Why We Play Craps

I have written that craps is the most exciting game in the casino. I have written that line in books and articles; I have spoken that line when I give talks at seminars and classes. I say it because I believe it. Craps is the most exciting game in the house, bar none.

Of course, inveterate slot players probably think slots is the most exciting gambling option, and probably blackjack players think blackjack reigns supreme; even Pai Gow poker players might think their lovely is the most beautiful, enticing game in the casino.

Having played just about every variety of casino game, trust me, craps is unsurpassed for great thrills, great spills and a great chance to win some money right now - if you make the best bets.

So I decided to ask some of the world's greatest dice controllers from Golden Touch Craps why they love craps so much. Their answers are interesting.

States the great Dom "Dominator" LoRiggio from Wisconsin, "Craps is the game where the casino hands you two dice and says for you to try to beat them. It's an invitation to do your darnedest to get the money. You don't have anything like that in any other game in the casinos. When you play blackjack, you can be winning and the guy sitting next to you can be getting his head beat in. Unless the craps player is betting the Darkside with don't pass bets and don't come bets, when a shooter gets hot everyone makes money. It's very tribal. The electricity you feel in yourself and through the others at the table is awesome. There's just nothing like it."

"Craps is an interactive game," states Howard "Rock 'n Roller" Newman from Florida. "You are betting money on other shooters and they are betting money on you. A craps shooter can win or lose for everyone at the table so you have that comradeship going at all times. I take great care with my rolls because I know that people are betting money on me and I don't want to disappoint them. In no other game is that true. What you do can affect everyone at the table."

"I agree that craps is unique," says Arman "Pit Boss" Pirim from Los Angeles. "There are so many bets at the game, so many decisions that you can make, the game can baffle new players. However, once you learn the proper betting strategies, the house edge can be kept at one percent or under. Even if you are a regular player and not an expert, with house edges that low, your chance of winning your session is quite good. To me the excitement of craps is the fact that I am playing a very close contest with the casinos. I don't like the other games where the house edge is just too great to have any chance of overcoming it."

States Bob "Mr. Finesse" Convertito from Connecticut, "I practice my dice throw every day and I have only one goal in mind - beating the game. That's the greatest thrill, picking those dice up in your hands and actually trying to create magic. When that magic comes, it isn't from Lady Luck; it's from your own skill. That is the biggest thrill of all."

"I love the game of craps," explains Jerry "Stickman" Stich from Tennessee. "I like being at the table with my friends; I like rolling the dice in a careful way. The thrill factor with craps is the moment when the stickman first passes you the dice and you know that you are at the center of the universe. All the eyes of all the other players are on you and you have tremendous motivation to give a good account of yourself. There is nothing like that in any other casino game. With those dice in your hands, you are either going to be the king of the world - or the fool who lost everyone money. That is some range."

Street Dog, another fabulous Golden Touch shooter, sees craps "as a way to have my cake and eat it too. I love to play in casinos. I love the action at a craps table. I love making money at a game that supposedly can't be beaten - and I love making money because of my own skills."

According to the Captain, the 82-year old Atlantic City craps legend and the man who created the 5-Count and developed the whole concept of a controlled throw in the modern-day casino, the game of craps "is an arena of performance. Like an athlete or an actor, you are on center stage when you roll the dice. You have many betting choices, some good, most bad, that you must understand. To actually beat the game, you have to know how to shoot the dice with efficiency and effectiveness; you have to know how to reduce the hit on your bankroll from other players; you must understand which bets you can beat the house with and which bets the house will clobber you with and you have to keep a calm interior because the game is a roller coaster."

Craps has close to one and a half million players in America. This figure is based on Harrah's study, "A Day in the Life of a Casino Gambler," which can be found online at the Harrah's web site. Contrary to popular notions, the largest group of craps players comes from the 20-somethings. I spoke to one 25-year old and this is what he had to say: "I don't know how people can waste their money in slot machines or playing games where the house has huge edges. Craps has everything going for it. It has low house-edge bets; great thrills with all the other players at the tables, and a real chance to win money. You don't find any game in the casino that offers you a taste of combat the way craps does. You really feel as if you are in a war against chance - and if you play right, you really have a very good chance of winning that war."

Amen.