The appeal of playing craps cannot be matched by other casino games. Playing craps can provide great social bonding with other players because everyone is playing towards a common goal. And if you have played craps, you would recognise the fist-bumps and cheers when a shooter is rolling some hot luck. But, playing craps is tough without a solid strategy.
We’ve put together this quick-and-easy guide on how to master the game of craps for beginners, and you can use it today to improve your winnings with these four simple craps playing strategies.
The Best Craps Strategies to Win Real Money
Great craps strategies rely on making the best craps bets and game management choices to win big and master the game.
Best Low House Edge Craps Bets
Placing A Bet On A Shooter
When placing a bet on a craps shooter, the best bet to make is either a Pass Line bet with full odds or a Come bet with full odds.
This is because for both the Pass Line and Come bets the house edge is only 1.41%.
This means that every $10 you bet, you will lose just 14 cents (on average over time).
Using odds reduces the edge for the house considerably, so place a small bet on the Pass Line and Come bets and increase the odds as much as you can afford (be smart).
Placing A Bet When You Are The Shooter
Kick things off by placing three easy bets:
- Pass Line bet with full odds that you can afford
- One Come bet with full odds that you can afford
- Another Come bet with full odds
Now, if you are lucky and score a hot roll, spread your bets to all numbers and increase the Pass Line and Come bets to increase your odds.
Small Bets Equal Large Bankrolls
It is simple, place your bets in line with your bankroll.
Think about it this way, don’t be destructive. If you have a $10 bankroll, you would be bonkers to place $1 bets because after a few weak rolls or poor bet placements, you could quickly end up with back-to-back losses which can empty your bankroll.
So, the idea is to play smart and make bets that are reasonable for your bankroll. Consider making a ratio that works, we like to stick to a $1 per every $500 in bankroll for bets.
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come While Laying Odds
Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets have a slightly better house edge at 1.36% compared to their opposite bets.
The best strategy with this bet is to bet the table minimums on Don’t Pass and Don’t Come, and then lay the odds to reach your predetermined bet total.
The upside to this is that this gives you the lowest house edge in the game of craps.
However, the downside is that the total bet can become quite large even if starting with the bare minimum bets. Remember to consider your bankroll and let that be your guiding force.
It is also worth noting that given the social aspect of craps, you might not feel like part of the fun. if you are playing at a brick-and-mortar casino, some might lay into you for not betting with the shooter.
Place Six and Eight
Players love this craps strategy because it gives them the opportunity to pick their own numbers, rather than waiting for the shooter to determine the point.
Outside of rolling a seven, the six and eight are the next most commonly rolled numbers in craps.
Placing on six and eight attracts a house edge of 1.52% which although higher than other bets, is still a lot lower than most other casino games you’ll play.
What players need to consider is that not all place/number bets offer the same house edge. For a five or nine, the house edge is 4% and for four or ten the house edge is 6.67%.
So, stay well clear on these place bets.
If you do place six or eight, make your bets in multiples of $6. This is because winning bets are paid at 7-6 odds. If you don’t bet in these multiples you will come out with shorter payouts. What this means is that a $5 bet will pay $5, however, a $6 bet will pay 7$.
The only real downside to these place bets are that there are no free odds offered, and the house edge is higher than the Pass Come and Don’t Pass Don’t Come bets.
Mastering Craps Conclusion
Now you have our four easy tips to mastering craps, put them into action and see if you can boost your winnings by playing smarter, not harder. If you are struggling to find somewhere to play, check out the 5StarPokies five best mobile casinos for Aussies. If you don’t check out our best mobile casinos article, be sure to read this important post we made about fake casinos first!