Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

In my other article, Winning Systems, I address the fact that there’s no such thing as a long-term craps “winning system” for the player. It’s a mathematical fact that a player cannot gain an advantage over the house using any combination of bets or bet amounts. Period. Yet I see book after book and article after article explaining a wide variety of systems that so-called “craps pros” use to consistently beat the house. It irritates me knowing that the gambling world recognizes some of these authors as craps “experts.” It irritates me when I read something from a well-respected so-called craps expert who, in reality, spreads false hope instead of fact. It irritates me knowing the Industry acknowledges and flaunts these people as skilled and knowledgeable players. It all boils down to money. False hope and dreams of hitting it big sell books and magazines. The reality that the game is designed for the player to lose doesn’t sell squat. In other words, in the gaming world, B.S. sells and reality doesn’t. One can only conclude that some of these authors either aren’t the experts that Industry acknowledges them to be, or they’re selling manure for an easy buck.

Search the Internet for craps articles and you’ll find tons of them. Some factual, some full of bull. Some by unknown authors, some by well-known Industry leaders who have multi-book titles to their credit and routinely write for magazines and newsletters. Some authors do, indeed, explain game facts honestly and correctly. However, too often, some so-called experts apparently feel no shame in spreading false hope.

For example, I just finished reading a series of articles by a well-known author with several book titles in print and a long list of other writing credits. He talks about using wacky systems to make a profit for almost every bet on the table, even those with high house advantages. The fact is that none of those systems can guarantee the player long-term wins. As explained in my article, Variance, distribution variance is the only thing that allows a player to win in the short-term. Let’s examine one of these so-called winning systems that so-called pros use to make money: Place betting the 6 and 8.

The author’s scheme is to Place bet both the 6 and 8, then wait until one of them hits and turn them both off (i.e., make them not working) because a 7 is more likely to appear before another 6 or 8. If five rolls go by without hitting a 6 or 8 and without hitting a 7, then turn both bets off because the 7 is due to hit. After a 7 appears, then Place bet the 6 and 8 again. The author ends his article by offering false hope that this system will be profitable for the player only if the player has discipline to stick to the method without making any other bets.

Your first clue that the author clearly isn’t the expert that his credentials imply is the reliance on the “Gambler’s Fallacy” (see my article, The Gambler’s Fallacy). This system considers a 7 is “due” to hit if it doesn’t show in five rolls or if a 6 or 8 shows first. We know this is absurd because the odds of any number appearing on the next roll are the same whether the number hasn’t appeared after five rolls or after a million rolls. Since the odds never change, it doesn’t matter how many times you turn off your Place bets. You can leave them on constantly, or turn them off and back on every other roll. It doesn’t matter, the odds never change. Let’s look at the math associated with Place betting the 6 and 8.

Over many rolls, results tend to resemble a perfect distribution. Assuming a perfect distribution over 36 rolls, we expect a 7 to appear six times, a 6 to appear five times, and an 8 to appear five times. Because the odds for any number appearing on the next roll never change, the odds of your Place bets winning and losing are the same whether you leave them on constantly or whether you randomly turn them off and on.

Assume you bet $6 on the 6 and $6 on the 8 for a total of $12. Assuming a perfect distribution, the 6 will appear five times in 36 rolls and you win $35 (5 x $7 = $35). The 8 will appear five times in those 36 rolls and you win $35 (5 x $7 = $35. Therefore, in a 36-roll perfect distribution, you win $70 by Place betting the 6 and 8 for $6 each. (Note: for a $6 Place bet on the 6 or 8, the Place odds are 7:6, which means you win $7 for your $6 bet.)

However, on six of those 36 rolls, a 7 will appear and you lose $72 ($6 on the 6 and $6 on the 8 = $12; then $12 x 6 = $72).

The negative expectation with this system (i.e., Place betting the 6 and 8 for $6 each) is that you lose an average of $2 for every 36 rolls (i.e., you win $70, but you lose $72).

This is actually a good system, in terms of the player, because of the low house advantages of the Place 6 and 8 bets. However, it’s clear that this system cannot guarantee long-term success. It’s statistically impossible. In other words, despite the author’s claim that this system will prove to be very profitable for you, the statistical fact is that is won’t over the long-term.

So, the question you should ask yourself now is: If this system relies on the false notion of the Gambler’s Fallacy, and if this system is statistically proven to result in a player loss over the long-term, why is this so-called craps expert feeding me such bull manure by saying it will prove to be very profitable for me? I think I know the answer to that question, and I think you do, too. Could the answer have anything to do with selling books and articles?

Remember, be smart. Play smart. Don’t fall for bogus claims of winning systems or wacky dice-setting schemes. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

This is Part 2 of my article about the load of crap (pun intended) some websites try to feed you to separate you from your money. Don’t fall for it. Be smart. Play smart. Let’s continue with more excerpts that are even more ridiculous than those in Part 1.

Excerpt: “Now for the first time, I’ll show you how you can turn $40 into $50,000 in as little as 87 days with a new system of playing and winning at craps! What the casinos hope you will never find out about playing this elusive game, now it’s possible to win 78% of the time. Using my system, you can win about three times out of four (up to 78% of the time, to be more specific). With my strategies, which are really a combination of the systems of the best pros that I’ve gambled with and learned from over the years, you can pick up everything you need to know to win at craps every time you play. You probably already know that craps is hands downs the best casino game based on the odds. What you may not know is that by using my ten-step system, you can actually turn the odds in your favor! That’s right, using my craps strategies, which I’ve detailed in a brand new report called [name redacted] you can actually beat the house!”

Analysis: This claim seems to me to be as ridiculous as those that promise you can learn dice control. If you learn nothing else from reading my website, my free sample chapter, and my articles, you must understand and accept one important fact: the game is designed for you to lose. It’s mathematically impossible for the player to gain an advantage over the house. Say it out loud, slowly, and let it sink into your brain—it’s mathematically impossible for the player to gain an edge over the house no matter what combination of bets or bet amounts are used. Therefore, the guy’s statement about his system, “—you can actually turn the odds in your favor,” is total crap. Period. If the guy’s system relies on dice control to gain the advantage, then run for the hills as quick as you can because you might get run over by another flood of bull manure. After reading my free sample chapter, you know what I think of dice control and dice setting. The phenomenon called “distribution variance” is what allows players to win in the short-term. Nothing else. No fancy system, no silly dice-setting technique, nothing. Got it? The house always wins in the long-term. No player can beat the house over time. You must understand and accept that fact. The truly knowledgeable player plays for the fun, excitement, and the occasional short-term win, not because of any silly belief that he can actually beat the house consistently over time. You must not yield to your strong desire to win an easy buck. Instead, you must be smart, you must play smart, and you must learn the secret to craps. In the excerpt above, the guy states, “—you can win about three times out of four (up to 78% of the time, to be more specific).” Then, he proudly states, “—everything you need to know to win at craps every time you play.” This guy can’t even keep his apparent lies straight! In one breath, he says you’ll win three out of four times, and then in his next breath he says you’ll win every time you play. So, which is it? Do you win only 78% of the time that you play or do you win every time you play (i.e., 100%)? LOL (laugh out loud). Remember, don’t be a sucker.

Excerpt: “[Name redacted], the author of [name redacted] system has developed a unique a way to win at the dice table. He is talking about walking away with a handsome win, not breaking the table. The [name redacted] system is a Place bet system designed for a conservative approach to the game of craps. It has an exact play for every roll of the dice. Each and every hit in the [name redacted] system pays you a profit. Each hit puts more money in your pocket. The game of craps was created to make money for the casino. The [name redacted] system makes money for the player. If you’re willing to put in a little bit of time to learn, and apply the rules in a responsible, controlled way you WILL make a profit! You cannot lose in [name redacted]. Order the [name redacted] beginner’s system for $120, delivered by e-mail, or $125 for a printout sent by first class mail.”

Analysis: First of all, if this guy gets $120 for his eBook, then I must be charging way too little for mine! LOL. This guy’s system can’t possibly be a consistent long-term winner because he states that it involves Place bets, all of which have built-in house advantages that you can’t overcome no matter what combinations or amounts of Place bets you make. Because it’s a mathematical fact that no combination of bets (including Place bets) can result in a player advantage, the obvious question you should ask is whether this guy is a total idiot or lying through his teeth to rip you off when he states, “You cannot lose—.” I still can’t get over the fact that he gets $120 for his eBook. I wonder how many he’s actually sold. You better hurry up and buy my eBook for a measly $9.95 before I jack up the price to a hundred bucks!

Before reading the next excerpt, ensure your Hip Waders are pulled up as high as they can go. Disclaimer: I cannot be held liable in any way if you drown in this guy’s bull manure. Continue reading at your own risk!

Excerpt: “Earn a living playing craps, can it be done? The answer is yes. To date, all of our students average $1,000 to $3,000 a day playing craps and I can show you how you can join the club. Average $100 to $325 per hour every day you play craps using our [name redacted] craps system/strategy. We guarantee it! Even if you have never played the game of craps before, you can learn our [name redacted] system quickly and easily. In fact, we provide the only effective craps system that is capable of winning long term and it is not complicated at all. Fact: Our craps system is so good, that you will make a bare minimum of $1000 the very first day you use it, or you are entitled to a 100% money back guarantee. Please note, we did not say ‘might be able to make $1000,’ we said ‘every single person who has used our system makes an average of $1000 or $3000 per day, every day that they choose to play.’ Our most advanced players average from $900 to $1500 per hour!”

Analysis: I think this guy’s load of crap is hysterical. Let’s see if I understand it correctly: it’s the only effective system capable of winning long-term, it’s not complicated, you can learn it quickly and easily, it’s guaranteed, the beginner can win up to $3,000 per day every day, and the advanced player can win up $1,500 per hour every day (which equates to $15,000 per 10-hour day). Woohoo! This is a get-rich-quick sucker’s dream come true. It’s easy to learn (no effort or energy needed) and as a beginner you can win up to $3,000 per day every day, which means you can make more than $1,000,000 per year with minimal effort, minimal skill, and minimal knowledge. Well, golly gee wilickers! We better run out and buy this system right now because every hour we wait, we lose $325. No analysis of this excerpt is needed. If it doesn’t seem absurd to you, then you deserve to lose your shirt.

Excerpt: “The preferred grip for you is the one that you feel the most comfortable with, has the least amount of friction and skin on the dice, and that produces the best results for you personally. You will need to practice as much as possible to produce the best results. Before you go to a casino for a session, practice on your practice box, or in the hotel drawer just for a warm up to see how your throw is today, before the session. This will save you a lot of units and help save your bankroll!”

Analysis: This excerpt addresses the wonderful world of dice-setting—a world, in my opinion, called Fantasyland. One short sentence should be enough for you to realize the bull manure this guy is feeding you. “Before you go to a casino for a session, practice on your practice box, or in the hotel drawer just for a warm up to see how your throw is today, before the session.” What? A hotel dresser drawer? Good grief. Even the dumbest moron should realize how stupid that is. A hotel dresser drawer doesn’t have the same bounce characteristics and friction coefficient as a craps table, and a dresser drawer doesn’t have the little pointy rubber pyramids (spikes) on the back wall that a craps table has. So, how could practicing in a three-foot-wide dresser drawer foretell anything about how your toss will be on a 12-foot craps table? In my opinion, this easily rates as one the dumbest statements I’ve ever read. When you read nonsense like that, it should raise a red flag for you to be cautious of the rest of the crap the guy is trying to sell you.

The following are several excerpts combined into one. I found them embedded throughout a well-liked and respected craps-related website. Personally, I don’t know why it’s so respected because, in my opinion, it has no legitimacy. It deals with dice setting. To understand my disdain for the idea of dice setting, please read the free sample chapter of my eBook that’s included on my website.

Excerpts from the dice-setting website: “Craps can be beaten—. There is only one way to beat craps in the long run and that is through precision shooting and dice control—. Craps can be beaten by changing the nature of the game from a mathematical and random contest, where the casino has built in the edge for itself, to a physical contest, where the person who shoots the dice can gain the edge by skill—. Dice control is a physical skill that can be learned by disciplined players who are willing to practice and perfect the techniques we teach them… Our teachers are the greatest dice control specialists in the world, many with books and major publications to their credit, all with years of winning casino experience behind them—. This craps strategy is called dice control, precision shooting, or rhythmic rolling—. There are no ‘board certified’ dice controllers yet. Everyone is self-certified; that is to say, you have to take them at their word—. The [name redacted] board of directors wanted [name redacted] to have the highest standards of excellence in the budding field of dice control. To do this, we set up tough criteria for our instructors and coaches to meet. They had to be skilled shooters and good teachers—. These criteria have been established to standardize and elevate the teaching of dice control by subjecting our teachers to a rigorous certification process that makes sure they understand, can demonstrate and can effectively teach all the essential areas of our curriculum.”

Analysis: For analysis of this claim, and all other claims about the merits of dice control, read the free sample chapter of my eBook on my website. In the sample chapter, I don’t go into detail about the certification of so-called dice-control specialists, so I’ll talk a bit about it here. I must admit, this guy’s website is well-written and I respect the writer, not because I agree with the message, but because I like the writing. The author did a particularly wonderful job dreaming up and explaining the certification process. The idea actually sounds legitimate. However, in my opinion, it’s simply a well-crafted and well-written part of an elaborate scheme to separate you from your money. The author goes into a lengthy excuse for the fact that the certification program for their dice-control instructors was developed, executed, and managed by the same people trying to sell you the product. The sophisticated excuse does a fantastic job of explaining why no independent authority exists that can administer the certification process. I suggest that you think twice about the validity of the explanation. Any certification process not developed, executed, and administered by an independent organization should immediately raise a red flag in your brain. If the certification authority is the same bunch who’s selling the product, it’s like sending the fox to guard the hen house. In my opinion, the reason an independent organization still doesn’t exist after so many years since the idea of dice setting was born is because dice setting can’t be proven to be legitimate over the long-term. (Read the free sample chapter to find out why I feel this way.) In the 30 or 40 years that so-called dice-control specialists have been around, surely some entrepreneur somewhere would have formed an independent organization to test and certify dice setters. However, according to the excerpt, no such independent organization exists. Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

As these excerpts show, the Internet (and many books, magazine articles, and other resources) is crammed full of ridiculous claims designed for one thing–to get your money. If you want to play craps, you must get over your blazing desire to make an easy buck. You must plant yourself in reality. You must learn to play smart. You must accept the fact that no craps system exists that allows you to gain an advantage over the casino. Don’t fall for bogus strategies and wacky dice-setting schemes that claim they can consistently win you tons of money. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps. Armed with facts instead of false hope, you’ll be a strong weapon against the casino.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

I got the idea for this article while writing about dice setting. (If you’ve read the free sample chapter from my eBook on my website, you’ll know what I think about dice setting.) I thought about the ridiculous things (and sometimes downright lies) people say to separate you from your money. I thought about the shysters who spread their misguided and oftentimes flat-out wrong advice for beating the house. Then, I thought about the unfortunate who fall for such bogus claims and advice.

This article gives a small sample of the load of crap (pun intended) from various craps-related websites, followed by brief analyses of the sheer stupidity or dubious nature of their claims. If it weren’t for the sad fact that people actually believe such crap, we’d find it entertaining. Learn from this article. Once and for all, get it through your head that craps is designed for you to lose. No system exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist that will produce long-term gains for the player. The player cannot in any way gain a long-term advantage over the house, and that includes the latest trends in get-rich schemes that focus on dice setting. Don’t be a sucker. Learn to play in reality, not in fantasyland.

I took the following excerpts directly from some of the websites I scanned for 10 minutes after searching for “learn craps.” These excerpts are not from blogs, forums, or discussion groups; they’re from sites that sell craps-related products. My analyses and criticisms are based on my opinion and deemed valid until proven otherwise by a qualified and independent body.

Excerpt: “In my humble opinion, the pass line (and come) are the worst bets on the table. I understand about the 1.4% advantage and all, but has anyone actually calculated odds against, after the come out? I found two books a long time ago that stated the average against you, on the pass line after a point is established, is around 34-35%. That is to say, the odds against ‘repeating’ the point before a 7.”

Analysis: This excerpt was taken from an article intended to provide tips and strategies or playing craps. In justifying his opinion that the Flat Pass Line and Flat Come bets are the worst bets on the table, the writer removes the come-out roll from the equation. That seems absurd. The house advantage on these two bets is so low because of the player’s 2:1 advantage on the come-out roll. Indeed, the advantage shifts back to the house after the come-out, but that advantage can never shift without first going through the come-out, so trying to disregard it seems ridiculous.

Excerpt: “The only good bet is the place bets—and only for the 2 reasons, one they can be taken down at any time, and second you pick your numbers. The odds are much much much better when you try to throw one number instead of repeating it before a seven, and that is what people don’t understand. What they also don’t understand is that the seven should mathematically come up one out of every six rolls—and that is all rolls, not just box number rolls, but all of them. If someone walked up to a table and threw 2, 3, 12, 11, 2, 3, 11, 12, 2, 3, 11, 2, 12, 12, 2, his odds of throwing a seven are greater then the guy who throws 5, 6, 8, 9. How many times do people at a crap table stand there and not even pay attention.”

Analysis: This excerpt is from the same article as the first excerpt. Remember, this author supposedly knows the game and is passing his wisdom to you. Where do I start? The author’s reasoning is based on the silly–and completely false–notion that outcomes of previous rolls influence future rolls. The author apparently believes in the Gambler’s Fallacy. By the believing in the Gambler’s Fallacy, the author proves his ignorance. No matter how many times a player rolls the dice, the odds of a 7 appearing on the next roll never change. So, the player throwing 14 rolls without hitting a 7 has the same odds of rolling a 7 on the next roll as the player who throws only four rolls without hitting a 7. The odds of a 7 appearing on the next roll for both players are exactly the same. Even if you rolled a million times without a 7 appearing, the odds of a 7 appearing on the next roll are exactly the same as if you had rolled only once. Results of previous rolls have no influence whatsoever on the odds of future rolls. The guy in the excerpt wonders, “How many times do people at a crap table stand there and not even pay attention?” I can’t help but laugh and wonder how many screws this guy has loose. The truly sad thing is that people read this guy’s baloney, take it to be true, and then base their bets on it.

Excerpt: “This is a proven professional method, used by experts, that until now has been kept secret from the public. When applied according to the rules presented, it is the most consistent money making craps method you are going to find and can reduce your risk of loss to less than 6%.”

Analysis: You can play the Pass Line with Odds (or Don’t Pass with Odds) and give the house an advantage of only about 1%. Lots of craps bets have house advantages much less than 6%, so touting a 6% risk of loss seems silly to me. I chuckled at the statement, “This is a proven professional method, used by experts, that until now has been kept secret from the public.” Yeah, okay, sure. LOL (laugh out loud). The following excerpt is taken from the same website.

Excerpt: “—As with any educational or entertainment program, results may vary and [name redacted] and its owners assume no liability for its use or any loss that may result. Purchasers of the [name redacted] are encouraged to rigorously test and personally verify results before wagering on an outcome. All gambling involves risk no matter how good the method might be. Purchasers are advised to use the [name redacted] responsibly, implement a sound money management system, and wager only with funds that will not seriously affect their lifestyle or that of others closely associated with them.”

Analysis: Again, I laughed. The website cleverly hooks you with claims of having a “professional” and “most consistent money-making” craps system. It fills you with hopes and dreams of beating the crap out of the casino. Then, after suckering you in, they cover their rear ends by including a disclaimer stating, “—its owners assume no liability for its use or any loss that may result.” I suspect that buyers of that bogus system never make it to the bottom of the web page to read the disclaimer. They’re so hyped up on false hope of beating the casino for ga-zillions, they’ve already clicked the “Buy” button before getting anywhere near the disclaimer. If the system is so “professional” and if it truly is the “most consistent money-making craps method,” why do they need to cover their rear ends with a disclaimer? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Don’t get conned into buying bogus winning systems. Learn to recognize bull manure. Don’t get suckered into believing you can consistently beat the casino over time. You can’t and won’t. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

The next excerpt is lengthy, but I included it because I’m sure it’ll entertain you as much as it did me.

Excerpt: “Here is a simple craps strategy that takes no skill and only two of the same bets each time you play. The writer of this method has never failed to make at least $200 per hour using this strategy. Now, with this report, you can do the same at any dice table anywhere in the world! This craps strategy has been kept within the inner circle of casino bangers for years - under a mutual gentlemen’s agreement. We tried the [name redacted] on randomized computer print-outs and couldn’t come close to losing through 8000 decisions! (Think how long you would have to stand at the tables for 8000 decisions.) We tried it at several casinos in Atlantic City, Vegas, Reno, and Tahoe. The damned thing just would not lose! With this system you won’t care if the tables are hot or cold—you still win with this super craps strategy! A new shooter can throw three or four or more craps in a row and you win! A new shooter can throw three or four or more sevens in a row and you still win! A new shooter rolls a point, and sevens out on the next roll. Shooter after shooter can do this, and you still win! A shooter can throw 14 passes, or more or less, in a row, and you still win! A bunch of players in a row, can seven out after any amount of numbers, and you still win! Read this report and you’ll find out that there is absolutely no roll of the dice that can hurt you with this system! Want to collect on every roll of the dice? Here is how to do it with four easy bets. Follow this method exactly and you’ll go home a winner everyday!”

Analysis: Woohoo! Is this the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, the mother of all systems that has eluded mankind forever? Woohoo! LOL. Yeah, right. Let me get this straight—no skill required—only need to make two bets at a time—and no matter what happens, I can win $200 per hour? Woohoo! I better hurry up and buy this system before the “casino bangers” put it back in their “inner circle” under lock and key and stop offering it to the paying public. Do I really need to analyze this mumbo-jumbo? Does anyone actually believe this crapola? Sadly, people apparently do, or the website probably wouldn’t exist.

Excerpt: “I’m so positive that I can easily convert you from an inexperienced player into a master player with the skills of a pro that you may try all of my methods risk-free! I personally guarantee these craps systems will work at any casino you play! Take up to a full year to learn, practice, and profit. Just remember, if your average daily winnings don’t add up to several hundred dollars, don’t forget that I will give you a 100% refund. It’s that simple.”

Analysis: This is from the same website as the previous excerpt and is typical of the guarantee that comes with many so-called winning craps systems. Read the words carefully. Let’s analyze them. “—you may try all of my methods risk-free.” It’s risk-free because the seller offers a full refund, not because the system consistently wins over time. “I personally guarantee these craps systems will work at any casino you play.” Of course, they’ll work, but will they win? Anyone can use any crazy system and it’ll “work.” The word “work” in this context simply means the system is a legitimate method for playing the game whether you win or lose with it. In the excerpt, if the word “work” were replaced with the word “win,” then the seller would be at great risk because no system will consistently win over time. “—don’t forget that I will give you a 100% refund.” Remember, the guarantee is that you can get your money back, not that the system will consistently win. The problem with these kinds of guarantees is that many people either simply forget or don’t try to get the refund after losing their shirts, or they try but get delayed so long they get disgusted and give up. The moral is, be skeptical of craps systems that come with guarantees. Ensure you fully understand the guarantee before buying. Focus on whether the craps system is guaranteed to win, or whether you’re guaranteed to get to your money back after you lose your rear end. Note the carefully chosen words and understand their meanings, such as “can” instead of “will.” One small word can, and usually will, make a big difference in the meaning of a sentence or an entire paragraph.

Starting to get the picture? Scams are everywhere. Don’t be a sucker. Don’t let your dreams of winning big blind you. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps. Read Part 2 of this article for even sillier claims and bigger laughs.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

The “gambler’s fallacy” is the false belief that fixed odds increase or decrease depending on recent occurrences. Let’s use the familiar coin-flip example to illustrate this concept. Assuming we use a fair coin and a fair flip, we expect a 50% chance that heads will appear and a 50% chance that tails will appear. Those odds are fixed and will never change. Suppose heads appears five times in a row. If you think tails has a better chance of appearing on the next flip because it hasn’t shown for the last five flips (i.e., you think tails is “due”), then you’ve fallen for the gambler’s fallacy. You must understand that results of previous flips have no influence on the outcome of future flips.

In craps, the dice have no memory. They don’t remember how they landed on the last roll. They don’t care if they haven’t shown a 7 in the last 50 rolls or even a million rolls. The odds of any number showing remain constant and are never influenced by what occurred previously.

Have you seen the big tote board by a roulette wheel showing the results of the last 10 or 15 rolls? It not only shows the recent numbers that hit, but also the colors (i.e., red or black). Almost every roulette wheel in every casino on the planet has a tote board. What purpose does that thing serve for either the player or the casino?

It doesn’t serve the player any purpose other to sucker him into making a bet that he wouldn’t otherwise make. It serves the casino’s ultimate purpose of taking advantage of the gambler’s fallacy and getting more bets in play. The more bets in play, the more money the casino makes. The casino has one key goal: get you to make as many bets as possible. The casino knows its profits go up as your number of bets goes up. The sole purpose of the tote board is to get you to make a bet that you normally wouldn’t make.

Suppose a husband and wife stroll through the casino on their way to dinner with no intention of stopping to gamble. They approach the table-games area and see on a particular roulette wheel’s tote board that the color red appeared on the last six rolls. The guy points to the wheel and says, “Look, dear, black is due for that wheel. Let’s try it!” The tote board just did its job. It suckered the guy into making a bet that he wouldn’t have made had he not known that red appeared six times in a row. Yeah, sure, black is “due” all right. Wrong! The little ball doesn’t know it landed on red the last six times. It only knows that both red and black have an equal chance of appearing on the next roll. It doesn’t influence itself to land on any particular number or color because of past occurrences.

Suppose your craps system tells you to Lay the 4 for $50 only after the number 4 hits three times in a row. Your system is based on the belief, if the number 4 shows three times in a row, then chances are that a 7 will appear before another 4. Is this a good, smart bet? Is this simple system good or bad?

Yes, it’s definitely a good bet, and this system is an acceptable way to play if you don’t mind getting bored to death. You think, “Huh? You’re either nuts or full of crap because you just finished saying the dice have no memory, and future outcomes aren’t influenced by previous ones. Therefore, how can that be a good, smart bet?” Calm down, let me explain.

In this example, you make a bet only after the number 4 has appeared three times in a row. You’re a knowledgeable player, a disciplined rock, one who sticks to your system and doesn’t allow emotion to cause you to deviate. Making a Lay 4 bet under those specific conditions doesn’t make your odds of winning or losing any different than another person making a Lay 4 bet at any other random time. Regardless of when or under what circumstances you make the bet, the odds don’t change. The Lay 4 bet with a vig after a win always has a 1.64% house advantage. It doesn’t matter whether you make the bet only after the number 4 has appeared three times in a row, or only when the shooter takes a swig of beer, or only when there’s a full moon. The odds never change.

However, although the Lay 4 bet with a vig after a win is considered a good bet because of its low house advantage, it’s possible to regard it as bad under certain circumstances. Let’s look at another example.

Suppose your system doesn’t include the Lay 4 bet. Under no circumstances does it tell you to make a Lay 4 bet. Suppose the number 4 appears eight times in a row. The hot babe next to you falling out of her halter top says, “There’s no way a four will hit again. We should bet against it. What do you think?” You respond, “No thanks, I’ll stick to my system. It’s been good to me so far.” She wiggles a bit and says, “Oh, come on, I don’t want to be the only one hoping for a seven.” Her jiggling causes you to lose focus, so you say, “Maybe you’re right. Another four can’t possibly hit again. Let’s go for it!”

This is a situation where a good bet can be a bad thing. The key is that you allowed yourself to risk more money than you had originally planned because of the gambler’s fallacy (and partly because you couldn’t say no to the bimbo next to you). Remember, the more bets you make, the more the casino wins. So, adding more bets to your plan–even though they may be considered good because of their low house advantages–can be hazardous to your bankroll.

Let’s revisit the example of the couple strolling through the casino. Suppose the couple were in their hotel room before going down to dinner. As the guy brushes his hair, he says to his wife, “Is it okay if we stop at the roulette wheel so I can make a quick five-dollar bet?” His wife responds, “Sure, but we have reservations and we can’t be late.” They stroll through the casino and approach the roulette wheel. The guy sees that red has appeared six times in a row and, as a result, decides to bet $5 on black (he thinks black is “due”).

Under these circumstances, using the tote board to influence his bet is harmless. Regardless of what bet he makes (black, red, even, odd, etc.), the house still has about a 5% advantage. The guy came to the table intending to make a $5 bet, so the results displayed on the tote board weren’t the trigger that influenced his decision to make the bet. In this example, although the guy’s belief in the gambler’s fallacy influenced him to bet on black, the gambler’s fallacy didn’t trigger him into making the bet (he had already intended to make the bet before leaving his hotel room). The gambler’s fallacy does its job only when it influences you to make a bet that you normally wouldn’t make.

The moral is, don’t let the gambler’s fallacy cause you to make bets that you normally wouldn’t. If you still believe that previous results influence future results and–here’s the important part–if this belief causes you to risk more money than you intended, then you’re playing a dangerous game. Play smart. Be a rock. Don’t fall for the gambler’s fallacy. Don’t let it cause you to put more money at risk than you had planned or that you can afford to lose. If you don’t want to lose your shirt, you must learn the secret to craps. Don’t fall for bogus winning systems or ridiculous dice-setting claims. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

I’ve read a lot of my colleagues’ books and articles and, as best I can remember, they all say that failing to set win/loss limits is one of the worst things you can do. I disagree–partially.

I agree with setting loss limits. Divide your vacation time into sessions and set firm loss limits for each session. Without them, you could go broke the first day and have to spend the rest of your Vegas vacation watching the fountains and sinking pirate ship 10 times a day. Therefore, disciplined loss limits allow you to manage your money so you don’t go broke before it’s time to go home.

I disagree that you should also always set win limits (”always” is the key word). Many of my colleagues advocate quitting when your winning streak ends. If you’re a local and can return to the table day after day without restriction, then perhaps win limits may serve some purpose. But if you’re an occasional gambler who visits Vegas twice a year, I believe that win limits are generally inappropriate.

Suppose you start your four-day vacation by playing your first craps session. Suppose your win/loss goal is to quit the session if you lose your $100 buy-in or if you get $150 ahead. Two minutes after you buy-in, the table goes berserk with a blistering hot roll. The shooter throws for almost an hour without a 7-out. You interrupt your screaming, jumping up and down, hugging, and kissing to count your chips. Holy cow, you’re $900 ahead! The shooter finally rolls a 7-out. Now what? You’ve won six times your original win goal. Do you quit? If so, how long do you quit? Do you quit altogether and not play the rest of your trip? If you quit, what will you do in the time that you planned to play craps?

That’s the dilemma you face if you’re only an occasional gambler, which most of us are. Personally, I keep playing. Why? I came to Vegas to play craps. I didn’t come to exercise in fancy spas, or go shopping, or sight-see, or eat at fancy restaurants, or look at pretty water fountains, or ogle half-naked pirates, or do anything else but gamble. So, why quit when I’m ahead? If I quit after a $900 winning session, then what? Sit at the bar drinking beer watching everyone else have fun at the craps table? No way! Like you, I’m a knowledgeable player who understands and accepts that I’m likely to lose by the time I check out of the hotel, but that’s okay with me. It’s pointless for me to quit after getting $900 ahead. If money were my motivation, I wouldn’t have spent $1,200 for two airplane tickets to Vegas, $700 for a hotel room, $500 (maybe more) for food, $500 for my wife’s massages, and $1,000 (probably more) for my wife’s shopping spree. It doesn’t add up. If all I care about is money, I would have saved tons of it by staying home. As long as I’m winning, I’m playing. The only time I stop is after I’ve lost my buy-in money for a particular session. Then, when it’s time to start the next session, I drop another buy-in allotment on the table and start having fun again.

However, win limits may be suitable for non-gamblers who rarely play. Suppose you visit Vegas to attend a convention. You’ve never gambled, you don’t know how to gamble, you think it’s a silly waste of money, or it just isn’t fun for you. Your friend talks you into going down to the casino to play craps. You don’t want to go, but your friend won’t take no for an answer, so you reluctantly say, “Okay, but only for an hour.” Your friend has the mojo working in high gear, rolling number after number. You don’t have a clue what you’re doing as you mirror your friend’s bets. All you know is that the dealer keeps giving you green chips and you keep stuffing them in your pocket. The streak finally ends after 20 minutes and you find yourself $300 ahead. You tell your friend, “I’m taking my money and running.” Rather than staying for the remainder of the hour that you said you’d play, you reached a comfortable win amount and decided to quit before losing it all. For this type of non gambler, a win limit makes good sense.

If you don’t want to lose your shirt, you must learn the secret to craps. Don’t fall for bogus winning systems or ridiculous dice-setting claims. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

If anyone says or writes that he has a consistently “winning” craps system, he’s either lying to swindle you or too stupid to know better. No consistently winning craps system exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Understand? None. Don’t ever let anyone persuade you otherwise.

Most systems spread false hope. They hardly ever change as they go from book to book and article to article. Authors often prey on your greed, your hope for an easy score. As with everything else that offers people a quick buck, these shysters take from the stupid and give to themselves. Their “winning” systems focus on consistently beating the house, which I prove in my eBook, The Secret to Craps: The Right Way to Play, can’t be done over time. How many of you are experienced craps players and tried these systems at some point in your playing life? Be honest. How many of you went to Vegas with high hopes of winning thousands using your new found, sure-fire, “winning” system that cost you $85 on the Internet? And, after playing your wonderful “winning” system, how many of you returned home a loser? Be honest.

You shouldn’t play craps expecting to win over time. If you do have a winning session or short-term winning streak, consider yourself lucky for experiencing a distribution variance that favored you at that particular time. If a consistently “winning” system ever did exist, the casinos would have gone belly up years ago. Well, not really. Instead of going belly up, the instant some genius figured out a winning combination of bets (i.e., gained a player advantage), the casinos would have changed the rules to bring the advantage back to them.

All craps systems are simply combinations of bets supplemented with wacky betting schemes. Most sound impressive, scientific, and feasible. Some are simple, some complex. The fact is, no matter what bets you combine and betting patterns you apply, you can’t overcome the house advantage. No hedge-bet method (i.e., combination of bet types and bet amounts) will ever change the negative expectation to result in a player advantage. The best you can hope for is to minimize the house advantage, maximize your fun, and hope like heck you hit a “Nirvana hiccup” (explained in my article titled Variance).

You think, “This is depressing! Why do people play this game?” The ignorant and arrogant players truly believe they can either beat the house, they possess some kind of supernatural mojo that affects the dice, or they believe in the silly notion of dice setting. However, the knowledgeable player plays for one basic reason–it’s so much fun. The knowledgeable player knows he’s supposed to lose over time. This acknowledgement allows the player to enjoy the game without worrying about winning. If he loses a session, it’s paid entertainment. If he wins a session, he knows he’ll probably lose it during a future session. The interaction with people, the range of emotion, and the thrill of the hot roll are what bring the knowledgeable player back again and again.

If you don’t want to lose your shirt, you must learn the secret to craps. Don’t fall for bogus winning systems or ridiculous dice-setting claims. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

If you gamble, chances are you’ll lose. No ifs, ands, or buts. You must understand and accept that fact. How do you think the Vegas casinos paid for all their fancy stuff? Of course! By taking money from all the millions of losers who flock to Vegas each year. You must treat craps as just another form of entertainment. Instead of paying $200 for a nice dinner and show, you pay $200 for a few hours of fun and excitement at the craps table. If you get lucky and walk away with some of your $200 still in your pocket, then that’s icing on the cake.

You must never walk up to a craps table expecting to win. You can be positive, have discipline, play smart, and hope to win, but you must not expect to win. No matter how hard you hope, you must always keep in the back of mind that the game is designed for you to lose. Don’t take it so seriously that it’s no longer fun. If you happen to walk away having won a few bucks, then your vacation was that much sweeter.

I don’t believe in all the psycho-babble mumbo-jumbo about how positive expectations can affect the outcome of your play. None of that mojo is going to make the dice land any differently than how they want to land. Yes, it’s important to maintain discipline, play smart, and be positive, but you must remain in reality. Reality is that the game is designed to beat you, no matter how hard you wish or expect to win. Any mind meld that you hope to make with the dice through positive mojo isn’t going to help. The reason for maintaining a positive attitude isn’t to affect the outcome of your play; it’s to help ensure you have fun.

Have discipline, play smart, and most importantly have fun. Otherwise, you’ll ruin your vacation by getting mad because you couldn’t beat a game that you were never supposed to beat.

If you don’t want to lose your shirt, you must learn the secret to craps. Don’t fall for bogus winning systems or ridiculous dice-setting claims. Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

If the casino has such an advantage over the player, why on Earth does anyone play the game? My guess is that most people don’t have a clue they’re playing a losing game. Others are so arrogant they think they can outplay the casino and turn a negative expectation into a positive, even over the long term. Others know they’ll lose, but play anyway for fun and excitement. As a knowledgeable player, why should you even bother playing a game you know will beat you? As a knowledgeable player, is there any hope you can walk away a winner, at least once in a while, even though you’re at a statistical disadvantage?

Craps is a game of numbers and statistics, with the house having a built-in advantage. Since craps is based on statistics, let’s find a way to use statistics to our advantage. You’ll never beat the casino over the long haul, but you can, indeed, beat it in the moments of time when the distribution hiccups and things go your way.

Let’s talk about “variance,” which is the average squared deviation of each number from the mean of a data set. Huh? Don’t worry; we don’t need a Harvard math degree to understand this. It’s simply a measure of how spread out the data is. Let’s consider the familiar coin-flip example.

Suppose we flip a coin 10,000 times. We expect heads to appear about 5,000 times and tails to appear about 5,000 times. Suppose we bet $1 on heads for each flip. If these are even-money bets, we expect to break even–or close to it after those 10,000 flips. As illustrated in one of my other articles, the house doesn’t give us even money when it loses. In our coin-flip example, instead of paying us $1 for each loss, suppose they pay us only $0.96. With this built-in house advantage, our negative expectation is to lose about $200 after 10,000 flips. Here’s the math. If we expect about 5,000 heads and about 5,000 tails to appear, then we expect to lose 5000 x $1 = $5000; and win 5000 x $0.96 = $4800. $5000 - $4800 = $200. This is called “negative expectation.”

Now, of those 10,000 flips, suppose we focus on only 30 of them, and we continue betting on heads. Of those 30 flips, we might see heads 25 times and tails only 5 times. This data fluctuation shows that, for a limited number of flips over a short period of time, we can get lucky and experience Nirvana where things go our way. I call it a “Nirvana hiccup” in the distribution that causes a relatively high variance. In this example of only 30 flips, we win $24 for the 25 heads (i.e., 25 x $0.96 = $24), and lose $5 for the 5 tails (i.e., 5 x $1 = $5), which gives us a net win of $19. This short term variance temporarily removes the long-term negative expectation, which means there are, indeed, times when we can walk away a winner.

Although you’ll lose in the long-term, there are times when you’ll win because of variance. Suppose you take a three day vacation in Vegas once a year and play four one hour craps sessions each day (i.e., a total of 12 hours for the trip). You could conceivably get extremely lucky and hit that Nirvana hiccup during each session, and then go home a big winner. In that case, you go home thinking you’re a genius, a craps god, invincible, a world-class gambling stud. Yeah, sure, okay. I don’t recommend quitting your day job.

Now, suppose you’re a Vegas local who plays an hour every day after work. In this case, it’s clear that whatever few Nirvana hiccups you experience will be properly adjusted over time such that you’ll lose your shirt in the long-term.

Therefore, the infrequent craps player can, indeed, consistently win if she’s lucky enough to hit those Nirvana hiccups. However, the frequent long term player has no chance of coming out a winner at the end of his craps life. Part of the secret to craps is knowing how to be around for those occasional Nirvana hiccups where the dice fall your way.

If you don’t want to lose your shirt, you must learn the secret to craps. Don’t fall for bogus winning systems or ridiculous dice-setting claims. Distribution variance is the only thing that makes you a short-term winner. Nothing else. No silly dice setting technique. No bogus winning system. It’s the distribution variance and nothing else. Got it? Be smart. Play smart. Learn the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Dice and dice games date back to the Crusades, but modern craps is only about 100 years old. Modern craps evolved from the ancient English game called Hazard. No one knows for sure the origin of the game, but Hazard is said to have been created by the Englishman, Sir William of Tyre, in the 12th century. It’s believed that Sir William’s knights played Hazard during a siege on the castle Hazarth in 1125 AD. The name Hazard was derived from the castle’s name.

Early French settlers brought the game Hazard to Canada (the colony of Acadia, which is Nova Scotia today). In the 1700s, when displaced by the British, the French moved south and found refuge in southern Louisiana where they eventually became Cajuns. When they left Acadia, they took their favorite game, Hazard, with them. The Cajuns simplified the game and made it more mathematically fair. It’s said that the Cajuns changed the name to craps, which was derived from the name of the losing throw of 2 in the game of Hazard, known as “crabs.”

From Louisiana, the game extended to the Mississippi riverboats and across the country. Many consider the dice maker John H. Winn as the father of modern craps. In 1907, Winn created the modern craps layout. He added the Don’t Pass line so players could bet on the dice to lose. Later, he created the boxes for Place bets and added the Big 6, Big 8, and Hardways.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Unfortunately, a craps table is usually full of superstitious people. If you do or say something against their silly beliefs, they sometimes give you dirty looks or verbally abuse you. To help avoid embarrassment, ridicule, and possible vocal confrontations with these people, learn their superstitions and practice craps etiquette. I know it’s foolish to play along with people’s crazy superstitions, but you’ll have much more fun at the table if you do.

Practicing good etiquette includes remembering to be nice to the dealers. Don’t annoy them by throwing chips at them, knocking over their chip stacks, or blaming them for your losses. If you tee off the dealers, how can you maximize your fun? Besides, it just isn’t nice. Your friendly attitude will be infectious, soon making the whole table more fun. (Sounds like a good time for group hug and round of Kumbaya.)

Regardless of what so-called “dice doctors” and “craps kings” write on their web sites, there’s no such thing as a “sane” craps superstition. One superstition isn’t more or less sound than another. They’re all the same–silly. But you must heed them or the idiots at the table who actually believe in them can make your time at the table miserable.

Respecting many of the idiots’ superstitions has matured into traditional protocol at the craps table. Therefore, you must know and understand them. That’s another prerequisite to learning the secret to craps.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

If the payoff for a Don’t Pass Odds bet equals the amount of the Flat bet, then the Odds bet is bridged. The part of your Odds bet that’s equal to the Flat bet is placed directly next to the Flat bet. Then, the rest of the Odds bet is placed on top “bridging” them. For example, suppose you make a $5 Don’t Pass bet and the shooter rolls a point of 8. Knowing the true odds for the 8 are 6:5 (i.e., six ways to make a 7, and five ways to make an 8 ), you then lay $6 in Odds with the hope of winning $5. In this example, if you win the $6 Odds bet, you win $5, which exactly equals the amount you win with your $5 Flat bet (i.e., your $5 flat bet is even money, which means you win $5). Therefore, since your Flat bet and Odds bet win the same amount (i.e., $5 each), you bridge your $6 Odds bet by placing a $5 chip directly next to your $5 Flat bet, and then placing the $1 chip so it bridges the two $5 chips.

If the payoff for a Don’t Pass Odds bet doesn’t equal the amount of the Flat bet, then the Odds bet is heeled. This means you place the bottom chip of your Odds bet chip stack directly next to your Flat bet. Then, place all remaining Odds bet chips on top of that single chip but offset and leaning on that bottom chip (i.e., your Odds bet chip stack is crooked because it’s leaning on the bottom chip).

Confused? That’s okay, don’t get nervous. The dealer is always willing to help if you forget. After a couple of times, it all makes sense. It won’t take long before you’re a pro. If you’re not sure what to do the first time you try it, simply tell the dealer, “I want to lay some Odds but I don’t know if it should be bridged or heeled.” The dealer asks, “How much do you want to lay?” Suppose you say, “Fifteen dollars to win ten.” The dealer asks you to drop your chips on the table (dealers aren’t allowed to take anything, especially chips, directly from a player), and then he properly heels or bridges them based on the amount of your Flat bet. You’ll quickly get the hang of it. Just don’t be afraid to ask the dealer questions. His job is not only to deal, but also to be friendly and help the players.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Chances are slim that you’ll ever play in a game with crooked dice at a modern casino. However, every now and then, some idiot tries to cheat the system by inserting crooked dice into the game. By adhering to strict policies for controlling the game, casinos eventually catch even the most skilled slight-of-hand artists.

Each player must handle the dice with only one hand and must not bring the dice outside the table. These two simple rules make the cheat’s job extremely tough. To make it more difficult, the table has a mirror along the entire length of the wall opposite the boxman so the boxman can easily see if the shooter is “palming” dice. Additionally, each time a die leaves the table after a roll, the die doesn’t come back into play until after the boxman thoroughly inspects it. The dice are replaced at random times during the day and typically don’t remain in play for more than 24 hours.

Crooked dice come in many forms, such as loaded, painted, capped, tripped, bricks, and floaters. Loaded dice are heavier on one side. Painted dice have a solution applied to one side to make it stickier. Capped dice are shaved on one or more sides and the removed material is replaced by a material with different bounce characteristics. Tripped dice have their edges altered so they’re not all equal. Bricks (a.k.a. flats) have one side shaved to reduce the surface area of the adjoining sides. Floaters (because they float in water) have an off-center hole inside them. Shapes are dice that aren’t perfect cubes (some or all sides are either concave or convex).

The intent of crooked dice, regardless of their form, is to alter the likelihood of certain numbers appearing. Even a slight change in the odds of a certain number appearing may be enough to change a small house advantage into a small player advantage. “Passers” are crooked dice modified to favor point numbers, while “missouts” are modified to favor the number 7.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

You see a table with several open positions. Which spot should you take? That’s a matter of personal preference. Is there a gorgeous man or woman playing alone at one end of the table? Which players are smoking? Which look bored? Which appear drunk or obnoxious? Pick a spot where you’ll feel the most comfortable.

I like playing on the end, immediately next to the dealer. On the end, I don’t have to worry about players on both sides of me. I don’t like playing next to the stickman because I always seem to be in the way of him reaching for the dice or maneuvering the stick. One time, the guy accidentally bopped me on my head with his stick. Of course, he was very apologetic, but that didn’t make my head feel any better.

After playing for a while, you’ll get a feel for your favorite position. You don’t have a choice when it’s crowded. If you get a lousy spot (e.g., an obnoxious guy is next to you), simply move to another open spot. If the table is full, wait until someone leaves and take their position. Be aware of a player “coloring up,” which is a sign that she’s leaving, and tell the dealer that you want to move into her position. The dealer will then hold that spot and not allow a new player to quickly step in. The dealer will politely ask the new player to move to the spot that you vacate. Obviously, when you change positions, don’t forget to take your chips.

People next to you can affect your mood and entire playing experience. They can make it fun or miserable. You might get stuck next to a chain-smoking fat guy with wicked body odor, or it might be a group of heavily drinking babes spilling out of their halter tops. So, choose your spot wisely.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Casino personnel usually refer to chips as “cheques,” which is of French origin. Technically, there’s a difference between a chip and a cheque. A cheque is a chip with a denomination printed on it and is always worth the value of the imprinted denomination. Chips, however, don’t have denominations imprinted on them and any color can be worth any amount as defined by the dealer. For example, in a poker tournament, the dealer may define white chips as $1 and blue chips as $10; whereas, in a roulette game, the dealer may define white chips as $0.25 and blue chips as $2. Another example, the cheap red, white, and blue plastic chips you buy at Wal-Mart for your Friday-night poker game are called “chips” because they don’t have denominations imprinted on them.

When you plop your money down on the table and hear the dealer say, “Cheque change only,” he’s simply telling the boxman that a new player wants to exchange cash for chips (cheques), and that the cash on the table is not in play. Cash plays in most casinos, so if you put a $5 bill on the Pass Line just before the shooter rolls the dice and the dealer doesn’t exchange your cash for chips, your cash is “live” and “in play.” When the dealer says, “Cheque change only,” the boxman knows that your cash is not in play.

Technically, in live craps games, we play with cheques, not chips. Occasionally, a player will approach the table, drop a $100 cheque, and tell the dealer, “Cheque change.” It’s fun to act like a newbie and ask the player, “Hey, I’m new to this game, what’s a cheque?” Most of the time, their wacky responses will amuse you.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Before approaching the table, have your buy-in money ready in your pocket. Don’t fiddle with your wallet at the table, showing other players how thick it is with hundred-dollar bills.

When taking a position at the table, a game will likely be in progress. You can buy-in at any time; you don’t have to wait for the current game to end. However, don’t drop your money if the shooter is getting ready to throw. Wait until the shooter throws, then wait until the dealer finishes paying off all bets for that roll. While the stickman still holds the dice in the center of the table (before he pushes them to the shooter for another roll), ensure you have the dealer’s attention and drop your buy-in money in front of you in the Come area. As you drop your money, say in a strong voice so the dealer and boxman can hear you, “Change only, please.”

“Change only, please,” makes it clear to the crew that you’re not making any bets with your cash; you simply want to exchange it for chips. The dealer responds so the boxman can hear, “Cheque change only,” then picks up your cash and places it in front of the boxman. The boxman counts it to verify the amount and turns it facedown so the camera can get a good look at the denominations before pushing it down the money slot. When the boxman gives the okay, the dealer places a stack of chips in front of you. Pick up your chips immediately, unless the shooter is getting ready to throw. Never reach down into the table when the shooter is about to throw. It’s considered bad luck if a die hits your hand. If a 7 shows after hitting your hand, the whole table gets mad and blames you for causing a 7-out.

Put your chips in the chip rack directly in front of you. If the dealer gives you chips in different denominations, immediately arrange them in your rack so the higher-denomination chips are in the center (i.e., surrounded on both sides by the lower-denomination chips). This protects your higher-denomination chips from theft. For example, suppose your buy-in is $200. The dealer typically gives you four green chips ($25 each), 18 red chips ($5 each), and 10 white chips ($1 each). Make sure you protect those green chips by putting them between the red or white ones.

This seems trivial, but there’s a good reason for it. Most people with whom you gamble are fairly honest, but the moment you let your guard down is probably when you’ll get hit. Look at the boxman’s huge chip stack. Notice that the $1 chips are on the outside ends of the stack, then the $5 chips, then the $25 chips, and so on. The highest-denomination chips are in the center. When in the center and protected, the chips are less vulnerable to theft. Same goes for your chips.

A thief typically sneaks one of your chips when you’re leaning over the table or otherwise distracted. For example, as you lean over to roll the dice, the natural tendency is to remain leaning until the dice have stopped. Everyone’s attention, even the crew’s, is typically on the dice at the opposite end of the table. This is an optimal time for a thief to reach for your stack and sneak a chip. It’s too difficult for a thief to sneak one from the center of your stack, so he usually goes for one on the end. If a thief sees your $1 or $5 chips on the outside of your chip stack, he’ll likely find another player with unprotected high-denomination chips, rather than risk being caught for a measly $1 or $5.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Over your craps-playing life, you’ll likely have more losing sessions than winners. Accept it. You must learn to play in reality, not fantasyland. Craps is designed for the player to lose.

Suppose, after two hours, the dice have whittled your chip stack down to $20. You haven’t seen a hot roll in ages. Although losing is as much a part of the game as winning, you can’t help but feel lousy. You wonder why you even bothered coming to Vegas in the first place. You were a rock for two hours, but it didn’t work. You want to win so badly that you lose control of your common sense. You’re down to your last $20 for the session and you have no fight left. Stop!

You must never capitulate, never surrender, never think, “This sucks, I’m going to put the rest on the Hard 4 and, if I lose, then I’ll leave. But if I win, I’ll be right back where I started.” That’s the dumbest thing you can do at the end of a losing session.

If you insist on giving your money away, please send it to your favorite charity. Don’t give it to the casino. Occasionally, you’ll win one of those idiotic bets, but don’t think you’ll win enough over time to conquer your losses.

If you can’t accept losing, you have no business gambling. If you can’t stomach losing a particular session, then quit that session and cash out. Don’t piss your money away on a terrible bet hoping to hit it big and get your money back all at once.

If it’s an awful session and you lose a lot quickly, then accept defeat and cash out with the $10, $15, or $20 that you have left. Take that remaining $20, go have a beer in the lounge, listen to the band. Put it in a nickel video poker machine and maybe hit a 1,000-coin jackpot for $50. Put it in your pocket, find your wife, and spend some time with her. Don’t relent. Do something besides pee your money away on a losing proposition bet. Don’t toss in the towel.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

Ever see a craps table with markings that say “Put Bets Allowed?” Surprisingly, few players understand the Put bet.

A Put bet is a Pass Line bet that you make (or “put” down) after the come-out roll. You typically see it when someone walks up to the table in the middle of a game and wants to play the point number. The player will “put” a bet on the Pass Line after the come-out roll. An Odds bet on the Put bet can then be made, if desired. As we know, a Flat Pass Line bet has a 2:1 advantage before the come-out roll but then has a disadvantage after the come-out. So, with a Put bet, you give up that initial advantage before the come-out roll and immediately accept a disadvantage. That’s what makes a Put bet a bad idea, generally. The only time the Put bet makes sense is when the house allows a lot of Odds and you bet a lot of Odds. In that case, a Put bet on the point number can have a lower house advantage than Placing the point number. Unless you’re an experienced player and have a big bankroll to put at risk, avoid Put bets. If you walk up to a table and can’t wait for a new game to end, and if you’re in love with the point number and just have to play it, you won’t be giving away much if you simply avoid the Put bet and, instead, Place bet the point number.

Another type of Put bet is adding to a Pass Line bet during a game after you made the normal Pass Line bet. For example, suppose you make a normal Flat Pass Line bet for $5 and you take the maximum Odds allowed, which the placard says are 5x. That means your maximum Odds bet behind a $5 Flat Pass Line bet is $25 (i.e., $5 x 5 = $25). The shooter seems to be on fire, rolling number after number. She rolls every number possible except the point and the dreaded 7. You feel in your gut that she’s going to hit the point, so you want to increase your Odds bet, but you can’t because you’re already at the maximum Odds allowed for your $5 Pass Line bet. To increase your Odds bet, you “put” another $5 chip on your Flat Pass Line bet bringing your total Pass Line bet to $10. Now, with the maximum Odds allowed, which in this example are 5x, you can add another $25 to your Odds bet bringing your total Odds bet to $50 (i.e., $10 x 5 = $50).

A Put bet can also be a Come bet made without going through the Come bet’s come-out roll. (Wow! That was a mouthful.) If a game is already in progress, you can immediately “put” a Come bet with its associated Odds bet. For example, when the stickman still controls the dice in the center of the table and you have the dealer’s attention, simply drop the correct amount of chips in the Come area and tell the dealer what you want. Suppose you drop $11 in chips for a Come bet on the 9 with Odds. Simply tell the dealer, “Put me on the Come nine with six dollars in Odds.” The dealer moves your chips to the proper spot in the 9 point box and “puts” down a $5 Flat Come bet with $6 in Come Odds.

Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.

Bill Enslen is a reliability engineer who routinely works with statistics. Having played and analyzed craps for 25 years, he has compiled his winning secrets in a new Ebook, which you can sample at Learn How to Play Craps the Right Way. Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way.

Be smart, play smart, learn how to play craps the right way!

You think, “Tip the dealers?  What?  Losing money to the casino isn’t enough, now you tell me I have to give money to the dealers?”  Yes, you should tip dealers, especially when they’re helpful.  In the casino business, a “toke” is a tip.  Dealers call tippers “George” or “live,” and non-tippers “stiffs.”

Dealers typically work for minimum wage (or close to it) plus tips.  I compare them to restaurant servers because they provide a service and they rely on tips for their livelihood.  The service that dealers provide includes properly handling your bets and winnings, answering questions about the game, being courteous and friendly, and just making your craps play more enjoyable.

Craps dealers typicall