A great letter and a great crew

We players sometimes forget that a great crew can make the game more pleasant and more fun to play. The following is a letter we recently received that shows how a good crew can make your gambling experience fun and also (perhaps) more profitable:

I recently played craps and have a question regarding a bet that I placed, which once in play, was changed for me by the dealer for a better pay off. I hope I can make the scenario clear, and I hope that you could really explain what happened because I couldn't exactly follow.

The established point was 10 as I approached the table. I bet $10 on the pass line and $10 on the odds. When I looked back down at my bet again after the shooter rolled (an insignificant number for my play), I noticed that my $10 odds bet had been placed on top of my pass line bet, with a "buy" marker on top of the entire stack. I looked at the dealer and asked what he had done, and he and the table supervisor tried to explain to me that what they had done would end up a better pay-off for me if the point was made since I had entered the action after the point was established...something along the lines of winning $39 instead of $30 if the 10 was hit.

With all of the noise and action around the table, I just decided to trust the dealer and when the 10 was thrown, I was paid $39. Can you possibly shed light on what exactly happened with the odds pay-off as well as any information about smart betting when entering craps action after a point is established?

Besides playing the pass line with odds bet, I also place the 6 and 8. Are there other betting strategies for these two numbers if I enter table action after a point has been established (a point that isn't 6 or 8), since I feel that perhaps there might be other pay-off strategies that I am not aware of in light of my recent experience.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Deborah

Dear Deborah:

That dealer and supervisor should be given a couple of medals. They did the perfect thing for you. Had they allowed your $20 to remain as you bet it $10 Pass Line and $10 in odds, you would have received $30 when the point was hit. You would get even money on the 10 Pass Line bet and $20 for the odds bet. What they did was allow you to "buy" the bet for one dollar on a win. They pay you $39 for a $20 bet - taking one dollar as a commission. So next time you are in that casino, make sure you tip those dealers and thank that boss! They did you a big favor by reducing the house edge tremendously on that bet.

The type of bet that you made is called a "put bet" and is usually not a good bet unless the odds you "put" up are much more than single or double odds. Single or double odds will not cut the house edge under the Place or Buy bet edges so the put bet is not usually a strong move on the part of the player. Keep in mind that the reason we make those Pass Line and Come bets is to be able to have a 2-to-1 edge on the Come-out roll when those 7s and 11s hit. You have 8 ways to win and only 4 ways to lose - on the 2, 3, and 12. If the point is already established using "put bets" is usually not a good thing to do unless you are putting up 6X odds or more.

In Tunica, you could have put up a $10 "put bet" with $200 in odds - if you could afford this level of betting - and the house edge would be very low. You'd win three times ($1230) and lose six times for $1260. However, a $200 buy bet that paid its commission only on wins would see you win $1170 but lose $1200.

Now your practice of placing the 6 and 8 and using true Pass and Come bets is an excellent way to play. In some venues, you can also buy the 4 and 10 and the 5 and 9 and only pay the commission on a win. If you buy the 4 and 10 at $25 and pay the $1 commission on a winning bet, the house edge is a mere 1.3 percent. If you buy the 5 and 9 for $30 with a $1 commission on winning bets, the house edge is about 1 percent. These are very low house edges though, obviously, not as low as Pass Line with odds and Come betting with odds.

Placing the 6 and 8 gives the casino a 1.52 percent house edge, which is also relatively low. Those Pass Line and Come bets are about one half percent on double odds games to about one tenth of one percent on 20 odds games - so you can see how powerful that type of betting actually is.

You should also consider using the 5-Count on all shooters before you bet. Go to www.goldentouchcraps.com and look up the article "5-Count Proof" under the Frank Scoblete Wisdom section of the site. The 5-Count is the way to judge whom to bet your money on. It's a great method of play.

We are giving you a free one-month subscription to our private web site at www.goldentouchcraps.com. We think you'll enjoy all the discussions about craps play and betting.

We are glad you highlighted just how important personally and financially good dealers can be. The casinos have many great dealers who all deserve our applause.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete