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Like every casino game, one’s chance of winning at craps depends a lot on tactical gaming. Here are few craps tips that would help to improve your game significantly. Read them and implement them in your game in a way that best suits your style.

As a first step, make yourself familiar with the technique of making pass line bets and how to place 6 and 8. The importance of these bets is rooted in the fact that the house benefits associated with them are as less as 1.5%. So, if one harbors any ambition to perform well in the game of craps, he simply has to master this trick to perfection.

Secondly, don’t even think twice when it comes to avoiding all suggestion bets placed at the center of the layout. The dealers will always attempt to persuade the gamers to play at the ‘house bets’ because that drives the casino advantage to as much as 16%. Whatever happens, don’t ever fall in this trap. Another bet to avoid is proposition bets. This could also place the players in a precarious position if nothing goes in his way. In short, as a thumb rule, simply avoid making bets that increases the house advantage significantly.

Once you have made yourself familiar with the working of Odds bet, always refrain from making Come or Line bets that you’re not ready to back up with full odds. Further, if the table minimum for a particular table is too high, don’t hesitate to skip that table. And most importantly, at any point, if you find yourself in doubt, never waste a second to ask the dealer. Most of them will be prepared to help you out sincerely. On the contrary, if you get doubts about the dealer’s behavior, it will be better to quit the game.

Every casino game has its share of risks. But, playing with such risks only brings rewards to the players in the end. One such high risk bet in craps is Field bets, which are decided on a single roll of the dice. While playing it, be on guard always, and don’t commit unless you’re sure in your mind that the shooter is going to roll 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. On the other hand, if you have your doubts, or can’t afford to take risks, avoid Field bets.

Also, preferably avoid Buy bets. They can potentially lower a player’s edge far lower than the Place bets. But, if one is hell bent on making one, bet only on 4 or 10. These are the only numbers on the bet where it’ll offer a return of 2:1 in the player’s favor.

Now some general tips:

• Don’t ever hand over hard cash to the dealers to make a change because it is illegal as per the casino rules. The method is to place the money in the layout, before the shooter getting the dice, and request the dealer for ‘change only’.
• Keep your hands off the table or in the direction in which the dice is thrown. Doing so, even inadvertently, could invite a ban from playing at the casino again.

For shooters, they should not glide the dice across the layout. One has to throw it instead. Gliding is illegal and might invite punishments.

It may appear that craps does not need the skill levels or analytical mindset required in playing games such as blackjack or poker. While it is true to an extent, it is not entirely true either. In craps, some amount of strategy is required, if not to win the game, but to ensure that one does not lose too much money in a short span of time. In other words, in order to fare well in a game of craps, one needs to have in place an efficient money management strategy, and a thorough working knowledge of the best bets on the table.

The first one, managing one’s bankroll is the crucial pillar of any crap strategy. A good method to do so is to set for oneself a loss limit and strictly stick to it. As it is often seen, players tend to start the game by bankrolling oneself $100 (say), and as one begins to lose his way, and the money is lost, he is tempted to increase the bankroll again. It is also equally difficult to keep a maximum limit to winnings. If one is winning, why leave?

The best way of money management in craps is to bet using one’s own winnings. For example, if you start with a bankroll of $100, keep that as your loss limit as well. Now, start gaming and should you lose the money, just walk away once the $100 is finished. On the other hand, if you win, go on gaming until you have $75-100 at least above your initial bankroll, and keep that money aside. This way, even if you lose the $100 gained, still you’ll have your original bankroll. If you win more, put that money as well aside and hold it back from the game permanently. Now that’s the profit that you have earned.

The second element of a decent craps strategy is to discern the best bets on the table. For example, take the maximum free odds on your passline bets. Passline bets have a house edge of 1.42, which is good enough in the context of casino games. As a player, always take the maximum they allow. Free odds, on the other hand, are fair bets having zero house edge. If you are new to craps, don’t hesitate to clarify the game rules with the dealer. Remember, many players lose money in craps owing to their flawed understanding of the game rules governing betting.

Finally, play intelligently. While craps can be fun and exciting, at times it can also be frustrating and nerve wracking, especially if you are losing money. Play the game with a cool head, and never increase your bets to cover the losses incurred. The game can be noisy at times with those conversations and noise from around the table. Hence it is advisable that players remain focused throughout the duration of the game. Else they might lose track of their bets, especially if there are quite few of them.

In short, while playing craps, have a strategy in your mind before you walk/sign into a casino and while playing, stick to it fiercely. It is uncontested that luck plays a major part in the game. But it is the right strategy that separates the winners from losers.

The origin of craps, one of the popular casino games today, can be traced back to thousands of years, to the ancient Arab world and the game they played called ‘Hazard’ (”az-zahr”, which rhymes with Hazard means ‘dice’ in Arabic).

The game came to Britain in the 12th century and soon it became popular over the Channel of France, where it was called ‘crabs’ (the term used to indicate the losing throw of ‘2’ in the original Hazard game), the French pronunciation of ‘crabs’. The game was also played widely in England for centuries. Historians note instances where noblemen and higher classes had lost fortunes by playing Hazard in the English gambling houses in the 17th century. The game was also found mention in the literary works of those times, such as the famous Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, indicating that Hazard was quite a popular past time in the Victorian era, at least amongst the rich and influential sections of the English society.

The game reached the American continent in the mid-1700s, along with the immigration of French settlers in Canada to the US after their defeat by the British. However, this point is somewhat contentious for some say that it was the English settlers who took the game to the US and not the French and vice versa. No matter which version is correct, it was in America that the game of craps had evolved further, and got transformed into the form that we see and play today in the land based and online casinos worldwide.

Craps popularized in the US in the 17-18th century, thanks to the game’s entertainment value and the high risk taking attitude of the immigrant Americans of that time. The game also underwent significant changes during this time. For example, an American named John H Winn added major changes to the rules of the game by enabling players to bet with the shooter or against the shooter. This amendment in rules was actually made to negate the widespread practice of houses playing with crooked dice in those times. As a matter of fact, John H Winn is considered the father of Modern Craps and his version of craps became the 20th century casino game of Bank Craps with those layouts and tables.

Today, craps is played in casinos worldwide and is one the biggest gambling games in the history of casinos in terms of the money wagered. Such is the popularity that the game enjoys amongst the gamblers that it was widely portrayed in numerous Hollywood movies, of past and present, as the low and high rollers favorite casino game. It is true that the game has come a long way since its early days as Hazard, played in the Arabic countries. But the excitement it generates in the players, and entertainment value it embeds has only enhanced during its evolution in the last few centuries, that made it a favorite pastime for professional as well as amateur casino gamers from across the globe.