How to Win at Craps

Realize that, in casinos, the house will always have an edge. The idea that it's possible to "win" at any form of gambling is somewhat of a falsehood. Though it's absolutely possible to leave the craps table with more money than you came to it with, it's crucial to understand that craps, like every game in the casino, has a built-in house edge. This means that the structure of payouts is mathematically designed to make money for the casino in the long term. Basically, if you play for long enough, while you may have ups and downs, you'll always lose money to the casino.

• Thus, you'll never, ever want to play craps with money you can't afford to lose. Always consider the absolute worst-case scenario before heading to the craps table.

Look for "downtown" tables. In the gambling Mecca of Las Vegas, the casinos on the famous "Strip" are renowned for their glitz and glamour, while the casinos in Vegas' lower-rent downtown area, to attract visitors, are known to offer slightly better odds in the form of more-favorable payout systems.^[4] Today, when it comes to craps, the terms "downtown table" and "strip table" don't necessarily refer to the actual location of the table, but, rather, the payout system being used. If you can, opt for a table using the "downtown" payout system for a small but not insignificant advantage.

• There are many minute differences between "downtown" and "strip" tables. For instance, on a downtown table, while a $3.00 place bet on a 6 or 8 pays $3.50, while on a strip table, the house rounds this amount down and pays out only $3.00. Additionally, proposition bets of 2,3,11 and 12 have ever-so-slightly higher payouts on downtown tables (30 to 1 for 2 & 12 and 15 to 1 for 3 and 11) than on strip tables (29 to 1 and 14 to 1, respectively).^[5]

Look for games with experienced dice setters. "Dice setting" is a technique for rolling dice that (theoretically) allows the shooter to control the outcome of the roll to a small degree. The actual usefulness of dice setting is a topic of some debate among gambling experts.^[6] Generally, it's thought that, if dice setting does give the shooter an advantage, this advantage is very minute and only becomes evident over the course of thousands of rolls. Still, if you can manage to find a table with a dice setter, it certainly won't hurt your chances to follow his or her bets.

• If you're trying this method, bet with the dice setter on low-risk bets. That is, if s/he bets pass, you should bet pass, if s/he bets don't pass, you should bet don't pass, and so on for come bets. Generally, you'll want to stick with these low-risk bets. Don't follow the dice setter on high-risk bets - no amount of dice-shooting skill is likely to cancel out the long odds of winning such a bet.

If legal, look for craps games outside casinos. "Street craps", an improvised, informal version of craps, can be played virtually anywhere with just a few dice and willing participants. The primary advantage of street craps over casino craps is that there is no house to take an edge on your bets. Rather, it's up to the players to "cover" each others' bets by wagering against each other.

• Also, since street craps is usually played without an actual craps table, the betting system is usually simplified and somewhat improvisational. Depending on the game, you may be able to make up your own prop bets and set payouts on the fly. This means that, if you're a shrewd gambler, street craps can conceivably be more lucrative than casino craps.
• Note however, that, often, gambling outside of a licensed casino or gambling hall can be considered a crime. Before looking for a street craps game, be sure to check local laws in your area to make sure you're not breaking any.

Budget. Many gamblers end up spending far more money than they originally intended to. Avoid having this happen to you by set a hard, inflexible budget for your gambling session. Set aside a certain amount of money that you can stand to lose as your bankroll for the day. Use your bankroll - and only your bankroll - to finance your craps games. Use your money wisely, making conservative bets, rather than risking it all on one roll of the dice. Doing so helps ensure that you'll have more money throughout the day and won't need to withdraw more to keep playing.

• It can be easier to budget smartly if you have a healthy attitude towards gambling in general. Think of your gambling session as a form of entertainment, rather than a way to make money. This way, you'll be satisfied even if you lose money, while any money you win will be a "pleasant surprise."

Set win and loss limits for yourself. Knowing when to stop gambling is crucial. No matter how much you may win, if you play forever, you'll eventually lose all of your money to the house. To prevent this sort of over-reach, set hard, inflexible cash limits that, if passed, will end your gambling for the day. For instance, you might decide to stop as soon as you win or lose 50% of your starting bankroll. This way, if you hit your upper limit, you're prevented from losing any payout you receive by gambling for too long. Conversely, if you hit your lower limit, you'll still have money reserved for your next session.

Quit while you're ahead. As mentioned above, if you play for long enough, the casino will take your money. Because of this, it's a smart idea to cash out when you're ahead. Resist the perennial gambler's temptation to boost your winnings further by playing just "one more roll", as innumerable payouts have been squandered this way.