GameMasters Secret's Page
The GameMaster's Secrets
Press the Odds

The essence of craps is to 'press' (increase) one's bets in order to take advantage of a perceived streak (which, in reality, may or may not occur), but as you do that, the casino's edge weighs more and more heavily on your bankroll. For example, if you bet $5 on the Pass line, the casino's 1.4% edge on that bet gives you an expectation of losing 7 cents. In actuality, you'll win or lose $5, but the mathematical expectation is to lose 1.4% of $5. If you press your bet to $10, the expectation is to lose 14 cents, a $20 bet costs 28 cents, etc. Do you understand the concept of mathematical expectation? The idea here is that the casino has an edge on every bet you make at craps. Some are small, like a Pass line bet, where it's 1.4%, and some are quite large, like a field bet which may have an edge of 5.26% or more. Now, you're betting "X" dollars at a time and you'll win or lose that amount, so where does the idea of 7 cents come from? This is the long term result you'll have; if you play hour after hour and record the number of bets you make, it will eventually work out that each 'decision' (a 7, 11, 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out or a 7 after a point has been established) in the game will have cost you 7 cents. For example, you'll see about 60 decisions an hour at a craps game and, if you bet $5 on the line each time, you'll experience $300 worth of decisions and the house edge will have taken 1.4% of that. In reality, you might be up $50 or down a hundred, but keep at it long enough and the odds will have their way. So, every time you bet $5 on the pass line, you're giving the casino 7 cents. Press the bet and you're increasing the amount you're giving to the house.

But pressing is the 'thrill' of craps, because you don't know when the next streak is going to begin and it's great to start with five bucks, then find yourself making fifty-dollar bets and winning! But a $50 bet has an expectation of -70 cents and and at a rate of 60 decisions an hour, your expectation is to pay the house 60 X 70 cents = $42 an hour! That's a lot of money and there's no reason to pay that much, if your favorite casino offers multiple free odds.

A lot of craps players don't understand the odds bet and most casinos don't offer the novice a lot of help in that regard. It's really simple, but you need to understand the bet thoroughly if you want a shot at winning. The odds bet is, first of all, completely optional. While you must make a 'line' bet (Pass or Don't Pass) in order to place an odds bet, you don't have to 'take the odds' if you don't want to. Believe me, you want to. The other important aspect of the odds bet is that the house doesn't have an edge on the bet. Yes, you read it correctly: the casino has no edge on an odds bet, it is paid at 'true' odds. Why would the casino offer such a bet? Because they have to. It's a competitive factor and if a casino dropped the free odds, their craps tables would resemble the Sahara Desert. For years, a player could only place 'single' odds, that is, an odds bet that was no higher than the line bet. Thus, if you bet $5 on the line, your odds bet was restricted to a maximum of $5. That was a pain when the shooter's point was a 5 or 9, because those odds are 3 to 2, so a winning $5 odds bet had to be paid $7.50 and casinos hate having to mess with quarters at a craps table. So, some casinos began allowing a $6 odds bet on a $5 line bet, if the point was a 5 or 9. An odds bet of $5 works for a point of 4 or 10, because that pays 2 to 1 and it also works on a point of 6 or 8, because those pay 6 to 5. But this 'rounding up' began a trend called 'full' odds which gave the player a little break by allowing him to get some extra $$$ down on the odds bet. This worked really well if the player bet three units on the line, because he could then place three units for odds on a 4 or 10, four units for a 5 or 9 and five units for a 6 or 8. But the house liked it because the line bet, where they have the edge, was bigger.

When multiple odds came out, it changed the way a smart player should bet, but if you observe a table in action today, you'll see that most players are still putting multiple bets on the line, especially if the shooter has made a couple of passes. If that's how you play, STOP! You were smart enough to find us here, now be smart enough to listen to my advice. Always, always bet the minimum on the line. If you want to up your bet, do it on the odds only. Let's say you're at a $5 table and a new shooter is about to begin, so you put $5 on the Pass line. The shooter throws a 7. Winner! Your impulse is to let the $10 'ride'. Don't. Pull the $5 profit back and leave $5 on the line. The next roll is 11, another front-line winner, and now you're cursing me, because you just won $5 and it could have been $10. But remember, the shooter could have also thrown a 2, 3 or 12 and you would have lost $10. So, anyway, the shooter has two passes and now s/he rolls a 4. If you think the player is going to roll the 4, place $5 or $10 behind the line and go with it. If the point is made, you have to start with just a line bet, so keep it at $5. If another point is thrown, add to the odds bet by putting down $20 or $30. Yes, you are risking more $$$, but I assume you know that and would have done it anyway, except you would have pressed the line bet, thus increasing your 'tax' to the casino. Remember that a $25 line bet has an expectation of -35 cents, but a $5 line bet with $20 odds has an expectation of -7 cents. In each case, it seems like you're risking $25, but the real risk is 35 cents or 7 cents. As the roll progresses, keep five bucks on the line, stop moaning when the shooter throws 7 or 11 and press the odds. After 15 or 20 hours of this type of play, you'll sing songs of the GameMaster's wisdom to the children of your village.

Another important point about odds bets is that they may be removed at anytime. Don't you dare touch that line bet, but you may pick up an odds bet, if you wish (except, of course, when the dice are actually 'in the air'). So if, in the middle of a roll, you have a change of heart about the shooter, pick up your odds and you're back to the $5 bet. And remember that this also works for you "don't" bettors; you're laying the odds, but the same principles apply.

So, what's the catch? I can practically guarantee that the first time you try this, the shooter will throw 5 or 6 sevens and elevens in a row and you'll still have a $5 bet on the line, instead of the $25 you might have had. But how often have you seen that? Yes, you're giving up some opportunity wins, but you are, in the long run, saving a bunch of $$$.

As always, I wish you luck.