Hi!
I want to get my feet wet into the world of playing craps.
I’ve yet to play craps at a casino and before I dare take my money there to do so I want to get to know as much as I can about this game.

I’ve downloaded a craps game for my ipod which seems very helpful with tips and warnings about sucker bets along with the dealer’s lingo when the numbers come up, like “yo eleven” and the ability to roll your own physical dice and tap in the results. But of course I’d like more!

In my searching I also came across and also this website here:
http://www.thecrapslesson.com/tcl_order.html

and was wondering if anyone has any feedback about it?
Is that a good buy?

cheers!

Here is my spin on the link you posted, save your money as use it when you go to a real table. You can ask all the questions you want to about the game right here or on other free forums. Here is a free one that is out of Las Vegas http://procraps4u2.myfanforum.org
You can also buy a good book on the subject of craps from Amazon there are about 850 books on the subject!

http://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=UTF8&node=283155&tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=2746529771&ref=pd_sl_3z3tegexvn_p

Two Arthurs that will give you good information on craps John Patrick’s And Charles C. Westcott.

The smart thing to do is ask a lot of question before you ever set foot in a casino and you can do that right here!

Thanks, I’ll have a search for a book by one of those two you posted than and save some money. I thought the one in link I posted was a bit pricey but then again I thought it might have been worth the price as well.

Things I’ve gathered to be important for a beginner: (please feel free to add anything!)

- Watch the table before placing a bet to get a feel of how things are going to see where you should place your bets
- Learn the payouts (to get the best payouts from a possible winning bet)
- Learn the sucker bets (being the big 6 and 8 ...any others I should know?)
- Manage your bankroll and always watch your chips - keep smallest chips on the outside (I see it’s a bit different set up with the racks than I’m used to
with playing black jack)

Now for the questions:
- Proper way to tip the dealers? Do I do it by placing a bet like I’m used to doing while playing black jack?
- Should I stay away from the even money bets?
- Playing the field seems bad bet or good?
- Are the chips colored like at the roulette table so you know which bets are yours if the table gets busy or do you play with actual checks?
- Are you required to make a pass line bet if you are the one rolling the dice?

Thanks again!

Lilly

Track the table this could be in your head or by writing down the numbers that are being rolled there is trends that happen on all tables. Pick one or two points that you want to bet on, place the point by putting your money on the table and telling the dealer what number you want to place after the point has been established.

Now if you want to play it safe and you have tracked the table and the shooters are all getting over seven rolls of the dice leave your bets up for four rolls of the dice, if the shooter does not make any of your points tell the dealer to turn off your bets. You do not have to take them down and the dealer will leave it with an off button on your bets.

Wait till the shooter seven’s out and the next shooter gets their point established, do the same thing again turn on your bets leave them for four rolls then turn them off again, this might be a slow way of winning, but it’s your best chance to win.
After you do get you first win you can regress down if you were playing more than a one unit bet. In most casino you might find one or two good shooters they most likely will be shooting from SR-1 or SL-2 that is right next to the stickman. They will be setting the dice and should be getting pass the seven rolls of the dice. If you can’t shoot stay out of these positions, let them do the work for you. You can also learn from them just by watching them make their bets.

A lot of players might tell you that they have a better way of playing, but if you want to win money this is the way to go. You can keep track if you would win money by just tracking the table and write down what you would have bet, to see if what I am telling is working, before you ever put the first dollar on the table!

Tipping the dealers is a gray area, first are they given you good service, and not looking down on you or trying to take advantage of you, by trying to sell you a bet for them, without you knowing what they are doing to you. A hardway bet they will take two units and place one where your bet should go then move the other bet to the center of the box for the hardways without telling you they just got you for a one unit bet that you didn’t make for them….. No tip for them they are ripping you off, and not only on that bet but others too, they have someone who knows nothing about the game! It does happen I see it all the time. Best way if you want to get them into the game and helping you just place a bet for them on top of your place bet and tell them under my control, that way every time you make money on your bet they get paid off too, but the $1 bet you put up for them stays on top of your bet and it does not cost you every time you hit a point that pays you.
Remember under my control! You can also tip at the end when you stop playing. I like to get the dealer into the game when I am shooting, and only when I am shooting.

Stay away from any even money bet of one roll prop bet that the stickman is selling.
For me the worst bet anybody can make is a pass line bet if they do not have the dice it’s an even money bet, and I don’t care want anybody tell you about the free odds you get when you make a pass line bet, you paid for it with you pass line bet nobody gives you anything for free!

The field is a even money bet do I need to say more?

Yes you are required to make a pass line bet if you are the one rolling the dice!

passthedice - 10 May 2010 06:58 PM

Lilly

Track the table this could be in your head or by writing down the numbers that are being rolled there is trends that happen on all tables. Pick one or two points that you want to bet on, place the point by putting your money on the table and telling the dealer what number you want to place after the point has been established.

Now if you want to play it safe and you have tracked the table and the shooters are all getting over seven rolls of the dice leave your bets up for four rolls of the dice, if the shooter does not make any of your points tell the dealer to turn off your bets. You do not have to take them down and the dealer will leave it with an off button on your bets.

All of this is based on a misconception about probability called “The Gambler’s Fallacy”.

passthedice - 10 May 2010 06:58 PM

A lot of players might tell you that they have a better way of playing, but if you want to win money this is the way to go. You can keep track if you would win money by just tracking the table and write down what you would have bet, to see if what I am telling is working, before you ever put the first dollar on the table!

Stay away from any even money bet of one roll prop bet that the stickman is selling.
For me the worst bet anybody can make is a pass line bet if they do not have the dice it’s an even money bet, and I don’t care want anybody tell you about the free odds you get when you make a pass line bet, you paid for it with you pass line bet nobody gives you anything for free!

The field is a even money bet do I need to say more?

Yes you are required to make a pass line bet if you are the one rolling the dice!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with an even-money bet, as such. The so-called “line” bets, pass, come, don’t pass and don’t come, all have very close to a 50% chance of winning (.4929, approximately), so naturally they are not going to pay you more than even money. The place bets that passthedice is advocating actually have a higher casino edge built into them than the line bets do; they pay 7:6, 7:5 and 9:5, but have lower probabilities of winning.

I highly recommend that you go to http://www.cloudcitysoftware.com, download a demo version of WinCraps and read the Help file. It has an excellent explanation of all the bets. You can play a basic game with the demo version. A license costs only $19.95 and opens up all kinds of possibilities. The info there is very objective, unlike this from passthedice.

Cheers,
Alan Shank

Wow thanks for all of the help both of you!
Hmmm. I’ve got a lot to learn here I see.

Alan, that’s a good point. I won’t even think about what came up in the last roll, after all it’s an equal chance every roll of the dice. What was I even thinking. I can’t see the future.

passthedice-
Well, I know to tip them if they’re helping me out or are nice and make me feel like being there otherwise I usually leave the table I’m at (playing blackjack anyway) I was wondering the proper way to tip in craps, I see it’s done the same by placing a bet for the dealer- done deal. thanks!

I’ve downloaded that program and will give it a read, thank you!

cheers!

lilly - 11 May 2010 02:58 PM

... I know to tip [the dealers] if they’re helping me out or are nice and make me feel like being there otherwise I usually leave the table I’m at (playing blackjack anyway) I was wondering the proper way to tip in craps, I see it’s done the same by placing a bet for the dealer- done deal. thanks!

You might be interested in an article on tipping I wrote several years ago.
    http://www.frankscoblete.com/Article.cfm?ArticleId=15061&CategoryName=Results
Since then I have heard an amount suggested.  Alene Paone, wife of Frank Scoblete and owner/CEO/president/top banana of Paone Press, recommends 20% of your average spread per hour, which seems reasonable to me.  As with any tip this would be adjusted based on your assessment of the quality of service you are receiving.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

Now for the questions:

Here are my answers.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

- Proper way to tip the dealers? Do I do it by placing a bet like I’m used to doing while playing black jack?

Answered in my previous post to this thread.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

- Should I stay away from the even money bets?

Not necessarily.  Corner red (Big 6 and Big 8), definitely since place bets on those numbers pay better and are bets on the same thing.  Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come all pay even money but also have an almost even chance of winning and the lowest house advantage on the table.  If you’re looking to make a quick killing, however, you might want to try bets with a higher variance.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

- Playing the field seems bad bet or good?

The problem with the Field is that a bet there resolves on every roll.  Consequently, even if it pays triple on 12 (for a house advantage of 2.78%) you are expected to lose more per unit of time than on the contract bets, like Place 5, that have a higher house advantage but take multiple rolls to resolve.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

- Are the chips colored like at the roulette table so you know which bets are yours if the table gets busy or do you play with actual checks?

You play with actual cheques.  Dealers keep track of who owns what bets by their placement, either in their work area (the point number boxes) or whom they are in front of.  Therefore, when making a Come or Field bet you should place your cheques as close to “in front of you” as possible.

lilly - 10 May 2010 12:07 PM

- Are you required to make a pass line bet if you are the one rolling the dice?

Everywhere I have played the shooter is required to have an interest in the point, presumably to encourage him/her to resolve established point bets before leaving the table.  Consequently shooters must make either a Pass or Don’t Pass bet.  The house normally lets players take down established Don’t Pass bets (because the player then has an advantage), but a shooter can only reduce that bet to the table minimum unless he/she then makes a Pass bet.

The Midnight Skulker - 19 May 2010 09:04 AM

The problem with the Field is that a bet there resolves on every roll.  Consequently, even if it pays triple on 12 (for a house advantage of 2.78%) you are expected to lose more per unit of time than on the contract bets, like Place 5, that take multiple rolls to resolve.

It seems to me the “problem” is not with the bet, but with the rules governing it. In general, you can make one-roll bets for less than the table minimum - one unit of the lowest-valued checque. So most places that’s $1. However, I think most casinos require that the Field bet meet the table minimum, so if you make that bet on every roll, you’re going to risk over three times as much as you would on the pass line, four times as much as a place bet on the 5 and 9, etc. Of course, no one is forced to make this bet either every roll or not at all; it’s under the player’s control.

For a one-roll bet, it has a very low house advantage (5.56% if no triple) and volatility (Standard Deviation 1.14 times bet amount if triple, 1.08 if no triple). Most one-roll bets have HAs over 10% and SDs up to over 5 times the bet amount.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

Great, thanks for the answers. ::)

Lilly
welcome to the tables! What game did you get for your iPod? I have AW Craps and used it as a trainer between my first and second trips to Vegas to great success. You also might want to get Craps Tracker Pro for your iPod/ phone. It’s a great way to track your tolls and see if you’re affecting random and influencing the dice.
Happy Rolling!