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Different Craps Strategies
Different craps strategies exist in the brains of just about every player playing today. Some are bad, some are good, lots are somewhere in between. On this page we'll take a look at some common craps strategies, what convinces people to use them, and what we should be integrating into our own strategies.
6 & 8 Bettors
The last time I was in Vegas I was playing along find and happy when a new guy joined the table, and with a sly grin said 'ahh a 6 and 8s table huh?'. Someone asked him what he meant and he explained that it looked like another table where people only ever bet the pass line, and place the 6 and 8. I took note over the next few minutes and realized how right he was.
This is a phenomenon more common among novice players, simply because the pass line and placing numbers is easy. There is some solid logic behind it too, as the pass line, when backed with odds, gives you the best house edge, and placing the 6 and 8 are among the next best bets on the table. As far as simple craps strategies to follow, I think this is a great one for beginners.
Hedge Betting
Jumping right to the other end of the spectrum, hedge-betting strategies are usually reserved for the craps players who think they know a lot about what's going on at the table. Hedge betting is an interesting beast for certain, and thinking about it too much can make the brain spin. The basic concept is that when you place a bet, you can always place a second bet that wins when the first one loses, enabling you to cover your loses.
The effect on edge is fairly arguable, but there is one distinct thing that hedging your bets will always to do your game, it will decrease volatility.
Wrong Bettors
The idea of 'wrong betting' was introduced earlier in the site to mean bettors who play 'against the dice'. The dice are on the side of pass line bets, so any bet placed that wins when a pass line bet loses is called a 'wrong bet'. Now, of course, there's nothing wrong with placing these bets, in fact much of the time they provide a slightly better house edge than their 'with the dice' counterpart.
The main problem comes when you're playing in a casino (as opposed to online), and you run into superstitious players. Many feel it's bad luck for the with the dice players to have a wrong bettor at the table. Consequently you will be shunned, and blamed if the table goes cold. Of course, if the table has gone cold for the 'right bettors', then the wrong bettors are making all of the money!
Bankroll strategies
The most powerful way to approach craps is with a strong bankroll strategy. These types of craps strategies are usually fairly applicable to every other casino game, as the important part comes before you ever step up to the table. Setting win and loss limits ahead of time is vital. Setting loss limits may be a natural part of your strategy, but setting win limits seems like a strange idea to most people I talk to.
The need for win limits comes from something every one of us has experienced. We are playing and for a while we're doing great, hundreds of bucks up, but then the table hits a cold swing and we find ourselves back in the red. If we had forced ourselves to leave when we were, say, 40% up from our original bankroll, we could be enjoying a steak right now. Setting win limits ensures you will actually walk away while up. Many long time gamblers have come to realize this as vital, and recommend you walk away after going 20% up. That may not seem like much at all, but considering the edge is against you, beating it by more than 20% is quite an accomplishment.
