Craps The first time you load up Craps into your casino software you'll wonder what on earth's going on! The good news is that the rules of craps are very simple. It's fast paced and exciting and it conjures up mental images of Las Vegas. It's the huge range of bets that puts newcomers off playing Craps but you only need to know the basics, and which bets to avoid. The Rules: The shooter (dice thrower) steps up to the table and rolls two dice. If the total of the scores on the dice is 7 or 11 then he wins immediately. If the total of the scores on the dice is 2, 3 or 12 then he loses immediately. (2, 3, or 12 is known as Craps) If the total of the scores on the dice is any other number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) then this number becomes "Point". A white puck is placed above the point number on the craps table to make the game easier to follow. The game is on… The shooter then continues to roll the dice, for as long as it takes, until he either scores the point number or 7. If he scores point, he wins. If he scores 7, he loses. A winning shooter stays at the table and starts again, a losing shooter hands the dice to the next player, and the game starts again.

The correct payoff for odds bets varies from point number to point number, depending on the odds of a 7 being rolled before a particular point is repeated. The payoff formula is the same whether you take single odds, double odds, or more. Correct odds payoffs are as follows: Points 4 and 10 pay 2-to-1 Points 5 and 9 pay 3-to-2 Points 6 and 8 pay 6-to-5 As an example, suppose you bet $1.00 on the pass line and establish a point of 4 in a casino that offers double odds. You now have the option of taking the adds for an additional $2.00. (You can wager a lesser amount or choose not to take any odds at all)

In Craps, winning or losing depends on a variety of different possible outcomes on any roll of the two dice. The two dice can produce many different number combinations; some can be made several ways, others only one way. For example, two dice can roll the number 6 as follows: 5/1, 4/2, 3/3, 2/4 and 1/5. But the number 2 can only be rolled one way: 1/1.

The six and eight can each be made five ways. So if you are up on the don't six, you have six ways to win (on the number seven) and five ways to lose. When the bet is $10 you would win $60, lose $50, and be ahead by $10 after the 11 decisions (on average) If you see a don't player about to take his bet down just say to the fellow: "Don't! Here's 10 bucks, you're even!" He'll take the $10 because that's what his bet is.

This system is a little more sophisticated, but the results can be as devastating as our old friend Martingale. It is a series of numbers, each of which is the sum of the last two numbers in the system, like this: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55-89-144. Advice about betting it varies, but one of the more common is to bet the series as you lose. If you win a bet, fall back one in the series If you win that one, start over, if you lose, continue on in the series.