Playing to Win: The Best Bets in Craps

With the biggest population of gamblers in the world and the most revenue-producing gambling sector out of every nation, 80% of Australians regularly spend money at casinos or on gambling websites.

While this could be a bad thing if a person gets too caught up in these games, it can be a lot of fun as long as you’re a smart and responsible gambler. After all, a little party never killed anybody, and there’s no way to party in Australia that’s quite like sitting under the flashing lights of your favorite casino.

If you’re looking for a new way to party, craps is an awesome game to try your hand at. If you haven’t played before, then you’re in for a treat: this game of luck isn’t at all lacking in skill, socializing, and fun.

Read on to learn how to play this wonderful game and figure out how to place the best bets in craps. Then and only then can you and your friends confidently walk into a casino with an awesome betting strategy and a mindset to win!

Know How to Play

As with any game, you need to know the rules of craps before you can get to playing. In this section, we’re going to talk about how craps basically works and how you can bet, play, and more.

Read on to get started on your gambling journey!

The Rules of Craps

As long as you remember the rules of craps, it actually isn’t at all a difficult game to get the hang of. The whole point of the game is guessing the numbers that are going to come up on a pair of dice that someone else, typically another player, rolls.

The person rolling the two dice usually begins by trying to roll either a 7 or an 11. If this number doesn’t come up, the player decides on another specific number (often called a ‘point’) that they need to roll before once again attempting to get a 7. On the first ‘come-out’ roll, 7 and 11 win, but there are losing numbers, too. 2, 3, and 12 are called ‘craps,’ because they’re, well … crap. The players lose when they come up.

The winning numbers will change depending on where you are in the game. For example, if the come-out hand is 7 (yay!), 7 will then become a losing number that you don’t want to be rolled again.

While there are times when you can bet against the table (you win when the player rolls a losing number), you’re usually going to bet with the rest of the table. This is pretty positive- you’re hoping that the player will roll the number they need!

Placing the Right Bet

While the rules of craps are simple, the number of ways to bet really complicates the game. Here, we’re going to discuss a couple of the more common ones.

The most common bet is Pass Line, when you place your bets before the come-out roll happens. The payout for these bets is 1:1 and comes when the elusive 7 or 11 pop up.

There are also Don’t Pass bets, which are when you bet against the person rolling the dice and say that a 2, 3, or 12 will pop up. In these situations, you win when the losing numbers are rolled!

Come and Don’t Come bets also exist. Winning depends on the number that comes out of the come-out roll, but the point after that first roll doesn’t affect what your winnings are. You won’t win if the winning numbers are rolled later. Only people who placed pass bets will get that payout.

Don’t Come bets are the opposite of this. You win if the first throw is 2, 3, or 12. However, you won’t win if the losing numbers are rolled later.

Online or Casino?

Before you can begin playing craps, you’ll also need to decide whether you’d prefer to play online or in a casino.

While some people like to play online from the comfort of their own homes, craps is a game that’s incredibly fun to go out and play. While it’s a game of luck, it’s super interactive. The players can have a really great time together if you get a table that’s all on the same page.

Better yet, if you take some friends out to play craps, you can have a game that’s both friendly and competitive! One awesome thing about craps is how much support there can be between people at the table. Those who place Pass Line and Come bets want nothing more than for the dice-roller to succeed, and they can have a friendly rivalry with those who’ve placed Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets.

Have a Great Strategy

Now that you know the basics of playing craps, it’s time to create an awesome strategy that will let you win big. Read on to learn some of the best ways to win at craps!

Be Polite

First of all, it’s common courtesy to know the rules of the game you’re playing. Since you’re still reading, congratulations! You have a head start on this step, though you may want to do a little more reading up.

When it specifically comes to craps, get some chips before you play. When you find a table you might want to join, stand behind the pass line — you don’t want to interrupt an ongoing game. Don’t talk to the focused players at that table until you’re sure you have the all-clear.

There are also a few general rules of casino politeness that you’ll need to follow when playing craps. Most importantly, don’t sit on your phone all night. This annoys the other players since they’re focused on the game and don’t want to play against someone who isn’t it taking it seriously. It also totally will ruin your fun — your apps can wait until you’re at home! Be in the moment.

Be a Right Way Bettor

A right way bettor is simply one that places a bet with the table. This includes Pass Line and Come bettors.

Generally, choosing one of these betting strategies is to your benefit for a couple of reasons. First, you’re betting in the same direction as most of the people at the table. This is beneficial because not only is everyone on the same page as to what’s happening, but the payout can be more.

For beginners, this is also a significantly less confusing way to bet. You’ll never have to keep track of whether something’s bad this game that you were cheering for previously because 7 and 11 will always be your lucky numbers. You won’t have to play any psychological games with yourself — or anyone else at the table — if you’re a right way bettor.

The 6 or 8 Bet

When you look at a craps table, the numbers 6 and 8 stick out in bold, burning red.

Here’s the thing, though, you don’t want to bet on either of those. You’ll get a lot more payout if you bet on rolling a 6 or 8 on another art of the table. The Big 6 and 8 have one of the highest house advantages of any part of the craps table at 9%, and you’re unlikely to win anything there.

Practice Makes Perfect

Before you go to play craps at an actual casino against competitive opponents, make sure that you’ve practiced at least a little bit. It’s poor form to enter into a game with more advanced players, not know what you’re doing, and drag down the level of the entire table’s gaming.

There are a few ways you can practice before heading to your local casino. First, there are plenty of free and inexpensive gambling apps you can download to your computer, tablet, or even Smartphone. You could also invite some friends over and play a friendly game without any money being betted. This is an awesome way to learn!

Place the Best Bets in Craps

While learning a new casino game can be tough, it’s also a lot of fun. Plus, since craps is a pretty simple game of luck and chance, you can learn while you play and make money. Not only that, but craps specifically is an awesome game that you can bring a group of buddies to play for a fun evening socializing, drinking, and laughing.

Now that you know how to play craps, what some great strategies are, and generally understand how the best bets in craps are placed, it’s time to start looking for an actual place to play. Check out this guide to casinos around Australia to find a place to play near you.

Have fun taking a chance on a great game!