I want to be a smarter Craps player

[imaginal]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here and I wanted to introduce myself.

I have been playing Craps for only a year. I am ready to take what I have learned from playing in Casinos in CT where I live and Casinos in the South and become a better smarter player. I want to win more money at the Casino playing Craps...simple as that.

I am at the point of recognizing I need to learn to control my throw and improve my betting strategies.

Big topic I know but I plan on playing this game a long time...

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[heavy]

I wish there were a universal button we could push that would impart the collective experience of the forum to you so that you could avoid some of the pain and suffering ahead of you. Then again, you wouldn't have "earned it and learned it" so you probably wouldn't have used the info anyway.

Okay, let me send you on a quest.

1. Read everything in the Experts Speak, the Dice Control for Casino Craps, and the Betting Systems and Strategies sub-boards. If something in there strikes a chord with you - cut and paste it into a document and print it out so you can review it over and over.

2. Buy John Patrick's Advanced Craps and read it over and over.

3. Buy Sam Grafstein's The Dice Doctor and read it over and over.

4. Buy Mad Professor's Crapshooting Bible and read it over and over.

5. Throw away every book you ever read that (a) recommended you play Pass Line with Max Odds and three Come Bets with Max Odds.

6. Throw away every book you own written by Frank Scoblete.

7. Build a sufficient bankroll to support your play - this should be independent of your "living expense" money. It has to be disposable income - because about as often as not you will dispose of it at the tables.

8. If you do not have iron-clad discipline - and are unwilling to set win goals and loss limits and stick to them - take up free diving and learn how to hold your breath for three minutes while you plunge to depths of 500 feet. You'll have a better chance of surviving at free diving that at craps.

If you ARE willing to set MODEST win goals and loss limits, patiently wait until you have an advantage before you bet, and adopt a conservative betting strategy - with SOME skill you can be a winner. I'm telling you now - the EASY part is to play with a positive EV. The hard part is all the other stuff.

[Golfer]

The advice from Heavy for 1-4 is the WORD. Listen.

Heavy is too nice...the real story is to read until you puke and then read some more.

I will add the following. Over time learn the darkside. When you do play and are not shooting, watch the darkside players. That's down the road. My 2nd suggestion is to get a pair of dice and put them on your nightstand. Before going to sleep, play with them by trying to put them into the different sets. Get used to the feel and touch. When you do get the dice at a live table this will help relieve the stress and not fumble. You will feel comfortable handling the dice and be in a better place to relax and focus. You will look like you know what you are doing and that is a good thing.

When all this has been learned let me know and I will teach you how to master the art of hopping the red.

Welcome. Don't be afraid to ask questions and if you get a chance to take a lesson from Heavy I suggest you do so.


Golfer

[SHOOTITALL]

Here I will put in my two cents. Wincraps. Get the free version that will drive you nuts. Learn the bets. Learn the odds, the payoff, the place bets. Wincraps helps tremendously with this. Plan on spending as much time to learn what you need to know as you would spend getting a college education. NO, I am not joking. I have been with this for years and am still learning. sia

[heavy]

Implied in all of the above - learn to play the Don'ts. If you do not play the Don'ts you're pretty much assured that you'll lose half the time.

Once you get your practice table, dice, etc. be sure to download a copy of BoneTracker. Log about 5000 rolls before you make ANY decisions on "signature" numbers, bets, or sets. Feel free to post results here. You'll get more advice than you want, I suspect.

[sharkbyte]

8. If you do not have iron-clad discipline - and are unwilling to set win goals and loss limits and stick to them - take up free diving and learn how to hold your breath for three minutes while you plunge to depths of 500 feet. You'll have a better chance of surviving at free diving that at craps.

I start my free-diving lessons tomorrow. I went off the rails, last night, at Mohegan Sun. Will post the trip report later.

[imaginal]

I started playing craps New Years Eve 2011. I ended down for last year $5K.

I purchased a copy of WinCraps a year ago and have logged a couple hundred hours teaching myself how to make sense of the game. I haven't used the autobet feature. I primarily have used it as a tool to simulate Craps play. 30, 50, 75, 100, 200 rolls at a time. I have personally developed a lot of betting strategies that I have learned off of the internet, to varying degrees of effectiveness.

I understand that all of my bets carry a house advantage. I am at the point where I know I need to be a smarter player if I want to be successful.

I do not plan on making a living off of this game. I really like Craps but I have no intention of losing a lot of money just so I can play it.

My goal is to see if adding control to my throw and being less rigid at the table with my bets along with taking better advantage of what is happening during my session is the answer... Maybe it isn't.

I am not sure but that is why I am asking for help.

Thanks.

[realtime]

6. Throw away every book you own written by Frank Scoblete.

I am going to disagree with you on this one Heavy.

If you throw all that morons books away someone might just pick them up out of the trash and then they will be f**ked.

I say burn all his books and then pi** on the ashes....

[Agame]

6. Throw away every book you own written by Frank Scoblete.

I am going to disagree with you on this one Heavy.
If you throw all that morons books away someone might just pick them up out of the trash and then they will be f**ked.
I say burn all his books and then pi** on the ashes....

Y'all don't want to do that. "Rodrigo" will kill you.

[amish dude]

6. Throw away every book you own written by Frank Scoblete.

I am going to disagree with you on this one Heavy.
If you throw all that morons books away someone might just pick them up out of the trash and then they will be f**ked.
I say burn all his books and then pi** on the ashes....

Y'all don't want to do that. "Rodrigo" will kill you.

If "Rodrigo"try's I will send Lebanon Levi to visit him!!

[Agame]

Imaginal,

You said you'd like to learn some control; do you have a craps table or practice rig? And chips for simulated play with betting strategies?

[imaginal]

I use WinCraps to simulate betting strategies and I am just now starting to figure out some kind of throwing practice rig.

[Knick111]

GOOD MORNING IMAGINAL.

if you notice gofer said, before going to sleep, play with them.

he meant the dice. JAIME FROM PUERTO RICO.

[amish dude]

I am just now starting to figure out some kind of throwing practice rig.

my advice is to look here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=853

[heavy]

Keep in mind that AlohaJonny is in the process of cranking SIA's old practicrigs.com website back up. He'll be offering both toss and receiving stations in the very near future.

[imaginal]

Heavy,

Thanks, I will keep a watch for practicerigs.com.

[jjjjjj]

What is the "truth" about odds??? Can one compare one player who is a don't pass player, plays 5 flat dp and lays $12 in odds vs a flat dp player who just plays $17 flat dp?????? Are these two players apples and oranges??

[acpa]

On average the fellow taking odds should lose 7 cents on each bet and the flat bettor should lose 24 cents.

Noah

[Dylanfreake]

jjjjjj,

I wondered the same about laying odds or not laying odds. So yesterday I began an experiment in casino. This experiment will continue for the next few months. Instead of high jacking this interesting thread started by imaginal, I shall began a thread under trip reports. I shall call it --Laying odds vs. Flat betting.

I`ll get on that later tonight.

[heavy]

Okay, continuing with the theme of this thread started YEARS ago by a new player who was looking to be a smarter craps player - I'd like each of you who reads this to spend a little introspective time thinking about your personal game - then tell us about ONE think you could do that would make for "smarter" play. It might be "stop making hop bets," or "stop making Come bets," or "start taking full odds," or . . . whatever you think "smarter play" is. I just want to see what you think would improve your game - then talk about whether you'd be willing to do it or not. Volunteers to go first?