We have a guest post today from Steve G who covers gaming topics at Phillygambles.com! We’ve been interacting on twitter for a while and he’s lending some numbers wisdom to a new craps bet that I found at G2E. Without further adieu…

Craps (version 2) - Part 3 of 5: Video for the new Craps tutorials, Sucker Bets. AUG 7 Vegas 2066: Fiction about a reclusive individual fifty years in the future and how the game of craps opens him up to the possibilities in the, 'Real world' JUL 29 Craps (version 2) - Part 2 of 5: Part 2 Video for the new Craps tutorials; View All. This bet is similar to the one described above, except that you’re trying to form 6 or 8 with pairs (3-3 / 4-4). You lose when forming a 6 or 8 with non-pairs (1-5, 2-4 / 2-6, 3-5), or when a 7 turns up. While Hard 6 / Hard 8 gives you a better chance to win than Hard 4 / Hard 10, this wager still carries an unfavorable 9.09% house advantage. The ‘hard 8’ would have paid $90 (with the caveat that it’s a multi-roll bet). OhI have this on a Real Craps Game video that will appear in the future. An example of two combinations is any number where both dice can be different, such as hopping easy 8. There are two ways to hop and easy 8: 2+6 and 6+2 and also 3+5 and 5+3.

Marc from AC2LV tweeted an interesting picture from the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this past week. It showed a detail from a craps table on the floor with new bet areas marked off.

The table was on display by Galaxy Gaming and the new bets were labeled as follows:

• All Small, 34 to 1, 2-3-4-5-6
• All Tall, 34 to 1, 8-9-10-11-12
• All or nothing at All, 175 to 1, 2-3-4-5-6-8-9-10-11-12

Marc asked if someone could determine true odds on those bets. That’s not as simple as it might seem because these are not one-roll bets like any craps, or a bet on one result compared to another like a hard 10. The bet is that all the numbers will be rolled before a seven, and that is not as simple to calculate directly.

A game simulation can estimate the odds, though. After 50 million trials, there is a reasonable estimate of the chances.

So these bets have a higher house edge than bets on a single number at the roulette wheel (5.26% for a double-zero wheel) with a similar or higher payout. Certainly other prop bets on the craps table like a hard 6 or hard 8 offer a smaller payout (9-1 payout) with a higher house edge (9.1%).

However, 7.7% is still a lot higher than the house edge on the pass line (1.41%). Gamblers are much better off sticking to front line bets and pressing those bets by taking odds with zero house edge.

That is a grind, though, and this would seem a nice way to take advantage of those hot hands where the shooter rolls number after number before sevening out.

True, but there are other ways to benefit from a hot hand that will cost a lot less over a session an average session of craps. Let’s look at a couple of them.

Place Bets
Many players make place bets at the table. When a point is established, bettors place numbers, looking to get action on numbers other than the point. The 6 and 8 are popular choices, and for good reason. The house edge on those bets is a small 1.52% (provided that the player makes bets in multiples of 6 to get the true payout of 7 to 6). Placing the 5 or 9 cedes a house edge of 4%, while the 4 and 10 give a house edge of 6.67%. Note, however, all those bets have a smaller edge than the Galaxy “All” bets.

So a player could place all the numbers once a point is established, and have most of what the “All” bets have working, for a lower house edge. It would put more money in action, however. Using a multiple of 6 for the 6 and 8, it would be $64 each point for a $10 craps bettor, compared to $30 on the full menu of the Galaxy “All” bets.

Come Bets
Instead of playing the pass line, a $10 craps player could also just place a come bet after a point is established, getting more action in the game. If the bettor keeps placing come bets until a few come points are established, they can have multiple numbers working, and all for the same low house edge as the pass line. As a bonus, odds can be taken on the come bet, just like the pass line.

This is the advice Darwin Ortiz gives for getting more action in his classic book, “Darwin Ortiz On Casino Gambling”. That’s the same book where he gives the odds on the prop bets in craps, but asks the reader not to tell anyone they read his book if they make them. Ortiz thinks of all the prop bets as sucker bets, so despite the kind words to Galaxy on their innovation, you can imagine what Darwin Ortiz thinks of these bets.

Let’s compare how a bettor might do if they follow four different modes of play after every point is established:

1. Making all three Galaxy All bets, for $10 each.
2. Making all place bets, for $10 each ($12 on the 6 and 8), and taking the number down if it hits
3. Making $10 come bets, until there are at the most 4 come points established
4. Making those $10 come bets, and pressing them for $10 odds when a come point is established

After another 10M simulations, here are some results:

Quick thoughts. Craps is a negative sum game. All the approaches lose money over time. The Galaxy bets fare the worst. The place bets are close behind. Even though the 6 and 8 offer low house edge, the poor odds in the 4 and 10 are what makes the difference.

The come bets offer a much smaller expected loss. In this case, taking the odds made a small change (and for the positive by a small amount in this run of simulated hands), but since there is zero house edge on the odds bets, the long-term expected loss for come bets with and without the odds should be the same.

The obvious counter to the come-bet approach by a Galaxy All bettor is that while those average losses may be larger for the Galaxy bets, when a hot hand does happen the payoff should be huge compared to what a few come bets could manage. After all, what’s even money on a few numbers compared to 34 to 1? We’re not playing 10 million hands, or even 100. Maybe 20-30 in a couple of hours at the table. If the Galaxy bet hits, that is a great night.

Here are some more figures for those 10 million hands, looking only at those events where one of the Galaxy bets would payoff, and what happens with our approaches:

Quick observations. By definition, All or Nothing At All means all the placed bets hit, so the average payout should be exactly $92, and it is. Also, here should be no difference between place bet outcomes for All Small or All Tall hitting. The bets are symmetric. And that looks to be the case.

In contrast, there should be a difference for the come bets between All Small and All Tall since the 11 is a winner whereas the 3 is a loser. That is seen in the average results.

The Galaxy makes a fair point. Even with odds, the come bet play for a $10 bettor is less than a tenth the payout for the Galaxy bet for a very hot hand. For that one even when it hits, the payout is much larger.

Overall, however, that bettor will spend a lot more at the table in exchange for that one big payout. And in the meantime there are plenty of good, but not “all or nothing” hands where a hot shooter will make a winning session for a come bettor.

Darwin Ortiz has it right. Sharp players should stick to the come bets.

But hats off to Galaxy Gaming. They have come up with a new bet on an established game with a high payout, easy to understand rules, and a house edge attractive to casino management. And also worthy of a long blog post.

Craps Hard 6th

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It’s no surprise that multitudes of strategies have been developed around place betting the (6) & (8) as these numbers give the craps player one of the be best advantages of beating the casinos.

First of all, both the (6) and the (8) are the numbers likely to roll most often, next to the (7). There are 5 ways to roll (6), 5 ways to roll an (8), and 6 ways to roll a (7).

It doesn’t stop there. Here’s are some more advantages of Place Betting the (6) and/or (8).

• Place Bets only need to be hit once to win, versus a Pass Line or Come Bet, which needs to be hit twice
• The payout on a Place Bets exceeds that of Pass Line or Come Bets at lower betting levels
  • It takes approximately 5X odds before the benefits of PL/Come Bets exceed that of Place Bets
• Place Bets can be made or taken down at any time the player wants versus PL/Come bets which are contract bets
• The player controls the numbers that are bet, versus the roll of the dice being the determining factor
• Already mentioned, the (6) and (8) are most likely to be rolled aside from the (7)
• Betting both the (6) and (8) gives you a 10 to 6 advantage of one of your numbers hitting before the (7)
• The house edge on place betting the (6) or (8) is only 1.52%, one of the lowest on the table

If the toolbox of strategies you bring to the craps tables does not include a (6) and (8) strategy, then it might be time to find one that works for you.

We’ll cover a few of the most popular, and some not-so-popular 6/8 strategies for you to assess and possibly include in your own repertoire of strategies.

Secrets Tip – Never bet the Big 6 or Big 8 located at the corners of the table. They carry a 9.09% House Edge versus Place Betting the same numbers for a 1.52% House Edge.

All examples include betting both the (6) and (8) on a $10 minimum craps table.

6 & 8 Collect and Press

• Place Bet both the (6) and (8) for $12 each (Total $24)
• Take these steps on the (6) and (8) independently
  • 1^st Hit – Collect and rack the $14 in winnings (you now only have $10 of your money at risk)
  • 2^nd Hit – Press your bet to $24
  • 3^rd Hit – Collect and rack the $28 in winnings (now your up $20)
  • 4^th Hit – Press your bet to $48
• From here, you can either continue alternately ‘collecting’ and ‘pressing’ your bets through the end of the roll or take down your bets at any point in the progression you want.

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6 & 8 One Unit Continuous Press

• Place Bet both the (6) and (8) for $12 each (Total $24)
• Take these steps on the (6) and (8) independently
  • 1^st Hit – Win $14 – Press your bet by $6 to $18 (collect & rack $8)
  • 2^nd Hit – Win $21 – Press your bet by $6 to $24 (collect & rack $15)
  • 3^rd Hit – Win $28 – Press your bet by $6 to $30 (collect & rack $22)
  • 4^th Hit – Win $35 – Press your bet by $6 to $36 (collect & rack $29)
• Either continue to press one unit each time one of your numbers hits, or take down one or both of your bets at any point you want.

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6 & 8 – $72 Regression

Craps Hard 6 Release

• Place Bet both the (6) and (8) for $36 each (Total $72)
  • 1^st Hit – Win $42
  • Immediately take both the (6) and (8) down to $12 each
  • You’re now positive $18 and only have casino winnings on the table
• Use the (6) and (8) Collect and Press for the remainder of the shooter’s roll

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Craps Hard 6 Online

6 & 8 – 1-3-2-6 Positive Progression Strategy

• Place Bet both the (6) and (8) for $12 each (Total $24)
• Take these steps on the (6) and (8) independently
  • 1^st Hit – Win $14 – Drop $10 and press the bet to $36 (Net winnings = -$34)
  • 2^nd Hit – Win $42 – Drop your bet to $24 (Net winnings = $18)
  • 3^rd Hit – Win $28 – Drop $60 and press your bet to $72 (Net winnings = $0)
  • 4^th Hit – Win $84 – Take all bets down (Net winnings = $168)
• After taking your bets down and collecting your net winnings of $168, you can wait for the shooter’s roll to end or decide to start the betting progression over.

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6 & 8 – $48 Hit and Spread

• Place Bet both the (6) and (8) for $24 each (Total $48)
  • 1^st Hit – Win $28
  • Immediately take the (6) and (8) down to $12 each
  • Add the (5) and (9) for $10 each
• After the 1^st Hit, you’ll now have 4 inside numbers covered for a $16 investment.
• Utilize a collect and press strategy for the remainder of the roll.

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6 or 8 – Low Roller Inside Spread

• Place the (6) or (8) for $12 (Total $12)
  • 1^st Hit – Win $14 – Rack $2 and place the opposite number for $12 (Net = -$10)
  • 2^nd Hit – Win $14 – Collect and rack $14 (Net winnings = $4)
  • 3^rd Hit – Win $14 – Rack $4 and place the (5) or (9) for $10 (Net winnings = $8)
  • 4^th Hit – Win $14 – Rack $4 and place the opposite 5/9 for $10 (Net winnings = $12)
• You now have all inside numbers covered AND a $12 profit.
• Utilize the collect and press strategy for each number covered through the end of the roll.

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6 or 8 – Low Roller Run Up

• Place the (6) or (8) for $12 (Total $12)
  • 1st Hit – Win $14
    • Parlay your winnings and add $4 to your bet
    • Bet is now $30 – Total investment $16
  • 2nd Hit – Win $35
    • Parlay your winnings and add $1 to your bet
    • Bet is now $66 – Total investment of $17
  • 3rd Hit – Win $77
    • Take all bets down
• Collect $126 in winnings ($14+$35+$77) from a total investment of $17
• At this point, you can either start the strategy over or wait for the next shooter

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There are many other variations out there, and if you didn’t find one you’re comfortable with above, a quick google search will uncover many, many more.

Keep in mind, no strategy will change the house edge (casino advantage) on the bets placed. The goal is find the betting strategy that works for you and your bankroll and apply it at the right times at the table.

Feel free to share your own (6) and (8) betting strategies in the comments below.

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Please visit us at BlackChipClub.com

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If you have any questions, suggestions or recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

In the meantime…

BEST OF LUCK AT THE CASINOS!!!