This is my first post on this Forum.  I am an experienced craps player (about 10 years) and play two or three time a month in AC.  I was in Atlantic City last week and wanted to give a brief update on the state of things on the craps front - in a word it’s crappy! (sorry again - prromise that’s the last one)

I played at Hilton - two tables open on an early Thursday afternoon. One $10 and one $5! I then went to Bally’s.  They had two $10’s. (I’ve never seen a $5 at
Bally’s) On to Claridge where I found their one table set at $5.00.(Has been $10 at all times) Finally to Wild West where their single table was $10.

I’ve been a regular at AC for about 10 years now and just before the economy went south there were many more tables at each of these
casinos, they had more tables opened at any given time and the $5 table was a vanishing breed.  On this trip one-third of the tables
were at $5.

I don’t know about you, but I always look for the LOWEST minimum I can find.  Of course if the table gets hot I up my bet - first increasing
odds to the max and then if it gets really good, raising say a $5 PL to $10 etc.  So, even if the economy is in the crapper (that’s a bona
fide word, not a third pun) I can enjoy lower minimums because I still have the disposable income to wager.

What really concerns me though is the reduction in the number of tables on the properties and the number that remain idle.  Let’s hope
the trends reverse once the economy turns positive.

Cheers,

Bojangles

I lived in SJ all my life until about 5 years ago. So I have been in AC a while. Recently I went back for a visit and wanted to check the Borgata (never been there) On a weekday afternoon they had 10 tables going and all of them were $10, for the exception of two $25 tables. They were all filled.

im relatively new to craps, I just learned how to play on a cruise in early july.  Since then I have been hooked trying to read any book I can get my hands on to attempt to maximize my winnings if possible or at least minimize my losses while having fun.  I am planning a trip to AC sometime in the near future to test some of the strategies, have a few drinks and just have fun playing craps. does anyone have any recommendations on what places to hit up?

Hi Gambit:

As a new player, you should try to find tables with the lowest minimums, thereby requiring a smaller bankroll as you become more familiar with the game.  If you’re planning a mid-week trip to Atlantic City, I’d suggest you visit the Hilton or Tropicanna.  Each of these casinos still has $5 minimum games during the morning and early afternoon during the week, even during the vacation period of summer.  By betting the minimum passline and by taking 2 or 3 times “odds” behind the line, you can get the house advantage around 1% or lower, which extends your play as you learn the game.

Every craps player has his favorite “how to” books on craps.  The one I like best is an old one called “Winning Casino Craps” by Edwin Silberstang.  It gives all of the basic numbers and rules of the game and suggests a strategy known as the “three point molly” in which you play a passline with odds and up to two come bets with odds.  It’s a strategy that I have used for many years.  He also has great material on money management and bankroll requirements.  A major premise that most veterans know is that you need a sufficient bankroll and a good betting strategy so that you can withstand the inevitable downturns at the table and still be around to collect when the monster rolls come along.

I hope this info helps you.  Craps is truly a fun game to play and I hope your experiences are positive…at least some of the time.

Cheers,

Bojangles

Bojangles is right, if your going to max. you wins, etc. you should try and find $5 tables. Betting the line taking $5 bets with max odds is good. It also helps if your a place bettor as well. The Hilton and trop are on the south end of AC. Another option is to go to Caesars, which is nice as well, they have more expensive tables but you have about 6 casinos all within walking distance. So you can try out each one. I got so bored one day, I wanted to make $500. So I started at one end of the boardwalk and hit every casino and won $50 in each one. It took the entire day but I won $500!

Now if your going with someone else and you want to enjoy the atmosphere and have a nice time and not go on a gambling junket then I would suggest the Borgata since it seems to be the nicest casino down there. If you go early enough you may find $5 tables, however most of the tables are $10. I would suggest a bankroll of $500 and a loss limit of $300. A good rule of thumb is that if your ahead do the following. Every 3 unit win you that you get or every $15 put a $5 chip in your pocket and leave the other $10 on the rack to play with. I increase my bets every time I put 10 chips in my pocket. So if I win $150..I put $50 in my pocket, play with the other $100 and increase my bets one unit.

Just some things to note if you dont know. If your driving down there on the AC expressway the raised the tolls to $3.75 each way! Parking will cost you $5. If your coming from the north down the Garden State Parkway tolls should probably run you about $5 each way. Also if your not from Jersey, kept to the right pass on the left (inside joke)

Also as a do player, decide which way you want to bet (do or dont) and stick with it. If your betting do at the table and getting wacked, dont switch to dont..just find another table. And dont bet any of the nonsense one way roll bets like the horn, yo, etc. your just giving your money away.

Have fun and let us know how well you do.

yea the GSP is a scam, i try to avoid that at all costs lol, but thanks for the input.  I am trying to determine how much to bring for a day trip planning on maybe 2-3hrs at the table, my gf isnt too much of a fan of craps so thatll limit my play time as well as any potential winnings or losses. so in a way it is good and bad to have her tag along but such is life.

I learned craps playing with $5 bets so I feel pretty comfortable betting that amount, and backing full odds, I have read Avery Cardoza’s Casino Craps for the Winner which preaches the 2 point or 3 point molly strategy which seems to be a pretty easy strategy to follow, (Pass line/ Come bets with full odds and place betting 6/8 if they arent a point).  I am currently reading Scoblete’s method on the 5-count, Bojangles has some good input on it, but what is your input?  I was thinking of a mix of the 5-count and 2 or 3 point molly might be best for limiting losses and increasing win potential?  I guess being so new to the game I still have a lot of playing to do before i develop my own style, I also have more of Scoblete’s books and JP’s Craps and Advanced Craps to read as well.

Im really excited to go down to AC and try craps with the new found knowledge, I realized now, that when I was on my cruise I was so new and distracted by the excitement, I bet on every shooter and played tons of horrible bets, and lost a decent amount of money.  The excitement is certainly a sucker into bad bets. 

Thanks for all your input!

Gambit

gambit3293 - 27 July 2010 10:38 AM

my gf isnt too much of a fan of craps so thatll limit my play time as well as any potential winnings or losses.

One ancient superstition is that if she leaves you alone at the table, she should not say when she returns, ``Hi honey, how are you doing?`` In that event, everybody at the table loses, no matter how they are betting.

What Mr. Panza says is beyond superstition and far down the road of truth. ``Hi honey, how are you doing? is the proverbial kiss of death.

The only reason superstitions survive is because there is truth in them…....otherwuse they would wither and die on the vine of time.

777

thanks I really appreciate it, good news is i think my trip might have moved up a few days, depending on next weeks schedule im thinking of heading down for a few hrs of play on tuesday night with one other buddy so im super excited to get back in and play smarter maybe even win a few bucks

gambit3293 - 27 July 2010 10:38 AM

I am currently reading Scoblete’s method on the 5-count ... .

Here’s how I use the 5-count.  (I’m a $10 bettor, so a unit is $5.)  At the count of 3 make a 2-unit PL/C bet.  At the count of 4 make another 2-unit PL/C bet.  At the count of 5 I take 3 units of odds on both of my established PL/C bets.  After that I have one PL/C bet up with two or more place bets (starting at 2 units), and I use a winning progression of 1 unit after each win, progressing odds before flat on the PL/C bets.

Obviously this explanation is not exhaustive, so let me make up an example.  (I won’t include possible irrelevant rolls.)

Roll 01: 2
Roll 02: 6
Roll 03: 6
Roll 04: 7
    Count is now 3; make $10 PL bet.
Roll 05: 10
    Count is now 4; make $10 Come bet.

Roll 06: 8
    The 5-count is now satisfied; take $15 odds each on the 8 and 10.

Roll 07: 8
    Come winner.  Place 6, 8, and 9 for $12, $12, and $10.
    I’m +$28.

Roll 08: 6
    Winner.  Press 6 to $18.
    I’m +$42.

Roll 09: 8
    Winner.  Press 8 to $18.
    I’m +$56.

Roll 10: 10
    PL winner.  Make $10 PL bet.
    I’m +$96.

Roll 11: 7
    Natural PL winner.  Make $15 PL bet.
    I’m +$106.

Roll 12: 6
    Take $15 odds on the 6.  Take down Place bets on 6 and 10, place 4 and 5 for $10 each.

Roll 13: 6
    PL winner.  Make $15 PL bet.
    I’m +$139.

Roll 14: 9
    Take $20 odds on 9.  Take down Place bets on 4 and 5, place 10 for $10.

Roll 15: 8
    Winner.  Press 8 to $24.
    I’m +$160.

Roll 16: 7
    7-out.  I had $69 on the table and so came out $91 ahead for the hand.

I freely admit that this example is contrived.  If only all my series were this profitable!  (But then if they were I would be spending all my time at the craps tables instead of at this computer.)  By playing a winning progression I go for the gold, accepting frequent but relatively small losses in return for the occasional bonanza.  (For example, I would have lost $15 on the hand if the Devil had shown on Roll 10, $31 if on Roll 08, and the maximum per hand of $50 if on Roll 07.)

Well Gents I finally made it to AC.  just to give you guys an idea how my day started, I had been feeling sick all week, work up for a paintball tournament this morning and had to go to the doctors only to be told I cant play because I have mono… so I was a little infuriated and knowing that the AC trip might not happen made it even worse.  My gf got tickets to see Bill Cosby so I knew I wouldnt be at the table long which I think was a good thing because I just wanted to try out some of the new stuff I read about. so ill give you guys a quick run down. 

I only planned on playing 1-2hrs tops and I brought $250 cash with me.  I cashed in $100 at my first table, I went right over to a $10 minimum, since the $25 min tables were a little too steep for me and I attempted to use the 5 count and searching for those “rhythmic rollers” well i didnt see any, it was mostly a group of younger guys learning to play and one old wrong bettor who seemed to take some care in his throw, so i held off on most of my bets on the younger guys, only bet once or twice on them.  my first shoot was horrible i think i sevened out immediately.  then everyone left except me and a new wrong better who cashed in with $1000 to start.  im pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor. after about 20 min of rolling (a few sevens but he didnt want to shoot) i walked away after an hr and half of play wiht $85 out of my original $100 (after tipping the dealers $5) so i thought it was definitely good and I definitely didnt lose as much as I did my first time playing, and most of all I had a blast.  I went over to another table where i bet a come bet after the shooter hit the 5 count and backed it with full 5x odds and after two rolls i walked away with $150.  after cosby i went back and player with the $50 i won for about another 30-40 minutes, the tables were more crowded but not much action and i finally left up $45 after tips and all.  not a bad day. i didnt win much but i certainly had a blast.  I also realized that my session stake needs to be much more than $250 so that I can place odds on all my bets.  a few times i had to withhold the odds because i didnt want to risk all of my money, and when I won id only win $10.  I also didnt get to place the 6 and 8 as much as id like to but i think next time ill bring more money and plan on playing longer and see how i make out.  but for now, ill go back to dreaming of the monster rolls and the millions that await me!