Playing with a Small Bankroll

27 December 2014

By Jerry Stickman

Hi Stickman,

I'm sure you've simulated most every popular system out there. If you had a max bankroll of $2,000, what craps system or strategy would you recommend playing?

I've simulated playing a don't pass bet with odds along with a don't come bet, with a positive outcome. However, in reality, it hasn't work out nearly as well.

Thanks,
Don


Don,

Yes, I have simulated a number of betting systems – from the popular to the arcane. Everyone seems to think they have stumbled across the silver bullet when it comes to betting at the craps table.

But in fact, no betting system no matter how simple or complex, and no matter how much it seems to make sense, will give you an edge at the game of craps. The only way to achieve and edge is to develop a controlled throw.

If what you are looking for is a betting system that will make you money, I am sorry, but I don’t have it. Neither do any of the self proclaimed experts that hawk systems that “win 83% of the time” and other such claims. They may win a little 83% of the time, but they lose big the rest of the time. You simply cannot beat the house edge in a random game of craps. The only way to get an edge is to learn and master a controlled throw.

If you are going to play a random game of craps with your $2,000 bankroll, here is how I would recommend betting at the craps table. First, find a $5 minimum table. If you are not shooting, wait several rolls before you place a $6 6 and 8, a $12 6 or 8 or, preferably, a $5 come bet. Pass, Don’t Pass, Come and Don’t Come bets carry the lowest house edge of any bet on the table at about 1.4 percent. If you are going with come bets (and I recommend you do), place single or double odds. You can wait 5, 6, 7, or more rolls before you make this bet. This will keep money safely in your rack and not subject to the house edge until it is made as a bet on the table. Only bet one come bet. Additional come bets will put more money at risk and subject to the house edge.

When you are shooting, place a $5 pass line bet and start rolling. You can add single or double odds behind your bet as the free odds bets carry no house edge. This means, in the long run, you will break even on this portion of your pass line bet. You will still lose about 7 cents for every $5 you bet on the pass line, however.

Should you have some luck and win three times what you have bet on the current shooter, you can add another unit to your bets. If you have placed a $6 6 and / or 8, press the number that hit to $12. Then alternate taking the payoff and pressing the bet that hits one unit ($6). If you went with a come bet, you can place a second come bet and add single or double odds. As you win more you can increase the odds, or place additional come bets with odds.

While $2,000 might seem like a fairly large bankroll, it can dwindle and disappear quite rapidly if not careful with your betting. I keep my total trip bankroll at 100 to 200 times my total bet spread at the table. For the example bets above, the spread would be $6 if place betting and $5 to $15 (depending on the odds taken) for pass line and come betting. The bare minimum I would recommend would be a $600 bankroll for place betting $6 and $1,500 if pass/come betting with odds. I prefer to have at least a 200 times bankroll as I want to have virtually no possibility I will lose my entire stake during the trip.

These strategies will help you lose the least and give you the best chance of possibly winning The main thing to remember is if you are betting on a random game of craps, less is more. The less you bet, the more you will have left to take with you.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses be slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”