Craps is quite possibly the most popular specialty game inside of the casino - equalled, perhaps, only by Bingo or Keno (depending on the day of the week). On the weekdays, Craps usually takes the cake; but on the weekends, Bingo fervor takes hold of the older population and they storm the online spaces to play.
Generally speaking, if you’ve got a sizable-enough bankroll, then you can take advantage of the modest House edge to win a bit at Craps - at least, you can win more than you lose to come out on top at the end of the playing session. Of course, you need to have a basic understanding of probabilities, etc. In the following article, though, we’ll go through the strategies for trying your best to win at Craps with a low starting bankroll. This, of course, makes the game accessible to virtually all.
Craps Playing With a Low Bankroll
Whether you are a beginner, risk-averse, or starting with just a sliver of a bankroll - the following craps strategy can actually bear fruit. The first thing is to know how the game works, so that you can actually use the game rules to your advantage; or, at the very least, make sure these rules don’t work against you unduly. That means knowing the House edge, and how it is tied to the type of bets you can make in the game.
With the above in mind, choose the so-called “Pass/Don’t Pass” bet (sometimes the name is different - but it should be some familiar variation of the above that makes sense). There’s also the Come/Don’t Come bet - which brings the total to four. The point of picking one of the above 4 is that each one ensures the minimum advertised House edge of just 1.40% for the game of Craps.
Once you’ve got this under your belt, the additional bets that are in the blue for the player over the House are the so-called Place 6 bet, the Place 8 bet, the Field 2 bet and the Field 12 bet. It’s a mathematical fact that any other be sans the first 4 and the subsequent 4 increase the House edge and stack the statistics of winning against the player. Thus, although you stand to potentially win more with bets such as the Hard Way 10 or the Hard Way 4, the environment is much less forgiving because of an insanely disadvantageous House edge of 11%! It really is a no-brainer unless you’re an expert with a big bankroll, and you eat up risk like a manta ray does the ocean floor.
The Break Down: Understanding the Pass and Come Bets First
Out of all the ones mentioned in the preceding section, the Pass bet is the most common one used by those in the know. By choosing this one, you immediately reveal yourself as a player with some knowledge and some discipline; the House advantage of only 1.41% guarantees a victory unless the opposition hits a 2, 3, 2, or, after the point is hit, a 7. Alternatively, the so-called Come wager allows a victory for every single 7 or 11 strike by either you or the opposition (known in Craps lingo as the shooter), once the bet is placed.. Similar to the above, you can only lose on the Come wager if the shooter strikes a 2, 3, or 12.
What About the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come Bets?
This second set of relatively safe bets will have you be known as a “Wrong Way Bettor”; but do not be put off by the seemingly negative connotations - it is anything but. It’s a simple fact that you are betting against the norm with these; the House edge is still only 1.41%. In fact, all that “wrong way betting” means is that when the other players falter, you surge ahead: when they lose, you win. The Don’t Come bet is similar.
Compare these to the bets such as Place 4 or 10, which have a House edge of 6.67% - even though the attraction comes in the fact that the payout is 9 to 5. These require big bankrolls and a sure hand to have a shot at the dramatically increased odds against you. Perhaps in time, as you become a more seasoned and confident player, you will have the know-how to opt into these bets.
