Place to lose at craps and Archie Karas

16 September 2014

By Frank Scoblete

FROM MAC I: Re: The Don't Come Box

Is one able to make place bets per the Don't Come box at craps?

I know the best Place bets are the numbers 6 and 8 when playing the Come box and that the player must bet $6 to win $5, the house edge being 1.5 percent.

I assume that one can make a "Don't Come Place bet" as well, but I can't find
information on how to do it and what numbers are the best to place and in what denomination the bet should be.

Thanks for any help.

FROM MAC II: Hello again, Frank.

With regard to my earlier sent e-mail of yesterday, I finally found the answer I was looking for, coincidentally, in an article written by you, per the Casino City Times newsletter.

It's fairly easy to find info about making place bets using the "Come Box," but much harder to find same regarding the "Don't Come Box".

I'm sure you are familiar with the historic three year run (1993-1996) that Archie Karas had at Binion's Horseshoe on the craps table, whereby he accumulated something like $30 million with a starting bankroll of like $300,000 and then lost most of it back to the casino.

If I'm not mistaken, he wasn't allowed to make odds bets because his pass line wagers were so big. Probably the greatest aberration in the history of the game.

FRANK RESPONDS: Remember that when you are saying place-to-lose in the Don’t Come box, you are betting against a specific number you have selected. The real Don’t Come bet will go on a number determined by the dice. They are actually two different kinds of bets.

As for Archie Karas, he is one of the giants of gambling. Some players think he is the greatest gambler of all time. And you are right, Archie was not allowed to take the odds at his amazing craps run — until, of course, he hit a negative streak and tumbled from the mountain top.

For your e-mails I am sending you a copy of my book “Confessions of a Wayward Catholic.”

Frank Scoblete’s new book is “I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage Play Blackjack” is available on Amazon.com and Kindle.