Craps Consciousness

17 September 2024

By Frank Scoblete

There are so many, many bets at craps that it is hard to remember them all. No matter actually. Most are just not good enough to try to remember them all. That's a fact.

My mentor the late Captain from Atlantic City called the bad and awful bets “crazy crapper” bets because the player had to be crazy to make them.

Now look at them in the light of what they actually cost the player. Take the Hardway 6 that comes in with a relatively high house edge. The bet is that the 6 will be made with 3:3. There is only one way to make this bet.

What does that house edge mean in terms of money? Simple. Given betting $10 on the roll, you win 10 to one if 3:3 appears and you lose your $10 if the 7 appears. That is not a good proposition. The overall house edge is a weighty 9.09 percent. For every $100 bet on the Hardway 6

There are even worse bets at the game. The Hardway 4 or 10 comes in with a house edge of 11.10 percent.

Now, let me get so crazy as a crapper that a psychiatrist would actually think I was insane. Here goes:

• 2 or 12 craps has a house edge of 13.90 percent
• Any 7 comes in with a house edge of 16.67 percent
• The Fire Bet comes in with a house edge of 20-25 percent

There are many more bets at the game; some come in lower than the craziest of the Crazy Crapper bets and a few come in at a low between 1.36 percent and 1.41 percent. Those are the ones you should bet on.

Most craps players spread out their bets between the good ones (usually the pass line taking the odds) and then they go somewhat nutty taking the proposition bets and other place bets. If they make these awful bets for decent sums of money, they just can’t overcome the edges of the casinos.

So, why do your average craps players stick their heads in the guillotine? Don’t they know they are flirting with danger? Probably. But here is the important point. Craps can be so exciting that one literally loses his or her mind when playing it.

Here is the very, very sad thing about average craps players. Even with excellent bets in the casino scheme of things, the foolish bets ultimately do them in. They just can’t help themselves. And that’s the truth.

Indeed, some insignificant few have managed to beat the game with dice control. These players are rare indeed and most fans of dice control just can’t accomplish it. That’s the dream. To control the dice. That dream has not been realized as much.

All the best in and out of the casinos.

Frank Scoblete’s books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.