ZX-Tex

iTrader: (15)

Just got back from five days in Vegas where I played craps for the first time. I had played a lot of blackjack before that using basic strategy. Craps is a LOT better. If you like to play the tables, and have not tried it, check it out. Unless you are counting cards at blackjack, it has better odds. It is a lot simpler than trying to remember basic strategy, which is nice when you are taking advantage of the free drinks. And, it is a hell of a lot more fun. The people playing and the dealers were all hilarious whenever I was at the table.

**** blackjack. Play craps.

What I learned:
- Look for a table with 10X odds. 2X sucks. 3/4/5X is OK in a pinch. The money you can add (odds) when the point is made is an even bet with the house (payout equals the odds) so it dilutes the advantage they have on the 'coming out' roll. House advantage is 0.3% or less if you play at least 5X.
- If you are in Downtown Vegas (Fremont), Main Street Station Casino is a GREAT place to play at. $5 minimum even at night, 20X odds, and the waitresses are quick with the drinks.
- Start out on a $5 table.
- Play online for free at bodog or the like to figure it out first.
- It can get really freaking confusing to watch when there are 12+ players on the table and they are making all the weird-*** bets like hard-4s, adding odds to the come, etc. etc. and the chips are flying everywhere. There is a reason there are four casino workers at a craps table; it is hard to keep track of. Crazy fun to watch.
- Being the shooter is cool.
- You may see some high rollers playing. Saw two different people at two different times with an easy four figures on the table. Piles of black chips. My wife also had a brush at the Nugget with a Holywood Celeb that took out a $60K chip marker when he walked up next to her at the table. He was throwing down some monster bets like it was nothing. Blew her mind.

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

Craps is Meg's game of choice since before I met her. She got me to finally try it out on our last cruise (I don't gamble, hate the thought of losing money, makes no sense to me). Even using one of those basic "how to play" cards they give out for free, it was really pretty damn fun and $50 lasted us all night with plenty of opportunities to leave with positive cash flow. I definitely want to learn & practice how to do it for real, the guys who knew what they were doing were making decent money, or so it seemed anyway. And yah, everyone's pretty hilarious when they play, even the dealers. I played blackjack once and the bitch dealer was vicious.

ZX-Tex

iTrader: (15)

Yeah I have been at the blackjack table when the dealer is being a fast-dealing robot (boring), or someone at the table is being a dick (like gets pissed when you 'take his face card' or 'take the dealer's bust card' which is a stupid, false mindset). Plus, I am not interested in really trying to count cards with a 6-deck shoe on a shallow cut, too much like work. Every single roll in craps is a statistically independent trial so there is no point in counting anything.

I played a hard game (for me) at the Nugget one afternoon for a couple of hours. I was making $10 pass bets and going all out on the 3/4/5X limit they had on odds. So on some rolls I had $60 on the table during the point. I lost several right away and was down over $225. I was Jonesing a bit at that point, and almost walked away, but then I started winning, and ended up walking away when I was ahead $150. There were about 12 people at the table, including a crazy oriental lady in her 50s right next to me playing with $100 chips and giving the dealers a hard time (in a funny good-natured way); the dealers were dishing it right back at her. It was hilarious. I was worn OUT after that game, did not play the rest of the day, but had a blast, and won money.

I got my wife to try it, and she was totally hooked. She was up until 4 in the morning one night and paid for it the next day with a vicious hangover.

My top rules of gambling. Do not bet what you cannot lose, and quit while you are ahead and/or when you are tired.

jtothawhat

iTrader: (7)

Isn't Craps pretty hard to learn? I have been wanting to make the transition over from BJ also--but have no idea where to start.

ZX-Tex

iTrader: (15)

It can be as easy or as complicated as you want. The good news is the bet with the best odds, the pass line bet, is also the easiest. That is all I did.

Go here to learn. All you need to know really is in 'The Pass Line' and 'Taking the Odds'
http://wizardofodds.com/craps

Go here to practice for free
http://casino.bodog.com/free-craps.jsp

Here is the simple way to play. There are two modes the game is in. When there is no point, and when there is a point.
Mode 1 - No point
The table is fresh, no point. The thing that looks like a hockey puck (used to mark the point) will be flipped to the black side (it is black on one side, white on the other) and off to the edge of the table. You place a pass line bet in the pass line zone. It is marked as the pass line and goes all the way around the table where the players stand.
The shooter rolls. If he rolls a 2,3, or 12 that is 'craps' and you immediately lose your pass line bet. If he rolls 7 or 11 that is a win, and you get paid whatever your pass line bet was (if you bet $5, you get paid $5 and you have a total of $10). If the shooter rolls 4,5,6,8,9, or 10, that becomes the 'point' and you transition to Mode 2 of the game.
Mode 2 - point is established.
If the player rolled a 4,5,6,8,9, or 10 then the dealer takes the puck, flips it over to the white side, and places it on the number (marked on the table) that the shooter rolled. If the shooter rolled a 5, he places it on the five. Your pass line stays where it is (you can also now 'place odds' on your pass line bet). The shooter keeps rolling until he either rolls the point again (the 5 in this example) or rolls a 7. If he rolls a 5, you win, and get paid. If he rolls a 7, you lose, and the dealer takes your pass line bet. The pass line bet gets paid differently depending on what the point was. 4 and 10 get paid the most, 6 and 8 the least. If the shooter rolls anything else but the point, or a 7, then he keeps rolling.

Go to bodog, play it for awhile, and you will get it. The pass line bet is easy. You can keep it simple (like me) and ignore all that other **** on the table

redfred18t

iTrader: (1)

I went to the casino for the first time ever last march and just played craps the whole time. Never playing it before, it was easy to pick up and I ended up banking like $40-50. I was up $150 at one point too lol