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Don't be afraid to be the bad guy in craps!
by Shawn Tinling

Anyone who's ever stepped up to a craps table knows that dice players are among the most superstitious players in the casino.

Many of them think that the rhythm in which they throw the dice, mantras they may chant for all to hear in mid-throw, even what they wear to the casino that day - among dozens of other superstitions - somehow influences the outcome of their game. I won't get into debunking craps superstitions this month as they are an entertaining - if not quirky - sideshow to the main action at the table, and who am I to rob players of their fun? Sometimes, however, players carry their superstitions to the kinds of bets they make, which can be a costly mistake.

On the craps table, the two main bets for the player are the Pass Line and the Don't Pass Line. A vast majority of players choose to play the Pass Line, mostly because it offers decent odds and you can make a pretty penny in relatively short time. Not as quickly as roulette (the subject of last month's article) but with a much lower house edge. Many players also stick to the Pass Line because, well, that's what everyone else is doing. Betting on the Don't Pass Line, to many, can seem like they're going against the 'flow' of the table, turning against their 'teammates', 'jinxing' the 10 or so other players on the table, or somehow altering planetary alignment in the casino universe. "Bet the Don'ts? Oh, no I couldn't!"

For the recreational player, that mode of thinking may be all fine and good. For the more serious player (not necessarily expert or professional players, mind you, but those who take winning in their casino exploits somewhat seriously) that can be a very dangerous way of thinking.

Sure, craps is much more fun when the entire table is betting on the pass line and some shooter is 'hot' - hitting point after point, netting all players involved a small fortune. Unfortunately, there will be many times when that won't be the case. Sometimes people may hit their points time after time and you'll make a killing on the pass line. If you get a streak where the points aren't hitting - or a 'cold table' as it's called - on the Pass Line you can quickly become one of the deceased.

If things aren't going very well for you on the Pass Line - and you still feel like sticking around for a while - try some action on the Don't Pass, or consider starting out your next session on the Don'ts. The action is a lot slower on the Don't Pass Line, after a point is established you're at an advantage to win. If things stay 'cold' you can end up salvaging a break-even or even a winning session by being the bad guy.

How 'bad' you want to be is up to you. Craps etiquette says that you're not supposed to audibly root against a shooter or celebrate if your Don't Pass bet wins and the shooter's likely Pass Line bet does not. If you don't follow these rules, you can get some dirty looks or unkind words. Some shooters may deliberately throw their dice at you (If you've never taken a die to the knuckles, consider yourself lucky - it hurts!) Loudly harrassing other players - especially high-rollers - generally isn't tolerated by casino staff and can get you shown the door. In short, it's all right to be bad, but play nice.

Many players in their superstitious fervor may take your action personally (because after all, they will see it as you betting against them) and act accordingly towards you, but worry not. Contrary to opinion, the people at the craps table are not your teammates, and while it may look differently, it's not a case of you against the shooter across the table. Everyone plays against the house. How you go about doing it is your choice.

While it may not be the case in most movies, the bad guy can definitely win playing craps!

Until next time, take care and as always, best of luck to you in the casino.

--ST

(Private and semi-private instruction in craps is available. Click here for more information on 21 Nights' game instruction services.)
(I realized after writing this article that this ended up being a surprisingly math-free craps article. For those of you who were looking to dive into piles of numbers with regards to craps, my apologies to you. send me an e-mail at feedback@21nights.com and I'll see what I can do for you in a future installment.)