with the dealer. You’re welcome.

10. Saying “seven” at the table.

Speaking of mojo, this is one of the worst transgressions a new craps player can make. Don’t say the word “seven” out loud at the craps table. Our hands are actually shaking just typing that word. Part of the fun of craps is learning the rituals of the game, the jargon, the ridiculous rules and superstitions. This isn’t one of the ridiculous ones, by the way. Don’t say “seven”! Just trust us, we are a Las Vegas blog.

Now that you know some of the gaffs new craps players make, you can avoid them and take part in one of the most thrilling casino games, ever.

Remember to have fun stick to the basics of the game when you’re first starting out.

Catch a hot roll and you could reach legend status in a mere three to four hours. Actual results may vary.

For years, my favorite casino game was roulette, but then I went through a blackjack phase. Both games were fun, but I’ve left them behind in favor of my favorite casino game of all time – craps.

The game of craps doesn’t offer the best odds in the casino. That distinction belongs to blackjack (with video poker getting an honorable mention.)

Craps doesn’t have game-play decisions which challenge your mind, either. You also can’t win huge jackpots in a craps game.

What makes craps so special?

It’s the levels of excitement in the game.

If you want to improve in craps, here are seven tips that should take your game of dice to the next level.

1 – Stick With the Best Bets at the Craps Table

Craps has more bets available than most other games. And unlike many casino games, the house edge for those bets varies widely.

The house edge is just a way of measuring how much of an advantage the casino has over the player. The higher the house edge is, the more money you’ll lose on average over time.

The house edge for the most popular and easiest bet to play at the craps table is 1.41%, and that’s for the pass line bet.

The come bet works almost just like the pass line bet, and it also has a low 1.41% edge.

Wrong bettors – players who bet against the shooter – have slightly better odds. The house edge for the don’t pass and don’t come bets is 1.36%, which is marginally better.

Those are the four best bets at the table:

1. Pass
2. Don’t pass
3. Come
4. Don’t come

The other bet you must know about is the odds bet. This is the best bet in the casino because it has no edge. It’s a break-even bet in the long run because the odds bet pays off at the same odds as you have of winning it.

To place an odds bet (or take an odds bet, if you’re a wrong bettor), the shooter must first make a point. You place your odds bet in addition to the pass or don’t pass bet that you already have in action.

I won’t go into a lot of details about how those bets work. You can find other pages on the site that explain how craps works in detail.

Just know for now that those are the bets you want to stick with.

2 – Avoid the Worst Bets at the Craps Table

In some games, like roulette, all the bets at the table have the same edge. It doesn’t matter if you bet on red or black or on a single number, the house’s advantage is the same.

But in craps, some bets are much worse than others.

I recommend staying away from all the bets besides the ones in the previous bullet points, but if you are going to branch out, at least stay away from the bets that the stickman is trying to convince you to place.

In many cases, the house edge on those bets is well into the double digits. You’d almost be better off playing keno than placing those bets.

These bets are called the “proposition bets,” and they’re all terrible. Most of the time, they’re one-roll bets, which means they’re resolved based on the outcome of the next roll of the dice.

For your own good, just skip those bets.

3 – Try to Keep Your Head

Craps is an exciting game that stimulates a lot of action, and it’s easy to wind up with a lot of action on the table at any time. You can also see huge winning streaks when a shooter gets hot.

The downside to this streakiness is that you can also see all those bets washed away with a single roll of the dice.

A lot of craps gamblers like to place a new bet every time the dice are rolled. Others like to have multiple numbers working at a given time, but they limit themselves to having three or four numbers working at once.

My favorite technique, though, and the one I recommend to you, is this:

• Bet the pass line every time there’s a new come-out roll.
• Place the odds bet when the shooter sets a point.
• Wait until that series of rolls is completed before placing any additional bets.

Think of the house edge in a casino as being similar to compound interest. The more money you save in a bank account, the faster it grows.

Only the house edge in the casino is like compound interest in reverse. The more money you put into action, the more you lose – and faster.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and put too much money into action.

Keep your head, though, and keep your action reasonable even when it seems like you can’t lose.

4 – Don’t Bother With Foolish Betting Systems

Betting systems aren’t as popular in craps as in games like roulette, but they do get used sometimes.

What’s a betting system?

It’s a set of rules for raising and lowering the size of your bets based on what happened on your previous bets.

The classic example is the Martingale System, which is used on even-money bets. The idea with the Martingale is that you double the size of your bet after a losing bet. Eventually, with the bigger bets, you’ll win back what you’ve lost along with a profit.

The problem with these betting systems is that they don’t really change the math behind the game. The house still has a 1.41% edge, regardless of whether you bet $5, $10, or $20.

It can be fun to use some kind of betting system, and if it makes the game more interesting, indulge yourself.

Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that any betting system can overcome the house edge in the long run.

5 – Don’t Worry About “Rhythmic Rolling” or “Dice Control”

You’ll see people selling books and videos about how to control the dice, or set the dice, or how to roll the dice “rhythmically.”

You should save your money, and here’s why:

If such techniques really worked, the casino would institute countermeasures to stop them. Most casinos are comfortable with their existing countermeasures, which should tell you something right there.

Even if it were a possibility, most people aren’t talented enough to pull it off. And sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you practice. If you lack the talent for something, you just can’t make it happen.

Imagine being 5’1” and hoping to play professional basketball?

I don’t care how much you practice, your odds of succeeding in that quest are slim to none.

Most people just aren’t dedicated enough to pull that off, but even if you are – even if you’re willing to build a craps table in your basement and practice for 10,000 hours – there’s no guarantee that you’ll succeed.

You’re better off learning to count cards in blackjack.

Or try poker.

Stick with craps for recreational play and look for other advantage play opportunities.

Blackjack Dealing Tips

6 – Use Sound Money Management Techniques

You’ll see varying opinions about money management techniques in gambling. I’m a believer in money management, but not from the perspective that it will improve your odds of winning money. No amount of money management can help you with that.

But the principles behind money management are crucial for craps players. Yes, you should have a bankroll set aside specifically for playing craps.

You should have a clear goal for how much money you hope to win during a session.

You should also have a limit to how much you’re willing to lose when playing.

That might sound like common sense, but why is it so uncommon?

7 – Don’t Forget to Join the Player’s Club

Some people think that the player’s club is just for slots players. They don’t realize that your player’s club should also be used at the table games, too.

All you have to do is present your card to the dealer, and he’ll make a note of how much you’re betting and how many bets per hour you’re placing.

Your card will be credited accordingly, and you’ll get the comps that you’ve earned this way.

Conclusion

Craps Dealing Tips

Those are my seven best tips for improving your craps game, but maybe I left something out? Or maybe you disagree with one of these tips?

If so, let’s talk about it. Leave a comment with your suggestions about how to win more often shooting dice.