Craps – Playing the good bets

There is a lot of variety available when placing bets at a craps table. This should not intimidate you. it is not really a bad thing. there are many people who have been able to master this over the years. Many of them are pretty far out. You'll be able to master it as well.

Underneath all this and let it be known that the casino is not going to tell you about this, there are both good and bad bets. Some are the best and some are the worth. On this page the good bets are discussed. It is as might be assumed, is a lot shorter than the page regarding the bad bets.

The really good news is that the best of the craps bets are actually the very best in the casino. Among these are the pass line bets and anything on which you can place free odds. Also included are the don't pass bet, the come bet, and the don't come bet. Lastly any bet placed on the eight or the six.

The most common bet at the game of craps is most probably the Pass Line bet. There is a wide band that goes around the playing table and you place your bet within this band that is marked 'pass line'. There are sites that discuss in detail the placing of the pass line bet. you need to understand this bet in order to understand the remainder of the game of craps.

Playing With Free Odds

In order to place free odds bets on the table, you must first place certain negative expectation bets. You then can back these bets with better odds. For instance, if you were to place a pass line bet of $5 and the table allowed for the placing of free odds bets of say up to 10 times, you could then place a $50 free odds bet behind the original $5 pass line bet. This has the effect of actually lowering the house’s edge on the pass line bet. This is because winning or losing on the free odds bet is tied to winning or losing on the pass line bet or whatever bets you may have backed up with a free odds bet. In fact there can be a significant lowering of the house edge. The more you are allowed to place on the odds bet increases this reduction of the house edge. There are few casinos that will allow a ten times odds bet. This has the effect of reducing the house edge on a fully backed pass line bet to about 0.18%.

The bets that allow free odds bets to be taken on them include the pass line bet, the don't pass bet, the come and the don't come bets. Whenever you have the chance to take a free odds bet, don't hesitate. Take them always.

The opposite of the pass line bet is the don't pass bet. There are several definite bets available on the craps table that allow you to place the exact opposite bet. To make up the loss in odds the house uses an altered payout. That is to say, if in fact one of the bets is a little easier to win, your payback from the casino will be a bit less than the opposite bet.

You win on the don't pass bet when you lose on the pass bet. This can occur on the come-out roll and when a seven is rolled before the point. The don't pass bet loses when the come-out roll is a 2 or 3. If the come-out roll is a 12 it is a tie or push.

Playing The Come Bet

Although the come bet is quite simple, it is still a source of much confusion for first time bettors. If a player places a come bet it is as if he were placing a pass line bet for himself. The difference however, is that this bet may be placed at any time after the point has been established. You can't place it before the point has been set as this would make it no different than the pass line bet. If you place a come bet by placing the chips in the center of the come area, the next roll will be a win or a loss depending on whether it communities out a 7, 11, 2, 3, or 12. This point is referred to as the shooter’s personal 'come point'. At this point the player can back up his bet with free odds. This is just like in the case of the pass line bet. You can see the pattern. Now if the cheater hits his come point before throwing a seven, he wins, if not he loses.

Playing The Don't Come Bet

When you place a don't come bet, you are placing a win or lose bet on the first roll, but exactly opposite to the Come Bet. This establishes a don't come point on any other number. If a seven is rolled before the point, the don't come bet wins. It loses if the point comes up before a seven.

Playing The Place Bet

After a point has been established, the place bet may be made. A bet is permissible on any of the numbers - 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 – with the exception of that which has already been set as the point for that session. You are betting that the number you have placed your bet on will be rolled prior to a seven. Not all place bets are equal since some numbers are more likely to be rolled than others. There are two that give the house a slightly lower edge and that is the six and the eight. Do not confuse this with the Big 6/8 bet. This bet is actually made available so as to stop players from betting on either the six or the eight and has a lower payback.