Craps tips- Know the rules and what to do before you arrive at the table, especially a busy one. Craps has a language all its own. For example "Two way yo" is craps slang for a bet on 11 in which half is for the player and half is a bet for the dealers. - Systems can't beat a house edge. No system can overcome a house edge. You can minimize your losses by playing wisely on games of skill, but systems make no difference to games of pure chance like roulette. Those who use systems in roulette are fooling themselves. Don't believe otherwise. Expect to lose in the long run. - Winning streaks and losing streaks can happen by chance. When you toss a coin fairly you will get an even number of heads and tails in the long run. Every now and then you will get a run of four or five heads or tails, just by chance. After all, every time you toss there is a 50:50 chance of a head or tail coming down - and this doesn't change depending on what the tosses before have been. If runs of 4 or 5 heads happen, it also means that runs of 10 or even 20 can and will happen. Not very often at all, but they will happen. - Beware the gamblers fallacy. As is has been mentioned, the chance of a head or tail coming down change depending on what the tosses before have been. In the coin tossing example a head or tail is no more likely after a head or a run of 10 tails. Remember this. An event (like a number coming up in roulette) is no more or less likely if it has not happened for a long time. Thinking that something is more likely to happen if it has not happened for a long time is called the gamblers fallacy. - Set limits and keep records. For gambling to remain fun, you need to know that you are not spending more than you can afford. Gambling operators are trying their hardest to get you to play for as long as possible - so it is very easy for you to spend more than you can afford. Setting a limit for your turnover (or losses, if that is easier) and keeping records help you to know how much you are spending. Use the gambling diary to keep track of your wins and losses. - Do not increase your bets when losing. Some gamblers believe that you can recover your losses by doubling your bet every time you lose. This is known as the Martingale system. The idea is that when you win, the win will be big enough to cover your previous losses. There are some problems with this system - you may run out of money before you win. - You may run out of money before you win. You can only double your bet so many times because of table limits, and so occasionally you will hit the table limit before winning - and this will be very expensive. - Tip the dealers. As in all games you should tip the dealers, especially if they are being especially helpful. When you tip don't make a bet for the dealers on a sucker bet as most players do. Personally I will toss them a tip and say "for the table." The dealers will appreciate that you're not wasting their tip on a bet with a high house edge. - Playing against the dice. You may want to avoid the don't pas and don't come bets early in your craps career, as those bets are 'against the dice' and therefore you are betting the opposite of most players. Players are superstitious and may not like you very much if you keep it up. - Standing bets. Pay attention to any bets you leave standing. When you are paid for these bets, it's your own responsibility to take your winnings off of the table layout, or they may be considered bets for the next roll. Nice dealers will remind you, especially if you're somebody who likes to: Tip the dealers! It's not just karma, they may be more likely to remind you of things and help you make the smart bets. - Free craps lessons. If you're at a land based casino, sign up for a free craps lesson. Most casinos offer an introductory course in the game for no cost. - Don't play proposition bets with any consistency. All of the center bets have a high house edge, and it's pretty much the dealers' job to ask around the table to see if anyone wants to lay a hardway down before a roll. Don't listen to the dealers at this point, only listen to them if they are giving you specific advice. - Heavily weigh your weights to the odds. If you've got money down on the table, a good portion of it should be on free odds bets, as these are the only ones which are unbiased. - Pay attention to your bankroll, and try to play with your winnings as much as possible. Craps is a negative expectation game so walking away up, however little, is definitely a win. |
