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FAQ
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- B1 I see some players wait until after the point is established and then bet the pass line depending on what number was established. Is this wise?
- B2 I've read that a pass line bettor should always take maximum odds to reduce the house edge. Is this correct?
- B3 I've heard that playing the pass line with two come bets is the toughest game you can give the casino. Is that true?
- B4 I see players that place bet the 6 and 8 on every roll. Can you win doing this?
- B5 Do you recommend betting come bets and place bets at the same time?
- B6 Do you recommend place betting all-the-numbers-inside?
- B7 Does the don't pass player have the same edge as the casino?
- B8 Do you recommend laying full odds on don't bets?
- B9 Do you recommend playing don't pass over pass line?
- B10 I've read and heard that money management is important to winning. How true is this or is winning just all luck?
- B11 I see players win big money on those bets in the center of the layout. Is that a good way to bet?
- B12 Is the field bet worth betting?
B13 What is meant by bet progression and what will it do for a player?
- B14 I've read about dice and they say dice have no memory. What do they mean by that and how does it affect the game?
- B15 I see players take their bets down when they change the stickman or when the dice go off the table or when other things happen. Is there anything to this?
- B16 Does psychology have much to do with winning?
- B17 Can a craps player really beat the game long term?
- Q:B1 I see some players wait until after the point is established and then bet the pass line depending on what number was established. Is this wise?
- A:B2 (Jonahs)
Absolutely not! The pass line bettor has a 2 to 1 advantage (7 & 11 winners vs craps losers) over the casino on every come out roll. If part of a players strategy is to vary their bet based on what number the point is then they can vary their odds from 0 to maximum.
- Q:B2 I've read that a pass line bettor should always take maximum odds to reduce the house edge. Is this correct?
- A:B2 (Jonahs)
Yes and no. It's true that you're being paid true odds on the odds portion of your bet thus reducing the house advantage. BUT, betting the maximum odds on every bet can wipe a player out during a short down turn of the dice. If the dice are not warm, I typically bet a higher flat bet with something around 1/2 of the maximum odds then if the roll warms up I'm in a position to increase my odds at will.
- Q:B3 I've heard that playing the pass line with two come bets is the toughest game you can give the casino. Is that true?
- A:B3 (Jonahs)
It's not the toughest but is can be a good betting strategy with excellent win potential. You'll have the benefit of winning on naturals on the come out roll and on your bets in the come. However, a player must pay attention to the cycles of the dice and vary their odds bet accordingly. If the dice take a down turn they should reduce their odds, reduce the number of come bets or temporarily stop betting if necessary. Conversely, if the roll warms up they should maximize their odds, replace their come bets with place bets after six total collections and possibly increase the number of bets. You're looking for a short streak of the dice to capitalize on when betting this method.
- Q:B4 I see players that place bet the 6 and 8 on every roll. Can you win doing this?
- A:B4 (Jonahs)
You can never win in the long term by betting any number on every roll and leaving it on the table at risk until it's lost. The house edge will always take its percentage over time. However, if you're going to make place bets the six and eight is a pretty fair bet provided sixes and eights are showing and that you limit the time your money is at risk. If sixes and eights are coming up regularly like they many times do, you can increase your bets after 3 or 4 collections, then increase again after another two collections, then cut them in half on the next collection, or better yet, take them down and lock up the money! Don't get in the habit of betting the six and eight on every roll. Sometimes these numbers are just not coming up.
- Q:B5 Do you recommend betting come bets and place bets at the same time?
- A:B5 (Jonahs)
Provided the dice are normal or slightly warm one of my betting techniques is to bet the pass line and after the point is established place bet the 6 and 8 along with 2 come bets. If a six or eight comes up, I bring the place bet down and use the payoff to support my odds. In essence you get a "free" odds bet. However, after my second come bet has gone up to a number if the six and/or eight have not been replaced by the come bets I bring them down.
- Q:B6 Do you recommend place betting all-the-numbers-inside?
- A:B6 (Jonahs)
No. It's too much money at risk. Players should utilize betting methods that capitalize on orderly progression or go-with-the-flow so to speak.
- Q:B7 Does the don't pass player have the same edge as the casino?
- A:B7 (Jonahs)
Of course not. Casino don't give away their edge on any bet on the layout except for odds bets. Since the bar 12 is a push (neither wins/loses) the house has the same edge that they have over the pass line bettor.
- Q:B8 Do you recommend laying full odds on don't bets?
- A:B8 (Jonahs)
I have a somewhat controversial attitude towards laying odds. I don't do it, period! I have a basic aversion to putting out more money than I'll collect if I win. It's true that unlike the pass line bettor the house has the advantage over the don't bettor on the come out and don't come and after the point is established or the don't come bet goes up to a number the don't bettor then has the advantage over the house. It stands to reason that the player should then lay full odds. However, if the dice warm up and start making numbers and passing, the don't bettor laying full odds can get wiped out quickly. It's a matter of risk vs return. I prefer to bet don't pass and one, maybe two don't come bets in varying amounts with no odds. What I'm looking for is a short streak of number, number, 7-out. If you catch a few in a row, you're out of the game a winner.
- Q:B9 Do you recommend playing don't pass over pass line?
- A:B9 (Jonahs)
Playing don't pass generally lapses into a "grind" keeping the player in the game for a longer period of time in an attempt to win. Time is never in the favor of a craps player and therefore I generally avoid playing straight don't as an approach to winning. I sometimes change to the don't for a short period of time waiting for the dice to change but if they don't I quit or look for another table.
- Q:B10 I've read and heard that money management is important to winning. How true is this or is winning just all luck?
- A:B10 (Jonahs)
On the assumption you follow all the rules and play as I recommend in my book, Advantage, Player! historical data shows that you should win 78% of your playing sessions and lose 22%. Now, whether or not you win overall depends on just how much you lose in that 22% and that's where money management comes in. You'll see many different management systems, but I recommend a simple one that's guaranteed to make you a winner. As I recommend in my book, when the dice aren't particularly warm our objective should be to stay as close to even as possible waiting for the dice to warm up. I also recommend changing tables or casinos after a reasonable period of time without success. But here's the paradox. If we change tables too soon we may not give the dice the chance to warm up, or worse yet, get out of "time" with tables and continually walk into cold dice. On the other hand, staying at the table may mean losing more money. Temporary losing is just an investment in the game waiting for the dice to warm up, like investing in the stock market then waiting for the return. But the dice may not warm up so we have to set limits on our losses. So here's how we do it and I'll use percentages so it applies to all levels of bettors. Let's assume you're a $5.00 pass line bettor playing triple odds with two come bets. On average, you'll have $60.00 at risk per hand. You should consider quiting anytime you're ahead 3 to 3-1/2 times that amout, or $180.00 to $210.00. After keeping records on your results, you can figure out exactly what your average winning amount is per winning session. Once you know that, you should never allow yourself to lose more than 1-1/2 times your average winning amount. At the above betting level that would be a maximum loss of $315.00 in any one playing session. By applying this rule and winning 78% of your sessions and losing 22% your guaranteed to come out a substantial long term winner.
- Q:B11 I see players win big money on those bets in the center of the layout. Is that a good way to bet?
- A:B11 (Jonahs)
You only remember it at its best! My only advice is to never, ever, under any circumstances make proposition bets. That includes C&E, hardways, horn bets, hi-low, yo's, hop bets, etc., etc., etc. The only exception to consider is betting a three-way-craps as a hedge against a "large" pass or come bet or a hardway bet as a hedge against a large don't pass/come bet. Those are the only exceptions and should be approached with caution. The house has an edge as high as 16% on some proposition bets. You can't buck that kind of percentage and win long term.
- Q:B12 Is the field bet worth betting?
- A:B12 (Jonahs)
As a matter of practice, no. However, many casinos now pay triple on the 2 or 12 bringing the house edge down to 2.77%. Since the decisions are quick (one roll) the only time to consider making this bet is if you want in and out of the game quickly. Even then I suggest you not make this bet unless the dice are showing lots of craps and few inside numbers. Pay attention to the dice, bet your money and take your chances but don't get in the habit of making field bets regularly. There's much better bets on the layout.
- Q:B13 What is meant by bet progression and what will it do for a player?
- A:B13 (Jonahs)
One definition might be... a method of varying the amount bet over a series of decisions to enhance the winning potential in a game of chance. There's four basic approaches to bet progressions; (1) increase after you lose (2) increase after you win (3) decrease after you lose (4) decrease after you win. Regardless of the approach, betting progressions are essential to winning. One of the advantages the player has over the casino is that they decide how much to bet (up to the table limit) and players need to use every advantage they have available in order to overcome the house edge. Put in simple terms, by applying a bet progression the player hopes to win the larger bets and lose the small ones. This alone can make the difference between winning and losing.
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- Q:B14 I've read about dice and they say dice have no memory. What do they mean by that and how does it affect the game?
- A:B14 (Jonahs)
Since the dice combinations are fixed mathematically, "experts" will tell you that the same chance exists of rolling a given number each time the dice are rolled. Mathematically that's 100% true. However, when you apply the laws of probability it's not true. I firmly believe that as any phenomenon lasts longer the chances of it continuing must become progressively shorter. As an example, let's say your in a coin flip contest and heads had come up 5 times in a row. Which would you call on the next flip? I'd call tails. Granted heads could come up again but we're talking about gambling here and players need to apply simple logic to better their chances of winning. Dice go in cycles endlessly. A player should be able to analyze what the dice are doing after a short time in the game and bet accordingly. If there's been a marked absence of a given number over a period of time and it starts to show, it will probably come with a vengeance and a player should bet it with vigor. In 100, 200 or 500 rolls of the dice the law of averages has got to prevail and the total of each number rolled will be based on the mathematics. But, during those rolls the mathematics can be completely out of whack with an abundance of certain numbers and a lack of others. At some point in time, the lack of a given number has to be replaced by an abundance of that same number and the abundance of a given number replaced by a lack of that number. And there's generally a correlation between the two corresponding numbers. For example, let's say that 9's are coming up consistently. Probably 5's are not showing. Not always true but generally true and a player should note this and again bet accordingly. I firmly believe that based on the laws of averages and probability that dice DO have a memory! Understanding this and paying attention to the dice can make you a consistent winner.
- Q:B15 I see players take their bets down when they change the stickman or when the dice go off the table or when other things happen. Is there anything to this?
- A:B15 (Jonahs)
I have no superstitions whatsoever. As rational people we should all know that the dice going off the table or a change of stickman or anything else cannot affect what numbers show on the dice. Players get to believing in superstitions when something adverse happens because it makes a lasting impression; they lose their money. I could say it's not important but in fact it is important. A serious player has to have faith in the mathematics of the dice. They should understand all the odds of the dice, have the ability to track what the dice are doing and bet accordingly. With that in mind they can't alter their faith in the numbers or their bets because of some silly superstition. There is one exception to this but it's not superstition. I believe if the player pays serious attention to every roll and number their mind does mathematical calculations they don't realize its doing. If you're in a hot hand that's gone on for a while and for no apparent reason you get a sudden overwhelming "urge" to take your bets off the layout, do it! I've experienced this countless times over the years and concluded my subconscious mind knows more than I do, but not because of superstition.
- Q:B16 Does psychology have much to do with winning?
- A:B16 (Jonahs)
It has everything to do with winning! Assuming the player has sound playing techniques, psychology and human nature is the determining factor to winning or losing. This includes the players fears, doubt, optimism, greed and so forth. Players don't realize how the game can affect their emotions and most don't know how to control it. It's one of the big advantages the player has if they understand it. All serious players understand their emotions thoroughly and have the ability to control them.
- Q:B17 Can a craps player really beat the game long term?
- A:B17 (Jonahs)
Yes, if you know how. |
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