What are your Craps Knowledge Gaps

[heavy]

New players often struggle to figure out certain aspects of the game - aspects often not addressed in the popular "Pass Line and two or three Come bet" books out there. Perhaps you don't understand some of the terminology of the game. Maybe payouts and odds are a problem for you. Or perhaps you're wondering about how to play the Don'ts. Whatever it is you don't know about craps - but would LIKE to know - this is the guilt-free thread where you can post the questions without worrying about what someone thinks about where you are in the game. EVERYONE had to start out knowing nothing - and even the guys who think they know it all don't. So fire away. What is it you newer players want to know - but don't know. We'll do our best to answer.

[London Shooter]

Here's one that I never remember mainly because we don't have it over here and that is the vig on buying numbers.

Let's just talk about the 4 and 10 as they are the most common. How does the vig work and what are the most efficient break points for you as a player ie what is the max you can buy for $1 vig before it goes up to $2?

[London Shooter]

Here's one that I never remember mainly because we don't have it over here and that is the vig on buying numbers.

Let's just talk about the 4 and 10 as they are the most common. How does the vig work and what are the most efficient break points for you as a player ie what is the max you can buy for $1 vig before it goes up to $2?

[mssthis1]

Here's one that I never remember mainly because we don't have it over here and that is the vig on buying numbers.

Let's just talk about the 4 and 10 as they are the most common. How does the vig work and what are the most efficient break points for you as a player ie what is the max you can buy for $1 vig before it goes up to $2?

Hi London: That is actually a rather complex question as the rules vary quite a bit across the country. To simplify it I will stick with the most common Vegas rules. If you "buy" the 4 or 10 for $25.00 they will pay you $50.00 if it hits and you pay a $1.00 vig or commission. Every place I have been to in Vegas will do $30 bets for $1.00 vig. I have heard of some that go as high as $39.00 and start charging $2 at the $40.00 level but I personally have never tried that as I try to keep my bets as simple as possible for game flow reasons. $50 bets are a $2 vig everywhere I have been. A $75 bet is iffy. Some places charge $3 and some charge $4.

[Cap-n_Lou]

I'm always on the lookout for casinos that allow you to front the vig from your winnings so you don't pay if you lose. Anyone know the best places for this policy (in Vegas)?

[London Shooter]

thanks MSS - that is a good summary

[wild child]

My experience Mississippi Gulf Coast ( Biloxi/Gulfport) casinos
One Dollar USD $35 buy on # 4 & # 10 seems shift dependent ..
$1.00 Four & Ten $30 every time everyplace
so much so ,it is worth asking.

w c

[heavy]

In a nutshell, the vig is $1 for every $20 wagered. Traditionally casinos have allowed you to Buy the four and ten for $25 and just pay $1 vig. Some casinos will let you push the breakage as high as $39 before they charge the extra buck. But as has been noted above, there are exceptions everywhere - and as Wild Child noted, it often varies between different shifts in the same casino - depending on the boxman's understanding of the breakage.

The one that annoys me is when they combine two bets you have on the table - say a $50 Buy bet on the four and a $25 Buy bet on the ten - and charge you $4 vig because you have over $60 in Buy action on the table. It's very frustrating and I can see how it would be confusing to both experienced players and newbies alike.

[Cap-n_Lou]

If I'm not mistaken, the house edge on the place bets on the 5-9 is less than you pay if you buy them. So it only makes sense to buy the 4/10. Right?

[Michael]

Cap-n_Lou,
If you buy the 5 or 9 for $20 you get paid $29 rather than $28 for the place bet.
Vig paid on win only.

[Knick111]

Mike , how much is the vig on the 29 dollar win? is it 5% or more when you buy the 5 or 9 and win that bet.

[Cap-n_Lou]

I think the vig on the non-buy 5/9 bet is about 4% so it would waste money to buy it for, essentially, 5%.

[SHOOTITALL]

H: That one took a couple of minutes to noodle out. Confusing.

[Michael]

Jamie,
It pays $30 -$1 vig You get $29

[heavy]

Just to compare on that five and nine - forget the vig - let's just talk about the payout. Assuming the juice is collected AFTER the win:

$20 Buy on the five or nine pays $30 minus the $1 vig - or $29 net - as Michael noted above.

$20 Place bet on the five or nine pays $28. So you make an extra buck on the Buy bet if the vig is paid after the win.

The problem with paying the vig up front is that you're taking $21 out of your rack versus $20 on the place bet. If you LOSE that bet without collecting then you've lost an extra buck with no return.

[Riggs]

Good stuff here. A valuable thread would be this:

Casinos vig policies: Who charges up front and who charges only after win.

[London Shooter]

OK, here's another one I now know about but I think it is a tricky concept even for players who may have been learning the game for a while:

How do I position my odds on a Don't Pass bet?

[Moe Bettor]

Position of the odds on a DP is to the left of your bet. Depending on how much you lay..say $24 against a 6 CO (you get $5 for every $6 you lay)..You would probably stack two $10 piles with $4 straddling them. But it depends. Some dealers want to throw their hands on your money and position it
the way they want. But it is to the left of yr original bet.

[Dylanfreake]

The relationship of the flat DP wager and the odds wager is that the DP wager is placed closest to the Stickman. The odds wager is straddled away from the DP wager , if the odds win is more (or less) than the flat DP wager. The odds wager is bridged if the odds win is equal to the win on the flat DP wager.

Example: $5 DP laying $10 odds on a point of 10 ---------odds wager bridged to win $5 DP and $5 odds.

$5 DP laying $12 odds on a point of 10----------odds wager straddled to win $5 DP and $6 odds.

[mssthis1]

The odds are always placed so the dealer that is paying you comes to the odds first. If you're on the left side of the table they go on the left side of your bet. If you're on the right side of the table they go on the right side. I always place my odds with the one chip on the bottom and the rest of them offset just enough to lean on the bottom chip and the table. Some dealers like to play housekeeper with them and some don't. The majority of the time I lay odds in $30.00 increments so the opportunity to bridge them doesn't come along very often in my case.