Be the best at Craps - Part II

Place your bets
Even it not seems so easy to understand the craps table, if you take each section step by step it will be easy for you to work with it and learn what bets you can make. Now we continue with the counterparts to Pass and Come, the "don't" bets.

Don't Pass Bet
This is a bet that the dice will not pass. This bet can be placed only immediately before a "come out" roll and to make a don't pass bet you place your chips in the narrower section just beyond the pass line labeled don't pass. House edge on these bets is 1.40%. A don't pass bet can be taken down, but not increased, after the come-out roll.

One roll (either the 2 or the 12, depending on the casino) will result in a push, where nobody win or loose. The bet will lose on a 7 or 11, and win on a 2 or a 3. If anything else is rolled it becomes the point, and you win if a 7 is rolled before the point is repeated. Everything (except the 12 on the come out roll) is the opposite of the pass line bet. The odds of a 7 coming out before a 10 are quite good, so the casino doesn't pay at the best odds.

Since it's like betting against the shooter (or against the dice), you win when everybody else loses, and it's never really appreciated, so you may want to think about it when you choose this bet. The superstitious folk will glower at you, and accuse you if the table runs cold.

Don't Come Bet
Is a bet made after the come out roll, but in other respects exactly like a don't pass bet. If a 7 or 11 is rolled you lose, if a 2 or 3 is rolled you win, and a 12 is a push. Otherwise a come point is set and you win if a 7 is rolled before the come point is repeated, and lose if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled.

A player can place odds bets on his own Don't Come bets by handing the bet to a dealer and stating that he want "odds on my ". However, odds on Don't Come bets are usually working by default.

Now we can talk about a couple of bets that many people base their craps strategy around.

The Field Bet
A special case of one-roll bet, which seems to be easy to win, but hides the fact that its alterted in the casinos favor. House edge is 5.55%. This pays even money whenever 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 is rolled, and possibly higher amounts when 2 or 12 is rolled. Most casinos also give a bonus if a 2 or a 12 is thrown. It's common to be paid 2x your bet when a 2 or "snake eyes" is or a 12 is thrown. If a 5, 6, 7, or 8 are thrown then you lose. These are of course, the more likely numbers.

The Place Bet
The place bet is the most common way to bet on a specific number. You can make a place bet at any time after the point is set by handing the dealer your bet and saying 'I want to place the 8' or whichever number you want to bet on. You can make a place bet on any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. If the number you have placed is hit before a 7, you win. Different numbers have different odds of being hit, and are paid back differently: 4 or 10 placed - 9:5 odds, 5 or 9 placed - 7:5 odds, 6 or 8 placed - 7:6 odds. .

The Buy Bet
You can also 'buy' numbers instead of 'placing' them. Player pays 5% "vigorish" to get true odds on all numbers. The number that a player buy must come up before a 7 is rolled.The numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 can all be bought, but only the 4 and 10 make craps buy bets worthwhile. They reduce the house edge to 4.76%. Depending on how much you bet, buying a bet can make you more money in the end even after accounting for the 'vig'.

The Lay Bet
An uncommon bet, the lay bet is against the dice, so it's related to the don't pass and don't come bets. The lay bet can be made at any time. Basically, it's the opposite of the buy bet, and the same as the don't come bet, but with different odds. The lay bets may be placed on 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. The bet is on the fact that a seven will be rolled before your number. A 7 is more likely to come up than any other number so the casino requires you to wager more than you could win. This bet usually also requires a commission of 5%. Lay bets are rarely, if ever, your best choice.

Proposition Bets
The bets from the center of the table are known as 'proposition bets'. Even the field bet is considered a proposition bet, as the term applies to any bet that applies only to the next roll.

Some Proposition bets include:

Any Sevens - A bet that the next roll will be a 7. This bet pays odds of 4 to 1, correct odds are 5 to 1 with the difference giving the house a 16,66% edge;

Snake eyes - a bet that the next roll will be 2

Yo Eleven - A bet that the next roll will be 11 (the E in the small circles). It pays 14 to 1, but the true odds are 17 to 1 with a house percentage of 16.66%;

Any Craps - A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12 (collectively known as craps, the C in the small circles). You'll get 7 to 1 odds. House edge is 11.11%;

Any Three - A bet that the next roll will be 3

Midnight - A bet that the next roll will be 12

Hard ways - This bet can be made on the 4, 6, 8 and 10. Payoff is 9 to 1 on the 6 or 8 and 7 to 1 on the 4 or 10. The house edge is 9.09% and 11.11%, respectively.

Horn bet - A split bet that covers 2, 3, 11 and 12. This requires 4 units, since you are really making 4 bets. You win if one of these numbers is rolled. Pay-off is determined by the number rolled. The other three bets are lost.