CRAPS IS A GAME DOMINATED by the number 7. On the come-out roll the 7 is a winner for â??right sideâ? bettors (that is, players who are betting on the Pass Line) and a loser for â??wrong or darksideâ? bettors (â??Donâ??t Passâ? bettors). Once a point is established â??right sideâ? bettors lose if the 7 appears and the â??darksidersâ? win if the 7 appears.
In honor of this powerful number are seven important pieces of information â?? my seven precepts â?? that are absolutely necessary for craps players to know before placing their hard-earned money on the layout.
PRECEPT #1: The math dictates the game
Too many craps players think they can ignore the math of craps. This idea is silly; in fact, it is downright ploppyish. A smart player knows the math of the game, which explains exactly what he should and shouldnâ??t bet. If you donâ??t know the math, donâ??t play the game.
PRECEPT #2: Trend betting is a foolâ??s errand.
In a random game of craps there is no way to predict what sequences of numbers are about to come up. A streak of one number or another does not mean such a streak will continue. Or that it wonâ??t. Those individuals who like to â??chartâ? numbers to find out what is hot or what will be hot are wasting their time. Individuals who sell trend-betting systems are to be ignored because they know nothing about the random nature of the game.
PRECEPT #3: Psychic sight is blindness in the casino.
Some players believe they can find hot tables psychically by tuning into the vibrations of the game. They call this their psychic sight, and it is another form of nonsense. Yes, sometimes a self-proclaimed psychic player will hit on a hot table just as all the other non-psychic players hit upon it. The psychicâ??s chances player of finding a hot table are no better or worse than anyone elseâ??s.
PRECEPT #4: The best bets at craps follow the house-edge percentages.
Forget whatever bets experienced players tell you to make. Forget what dice gurus tell you. If any of these individuals are pushing bets that have higher house edges than the lowest house-edge bets at craps, they are spitting into the wind. A $10 pass line bet will lose you 14 cents on average. A $10 bet on the hard 6 or 8 will lose you 91 cents. Thatâ??s a big difference. Thus, the Pass Line; Donâ??t Pass; the Come and the Donâ??t Come are the best bets on the tableâ??unquestionably.
PRECEPT #5: Dice superstitions are just superstitions, nothing more.
There are a lot of dice superstitions but there is no possibility of these superstitions being fact. The game is random. Sometimes you will see the 7 appear when the dice leave the table (about 16.67 percent of the time according to the math) and sometimes you wonâ??t. Nor can â??darksidersâ? increase the appearance percentage of the 7. Yes, the 7 makes its appearance 16.67 percent of the timeâ??over time.
PRECEPT #6: There is no such thing as a hot table or a cold table.
Yes, I have been at tables where shooters have shot the lights out of the game. I have also been at horrifying tables where everyone crashed and burned. In fact, what occurred on those tables are merely past events and have no predictive value. So as you cheer like crazy for the shooter who has rolled number after number, keep in mind that the 7 always has a 16.67 percent chance of showing up. In terms of hot and cold tables, the past is dead.
PRECEPT #7: The best way to tip the dealers is to make Hardway bets for them.
Why make a bad bet for the dealers when you wouldnâ??t make a bad bet for yourself? The best bets for the players are the best bets for the dealers. These are Pass Line and Donâ??t Pass, and I would add the placing of the 6 and 8 as well. When you place the 6 and/or 8 make sure you tell the dealer that you control the bet. That way if the bet wins, the dealer gets to keep the win but the original bet remains and can win for the dealer again (and again). Some casinos will not allow you to control a bet. If so, just put the dealer bet on top of yours and give the dealer the win on his portion of the bet.
By Frank Scoblete
