Craps Strategy

Quick Nav:
Craps Home
Article Archive

Welcome to our craps strategy page. From here it is expected that you have either read our introduction and rules pages for craps, or are previously familiar with the workings of the game. If you want to brush up on your craps strategy we recommend you play along with our free craps game. You can download this software by clicking the "Download Now" link near the top of this page.

A good craps strategy is a combination of intelligent bankroll management, a keen understanding of the smart bets on the table, and a relaxed straightforward attitude towards playing. Learn each of these skills and you will be miles ahead of 95% of the players surrounding you. We will have a quick look at each of these components of a good strategy one at a time.

Intelligent bankroll management is essential to a well thought out craps strategy, because without it you have no way of knowing if your strategy is working for you. Bankroll management can be approached a number of ways. One of the best methods, but hardest to follow, is to set loss limits and to stick with them. Many times a player will settle down to play craps and bankroll themselves a hundred dollars. But, with a bad start, the money can disappear quite quickly, and so the player is tempted to increase their bankroll without much consideration. It is just as difficult to set walk away limits for wins, because when you're winning, why leave? Try to set a loss limit for yourself long before you start playing, and keep this limit in mind leading up to and during play. The more aware you are of your mental limit, the more likely you are to listen to yourself should that limit be met.

An alternative approach to managing your bankroll may be achieved in the following manner. Begin a game with a set bankroll, which should also be your loss limit. For the purposes of example let's state this amount to be $100. Begin playing with your bankroll, and if you happen to lose it quickly, follow your loss limit and walk away. If you happen to win initially, try this: play until you have won $75-$100 over your initial bankroll, and then take your original $100 and place it in your pocket. From this point on, play only with your winnings. If you happen to lose your winnings you've still retained your original bankroll, and if you happen to turn your winnings into even more cash, try the strategy again by pocketing a second hundred and considering it permanently excluded from your bankroll. Experts will tell you, a craps strategy that involves only playing with winnings can't be wrong.

The second necessary component to a good craps strategy involves a keen understanding of the smart bets on the table. You may think this is the difficult part, but truly, with craps there are a limited number of low edge bets. Read our craps rules page to learn about each bet and its odds. Generally it is a good idea to stick with pass line bets backed by free odds, come bets backed by free odds, and place bets on the six or eight. Learning to hedge your bets when making more complicated wagers can be beneficial, but it is not the be all and end all of strategies. Generally a hedge betting approach decreases the volatility of the game significantly, but at the same time it limits your potential wins. Simply put, if you are a hedge better there will be fewer down-spells that could bottom out your bankroll, but if you are winning you will end up with less in the end than you would have without hedging.

The final component of a smart strategy, a relaxed straightforward attitude, is perhaps the most important component. Calm heads will prevail in any game, and craps is no exception. Being a good craps player means understanding the volatility of the game, and preparing for it by playing with an adequately large bankroll. When the table is cold, don't get frustrated and bet bigger to chase your losses, it is a technique that rarely works. Instead stick with your strategy and understand that a bankroll will go down before it goes back up again. Craps can become a confusing game if you play with more bets on the table than you can keep track of, so keep things simple until you are very comfortable with each bet.

Featured Craps Articles

How to play craps - learning online is easy For years craps has been considered the most difficult game to learn how to play. Many gamblers have known this to be a bit of a pity, understanding just how entertaining and simple the game is once you've gotten used to it, but concede that it must appear intimidating to the novice.

Free craps play introducing more to the game The online world is having a noticeable affect on the gambling industry, as more and more people look to the Internet to learn or improve on their craps game.

Playing craps - always a learning experience: Playing craps can be described in a number of different ways: fun, exciting, exhilarating, and sometimes, quite frustrating. Although there are many craps players in the world, few call themselves experts, and fewer still truly are.