A SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT CRAPS STRATEGY

The specific strategy a player will need to use in craps will depend on their goals and playing style. If a player wants to minimize the house edge, extend his session, and maybe "win money," he should focus on bets with the lowest house advantage. Alas, these pay relatively little. At the other end of the spectrum is the "hit and run" strategy—to place a high-risk, high-reward bet, win it, and leave the game at once. Making complicated bets is another issue to mention. Simple bets enable us to more easily keep tabs on things and have control over the game, especially among beginners. Hard-to-navigate high-risk/high-reward bets can be tough to work with, and sometimes the shooter doesn't even have a solid idea of what's happening at the table. Playing easy bets also produces a more fun and hassle-free craps gaming experience.

SOMETIMES, THE SIMPLEST PLAN IS THE BEST

Taking the easiest route is not only helpful for beginners; it's generally the best plan for veterans as well. The next strategy is extremely easy to understand and implement. It is equal to or better than any other craps strategy because it is employing "ease of use" with a very small house edge. Don't be misled into thinking that this strategy will enable you to beat the casino. In craps, mathematically, that is not possible. But it will give you a reasonable chance to win and will definitely let you play for longer periods.

It not only uses the friendliest wagers for players in craps, but it also focuses on the simplest ones: the Pass Line bet and the accompanying Odds Bet. These are the basic bets in craps that all the players must learn first. Ideally, you already know how they operate, but just in case, we will go over them again. If you are not acquainted with these or other craps bets, spend some time studying them before you risk any actual money.

THE SIMPLE AND SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY

This is a straightforward strategy because it relies on only two types of bets—the Pass Line bet and the other Odds Bet. There are some additions to the strategy that involve a couple of other basic bets (Come, Don't Come, and Don't Pass), but this is how the basic version works:

PLACE A PASS LINE BET:

The Pass Line bet is essentially a bet on the shooter (the roller of the dice). Pass Line bets that win come back even money and have a lower house edge of just 1.41%. Therefore, you begin the strategy by laying out a Pass Line bet on the come-out roll (the first roll by the shooter). You win if the shooter rolls a 7 or an 11 and you lose if they roll a 2, 3, or a 12. If they roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that's the point and the shooter continues to roll. The goal now is to get the point rolled again before rolling the 7. If the point is rolled before the 7, you win; if the 7 appears before the point, you lose.

PLACE AN ODDS BET AFTER THE POINT IS ESTABLISHED

This bet, made after the point is established, is commonly called “taking odds.” It’s essentially an additional bet that the shooter will roll the point again before rolling a 7. The allowed size of this bet depends on the casino—if you’ve seen signs in Las Vegas advertising “10x odds,” that’s what they’re referring to. Because this is a solid bet that has true odds, you need to bet as much as the casino will allow. This is the only even-money bet in the entire casino where the house has no edge on this part of your bet.

The most common rules for odds bets are the 3X-4X-5X odds system. That enables players to wager up to 3 times their Pass Line bet on points 4 and 10, 4 times the Pass Line bet on points 5 and 9, and 5 times on points 6 and 8. The majority of online casinos offer flat 3x odds—that is, players can always wager up to three times their Pass Line bet, whichever point. Still better are 5x and 10x odds, which offer 5x or 10x multipliers on the Pass Line bet.

COMBINE PASS LINE AND ODDS BETS

If you make a Pass Line bet and then lay on the maximum possible Odds Bet when the point is made, you reduce the house edge to below 1%. The more odds bet, the lower the overall house edge. With 3x odds, the system lowers the house edge to 0.47%. With the 3X-4X-5X system, it's 0.37%. With 10x odds, the house edge drops down to a mere 0.18%. Again, this system won't leave you ahead of the casino over time, but it does offer a reasonable chance to win and stay in the game longer.