Craps Tips Strategy of Betting The Numbers

The Smart Way To Play

Walk up to any craps table in a casino and you'll notice him. He is the envy of all the players as he tosses $130 worth of chips on the layout and barks to the dealer "$130 Across", which means he wants his money bet on all the numbers except the point number.

Suppose that 8 were the point. The dealer will position the bettors $130 like so- $25 on the 4, 5, 9, and 10 and $30 on the 6. Most likely he also has a bet on the pass line which means he has every number covered. What he is hoping for is a string of numbers to be rolled. Every number but that unmentionable number - the 7.

Every time the dice is thrown and one of his numbers hit, he wins. The amount depends on the number - $45 for the 4 and 10 and $35 for the 5, 6, 8 and 9. Ironically, he almost never pockets his profits. Instead, when a number hits he instructs the dealer to "press" his bets. That means he wants the amount wagered on the winning number to be doubled using part of his winnings.

For example, suppose the 4 hits for a $45 win. When he tells the dealer to "press it", the dealer will use $25 of the winnings to increase the player's bet on the 4 to $50 . The rest is given to the player - in this case $20. By pressing his bets every time a number hits, he is hoping for a lot of repeat numbers and a big score.

If you analyze how many consecutive bets our friend needs to win to show a profit, you'd be surprised at the results. On average he needs to win at least 4 repeating numbers to show a profit (in the unlikely event the 4 or 10 is rolled in succession then he only needs 3 consecutive wins). If this doesn't happen, he ends up losing money when the dreaded 7 is rolled. And believe me on a cold table, four repeating numbers is tough to come by.

This plus the fact that place bets have a relatively high casino edge simple means that the majority of place bettors, including our high rolling friend, will slowly but surely lose money in the long run. Sure our friend will make a big score once in a while, but in the long run, he will be a big loser.

So does that make place bets a bad deal. Yes and no.

First the casino's advantage on all the place bets is not the same. Your goal as a smart crap player is to make bets where the casino's edge is low, preferably less than 1.5%. This leaves out the place bets on the numbers 4, 5, 9, and 10 where the casino edge is 4% (5 and 9) and 6.7% (4 and 10). The 6 and 8 have only a 1.5% casino edge so you've got a fighting chance betting on these numbers.

But how should you bet these numbers? If you are new to craps, it's not all that difficult. In fact it's easier than you think. Here's how to do it.

Take $6 worth of chips and before a shooter rolls the dice, place the chips on the layout in the area labeled COME and tell the dealer you want to place the 6 (or 8). He will move your chips to the number 6 box at the top of the layout. You win the bet if the shooter throws the 6 again before throwing the 7. The payoff is $7. If the shooter throws a 7 instead before the 6, you will lose your $6 place bet.

An easy starter system for betting the 6 and 8 is as follows. Wait until the shooter establishes a point (you'll know that happens because the dealer will mark the point number with a device that looks like a hockey puck). If the point is any number except the 6 and 8, place $12 worth of chips on the layout and tell the dealer you want to place the 6 and 8.

If one bet wins, bet it again for the same amount. If it wins again, press the winning number to $12. If either bet wins again, tell the dealer to take down your bets. Your goal is to win three bets and then you take down your bets and your profits (which will be $28) and wait for the next shooter.

In case the 6 (or 8) happens to be the shooters point, then only place bet the number that is not the point (e.g. if 6 is the point then place only the 8). Use the above betting scheme. Win once and bet the same, win again then double your bet, win one more time then take down your profit.

If the shooter tosses a 7 before your place bet wins three times, then start the betting progression over at $6.

Your goal is to hope the numbers 6 (or 8) repeat three times before the 7 shows. Of course you don't know if or when this will occur. But with a little luck and the discipline to lock up your profit after 3 wins, you can walk away from the table a winner. That's the smart way to play craps.