Slow Down

6 October 2020

By Frank Scoblete

Craps is a fast game or, rather, it is a game that looks fast because so much seems to be going on between the rolls of the dice. Just look around a craps table and note how many people are playing and how many bets are being wagered by the group and by different individuals; it is a lot.

Still, in my opinion wise craps play follows a simple dictate – don’t make many bets because each bet you make allows the house edge to eat away at your bankroll. Slow down.

If we were playing slots, I would say wait awhile between decisions so you aren’t playing too many of them. The fewer decisions, the less money the casino will win from you over time.

If this were blackjack I’d say to play at full tables so you don’t have to play too many hands, as you would if you were the only one playing against the dealer.

To “slow down” in craps means keeping the number of bets you make limited. Because there is a lag time between rolls too many players get a feeling that this time should be taken up with throwing out more and more bets before the shooter next shoots the dice. That is a big mistake. The house edge works on every bet you make. It doesn’t discriminate.

Most craps players are what the casino calls “action players.” In short, they often make poor bets, in fact quite of few of them, and their money generally flows from them to the casino in somewhat huge gulps.

Many experts will rightly claim that some of the bets at craps are some of the best bets to be found in the casino. No doubt about that. Unfortunately some of the worst bets in the casino can also be found in the game of craps; bets with house edges nibbling at or actually in the double digit category. Just go to any crowded craps table and you will see these awful bets being consistently made by many, if not most, of the players.

Craps players like to make several to many bets and the more bets they make the worse it is for their bankrolls. You can’t escape the house edge by making more and more wagers; it doesn’t work that way. You can be blasted in short order if the shooter sevens out immediately on his or her roll. (The reverse is true for “don’t” or darkside players – the more rolls the shooter has, the more bets being made by the darksiders who are hoping for that seven-out, the worse the situation becomes for them.)

I realize my advice tends to go against the grain of many craps players. They want to make many bets; it fuels their joy or anguish as they play. The casino is correct; many craps players are indeed action players. And “action” actually seems at times more important than actually winning.

I tend to be the opposite in my play. On shooters other than myself, I make one bet and one bet only; a Come or Pass Line bet with odds and I leave it at that. I do not increase my bet or fan out and make more bets on any shooters. My game on other shooters is one and done. And I always use the Captain’s 5-Count before betting on anyone. (This 5-Count concept I cover in my various craps books.)

Now on me I will go all out to win. I will initially make three bets, the Pass Line and two Come bets with odds. If I can win triple the amount of money I have wagered I will then either increase my bets or slowly fan out.

Correct, I want my wins and losses to be on my shoulders, not on other shooters’ shoulders. For me that makes craps an exciting experience; it is me against the house. I guess you can say I am a non-action player at times and a somewhat-action-player at other times.

Of course, I think my way of playing is the best way to play the game but I also realize that almost all craps players think their way of playing is also the best way.

I am more concerned with the long-term negative effects of the house edges I face and that’s why I limit what I bet on other shooters and increase my wagers on myself.

To craps players who want to try something new and different then give my idea a whirl and see what happens over a decent period of time.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Visit Frank’s web site at www.frankscoblete.com. Frank’s books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.