Craps Strategy

Playing Smart and Maintaining Discipline

This is one of the most important aspects of the game. Every player must always take into consideration how much they want to win and how much they are prepared to lose (or more importantly, can afford to lose). Experts agree that a reasonable amount to leave a craps table up is 20%. If you’re trying to turn $200 into $400, you will almost always be disappointed. 100% returns at the casino are very rare. Set modest goals and stick to them.

Many players make the mistake of inexperience. Make sure you fully understand the rules of the game before wagering money. It is always possible to practice online without having to bet any real money. Gaming is like most things: the more prepared you are the better results you can expect. It is a good idea to take an online tutorial of how to play craps before wagering any money on the game. Although, the rules are quite simple, it is important that a player understand all the bets he/she can make and how they work before they play for real money.

Money Management and your Bankroll

An effective money management system is crucial in becoming a successful Craps player. Whether you are employing one of the many established betting systems (Paroli, Martingale, etc.) or something created by yourself, it is important to stick to your plan and not to deviate from it.

The most common reason as to why players lose more money than they can afford it because they attempt to win their money back which they may have already lost and end up losing double the amount that they had intended. It is essential to set your loss-limits and then adhere to them, regardless of how you are doing. After all, there was a reason why you chose this particular limit. If you exceed that limit, you will more than likely regret it afterwards.

Your betting unit should be no more than 1/20th of your bankroll, preferably 1/50th. Play a $5 craps table with at least $100-$250. You need room to be down a little so you can get up a lot. If you play with less, you run the risk of maxing out before you realize the full power of your bets.

Choosing the Correct Bets

Another necessary component to a sound craps strategy involves a keen understanding of the smart bets on the table. You may think this is the difficult part but in actualily, with craps there are a limited number of bets in which the house has a low edge.

Generally speaking, it is a good idea to stick with pass line bets backed by free odds, come bets backed by free odds, and place bets on the six or eight. Learning to hedge your bets when making more complicated wagers can be beneficial, but it is not the be all and end all of strategies. Generally a hedge betting approach decreases the volatility of the game significantly, but at the same time it limits your potential wins.

Simply put, if you are a hedge better there will be fewer down-spells that could bottom out your bankroll, but if you are winning you will end up with less in the end than you would have without hedging.