The logic of craps, as with all gambling games is a combination of knowledge, mathematical probabilities, skill and being in “The Zone.”
- Knowledge is understanding what the game is all about – purpose, execution and wagering probabilities.
- Mathematical probabilities – The amount of money you have to play with should determine how much you place on each wager – how many chances you’ll get to place a wager to see if you can win.
- Skill comes from practice – track your playing sessions. Track which wagers you finally began to understand, which wagers paid the most, etc.
- The Zone – the incredible gaming experience when you’re in the right place at the right time. Like anything else based on mathematical probabilities there are times when it all comes together. In Blackjack you win multiple hands in a row and progress your wager with each hand.
- In Craps you get on a table and the dice behave – either in your hands or in someone else’s hands. The difference is that you know enough about the game to keep collecting on your wagers.
- The Logic of Craps is based on Place – the theory that the dice should fall as they expect to, based on the dice patterns and the rattled dice.
- The outcome is based on probability – the odds are always slightly in your favor.
- The house edge – the advantage the casino holds over the player.
The house edge can be overcome by betting only the table minimum and using a Roulette System such as the Roulette System above, or if you work out the strategies.
The house edge can’t be eliminated – you can’t roll a 1 and expect to win a 1.22% bet. You can, of course, have a 1.38% bet (on both the pass line and the don’t pass line) and still lose – the casino’s edge over the player is still 5.26%.
The Logic of Craps is all about Place and rolling the dice – the dice doesn’t have memory. The dice doesn’t know the difference between 6 and 11 (on the come out roll). It doesn’t know if the next roll will be higher or lower than 11 (the number 7 is almost a guarantee).
The average advantage the casino enjoys over the player is only about 1.52% (pokerlegenda wins half the time, players wins half the time). Sure, you can find casino systems that claim to beat this ridiculously low house edge, but they’re based on irrational playing habits and superstitions – and, when applied, will probably lose you money if you’re not careful.
You can, however, beat the casino occasionally because it’s possible to improve the Place odds enough (by betting on both the pass and don’t sides). I know, because I’ve done it. It’s impossible to predict the outcome of any dice roll, but it’s possible to make bets that improve the house advantage enough to turn a negative expectation into a positive one, so long as you bet on both the pass and don’t sides of the same roll.
You’ll probably have to roll seven seven times in order to guarantee a win, but you’ll only spend $7, and the $7 you bet will be returned to you. If you buy the Don’t Pass and Come bets, and then bet the Pass Line after the come out, you’ll win $14. If you buy the Pass Line after the come out, you’ll win only the $14.
By buying and rolling the same number, you’ll make a positive expectation bet. The house will have no advantage over you, and the math Expectation equals the amount you wager times the return. If you add up all the bets you’ve made and the pot, you’ll win $14 no matter what winning hand you have.
Hence, it’s possible to play craps without worrying about a house advantage. You can make bets with a positive expectation of winning and still expect to win. Don’t believe in the worst case scenario, which is that you’ll lose every single $1. The worst case scenario is that you’ll lose $1 twice, but you have made a positive expectation bet on a possible winning hand.