Ask Frank: Keeping Craps Strategy Fresh

Dear Frank:

I love to shoot craps, but have an admittedly boring strategy while doing so. (I am also full FRB with this approach.)

I make a $5 pass line bet, backed with 2X odds, and place the 6 and 8 for $30 each if neither is the point. I like the fact that my "KISS" strategy allows me to socialize while playing without keeping my mind continuously on the game, as I would have to do with comes. It also negates any wild prop betting (except for an occasional dollar hard four for the dealers).

I suppose my question is: would there be an easy way to vary my approach to keep it from getting stale (such as 44 inside with full 5X odds on the pass line) without giving up the percentage of winners? Of course, my casino does not comp on odds, so therein lies another problem!

Thanks in advance for your expert advice.

Suzanne in Virginia

Dear Suzanne,

In gambling boring is often good. You strategy is one of the better strategies because you are giving the house no more than a 1.5 percent edge on those 6 and 8 Place bets, and your Pass line bet with double odds comes in at about a half percent.

Betting $44 inside is not as good an idea because those 5 and 9 Place bets come in with a four percent house edge -- too high. However, find out if the casinos where you play allow you to buy the 4 and 10 and pay the vig ($1 on a $25 buy) only on a win. The house edge in that case would be approximately 1.3 percent, a decent bet! You could alternate between using the Pass Line and just going up with $75 - which is $30 on the 6 and 8 and $25 on the 4 or 10.

Let me also stress the need to be selective in the shooters that you bet on. Consider incorporating the 5-Count into your play. This will reduce the number of shooters you bet on to 43 percent of the whole. You'll probably still get your RFB but your exposure to the house edge will be markedly reduced.

I am giving you a 6-month free trial subscription to the members only web site, The Craps Club at www.thecrapsclub.com. I think you'll find the discussions and articles on those pages to be of interest and help.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete