Big craps questions

FROM VIC: At a craps table in Biloxi, Mississippi, on a $10 minimum table, I saw a player put down a $25 chip for a place bet on the number 6. When I said you will get $1 change ($12 minimum x 2), the dealer said he is not due $1 change.

The dealer continued with: $25 on the 6 is OK, clearly spoken and pays $29.00 or something unclearly spoken to me. It was a busy table, and I did not want push the for clarification.

But I am confused; I thought the placing of the 6 had to be in $6.00 increments. If not, I then do not understand the payback rates on a win, like, is it $29? Help!

FRANK RESPONDS: His bet is $24 to win $28 and on that extra dollar he wins one-to-one, so the payout for $25 is $29. I would have preferred the dealer tell this poor soul that the extra dollar he wagered was a waste of money. You were right that the man should have taken that extra dollar down.

It is possible the dealer was just doing his job by rote or he was told to take whatever money he could get from the players. I have no idea which that was.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

FROM JOE: Hi, Frank, I am a disciplined craps player. I play the way you recommend your readers to play, a pass line bet and two come bets with double odds, after the 5-Count. It's a strategy that has served me well.

However, recently, I had some people suggest that after a point is made and I have two come bets still on the table that a good way to protect those come bets should a seven come out is to bet $5 on any seven ($15 total). I know never to make these types of bets, but it did seem to work quite a bit.

What is your take on this bet?

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

FRANK RESPONDS: No. That is a truly bad bet. The any seven bet comes in with a house edge of 16.67%, so that $15 is being chopped up quite severely by such an edge. For every $100 you make on the any seven, your expectation is to lose $16.67! The bet is not protecting anything and makes the casino quite a lot of money. Avoid it.

All the best in and out of the casinos.

FROM CHARLIE: I just read your article “Keeping It Close To The Vest.”

I have been playing craps for 40 years and found the following:

1. Players do get carried away, especially if we are on a roll.
2. I make a pass-line bet and behind it use a 3x odds bet.
3. I make a come bet.
4. If a die hits a hand or rolls off the table, I have my odds bets not working.
5. In all my years playing I have never seen anyone do number four but me.
6. And that’s it for me!

I admit that over the years I will make a crazy crapper bet. If the same double comes up twice in a row, I will make a bet on it coming up a third time. We are gambling!

Like your articles!

FRANK RESPONDS: Your way of playing sounds nicely conservative except for ever making crazy crapper bets. These bets are mistakes if you are looking to give yourself a real chance of beating the house. Why waste your money? Yes, you are gambling, but the best gamble in the casino is to keep the house edge as low as possible.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.