How to Shoot Dice

We’ll be the first to admit that a craps table looks overwhelming at first glance. With peculiar lingo and mystifying betting areas, it’s not exactly self-explanatory like a roulette table if you’ve never played before. At the same time, it only takes a few minutes to learn the rules and master craps strategy.

Whether you play online or at a live venue, games of craps have two stages of play, namely the come out roll and the point phase. Before the shooter rolls the dice, you’ll be able to bet on the pass or don’t pass line. If you place a pass line bet and the shooter rolls 7 or 11 during the come out roll, you’ll win. If the shooter rolls 2, 3, or 12, your pass line bet loses. If the shooter rolls any other number, that number will become the point as you enter the next phase.

The pass and don’t pass line bets are effectively the opposite of each other. If you place a don’t pass line bet, you’ll lose on a 7 or 11 and win on a 2 or 3 with 12 being a tie. Just like with pass line bets all other numbers will be used to establish the point.

During the point phase, the shooter continues rolling the dice. If the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a seven, all pass line bets will win. At the same time, pass line bets lose if the shooter rolls a seven. If you’ve placed a don’t pass line bet, opposite winning and losing conditions apply, as you’ll win on a 7 and lose on the point.

Improving Your Odds

Pass line and don’t pass line bets are merely the beginning of your craps betting options. For example, you can place come and don’t come bets, which are the equivalent of pass line and don’t pass bets except you can only place them after the point is established. You’ll also find a wide range of single and multi-roll bets, but you’ll soon discover that many of these heavily favour the house. In fact, the house edge in craps can range anywhere between 0% and 16.9%

Yet if you want to reduce the casino’s advantage to reasonable levels, it’s worth keeping it simple. That means sticking to just eight different bets, namely the pass line, don’t pass line, come, don’t come, pass odds, don’t pass odds, come odds, and don’t come odds. Here’s how they measure up:

• Pass Line and Come bets pay 1 to 1 with a 1.41% house edge
• Don’t Pass Line and Don’t Come bets pay 1 to 1 with a 1.36% house edge
• Pass Odds and Come Odds pay 2 to 1 (4 or 10), 3 to 2 (5 or 9), 6 to 5 (6 or 8) with a 0% house edge
• Don’t Pass Odds and Don’t Come Odds pay 1 to 2 (4 or 10), 2 to 3 (5 or 9), 5 to 6 (6 or 8) with a 0% house edge.

Although the house edge for pass odds, come odds, don’t pass odds, and don’t come odds is zero, these wagers are only available to players who have made a pass line or don’t pass line bet. Still, if you’re already invested in the game, these bets are a no brainer even if they are routinely capped to a set multiple of your previous bet.

While many craps strategy guides encourage players to make place bets on 6 or 8, you should know that the house edge on this bet is 1.5%. While that’s relatively competitive, it’s slightly less favourable for players than the bets we’ve described above. While the 7 to 6 pay-outs with a 1.5% aren’t bad, remember that you are playing a game of chance. Statistically speaking, you’ll want to reduce the house edge in any way you can. That’s why smart players stick to the core bets, we’ve outlined above.

Craps Bankroll Management

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the gameplay and betting options, you’ll want to learn how to manage your bankroll properly. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gambler, sound bankroll management is critical when playing games of chance like craps. If you are just starting out with the game, stick to low limit tables whenever possible. When playing online, £1 tables are the norm, but bets may start at £5 when playing dice at a live venue. Keep in mind that unlike other games of chance like roulette, you’ll likely place additional bets while the game is in progress. In other words, a losing streak can be particularly detrimental to your bankroll if you aren’t careful.

We highly recommend that you bet no more than 10% of your bankroll per game and 5% is more sensible for new players. Of course, those figures are a little misleading. Remember, most craps players make more than just pass line and don’t pass bets. If you want to add a few come bets, you’ll need to pay for those too. It’s important to give yourself enough flexibility so you don’t miss out on betting opportunities as the game progresses. We’re sure you’ll find that it’s much better to start out small and work your way up until you reach your comfort zone. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to bankroll management since only you know how much risk you can handle.

Whether you play at a live casino in London or online, the secret to winning at craps is to take advantage of the available bets that have the lowest house edge.