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My Favorite R oulette Strategy

I have not played a great deal of roulette in my many years of casino gambling. My favorite game is craps. However, in my attempts at playing roulette, I have developed a strategy that appears to work well for me during the times that I have tried it. The theory behind it was developed from email conversations that I have had with people who work in casinos. I was told that the croupiers (dealers) at a roulette wheel sometimes practice trying to control where they land. Also, it seems that if you do the exact same thing, then it will land in the same area of the wheel. You must understand that the numbers on the wheel are not in numerical order, as they are on the table where you place your bets.

This made sense to me, when I heard it. My mind went back a number of years to when I was doing volunteer work at a carnival booth at my church. It was a tic-tac-toe booth... the nine space layout (three in each direction) was there and people threw three baseballs underhand to land there. If they made tic-tac-toe either across or diagonally they won a prize. Well, I was there all day. Sometimes we were not busy, so I was practicing and trying to get people to come and play the game. By the end of the day, I got to where I could make it almost every time. When I got off "duty" and came back to the carnival with my wife, I played this tic-tac-toe. I won almost every time!! So, it makes sense that a croupier at a roulette wheel could do the same thing.

But, that is too easy. If they can make me win, then they can also make me lose. So, we must watch for the right situation and the right croupier. After a long day, they get tired, or lazy. They will spin the wheel the same way all of the time and it will land in the same area. Have you ever watched "Wheel of Fortune" on television? At about 12 minutes before the program ends, Alex spins the wheel himself. Have you even noticed how often he lands either on $5,000 or within one space of it on either side? Watch for that and you will see that it happens very often. Also, have you ever noticed that when the contestants spin the wheel, it frequently lands very close to where it landed before? Three or four people in a row will land on the same bankrupt spot... or close to it... did you ever notice that?

I have devised a method for taking advantage of this phenomenon. You don't have to spend any money to test it. Just make up a card, like the one here. You can type it yourself or use cut and paste on your computer. I have mine laminated in plastic and reduced to business card size. People rarely even notice that I am using it. Then, go to a casino where they have what I call a "Marquis," which is a large board that displays about the last 20 or so numbers that came out on the wheel in front of you. Look at those numbers and write them down on a piece of paper (starting with the oldest one, and ending with the newest one), or stand close by and go over them using the card that I have provided. See if it works for you. If you are not satisfied that it works, then don't play it. If you try it for a while and feel confident, then try it with real money and see what happens. If you lose... don't play it any more.

There is one more very important thing to do when you play this method. You are looking for dealer bias and not wheel bias. This means that you must watch that you are betting with the same dealer that was spinning when the 4 numbers came up.

If you win, tell me about it. Click Here

IMPORTANT NOTE: The numbers are entirely different on a "European Wheel" which has only the one zero (and no double zero) than they are on an "American Wheel." There are not very many of these wheels with only one zero available in the United States. I know of one in Binions' in Las Vegas that is a "European Wheel."

Now, let's get down to the method itself.

I am betting on the two numbers on each side of the last number (total of four numbers). This means on the WHEEL and not on the table where you place your bets. I could also have bet on the number itself, but the way that I am doing it here is less complicated. Also, it seems that if the croupier is just lazy, it appears to land "around" the last number but rarely on it. If s/he is doing it intentionally, then that is a different matter.

I also find that it is advisable to only play if the croupier is looking at the wheel, even if just for a glance, when s/he lets go of the ball. It may still work if they do not look at the wheel, but I like it better this way. Because of this phenomenon that I am describing, some casinos instruct the croupiers not to look at the wheel when they let go of the ball.

A further strong suggestion is that you only bet it 2 times. If you don't win after two spins, then stop. Either go to another table, or wait for a different croupier, or another win. Or all of the above. It is more than a suggestion. Think of it as a rule. If you just sit there and keep playing, you will probably lose. I was lucky during the development of this method and won when I played by just keeping on betting. I now believe that it is much better to do it by only making two bets that lose. Also stop when they change dealers.

I made charts for this. See below. The two charts are entirely different.

Remember that the number on the left is the last number on which the ball landed on the wheel. The four numbers to the right of it (in the same box) are the 4 single numbers that you will bet. When you win, you will get paid 35 to 1 plus your bet back. Remember to remove the one unit that is your original bet, because they will leave that bet on the table. You then make the next bet by looking up that number. As long as you do not lose two in a row, you keep on betting (unless they change dealers, in which case you will also stop betting). When you lose two in a row, then stop and re-qualify the dealer... or go to another wheel.

Roulette 0-00
0 2   9 14 28 12   8 19 25 29 25 10 12 27 29

00 1 10 13 27 13 1 00 24 36 26 9 11 28 30

1 00 13 27 36 14 0 2 23 35 27 00 1 10 25

2 0 14 28 35 15 3 22 24 34 28 0   2   9   26

3 15 24   34 36 16 4 21 23 33 29 8 10 12 25

4 16 23 33 35 17 5 20 22 32 30 7 9 11 26

5 17 22 32 34 18 6 19 21 31 31 6 8 18 19

6 18 21   31 33 19 8 12 18 31 32 5 7 17 20

7 11 20 30 32 20 7 11 17 32 33 4   6 16 21

8 12 19 29   31 21 6 16 18 33 34 3 5 15 22

9 0 26 28 30 22 5 15 17 34 35 2 4 14 23

10 00 25 27 29 23 4 14 16 35 36 1 3 13 24

11 7 20 26   30 24 3 13 15 36

Roulette single zero
0 3 15 26 32 13 6 11 27 36 26   0   3 32 35

1 14 16 20 33 14 1 9 20 31 27   6 13 34 36

2   4 17 21 25 15 0   4 19 32 28   7 12 29 35

3 0    12 26 35 16 1   5   24 33 29   7 18 22 28

4 2 15 19 21 17 2 6   25 34 30   8 11 23 36

5 10    16 23 24 18   7 9 22 29 31   9 14 20 22

6 13    17 27 34 19   4 15 21 32 32   0 15 19 26

7 12 18 28 29 20   1 14 31 33 33   1 16 20 24

8 10 11 23 30 21   2    4 19   25 34   6 17 25 27

9 14 18 22 31 22 9 18 29   31 35   3 12 26 28

10 5 8 23 24 23   5 8   10 30 36 11 13 27 30

11 8 13 30 36 24 5 10 16 33

12 3 7 28 35 25    2 17 21 34

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Slot machine method

This is my uncle's favorite Slot Machine playing method:

Arbitrarily go to a slot machine that you like. A unit is the amount that it takes to play the machine effectively. For example, a dollar machine that takes 3 coins to play, would have $3 as the unit. A quarter machine that only takes one coin to play the way that you want to play, has a 25 cent unit. And so forth. You only invest a maximum of 5 units in any one machine... keep moving around until you hit a Jackpot! So, you keep playing until you either hit the Jackpot or lose all of the money that you have allocated to this venture.

My uncle also has a variation of this. He says that 7 is his lucky number. Personally, I do not believe in "luck." Anyway, he will often run 7 units through the machine. Then, when he is doing this, he will stop playing that machine if he loses the 7 units with no wins, or if he wins any one time no matter what it is. Then he will go to another machine. This will go on until he either loses the money that he has allocated to this venture, or hits a jackpot.

Blackjack Basic Strategy
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This is my own interpretation of BlackJack Basic Strategy (see below for my own simulator playing strategy):
If you disagree with any of it, please let me know.... I have never played BlackJack in a casino.

17 to 21 Always stand
13 to 16 Hit if dealer has 7 to Ace
12 Hit if dealer has 2,3, or 7 to Ace
Soft 18 Hit if dealer has 9 to Ace
Hit ALL Soft hands 17 or under
Except when you "Double Down" Splitting [Never split 5 or 10]

9's if dealer has 2 to 6, 8 to 9
8's if dealer has 2 to 8
7's if dealer has 2 to 7
6's if dealer has 2 to 6
5's NEVER
4's if dealer has 4 to 6
3's if dealer has 2 to 7
2's if dealer has 2 to 7
Aces if dealer has 2 to 8 Double Down [ONLY with]

8 if dealer has 5 or 6
9 if dealer has 3 to 6
10 if dealer has 3 to 7

Double Down on SOFT Hands

17 or 18 if dealer has 3 to 6
14, 15, 16 if dealer has 4 to 6
13 if dealer has 5 or 6

I have devised on my BJ simulator a method that seems to do very well. I really don't know how it can be played in a casino without keeping records in order to know how much to bet. It does not require any card counting at all. You start by betting one unit, which we will for this example consider to be $5. Keep betting $5 until you win. Each time that you are ahead (not just even, but ahead) it will end the series and you will start a new series at the $5 level. If you are not ahead when you win, then you add $5 to the bet that you will be making from then on. You do this each time that you win a bet. Stop adding and go back to $5 when you are ahead at least a dollar. I found that you do have to use doubling down and splitting. When I tried it with no splitting nor doubling, it lost very quickly. When I went back to it then I started to win again. If you try this in a casino, let me know how you make out, and how you are able to keep track of the information. You must know how much you are losing so that you will know when you are ahead... does anybody know of any easy way to do this without using a pen and pad?

[Note: I got a reply to this question, and here it is: "I play with two stacks of chips....a 'playing stack' and a 'win stack' (or win bank). Whenever you are up one unit you put that chip in a separate stack.....NEVER to be touched that session. You always bet out of your playing stack. By doing this you accomplish two things: 1. You can always look at your 'win stack' to know exactly how far you have been ahead. 2. You will rarely lose your entire session amount because usually you have some money in your win bank. e.g. Using your $5 unit for an example.....Say you buy in for $100 (20 units) and this is all you will lose at this session.....Let's say you have been playing 45 minutes or so and have accumulated 9 units in your win bank.....Now you hit a losing steak and lose the 20 units in your playing stack.....QUIT THE SESSION....Your loss is only 11 units instead of 20.]

You do not necessarily have to use the basic strategy as it is above, but something like it... for example you might want to only double down with the 10, not the soft hands nor the 8 or 9. A certain amount of doubling down is absolutely necessary because that is a time when the player has the advantage. Good luck, and please let me know if it works for you. I am winning $1501 with $5 units as of August 4, 2000. Actually, for the first $200 or so I was using $1 units... that means that it would be another $1000 if I had used $5 units. Besides that, it only paid single on the blackjack when I was betting only one dollar. That was my reason for raising it to $5 units.

There was a place where I was winning almost $1900 with the simulator, and then I just could not get ahead. I finally just gave up when I was behind almost $4000 (counting the winnings... in actual funds I lost almost $2000). So, I will have to go back to "square one." I did not really want to play blackjack anyway. Maybe you can figure out a way to do this ???? It seemed so easy up until then... finally it did a complete about face so that it could never win... I have seen this so often with so many method for craps and other games... I guess that is the house advantage catching up to us. The way to win seems to be to quit before this happens and then start to do something else... but, then there would probably be an impossible number of impossible results happening one after another to take all of our money eventually... do I sound discouraged? It is only temporary... I will soon resume my search for the Holy Grail of craps.... if I have not already found it with JPM.

This is like reading a murder mystery. You don't know what happens until the end... have fun, and good luck to you in all of your plays.

Here is my modified Basic Strategy for BJ. It is easier to remember and it is what I am using for my testing purposes...

Soft 18 if Dealer has 9 to Ace   HIT
Soft 17 or 18 if dealer has 3 to 6 DOUBLE DOWN
17 to 21       STAND
17 or under ALL Soft hands …   HIT
13 to 16 if dealer has 7 to Ace    HIT
12 if dealer has 2,3 or 7 to Ace    HIT
10 if dealer has 3 to 7    DOUBLE DOWN
8’s & Aces if dealer has 2 to 8 SPLIT

Winning at Slots

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This is Jim talking: I have often looked for this situation when I have been in a casino, and I have not been able to find it!! However, somebody did send this to me claiming it is a good method for playing the slots, so I thought that I would pass it on:

Look for a machine that is a three reeler and has a cherry in the middle. Sit down and start playing! One study found that machines lined up like this almost always paid out at least a small jackpot within five or six pulls! Play it until it feels cold. You can usually get a few payoffs from a machine like this. You should not play it more than 7 to 10 pulls at the most if you are not winning.

You must understand that the problem is finding an "old fashioned" reel type slot that only has the three reels without all of the fancy gizmos. The weird part of this is that I have a slot simulation program and this has actually worked out on several occasions when I played that !! It surprised me, because it is obviously just a quirk and nothing to do with a real winning method. There is no logical reason for it to work... but it makes it tempting to try. I will keep trying to find one in a casino that is in this position.

Easy Roulette Method

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Very simple... you merely bet one unit on each of the last four numbers (including the immediate last one) that have come out.

This is substantially modified as of September 29, 2000. The key to this appears to be dealer bias, therefore you must be sure to qualify the dealer and not the table. I will clarify this in the details below.

Details: You are at the table and one number spins... say it is 15. No bet is made. Then let's say that the second spin that you observe is 17. No bet is made. The third spin is 31. No bet is made. The fourth spin is 2, so after you observe the fourth spin, you would not bet. The next spin is 31 (again)... you now qualify this dealer. One of the last 4 numbers has come out while he was spinning the wheel. So, for the next spin you would bet one unit each on 15,17,2,31 (drop the first 31 and keep the rest of the numbers, adding 31 to the end). The next spin is 5. You lose. So your next bet would be 17,2,31,5 (one unit each). The next spin is 2. You win and get paid 32 chips plus the one that remains on number 2. The next bet is on 17,31,5,2. The next spin is 8. You lose. The next bet is on 31,5,2,8. The next spin is 12. You lose this second bet after the win. Leave the table and wait until either this dealer or another one qualifies again. If there is a change of dealers you are to immediately stop betting (or re-start your count) and qualify the new dealer.

If there is a board that tells you the past numbers, then you can start by watching the numbers on that board. I call this board a "Marquis." Follow the same rules as above. It is important that you qualify the dealer and not the wheel. Start over every time that there is a change of dealer or two consecutive losses.

If you like this, then you may want to see another roulette method that I created. It works on the same general principle, but it is much more refined. If so, just click here.... My Favorite Roulette Method

This is the rec.gambling.craps Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Craps in Atlantic City.

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AC FAQ last modified: June 14, 2000.

This FAQ was taken over by Jim Ferr, The System Man, during September of 1999. I have never even seen an Atlantic City casino. This material was set up by ACMarc, who wished to "retire" from the gambling scene. I thought AC FAQ was a necessity and have kept it. If anybody wishes to take over the job of keeping it updated, and posted to rec.gambling.craps, please feel free to contact me at JimFerr@aol.com. I will not be posting it to rec.gambling.craps. I will post a notice on rec.gambling.craps which will give this address for those interested in reading it.

Comments, additions or updates to this FAQ should be submitted to: JimFerr@aol.com. Your comments, especially on subjective questions, will make this FAQ more useful. Please include "FAQ" in the header so I can find it easier from among my other email and spam.

I am not keeping it updated on any regular basis... only if things are called to my attention and/or are so old as to be useless.

Thanks to these contributors

acmarc@aol.com (AC Marc)
marcs1@pipeline.com (Marc L. Salzman)
mpparisi@ellis.uchicago.edu (Mark Parisi)
maddogg@wam.umd.edu (madd0gg)
whd@bbt.com (Walt Davis)
rjs@mindspring.com (R. J. Surgi, Jr.)
winwayz@aol.com (Al Krigman)
mlw2d@kelvin.seas.virginia.edu (Mike Woosley)
irenegade@worldnet.att.net (renegade)
jonevans@csc.umd.edu (Jon Evans)
bernie624@aol.com (Bernie624)
seven7out@aol.com (Seven7out)
ginigma@ultracom.net (Charles)
tabernac@aol.com
biggmcc@aol.com (Bob)
pimp@erols.com (Mike Patanjo)
sdgolf@aol.com (Scott Douglas)
scan720@aol.com (Morton Parge)
ksmith37@worldnet.att.net (Kevin Smith)
rander3567@aol.com (Rander the roller)
oreconf@aol.com (OreconF)
rlg88@home.com (Rich Green)
danh@intercall.net (Daniel J. Haurey)
rbowlby@adelphia.net (Robert Bowlby)
arthh@concentric.net (Art Hoffman)

... and those too shy to be included here.

-------------------------------------

Prerequisites

- Knowledge of the game of craps.

- Understanding of odds, tokes, and table minimums.

If you do not understand the above, go to the rec.gambling.craps FAQ and learn the game. You might also try my site which has materials on how to play the game. It can be found at Jim The System Man http://members.aol.com/jimferr/JimTheSystemMan.html

-------------------------------------

Table of Contents Return to top of this FAQ

AC1: What is the difference between craps in Atlantic City and other places?

AC2: Which casino has the best odds in AC?

AC3: Which casino has the best and worst playing conditions in AC?

AC4: Which casino has the highest / lowest minimums in AC?

AC5: Which casinos give away cash back and match-play coupons to craps players?

AC6: Who is the Pumpkin Man?

AC7: What are Mini-Craps and Mini-Dice?

AC8: What is Flash Dice or Mini-Just Dice?

AC9: Should I use casino credit? How does it work?

AC10: What is the best way to get around town from casino to casino?

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Q: AC1 What is the difference between craps in Atlantic City and other places? (3/99)

A: AC1 The New Jersey Casino Control Commission heavily regulates how casinos take bets and make things consistent among the properties. Because of CCC regulations:

- There is no "Big 6/8" bet. Any bet on the 6 or 8 (except line bets) must be place bets.

- Put bets are not allowed. Most dealers don't even know what a put bet is.

- Chips are standard colors and size for all casinos:

$1 White
$2.50 Pink - used for BJ, not actively at dice
$5 Red
$10 Blue - commemorative chips
$20 Yellow - used for Baccarat & Pai Gow Poker, not actively at dice
$25 Green
$100 Black
$500 Purple
$1,000 Orange - oversized
$5,000 Gray - oversized
$10,000 Numbered plaque - never(?) used at craps table

Unlike in Vegas, there are no special oversized chips from the Baccarat tables; one size fits all.

- The table minimum, table maximum and available odds -- i.e. double odds, 5x odds -- must be posted at each table. The odds notice is usually located just under the box-person.

- At all casinos, come bet odds and hardway bets are not working on the come-out roll unless a player says otherwise.

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Q: AC2 Which casino has the best odds in Atlantic City?

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A: AC2 It varies not only from casino to casino, but also from table to table within a casino. Most A.C. casinos have some tables where 5x odds are available, but other tables at the same property may have 2x or 3x odds.

Below is a list of properties and available odds.

Notes:

- 2x odds - Normally twice the flat bet.
Lay: to win 2x flat bet.
- 3x odds - Three times the flat bet.
Lay: to win 3x flat bet.
3/4/5 odds - Exactly 3x the flat bet for a 4 or 10, 4x the flat bet for a 5 or 9, and 5x the flat bet for a 6 or 8.
Lay: 6x the flat bet to win 3/4/5x flat bet.
- Short 5x odds - 5x the flat bet, but with less rounding up.
Lay: to win 5x the flat bet.
- True 5x odds - 5x the flat bet, but with more rounding up.
Lay: to win 5x the flat bet.
- 10x odds - Exactly 10x the flat bet. Bet $14, take up to $140 odds.
Lay: to win 10x the flat bet.

An example of 'short' vs. 'true' 5x odds would be a flat bet of $30. Where 'short' odds are used, the highest odds bet on a 4/10 is $150, 5/9 is $150, 6/8 is $250. (Yeah, that's really 8.3x odds.) Where 'true' odds are used, the player can take $200 odds on the 5/9. The odds are 'rounded up' to a cleaner payout schedule. $150 odds on 5/9 begets $225; $200 odds begets $300. It is easier for a dealer to pay 3 black chips vs. 2 blacks & one green.

The sweet spots with true 5x odds are with flat bets of $15, $30, $75 and $150. For example, a $15 flat bet lets you put $125 odds on the 6/8, the same as if your flat bet is $20 or $25. At $30 you can take $250 odds, same as $40 & $50.

Dates show when the property was last checked or when feedback was provided. Some casinos advertise which are their 5x tables with an overhead sign, while other casinos make you look for them.

Hilton (5/00) True 5x, all tables

Tropicana (5/00) True 5x, all tables

Trump Plaza (5/00) True 5x on 1 - 3 tables at Trump Plaza, 2x on all other tables

Caesars (5/00) True 5x, 1-4 tables, usually located under the escalator, and 2x, all other tables

Bally's Wild Wild West (5/00) 5x 1-2 tables, and 2x all other tables

Bally's Park Place (5/00) 2x, all tables

Claridge (5/00) True 5x, 1-2 tables and 3x all other tables

Sands (9/99) True 5x, 1-2 tables downstairs and 2x all other tables

Resorts (5/00) True 5x, all tables

Taj (5/00) 10x 1-2 tables and 2x all other tables

Showboat (5/00) True 5x all tables

Harrah's (8/99) True 5x, 1-2 tables and 2x, all other tables. The 5x tables are closed during way off-peak times, but you can play 5x odds at the 2x odds tables if you ask.

Trump Marina (8/99) 10x, 0-2 tables and 2x, all other tables. During off-peak hours (usually midnight to noon), the 10x tables are closed - only 2x odds available.

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Q: AC3 Which casino has the best and worst playing conditions, i.e. quality of dealers, in AC?

A: AC3 Since most casinos have 5x odds tables or better, the flow of the game and effectiveness of the dealers becomes a more important determinant as to where to play craps. Beverage service and floor-person behavior is also important.

This is a subjective question. However, most contributors believe that Caesars and Harrah's have the best dealers while Claridge and Sands have the worst.

Below are notes on properties from ACMarc's personally observed, and contributed experiences. Dates show when comments were last updated. Your experiences may be different. If so, please let us know.

Hilton (5/00)

- Some dealers can't keep up with the pace, but they are consistently friendly and appreciative of players giving tokes. Box-people and pit workers are very friendly and supportive of players. Box-people are very alert to any errors made or missed. Pit workers take a passive approach to table management; they rarely step in unless absolutely necessary. Beverage service is frequent and friendly.

Tropicana (5/00)

- Dealers tend to try hard and keep a good sense of humor, despite the behavior of floor staff.
- The pit workers don't like people very much, especially customers. They can be surly, slow to accept rating cards, and rarely even consider resolving disputes in a customer's favor. Mantra for a Tropicana floor-person: The customer is never right. Some floor-people are known to make racist and sexist comments while in the pit, where customers can hear. They can also berate the dealers in a way that could be considered harassment. Some floorpeople are bigots, exhibiting preference to white-male dealers and disfavor towards dealers of the female gender or ethnic minorities.

- Beverage service is fairly frequent. There is an inverse relationship between the appearance and attitude of the beverage servers.

Trump Plaza (5/00)

- The dealers are generally competent but sarcastic and rude. Many are expressionless and add little to the atmosphere.
- Box-men sometimes miss errors and are easily distracted in conversations with other pit people.
- Beverage service is downright lousy in the craps pit.

Caesars (5/00)

- Likely the fastest tables in A.C. The dealers move very fast in making payouts, collecting losing bets, and placing bets. And they do so with accuracy and flair. They keep tables moving, but watch each other to keep the pace from going too fast. The stick-person often checks with dealers to make sure they have booked all the bets before sending out the dice. Dealers often openly root for the shooter. This is the only A.C. casino where the dealers truly work in sync, as a team. Toking dealers like these actually feels good.
- The best dealers are routinely placed on the 5x tables under the escalator, but those working the 2x tables are just about as good.
- Box-persons are highly alert. They watch player routines, and are quick to politely check with a player if a routine bet doesn't take place.
- Disputes (i.e. size of bet made, if a bet was made, was it or wasn't it a roll) are commonly settled in the player's favor, regardless of the size of the bet. Pit bosses are accommodating.
- When a high roller is staying, Caesars will reserve a spot for that person. Sometimes they add additional 5x tables so that high-rollers get their own tables but mid-rollers are not left in the lurch. It's not uncommon to find 2 $100 5x and 2 $10 - $25 5x tables. When the high-roller plays, dealers are careful to give him special consideration but not neglect other players at the table.
- Beverage service is infrequent and slow. Players often wait 20-30 minutes for a beverage server then another 20-30 minutes for their drink, especially at the high limit and other 5x tables under the escalator.

Bally's Wild Wild West (5/00)

- Dealers are fair and friendly.
- Floor-staff is very friendly and accommodating.
- Beverage service is downright lousy during busy times, but good during off-peak times.

Bally's Park Place (9/99)

- Dealers are competent but have a general 'no care' attitude. This attitude does not change at the presence of tokes.
- Floor-people are slow to take care of customers and are just plain jaded.
- The casino is not well-lighted. It is often difficult to see how the dice land because of shadows.
- Beverage service is sporadic.

Claridge (5/99)

- Most dealers are "newbies", they seem like they are in training. They tend not to be very bright and not used to taking care of medium-or high-rollers. Did you hear the about the dealer that quit his job at Claridge? His I.Q. went up 20 points.
- Recent reports suggest that dealer attitude is back to the "Smaller is friendlier" motto, especially at the mini-dice table.
- High-rollers are rare; green chip play causes the pit crew to freak out.
- Disputes (i.e. size of bet made, if a bet was made, was it or wasn't it a roll) are taken seriously and often settled in the player's favor, but not automatically or excessively so.
- Dealers fail to recognize or thank customers for tokes.
- Guys: their female dealers are not attractive.
- Beverage service is infrequent and slow. They rarely serve top-shelf beverages.

Sands (9/99)

- Many dealers and pit workers here personify the New Jersey "up yours" attitude that motivate people living an hour away from A.C. to fly to Vegas. The management does not like craps players, and the attitude passes through the pit bosses to the dealers. These are often the rudest dealers in A.C.
- Dealers often place more attention on conversations with each other than taking care of players.
- Almost the opposite of Harrah's and Caesars, the craps dealers get upset with people who often change bets, fail to thank players who toke them or make a bet for them, and sometimes even yell at players and at each other. Dispute with a dealer? Tough.
- Sands no longer gives advance notice of table minimum increases. A.C. casinos are no longer required to give 1/2 notice, but it remains customary in other properties.
- Dealers fail to recognize or thank customers for tokes.
- Beverage servers have the same attitude. They even get sarcastic when toked a dollar -- "only a dollar; gee, thanks."

Resorts (5/00)

- Resorts was the first to offer 5x odds, so some dealers have seen it all. However, many of the dealers are newbies. (Did the experienced ones leave when Sun took over?) They are easily frightened of green & black chip action.
- Dealers do not rotate much between craps and other types of table games. They remember regular players from previous trips (and tips). They are basically friendly and courteous.
- Boxpeople and floor-people handle disputes fairly, usually in the player's favor, but not enough so to be taken advantage of. If the customer disputes a dealer's action and the box-person did not see it, the floor-person has no problem checking with "the man upstairs".
- Beverage service is more frequent in the middle aisle vs. the aisle near the high limit slots.

Taj (5/00)

- Efficient and usually friendly.
-Caters to higher rollers. If you play at the same table as a high roller, recognize that all the tokes in the world may not get you priority on bets. Taj dealers give priority to the largest betters. Say a $50 better cries, "Send the dice!" and you are a $10 player who needs time to call your bets, with a dealers' bet on the line -- too bad. When it comes to disputes with dealers, big betters get better treatment than the low- and mid-rollers.
-Most dealers are friendly, alert and personable. They adapt to player systems and routines and politely point out when the player deviates. They are willing to slow down the game or speed it up as requested, and may make favorable 'mistakes' when toked.
- Floor-people and other pit workers are notably friendly and outgoing.
- Beverage service is frequent. Taj is an equal opportunity beverage service employer; the servers are guys & gals of different backgrounds. All servers are courteous.

Showboat (7/99)

- Dealers and pit personnel are friendly and supportive of players, often interceding to correct errors in favor of the customers. Dice are returned to the shooter without delay, resulting in a speedy game.
- Dealers advise players when odds on bets are forgotten, and are very appreciative tokes made for them, win or lose. They have been known to make a "mistake" or two in favor of a toking customer.
- Box-people get distracted often.
- Beverage service varies.

Harrah's (9/99)

- The dealers and floorstaff here are consistently the friendliest in Atlantic City, and it shows. They encourage this attitude with their dealers. The dealers are efficient, but not always fast. Sometimes, they'll take the time to chat with players or even tell a joke or two. (If someone calls, 'Send the dice, they'll speed up because it's what the customer wants.) The pit bosses do not appear to push dealers to move fast; that would make the games less friendly. Dealers at tables that are open but not active enjoy chatting with players. One dealer mused, "Two things will get you great treatment here: jokes and tokes." He paused, then added, "But not in that order."
- The dealers for their mini-craps table are especially friendly and helpful. It appears that the best dealers get put on mini-craps.
- Pit workers have been somewhat crabby lately.
- Beverage service is frequent during the weekends, but very slow during the week.

Trump Marina (8/98)

- The dealers here are pretty fast, pretty nice, pretty smart. Not the best, not the worst. They are starting to catch on to the young crowd, and offering more of a good time than just dealing craps. They are friendly.
- Dealers seem to have a better attitude than floor-staff. Some pit critters are abrupt and rude, most are just plain surly. Maybe seeing all those 20 somethings makes them feel old.

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Q: AC4 Which casino has the highest / lowest minimums in AC?

A: AC4 Typically, Claridge has the lowest minimums, Taj and Tropicana have the highest minimums, and the other casinos will have a mix of high and low limit tables.

"All boats rise with the tide." Generally, table minimums tend to rise at all properties during peak times and be low during off-peak. Saturday afternoon and nights, Sunday midday, anytime during holiday weekends are peak times. Off-peak would be Sunday after 6 p.m. and weekdays before 6 p.m. Saturday nights during the cold winter months are often off-peak times for the casinos, except for holiday weekends like Presidents' Day or MLK Day.

Minimums will be higher in the summer than the winter, because more people flock to AC in the summertime. On really peak times such as New Year's or the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, minimums will be extremely high. Major events, such as a boxing match or headliner show, also raise the minimums.

The "premier" casinos have higher minimums or will raise their minimums earlier than other casinos. For example, you will not find a $5 table at the Taj on a Saturday night. You will, however, likely see a fully packed $100 table. The Claridge, which drools over $25 betters, would be more likely to host Saturday night $5 action. Harrah's caters to the middle roller, so has few high limit tables. Those who can command a higher minimum, will.

Below is a list of casinos and their typical table minimums:

Hilton (5/00)

$5 - $25 off-peak, $10 - $50 peak. Rarely a $5 table. If a headliner is playing, all tables: $25 - $100. Liza Minelli or Bill Cosby = Outrageous minimums

Tropicana (5/00)

$5 - $25 way off-peak, $5 - $25 off-peak, $10 - $50 peak (winter), $15 - $50 peak (Summer).

Trump Plaza (5/00)

Plaza: Mid-range on minimums. Keeps at least one $25 table, usually, and one $5 during peak times. 5x: Never under $10, usually $25. 2x: $5 - $10 off-peak, $5 - $25 peak.

Caesars (5/00)

5x: $10 off peak, $10 - $100 peak. Usually has 2 $100 tables on weekends. 2x: $5 off peak, $10 -$25 peak.

Bally's Wild Wild West (5/00)

5x: $5 - $15 off peak, $15 - $25 peak, rarely under $10 on weekends.

Bally's Park Place (5/00)

Mid-range on minimums, unless hosting an event that night. 2x: $5 - $25 off peak, $10 - $25 peak, rarely under $10.

Claridge (9/99)

5x: $5 or $10 off-peak, $10 - $25 peak. 3x: $5 off-peak, $5 - $25 peak (winter), $10 - $25 peak (summer).

Sands (9/99)

5x: $10 way off-peak, $15 - $50 off-peak, $25 most of the time. 2x: $5 - $25 off-peak, $10 - $25 peak, but usually keeps one $5 table upstairs. The tables upstairs, including mini-craps, will have the lower minimums for the casino.

Resorts (5/00)

$5 way off peak, $5-$10 off peak, $10-$100 peak. Resorts does not have $15 minimum tables. From $10, the next higher level is $25.

Taj (5/00)

How high can it get? Taj tests the limits on table minimums. Up to $200. An active $500 table was sighted during the summer of 1995. 10x: Never under $25, and $50-$100 peak. 2x: $5-$10 off peak, $10-$25 peak.

Showboat (5/00)

$5 - $10 off-peak, $5 - $25 peak; sometimes hard to find tables under $10.

Harrah's (8/99)

Harrah's grandfathering policy makes this a good spot for someone who likes to play long sessions. If you start playing at a $5 table, and the table minimum increases, you can continue to play at a $5 level. (They won't volunteer this info at the table; you need to ask.)

5x: $5 - $25 off-peak, $10 - $25 peak.

2x: $5 - $10 off-peak, $5 - $10 peak (winter). mini-craps: $5 - $10.

When the 5x odds table is closed during way off-peak times, you can play 5x odds at the 2x tables until the 5x tables open for the day. However, you need to ask the floorperson first.

Trump Marina (7/98)

10x: *closed* way off-peak, $15-$25 off-peak, $25 peak.

2x: $5 - $10 off-peak, $10 - $25 peak.

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Q: AC5 Which casinos give away cashback and matchplay coupons to craps players?

A: AC5 Tricky question. Every casino has a different formula regarding how much to give away in free cash and matchplay. This formula can vary based on seasonality, geography, frequency of play, and other factors. For example, Taj tends to send lower value coupons for the same play in the summer when it gets more business. For a while, Caesars was sending coupons only to players living closer to the Connecticut casinos than to AC.

In addition to free money, depending on play, table players may also receive invites to parties, special drawings, bingo, or freeroll tournaments.

Also, the below info can change very quickly when the marketing office decides to changes it's schemes.

Hilton (5/00)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Quarterly matchplay mailings, with coupons good for 2 or 4 week periods.

Tropicana (5/00)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Bimonthly mailings with free chips redeemable via cash/comp kiosks on casino floor.
- If a customer is a switch-hitter - tables and slots - the amount of the mailing may be based on slot play.

Trump Plaza (5/98)

Coupons based on last trip play: ?
Periodic coupons: ?

Caesars (9/99)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Highly targeted, not to every player

Bally's Park Place & Wild Wild West (9/99)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: No

Claridge (5/99)

Coupons based on last trip play: Yes
Periodic coupons: ?
- Sends a 'cash back check' after a trip, amount based on last trip play, good for 60 days. Sometimes if you don't redeem it, the casino will follow-up with another check good for 60 days. Of course, the check is redeemable only at the casino.

Sands (9/98)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Match play in monthly mailings
- Very often, customers can choose the matchplay value when they redeem a coupon, i.e. $10, $15, or $25.

Resorts (5/00)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Matchplay, mailed monthly with coupons good each for one week.
- Table play accrues entries in special drawings.

Taj (5/00)

Coupons based on last trip play: No
Periodic coupons: Monthly, matchplay

Showboat

Coupons based on last trip play: ?
Periodic coupons: ?

Harrah's (8/99)

Coupons based on last trip play: Matchplay

Periodic coupons: No

- After a trip, Harrah's sends a matchplay coupon. Amount is typically the player's average bet or based on average bet from previous trip as determined by totaling place/buy bets, line/come bets, but not odds. Coupon values can run as high as $500.

Trump Marina (10/98)

Coupons based on last trip play: Matchplay (Also, chip coupons in the mail; sometimes free rooms)
Periodic coupons: ?(Usually free stuff if you're there on a certain day. Recently they've offered flashlights, radios, umbrellas, towels...)

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Q: AC6 Who is "the Pumpkin Man"? (5/97)

A: AC6 He's a high roller who shows up on occasional weekends at Taj or Caesars. The nickname the dealers bestowed him is based on the $1,000 chips he uses to bet. These oversized orange chips are nicknamed pumpkins.

He buys in at a 5x table with a marker of $20,000 or more. He bets $1,000 on the line, and takes $5,000 odds. He makes up to three $1,000 come bets, each with $5,000 odds.

The odds are always working, even on the come-out roll. After winning some bets, he'll take his odds down until a seven-out comes along. Then, he starts again with his $1,000 line bet. He never hedges or makes prop bets.

When the value of lessor chips paid out to him add up to $1,000, he immediately has them colored up to a pumpkin. Dealers are not to talk to him; no idle chat. If a player tries to talk to him, he'll ask for Security to move the player. And the security guard behind him will talk to that player.

He always plays in the first spot to the right of the stickperson. You can tell he's in town because that spot at the 5x tables is marked Reserved.

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Q: AC7 What are Mini-Craps and Mini-Dice? (5/98)

A: AC7 Mini-craps, also known as "Crap Shoot", is a sit-down version of craps. It was designed by two Harrah's dealers who worked the graveyard shift and came up with the idea while bored, according to a floorperson.

The rules and bets at the same as regular craps, as are the payoffs. The difference is the table. The table is a little larger than half the size of a standard craps table. Along the outside of the table are eight seats, one for each player. Only one dealer runs the game.

Even though most people can reach the speculative bets, the dealer places them for players. After each roll, the dealer goes around clockwise and asks everyone what bets the want to make and odds they want to take. After one pass, he'll ask if anyone has any other bets, then call "No more bets", and pass the dice to the shooter with a mini-stick. Once the player has the dice, no one can make any bets.

The shooter shoots the dice to the other side of the table. If both dice don't hit the back wall, the roll is automatically invalid. No boxperson is around to call an exception.

This game is slower paced than standard craps. The dealer moves slower, and the dice don't move until all bets are made. Gone are dealers who rush the dice out. Instead, players can relax as they play. The atmosphere is more casual, a little akin to Caribbean Stud, where people smile at each other and maybe even have a conversation.

According to a pit boss, mini-craps was introduced as a way to attract new people to the game, but it turns out to be a way to get people to return to the game. Older folks who liked the game but couldn't keep up with standard craps are loving mini-craps.

The game is slower paced. However, customers are rated with the same treatment as standard craps even though there are fewer decisions per hour. This is good for players interested in comps.

Because there is no boxperson looking over the dealer's shoulder, the maximum bets at mini-craps tables tend to be lower than at regular tables. This is to deter high rollers from playing.

Mini-dice is similar to mini-craps in that players sit at the table. However, this table has a stickperson and a dealer. The table is shaped a little differently and the pace is a little faster. However, all the bets are the same. Currently, mini-dice is found only at Claridge.

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Q: AC8 What is Flash Dice or Mini-Just Dice? (3/99)

A: AC8 Both are the same: a new game developed by a Taj pit boss and is exclusively at the Taj. It is a sit-down table game that uses two dice and bets from the craps table. There are four types of wagers offered, most with payouts like those at a craps table.

- "Any Seven" is a one roll bet which wins when the 7 rolls and loses when any other number rolls. This bet pays 4 to 1. House edge: a whopping 16.67%.

- "Over Seven" or "Under Seven" are one roll bets that pay even money. If a 7 rolls, both bets lose. House edge: 16.67%.

- "Field" is a one-roll bet that pays even money when a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 rolls and pays double when a 2 or 12 rolls.

- Some individual numbers can be bet. The wagers are active until won, when the number rolls, or loses, when a 7 rolls. Bets on "4" and "10" pay 9 to 5; "5" or "9" pay 7 to 5; "6" or "8" pay 7 to 6. Just like place bets.

All bets must be placed by seated players only prior to the dealer announcing "no more bets". Each player is responsible for the correct positioning of his or her own wagers. Two dice are offered to the players in a shaker on a rotating basis, passing to the next player a clockwise direction when a 7 rolls. The dice shaker must be shook three times by the player and kept in full view of the dealer at all times. The dealer removes the outer lid of the shaker, announces the total of the uppermost sides of the dice and then takes the non-winning bets and pays the winners.

There is no "come out roll", no intimidating boxperson, and little yelling. The table seats seven players in front of a dealer. The individual number bets (except 7) have the same payout of place bets on a craps table, and a decent house edge. The one-roll bets are sucker bets.

The name of the game used to be Mini-Just Dice, but was changed to Flash Dice so as to not confuse it with Mini-Dice and Mini-Craps.

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Q: AC9 Should I use casino credit? How does it work? (5/00)

A: AC9 All of the below applies to only Atlantic City casinos, as other jurisdictions have different policies.

Benefits of using casino credit include:

- No need to carry large amounts of cash to the casino.
- You can draw from your credit line at the table.
- If you lose, the marker will be deducted from your checking account after a waiting period.
- If you win well, you can get a check for your winnings. This means you don't have to carry large amounts of cash home from a casino.
- You are always rated when you play with casino credit, so you are more likely to be comped appropriately.
- Credit players are more likely to offered matchplay coupons and be invited to events, shows, drawings, freeroll tournaments, etc.
- Drawing a marker for chips, paying a marker with chips, and receiving a check for winnings are not considered cash transactions and therefore not subject to the IRS reporting rule for cash transactions exceeding $10,000.
- No ATM, debit card, or credit card fees.
- You can request a win/loss statement at the end of the year. A loss statement can be used to offset W2-G winnings - say, from horses or slots - on your tax return.

The downsides include:

- The casino keeps a detailed accounting of your play and wins/losses, which can be shared with the IRS if your are audited and/or suspected of fraud.
- Applications for casino credit sometimes result in a credit bureau inquiry, which appears on credit bureau reports. This can make it more difficult for you to receive credit cards, a mortgage, or other consumer loans.
- Your banker will know that you gamble.
- Your postman will know that you gamble, as you will be on the casino's mailing list. You can request not to receive mail, but then you will not get those great offers.
- Your credit line can be as much money as you have in the bank, so you can lose it all if you lack discipline.
- A cash buy-in to play takes less than a minute. Drawing a marker can easily take 3-10 minutes, by which time a hot roll may be over.

Setting up casino credit is easy:

- Call the casino a day or two before you visit and ask for a credit executive.
- Tell the executive that you want to get casino credit, and he (or she) will ask for information about you, your player's card number, and your checking account.
- The credit exec will ask for the amount of credit you would like. The minimum is $500, with a maximum being the amount of money in your account. If you are already a rated player, the credit exec may decide to give you a line based on your previous trips' buy-ins.
- If you have credit with other casinos, the exec can obtain most information through a Central Credit database, shared by all the properties. (This database lists the size of your credit lines at all A.C. casinos; how much you owe to any one; if you have any payments in transit; and the checking account used for the credit lines.) If not, you will need to provide bank account information in detail.
- When you arrive at the casino, visit the casino credit office with a voided check and two forms of positive ID (Driver's license, passport, etc.) The credit exec will copy all materials, take down information about your appearance, and request a signature for their files.
- The exec will then tell you how much your line will be.
- After ~10 minutes for the line to be entered in the casino's system, you are ready to draw a marker.

How to use casino credit to play craps after your credit line is established:

- Approach a table and request a marker.
- The floorperson will hand you a marker request form where you jot down your name, date of birth, amount requested, and bank name. You will also sign the form in a marked box.
- For your own protection, your signature will be checked against the one on file with your Casino Credit application. Sometimes, your appearance attributes will also be checked against those listed on your application.
- If everything matches and you have the credit available, a marker will be printed for that amount.
- A clerk will hand you the marker to sign. This is a legally binding note that you will repay the casino. You sign it.
- The dealer will hand you chips for that amount.
- Win some dough!

How to pay a casino credit marker:
(Note: Unlike Vegas, markers cannot be paid at the table. Once you sign the marker, it is immediately sent to the casino cage.)

If you had a winning session, pay with chips from your winnings at the casino cage.
- Present your players card and your chips, and tell the cashier that you want to pay your marker.
- The cashier will count your chips and obtain your marker. S/he will then return your marker to you after collecting chips for that amount.
- Other chips remaining can be deposited with the casino, redeemed for cash, or redeemed for a check (if warranted. Some casinos limit the number of checks you can receive in a given day or have a minimum amount.)

If you had losing sessions, you can pay different ways:

1) Pay with cash at the casino cage. Present cash and your players card and tell the cashier that you want to pay your marker. The cashier will count your money and return your marker to you.
2) Pay with a combination of cash and chips. Same method as #1.
3) Let the marker sit with the casino. After a waiting period, the marker is deposited like a check against your account. The waiting period is dictated by the Casino Control Commission and is the same for all A.C. casinos:

Up to $1,000: 7 calendar days
$1,001 - $5,000: 14 calendar days
$5,001+: 45 calendar days

4) Pay with a check from the designated checking account. Present your check and players card at the casino cage. The cashier will check the account number, tell you to whom to make out the check, and return your marker to you. Your check will be deposited the next morning.
5) Pay with a "check substitution". Present your check and players card at the casino cage. Be sure to tell the cashier that you are using a check substitution. The cashier will check the account number, tell you to whom to make out the check, and return your marker to you. The difference between this method and #4 above is that your check will be held for the designated waiting period.

Also note:

-When a casino deposits your check, your credit line will be "in transit" for 2-14 days. The casino is waiting for your check to clear. You will not be able to access that portion of your credit line until the credit line is no longer in transit. The length of the waiting period depends on the state in which the bank is located, size of the check, your previous payment history, and other factors.
- When you receive your marker back from the casino, be sure to mark it "VOID", have it stamped "PAID", tear off the signature line, or alter it in such a way that no one can cash it. Otherwise, it is a live check.
- The casinos reserve the right to deposit markers earlier than the designated waiting period. Some will do this if your rating shows that you won money, but you did not pay your marker.
- If you draw a marker but do not gamble and do not repay the marker that day, your credit line can be frozen. Casinos do not like it if you take an interest-free loan without given them action.
- If you do not use your casino credit for 6 months, your credit line becomes inactive per CCC regulations. You will be required to reapply for credit.
-Marker payments in cash are considered cash transactions as it applies to cash reporting rules. Payments using a check or chips are not considered cash transactions.
-The IRS cash transaction rule states that a casino must report to the IRS when it receives or gives an individual more than $10,000 in a gaming day.
Examples:
a) If you receive $6,000 and make payments totaling $5,000, the rule would not apply because neither total was over $10,000.
b) If you make a cash payment of $4,000, then $3,000, then another $4,000 all during the same day, your total payment is $11,000 and your cash transactions will be reported.
c) If you receive cash payouts of $4,000, then $3,000, then $4,000 all during the same day, your total payout is $11,000 and the cash transactions will be reported.
d) Casinos use a gaming day schedule. A gaming day runs from ~6:00 am to ~6:00 am. (Yes, casinos have control over time and space.) For example, if you make a $6,000 payment at 11:00 pm, then at 1 am you make another $6,000 payment, you will be recorded as having same day payments totaling $12,000 and your cash transactions will be reported, although they were in two different calendar days.
e) If you also play slots, your tracked cash buy-ins may be aggregated with marker payments when determining your total cash transactions for the day.
f) The casino may report your cash transactions even when they do not total $10,000 but they rarely do so.

-------------------------------------

Q: AC10 What is the best way to get around town from casino to casino? (5/00)

Return to the start of this web site

A: AC10 It is very easy to get around town.

10 of the 12 casinos are on the Boardwalk within about a mile from each other, so you can walk if you want to. The Boardwalk is supposedly the safest two miles in the state. It is pretty well lit at night, and quite pleasant during the day.

If the walk is too long, you can get a ride in a moving chair. You can find one of these outside just about ever casino. A guy will push your chair up or down the Boardwalk. Fares are posted in the chair and max out at $10 for the furthest two casinos. Don't forget to tip the chair pusher. These chairs are snug - a great way to get close with your date.

Some casinos are connected by enclosed hallways. This is great when the weather is bad. You can walk from Showboat to Taj to Resorts without going outside. You can do the same between Claridge and Sands. Also, Caesars and Wild Wild West.

For $1.50 each way, you can take a jitney between any two casinos. The jitneys stop behind the Boardwalk casinos and in front of Trump Marina and Harrah's. There are four jitney routes, two of which are designed for casino patrons.

- The #1 jitney goes by all casinos on the Boardwalk.
- The #2 jitney goes by all casinos in A.C.

If you have any questions about where to stop, just ask the driver. They act surly, but are very helpful. You don't have to have exact change, but the jitneys rarely accept bills above $10.

Taxis are available at all casino hotels. They now have maximum fares:
- Any Boardwalk casino to any other Boardwalk casino: $6.
- Any Marina casino to any Boardwalk casino: $8.
- Any Boardwalk casino to any Marina casino: $8.

You can drive, but traffic can get bad during weekends, especially if there are events in town. The drive from the Boardwalk to Marina casinos is safer than it looks, though you may want to lock your doors. Casinos are required to pay a tax of $1.50 per car parked, whether valet or self park. They pass it on to customers by charging $2 for you to park. Some caveats:
- If you park at a hotel where you are staying, request a receipt at the hotel check-in. You do not need to pay the $2 fee more than once while you are a hotel guest.
- When you receive a receipt for parking at any casino, you can present the receipt at any other casino only once during the same gaming day and the fee will be waived. Call it a two-for-one special.
- Some casinos waive the parking fee as an enticement for you to visit. Keep an eye out for billboards stating as such.
-During event weekends, some casinos will charge as much as $10 for you to park, but will bring it down to $2 if you present a player's card for that property. This is their means of making sure that peopole park there to gamble, not to attend an event at the Convention Center or elsewhere.

--------------- END -----------------

Many thanks to ACMarc... wherever you are... for all of the work that you did preparing this page.

Interesting Gambling Web Sites

Click on any site that looks interesting:

NONE of the strategies for sale are mine. They are here because you MAY be interested in them. I am not expressing any opinion as to whether they are valid strategies. They are here merely for the sake of having complete coverage. They may or may not make you rich or poor.

Another Note: I think that there are dangers in on-line gambling. You can get taken by somebody that is not ethical. Therefore, I will not give locations for on-line gambling sites. There may be some, however, on some of the links that I have below. Remember that I strongly recommend against using them. Save your money and go to a real casino. A person can lose a great deal of money on their credit cards, which they would not lose in a real casino. Also, there are some legal problems in that it may be illegal bookmaking. I'm sorry if you disagree with me..... good luck. If you have or know of a site that you believe should be listed here, please do not hesitate to let me know.

I am listing these alphabetically to show no preferences
Alan Krigman's Casino City Excellent site all about gambling

Alan Krigman's "Winning Ways" Free articles and good links

Atlantic City Frequently Asked Questions Lots of good information

Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic view on morality of gambling and more

Craps Frequently Asked Questions Very Good

Craps Pit Free forum for all craps related subjects

Cruzino Good site with lots of info including hotels

Dan's Poker Dictionary Defines all of the poker terms

Dice Dealer Very interesting site

Gamblers Anonymous home page Check this out, it may help you save money

Gambler's Corner This is a where to find it site

Jim's Advice For Beginners Never played craps? Read this

Larry Edell Good discussion of many games

Las Vegas Information Good site for maps, phones, etc

Las Vegas More Information This site has links to other interesting sites

Poker & BJ Links Search Engine

Prognosticator The Prognosticator gives free sports predictions

Rules for all casino games Has rules for all games, but is an online casino

Rules from the UK Another site with rules for lots of games

Tax Information Links to sites with Tax info about Gambling

Video Poker Front Page More than you ever wanted to know about VP

Vegas Gaming Information How to get more for your money

WinCraps Download The greatest craps simulator on the market $19.95

Hoyle's Press

This is a strategy that is mentioned often on rec.gambling.craps so I don't believe it is copyrighted material.

Objective: Win one unit profit, then reset.
Rules: Begin betting either Pass or Don't Pass.
After every win, switch sides. If you lose, stay on the same side three times, same bet, then switch.
If you are down, and win, switch sides and press one unit. If the total units needed for one unit profit is less than the new bet amount, decrease your bet to that amount.

Example:

$10P Win Switch Sides & Reset
$10DP Lose Same Bet/Side
$10DP Lose Same Bet/Side
$10DP Lose Same Bet/Switch Sides
$10P Win Press One Unit/Switch Sides
$20DP Lose Same Bet/Side
$20DP Win Press One Unit/Switch Sides
$30P Win One Unit Profit/Reset/Switch Sides
$10DP ......

Ice Cold

Return to start of this web site

The author calls this "Ice Cold" because you have to keep going until you find a table that is just freezing ice cold in order to start playing.

Please e-mail the author at Solveit@ix.netcom.com if you have any questions....

I thought you might like a method which I have played on over 100,000 rolls and have ALWAYS won with it! A few words of caution: 1) You need to bet large amounts of money since you will win just 5 units for every 10 hours of play. 2) You will go days without winning. I'm sure there are many disbelievers, but I will reveal a method of play that has NEVER lost:

THE TIME TO BET: Wait for 4 shooters to 7-out in a row (this means 3 shooters 7-out in a row with the first shooter perhaps having a 7-out after making a point). 7-11 and 2,3,12 do NOT count. What I am looking for is for 4 shooters in a row to 7-out without making a point. Example: Shooter 1: 4-4; 10-10; 5-5; 6-6; 8-8; 6-6; 9-7. Shooter 2: 5-7; Shooter 3: 4-7: Shooter 4: 8-7; Notice that although three shooters in a row 7-out the fact that the first shooter made 6 passes in a row before losing is not relevant.

THE PLAY: After four 7-outs in a row without a point being made you place $50 on pass and $50 on don't at the SAME time. Then, when a point is made, lay the odds on the don't ($60). You quit when 2 consecutive points have been made ( remember that 7-11 won't hurt you). 12 (or 2, whichever is the barred number) does not count as a loss. Once two consecutive points have been made, wait for four 7-outs in a row (the same as in the beginning) before playing again. You can keep changing tables and casinos to find this.

SOME ADDITIONAL POINTS: (1) Never increase or decrease your wager. Of course you will lay different odds for different numbers (6-8: $60 to get $50, 5-9: $60 to get $40 and 4-10 $60 to get $30). This strategy is a "flat" method of betting. You will never be more than 40 units behind! In this example a unit is $60. To be safe you should have a bankroll of 50 times $60, or $3,000. Of course, your starting bet can be much lower, and the bankroll will be lower. Personally, I can recall being 20 units or so behind in 10-12 cases. (2) Expect to be behind most of the time as it will sometimes take DAYS or in a rare case a week or so until you make up your losses. (3) Playing in the morning and at slow tables is advisable as the waiting is the big problem with this method. In-between bets wager minimum bets on the pass line and sit tight. 4) Make sure you make "large" wagers since you will average +1 unit for every 2 hours played. 5) Playing at triple odds tables is best. For example, you can wager LESS on the come-out and still put the same amount up. At a single odds table I would have to put up $50 on pass and don't pass to lay the $60 on 6-8; at a double odds table I could put up $25 on pass and don't pass to lay $60 and on a triple odds I could put down $12.50 to lay $60. The key is this: When the dreaded 2 (in Reno) or 12 (in Las Vegas) comes up, I will lose my Pass line, but "push" on the don't. This is the house's "vig." The double and triple odds keep these losses to a minimum. I would calculate the amount of bankroll needed as $60 x 50= $3,000. However, I feel that $2,000 is "safe" almost all of the time. Thus I will have $2,000 divided by $60 which is about 33 bets. It very unlikely I will need this much of a bankroll, although I feel better when I have a 40-50 bet margin.

I often will quit after any 2 points have been made-- whether they have been consecutive or not.

Example 1: 5-5, 4-7, 6-6-- stop. Another way to say it is that when the majority of decisions have been points, I usually stop.

Example 2: 9-7 8-7 6-7 4-7 5-5 6-7 4-7 10-7 8-8. Here I would continue playing since the majority have been 7-outs.

Example 3: 5-5, 4-7, 6-6. Here I will often stop since 2 out of 3 have been points.

Does this point matter? It might be important. For sure I don't want to get into a "back-and-forth" cycle: 4-7, 5-5, 6-7, 8-8, 4-7, 9-9 since I will lose more when I lay bets.

On the other hand, I don't want to lose out when the dice are "relatively cold" ( Example: 6-7, 4-7, 8-7, 4-4, 9-7, 9-7, 4-7, 8-7, 5-5).

So somehow we need to say: 1)If two consecutive points have been made, I will CERTAINLY quit. 2) If the majority of the decisions are Pass (except for the first one), then I will quit, or 3) If they go "back-and-forth" more than once, then I will quit.

The reason that I don't play this winning method very often is the energy it requires to play it. Certainly, you need to play at least 5-6 hours a day to make it work. Perhaps someone who is younger or has more energy can keep up the pace that is needed. But I can assure you that I NEVER lost with this method. No matter what the critics might say, no matter what these computer simulators might say, my method *does* work!

Slow Martingale

This was sent in by one of my readers.
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1. bet 1 unit, if you win go to 1 again, else 2
2. bet 1 unit, if you win go to 1, else 3
3. bet 1 unit if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 4
4. bet 2 units if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 5
5. bet 2 units if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 6
6 bet 4 units if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 7
7. bet 4 units if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 8
8. bet 8 units if you win let it ride if you win that then go to 1 or else 9
9. bet 8 units if you win let it ride then what-ever the out-come is go start over.

This method is mainly used on the don't pass or pass line, but I also use it to take odds. I don't count the money on the pass line but I will keep track of the units that I take for odds. I bet a pass line bet and when the point is establish I take 1x odds as my first bet, pushing the 5 and 9 to true odds. I continue thru the method until I make my win limit or lose the last bet in step 9.

One-Three Go

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This is one of my own methods.

This involves the "gambler's fallacy" but humor me, you may like it anyway. Wait for 2 decisions in a row that are the same (pass or don't). Bet one unit on the same decision as the previous two. There are no place bets and no odds bets. If that first bet wins, bet another one unit on the SAME side that has been winning. Keep going until this loses. When it loses, then bet 3 units on the OPPOSITE side from the previous 1 unit bet(s). You are betting that the different side will repeat. Keep reading for what you do next...

(a) If this 3 unit bet wins, then go back to a 1 unit bet on the SAME side as the WINNING 3 unit bet. If THIS 1 unit bet wins, then keep betting the 1 unit on the same side. When THIS 1 unit bet loses, wait until the side changes AND there are 2 decisions that are the same. THEN start over with a 1 unit bet on the same side as the 2 same decisions (see above). Note that you do not revert to another 3 unit bet!

(b) ON THE OTHER HAND, if the original 3 unit bet loses, then wait until the side changes AND there are 2 decisions that are the same. THEN start over with a 1 unit bet on the same side as the 2 same decisions (see above). Note that you do not revert to another 3 unit bet!

Pass, Come, BIG Odds

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This was sent to me... I don't know any more about it than what is here:

first - make a passline bet on the come out roll
second - back it up w/full (maximum odds)
(play at Binions or someplace w/10x's odds)
third - make a come bet, full odds
fourth - make another come full odds
fifth - STOP BETTING!
sixth - as the points begin "making" increase the
bets by 3 units, 2 units, 3,4,5,6,7, et cetera all with full odds.
It gets pretty gnarly but I've won a few thousand dollars
starting w/a $150 bankroll, $1 bet/$10 odds.

One to Ten Progression

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This was sent to me several years ago when I had this web site as a "system exchange."

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 progression, go up one on a loss go down one on a win bet on pass/don't pass; last one to win is the side I bet with. so the only way to lose is if there are no streaks, not too common. Stop when you are ahead and go back to the beginning.

Don't Pass & Don't Come with high Odds

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This was sent to me by: (Brad Waddell) brad@flexquarters.com

I play craps where the odds are 5X or better. Place the lowest amount possible on the Don't Pass, and keep betting Don't Come as well with the minimum until you cover 3 numbers against the 7. If you get a 4 or 10, place maximum full Don't odds against that number and wait for the 7. Keep doing this until your 4/10 has been knocked down twice in a row or you get tired of winning! Works well for me, especially with 100X odds!

Simple Pass
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These are the words of the author of the method:

Here's one, called "simple pass." With most good craps playing methods you are looking for one good roll that will make your win goal and then you WALK! If you are starting with $150 your win goal should be $30 but most people won't stick with that so lets say $50. Your stop loss goal should be 50% of your bankroll so if you lose $75 you WALK!! If you can't stick with this religiously you wont make it. When I say walk I mean for at least a couple of hours not forever. Most craps pros play the wrong side but when they do play the right side 95% play the method that I am giving you. If you can get one good roll playing this method you can make a bundle and then of course you WALK. This method has been around longer that I have and I'm and old man. Well here goes:

1. Don't make a bet until a shooter has thrown a 7or 11 on comeout or has made his pass-line point.

2. When one of the above happens bet $5 on pass-line.

3. If you hit a natural on comeout again bet $5 on pass-line and continue to do this as long as you hit naturals.

4. After shooter has complied with number 1 above and throws a craps loss, again bet $5 on pass-line.

5. Eventually you will get a point so then take SINGLE ODDS only as follows: 6or8 take $5 odds. 5or9 take $6 odds. 4or10 take $5 odds.

6. If shooter makes his pass-line point then bet $7 on pass and when you get a point on 6or8 take $10 odds. 5or9 take $8 odds. 4or 10 take $7 odds.

7. If shooter makes another pass-line point bet $10 on pass and take $10 odds on any point that you get.

8. If shooter makes another pass-line point bet $15 on pass-line and take odds as follow: 6or8 take $15 odds. 5or9 take $16 odds. 4or10 take $15 odds.

9. If shooter makes another pass-line point (and it does happen) bet $25 on pass-line and take odds as follows: 6or8 take $25 odds. 5or9 take $30 odds. 4or10 take 25 odds; Your next progression would be 35-50-75-100-150 taking single odds.

10. At any time a shooter throws a craps loss on the come-out during a progression always drop back to $5 pass-line for your next bet and start over again. Once a shooter has complied with number 1 above don't drop him until he sevens out. Once he does seven out you are back to number 1 again waiting for a qualified shooter.

This is a simple effective strategy that you can master easily. Just remember your progression (5-7-10-15-25-35-50-75-100-150 etc) and the odds for each progression. If you have the means, practice this at home until you become quite familiar with it. But, don't rely on computer or home throws to give you an indicator of what will happen with this method, it is always different at the real tables.

Don't Pass, Don't Come with Odds
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This method was sent to me... not my words:

Bet $10 don't pass and lay odds when point established. bet another $10 on the don't come and lay odds. bet a 3rd $10 on don't come and lay odds. ignore 7/11/2/12/3 except if the shooter hits two 7/11s in a row I stop and wait for next shooter. If a shooter hits two of my points I stop and wait for the next shooter starting over again at $10. I try to keep three numbers with lay odds working. when shooter sevens out I progress 1 level, $10,15'20'25'30'35 etc. but always return to $10 if I don't show a profit on the last shooter. I progress 1 unit on the next shooter if I show any profit. I've played this method at least 5 times winning from $100-588. I've lost three times $100 to $150 usually because I've gotten distracted and forgot to progress or bet into a shooter more than twice, let the shooter beat me. My normal bankroll is $100 to$150 and I normally drive to AC (4.5 hours one way) for just a day trip as its hard to get away for the whole weekend. On my computer I've been very successful using a $500 bank and playing for quarters progressing up from there.

Ultimate Cold Table Method
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This was also sent to me... not my words:

Place $15 on the Don't Pass and after a point is made take single odds.
Place $10 on the Don't Come and after a point is made take single odds.
Place $5 on the Don't Come and after a point is made take single odds.
Replace only one Don't Come bet and if the point is made, place $15 on
the Don't Pass and WORK the odds on the come-out roll.

Don't Pass with Place Bets FOR the Point
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Also not my words:

It starts by making a $30 bet on the Don't Pass line; if the shooter throws a 7 or 11 on the comeout roll, you lose. If s/he throws a 2 or 3, you win and if a 12 is thrown, no money changes hands. If a point number is thrown (4,5,6,8,9,10), make a Place bet of $30 on that number. If the shooter makes the points, you'll loose $30 on Don't
Pass, but win on the Place bet as follows:
4 or 10 pays: $54
5 or 9 pays: $42
6 or 8 pays: $35
At that point, remove the original Place bet and begin again with a $30 Don't Pass bet.

Hedging Don't Come
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These are the words of the person who sent this method to me:

I have carved out a win of 200+ with an initial investment of under $100. Here goes:

1) On the come out place $4 on ANY SEVEN (Big Red) and place $1 on 11. ( This come out action is optional but I have gained a lot when the shooter rolled 3 or 4 sevens in a row.)
2) after a point is established, put $15 in the DON'T COME box and hedge it with $4 on ANY SEVEN and $1 YO.
a) If the seven shows you break even
b) If the eleven shows, you only lose $4
c) If the 2 or 3 shows, you have won $10
d) the 12 shows, you lose only $5
e) a point number shows you lose your $5 hedge.
3) Now that you have a DON'T COME point you wait for the inevitable seven to show and collect $15 . While you are waiting, throw either $5 or $10 in the field to attempt to re-coup your hedge bets.
4) If your DON'T COME point happens to show before the seven, DEFINITELY throw $15 onto the field and hold your breath. If you win your field bet, take your money and wait for the next shooter.
a) I confess there have been times I have LOST this field bet and, wanting to re-coup my $30 I have placed $30 on the field for one last gasp.

Against the Shooter
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These are also the words of the person who sent it to me... I do not necessarily agree with it:

I've found that one has to be willing to bet against the shooter. If a shooter passes three times I bet don't pass and don't come (putting incremental odds per roll) until I've covered all the numbers with odds. Note that I usually take off bets on 6 or 8 in this situation. Once I'm maxed out on odds with all of the numbers covered I bet "7" sporadically until payday.

How do I like to play?
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I'm not really fancy. I don't normally use place bets or come bets. My favorite craps strategy is a parlay method that I devised. I call it "JPM" which stands for "Jim's Parlay Method." I bet that the pass/don't decision before the last one will repeat. The progression is an up as you win parlay to 5 units. Leave the 5 unit bet on until it loses. When it loses you then start over at the one unit level.

When I have time to spare or if I cannot find a working craps table, then I will play My Best Roulette Method. Then, if I want to gamble, but don't feel like playing craps or roulette, I may fool around with the slots, using My Uncle's Slot Method.

Another method that I enjoy playing is a modification of Eddie's Parlays on the hardways. I bet $1 on the hard 6 and $1 on the hard 8. If one of them wins, my next bet will be $5 on the one that wins. If it wins a second time, then my next bet on the same one will be $25. If the first $5 bet loses, I will bet it a second time, and if that one loses then go back to $1. If the first $25 bet loses, I will bet it a second time, and if that one loses also then go back to $1. However, if either of the $25 bets win, then I will either stop playing at that table, or just start over with $1 and a new series. If I feel like being conservative, I will bet only on the hardway 6. I select that instead of the eight because there are many people around who set the dice with two threes as if they are in a "V" shape. They believe that the hard six is more likely to come out with that setting... so, I just go along with it just for fun.

I absolutely never drink alcoholic beverages while gambling. I may have one drink with my dinner (which is my evening meal), after which I will not be playing for about an hour, which will be enough time for it to get completely out of my body. This is a hard and fast rule. "Alcohol and gambling don't mix." Did you see that period at the end of the sentence?

Of course, I do develop strategies, so I will use spare time for that. I keep trying to improve on my methods, so I may try playing variations of these methods. I sometimes play just to get statistics which I write into my pad while at the casino. I have never played blackjack in a casino. I have played it in home games and at "Las Vegas Nights" for fund raisers. I occasional will go to a horse race track, but I really like watching the horses more than betting on them. I know quite a bit about the horses because my dad was a horse bettor. I have no interest in betting on sporting events. I have never played KENO and I have never bought a lotto ticket.

In conclusion, I would say that my game is craps and I enjoy strategy development with an eventual goal of finding a method of play that will beat the casino. I play to win. The amount of action is irrelevant to me. If I ever totally believed (as many people do) that the tables cannot possibly be beaten by the player, I would probably just stop playing craps.

If you want to read about my thoughts on mathematics as related to gambling, and why it is so hard to find a strategy that wins, click here.

Here is some more about how I play... click here.

I have one more thing to say and it is not related to gambling. This is my own web site so I don't have to stay on topic as we do in newsgroups. If you don't want to read this you can stop at any time. I have at least one pet peeve that is not related to gambling. It is that it is almost always incorrect to say that when the cost of a product rises the price will rise, or that if the cost goes down the price will go down. I learned the true facts about this in an advanced economics class that I took in college many years ago. Here it is..... If the cost goes up the profit of the company goes down but the price must remain the same... I'll tell you the reason soon. If the cost goes down (such as if the government reduces the tax on gasoline) the price remains the same and the company makes more profit.

What determines the price of a product? Only two things: Supply and demand. You did not see cost in there anyplace, did you? The supply goes down (such as when oil is held back by the oil producing countries) and the price goes up. This is unrelated to the cost going up when buying it from the suppliers. Supply goes down and demand remains the same, the price rises. Supply goes up and demand remains the same then the price will go down. If demand goes down, then the price will go down. If demand goes up the price goes up.

There is one more relevant fact. Eventually, when outside forces see that there is a profit to be made in this product where the supply is low and demand is high, they will come in and make more supply so that the price will go down. Also, when the price goes up people will find substitutes and buy less. It may take time to happen, but it will... such as when gas prices rose people started to drive less and drive more gas efficient cars. The increases in gas prices could lead to a faster change to electric cars or cars that run on natural gas.

You will also note that there is some point where the profit is maximized. If you raise the price the demand goes down and you will sell less for more money. If you lower the price demand goes up and you sell more for less money. There is that one point that is the best. It is based entirely on supply and demand and not cost. If you raise the price to try to make more money (or to recoup higher costs), you will sell less product and make less money instead of more. If you lower the price, then you will sell more product but not enough more to make more profit (actually, you would make less total profit). Again, it has nothing to do with the cost of the product.... except that if the cost is low enough and the profit is high enough (and you do not have a monopoly) then others will come in and lower the price (as in generic medications... but there is more demand for the name brands, so they can sell their product for a higher price). Again, it is the supply and not the cost that determines the price.

So, the next time that somebody says that the price of something will go up if we tax it, or if the costs of production (like wages) go up, tell them that they are wrong. Also, if somebody says that if they could pay labor less money, or if the government would reduce taxes on something that the price would go down... tell them that they are wrong. Reducing taxes on tobacco (for example) would only increase the profits for the companies by the amount of the reduction. Also, you are not paying gasoline taxes, the oil companies are paying it out of their profits.

One final comment. This is about minimum wages. The government seems to think that if we increase minimum wages that poor people will make more money. What will actually happen is that the companies cannot afford to keep incompetent help at minimum wages, and better help will be willing to work for that price, so that actually the incompetent poor that are barely working will end up on welfare. College students (and others who are willing to work for that amount of money) will take their places. The govenment should actually reduce the minimum wage so that more people will work. The large companies cannot take advantage of them. Unions can take care of abuse, we don't need big government to do it. If people want to work at a certain wage they should be permitted to do so. During the depression when people were working for $40 a month they were happy to do it, because about 30% of the population of this country did not have any work at all. My dad was one of the lucky ones. He was a barber and cut hair for 25 cents and shaved men (before the advent of safety razors and electric razors) for 5 cents. My mother sometimes went to his barber shop to wait until he collected the 25 cents so that she could go to the grocery store. What would have happened if the government had said that the minimum wage had to be $5? Barber shops would have closed and men would wear long hair and beards... and we would have starved because my dad would have been out of work. My mother came to this country when she was about 9 years old. She went to work in a dress factory (a New York sweat shop) with her mother (working side by side on sewing machines). She was glad to get the work. None of the family was complaining about the long hours, or kids working. They were glad that they had the money to be able to stay in this wonderful country... and her son got to be a successful attorney, who eventually retired and now has a web site as "Jim the System Man."

While I'm blabbing... Go to Church... God is Good.... Don't drink alcoholic beverages when you are gambling... Don't gamble with money that you need for something else.

Oscar's Grind

Oscar increased his bet each time that he won, provided that he was losing at the time, provided that the increase would not make him win more than 1 unit more than what he was losing. If he had a starting bet of $5 and lost 5 in a row he would be down $25. Then he wins one and is down 20. The next bet is 6 and wins, so he is now down 14. He increases the bet by one and bets 7. It loses and he is down 21. The next bet is 7 (same bet when losing) and it wins, so he is now down 14. He bets 8 and wins, so that he is now down 6. At this point a bet of 7 would recover plus 1, so the bet is 7. If the loss were more than 8, the next bet would have been 9.

In other words, Oscar's Grind starts with a 1 unit bet and advances only on wins WHILE YOU ARE LOSING. Stated in another way, if you lose three in a row and win you go to 2 units. You stay at 2 until you win and if you still need to bet more to get to be even or plus one on this series of bets, you raise your bet again by one unit, and so forth. It is more gradual than the 31 method.

You may also want to take a look at my "Odds Up" strategy.

How do you tip the dealers in craps?
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This is from the "Midnight Skulker"

QUESTION: What are the actual mechanics of tipping the dealers by placing a bet? Do you put the bet down and alert the dealer that it's for the crew, or have the dealer place it, or what?

The sure-fire method is to inform the dealer on your side of the table that you wish to make a bet for the dealers. I would be utterly astounded if assistance was not immediately forthcoming. Such assistance will probably consist of the following, perhaps with minor variations. For bets booked by the stickman, make the bet the same way you would if you were making it for yourself, but indicate that it is for the dealers. For example, "Hard 8, a dollar, for the crew," or "Any 7, $5, for you guys." If you are making a bet for the dealers at the same time that you are betting on the same thing yourself you can so indicate by saying the bet is "two ways". For example, "Two-way eleven," which implies an even split of the amount you toss in between yourself and the dealers. If you want to bet more for yourself than for the dealers, which is quite common, then you should specify the split. For example, "Two-way Hard 6, five and one."

For bets booked by the dealer facing you the procedure is the same as above, except the "two-way" phrase is rarely used. For example, hand in $3 and say, "Put yourself on 9," or hand in $8 and say, "$5 10, and put the kids up for $3 as well."

For bets that book themselves (i.e. ones you simply place on the layout) you can call the dealer's attention to the fact that "the dealers are gambling". However, these bets typically are made in conjunction with a bet in the same place for yourself (e.g. on the Pass Line), in which case you can put the bets down separately but next to each other. By convention the lesser amount is assumed to be a bet for the dealers, though without an explicit declaration some dealers may hesitate to collect their winnings. Such a situation
is easily resolved by pushing the chips in the dealer's direction and saying something like, "This one's for you." You should have to do this only once.

The Midnight Skulker
a.k.a. Van_Lewis@mk.com

Money Management
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These are some of my own observations on money management when gambling:

Money management is the key to winning. It may sound stupid, but it is betting higher when you are winning and lower when you are losing, and leave while you are winning, if at all possible.

You can't win all of the time. When you are losing, leave right away. Don't throw good money after bad. Don't make big bets to try to get back what you lost.

"Lock up" your winnings... put them in your pocket and forget about them.

Make up your strategies or methods around these rules.

Dice Pre-Setting by The Midnight Skulker
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For Jim's discussion of "Precision Rolling" click here.

This is an excellent analysis of Dice Pre-Setting which appeared in rec.gambling.craps, and it is reproduced here with the author's permission:

1. In polemic discourse I have found that the strength of an argument tends to be inversely proportional to the strength on the language used to present it.

2. Proponents of dice setting and controlled throwing have shown that if a shooter can obtain a desired result (a 6 in the analysis posted, I believe) 2.7% of the time then the player has an 8% advantage over the house.

3. Opponents of these de-randomizing techniques note that the key word in 2 above is "if", for no evidence has been presented to support the assumption that they actually work in a casino environment.

4. An experiment to determine whether de-randomization can be achieved is unlikely ever to be conducted, and if it were the results, if positive, are unlikely to be published for then the gaming industry could develop and implement countermeasures.

5. I must therefore resort to logic. Dice setting and controlled throwing either work or don't work. If they work their positive effects can be calculated. If they do not work could there be negative effects? I should think not, for then we would have the logical absurdity that de-randomizing techniques work when it was assumed they did not and can therefore be modified (e.g. a different dice set) to produce positive results.

6. The problem then reduces to one of significance. Just because a control pitcher cannot achieve a 100% or even a 2.7% success rate does not render all attempts at de-randomization invalid. What about .27%? .027%? Of course at some point the effect becomes negligible (and is nil if de-randomization's opponents are correct), but since the worst you can do is achieve the same result you would by doing nothing, where's the harm in trying?

7. Another area of contention between the two sides of the issue is the definition of "success". At the table it is not necessary to achieve a particular result on any given roll, it is only necessary to avoid one. I submit this latter condition is much easier to meet and is just as effective.

8. I would ask those who admonish dice setters to "get on with it" if they are as lavish with their criticism while the numbers and elevens are rolling as they are after the 7-out. I once took a burst of static from another player for the way I throw the dice. Of course he waited until I missed a point after four passes before delivering his tirade, which rendered it somewhat ludicrous, and even more so to those who recalled he had gone two and out just moments before using the technique he claimed I should have.

The Midnight Skulker
a.k.a. Van_Lewis@mk.com

Modified Martingale with Field Bets

This was sent to me by one of my readers:

I love the field. I bet in increments of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2000. If I lose a $2000 bet I stop. Each session is 100 rolls weather I'm up or down - unless a $2000 loses, at which time I stop regardless of winnings or losses. Over a long weekend I will usually have 20 sessions. Here's the results of my last 20 outings over the last 2 years or so: -1695, 920, 1590, 295, 1395, 935, 4555, 4235, -1095, 2825, -4765, 1350, 5160, 650, -845, 5840, -855, 4930, 7090, 4695. That's good for over $37,000...not bad supplemental income.

$100 bankroll and lots of fun on the field

This was also sent in by one of my readers:

Although the field is not the best bet it is also not the worst. This is a little field playing method that sometimes works pretty well. Based on $2 bets you will need $100. This will give you 50 plays on the field. If you lose you only lose 100 bucks, but if you get a lot of field numbers you could win a lot. Bet 2 dollars. If you lose bet 2 again. If you win you would have either 4, 6 or 8 dollars depending on which number was rolled. Parlay the entire amount. If you win again your parlay would total anywhere from $8 to $32 depending on the odds. This would complete this parlay. Your next parlay would be $3. Continue doing the parlays with the following progression. 2-3-5--7-10-15-25-35 etc. When you lose then start over with the 2 dollar progression.

Martingale

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In the Martingale each bet is doubled after a loss, and you go back to your starting bet after every win. You will win one unit for every win, as long as you have enough money and do not get to the house limit. Once you reach the house limit, then you will lose the house percentage because there is noplace else to go.

There are many variations of Martingale, and it can be used with other methods. For example, you can use a three-stage Martingale of 10-20-40 combined with betting that the decision before the last one will repeat.... or bet that the FIRST shooter (only) will throw a pass (or don't pass). In this latter one you are betting only one bet on each shooter.

Some people add one or more units to each of the doubled bets. Others will change to a parlay after a certain point (let the first bet "ride" on the second bet after a win) and bet the amount that it takes to win what you want to win. Another variation would be to split it up and then win it back one part at a time.... there are many variations of Martingale with which people swear they are winning.

LaBouchere

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This is also called "Split Martingale" or "Cross-Out" or "Cancellation" or several other names.

In its simplest form, you write down some numbers... let's say 1 2 3. Each bet is the first and last of these numbers. In this example, it is 1 and 3, which equals 4. If you win you cross off the two number and bet the next two that are on the outside. In this instance there would be only the single two unit bet. If that wins you complete the series and win a total of all of the numbers (six here). If the bet loses, then you add that one number to the end of the series. So, the first bet would be 4 and it loses, so you add 4. That makes the next bet 1 plus 4, which is 5. And so on....

This means that you need to win only 1/3 of the bets PLUS two more and you will complete the series and win the amount that is in the series. Since you normally will win ALMOST half of your bets, that means that you MUST win... or must you?? The mathematicians will tell you that this is another method that will eventually reach the point where you either run out of money or surpass the casino limit for bets.

I have also seen this done with many variations. One would be to use different numbers, such as lots of ones in the beginning, to keep the series from growing so fast. So, the series would be something like 1 1 1 2 2 3. When you complete the series you will win 10 units. The first bet is still four. You must win 1/3 plus 3.

You may also want to try a series like $10 $10 $20 $10, which will win $50 when the series is completed.

Other people have devised ways of splitting it up when the bet gets too high. Set it aside and win one series and then go back and finish the second series. This would require a higher percentage of winning decisions.

There is a "Reverse LaBouchere" for the brave at heart. You add the amount of the win to the end, and cancel the 2 outside numbers each time that you lose. The bet is the sum of the two outside numbers. This gives you many very small losses in return for an occasional very large win. You would have to set a goal in some way, such as when you hit the table limit and let it ride until it loses. That would be the end of the series. Each time that it loses, you will only lose the amount of the numbers that you put down in the beginning of the series.

It is wise to have some kind of money management with any form of the LaBouchere strategy (as it is with all strategies in general). You may wish to play the 10 10 20 10 series with a maximum bankroll of $500. You would put away all winnings never to be lost again on this strategy. In that way, once you complete 10 of these series you have the required bankroll and will not lose any more. Stop when you lose a $500 bankroll (whether it is your starting bankroll or winnings). This is one suggestion. You can devise your own.

Parlay

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A parlay is very simple. You just "let it ride." Make a bet, and then leave the winnings there to ride on the next bet.

This does not have to be the whole amount. There is a method around called "31" where you have a series which is 1 1 1 2 2 4 4 8 8 (for a total of 31 units). Your first bet is one unit. This could be any bet from a dollar to 1/16 of the table limit. It is 1/16 and not 1/8 because you must parlay the 8 units. If that bet wins, you bet the same amount again. If it loses you go up the series with a parlay on each bet. Notice that if you win any of the parlays you will be winning anyplace from one to nine units.

D'Alenbert

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In this method, bets are raised one unit after each losing bet and lowered one unit after each winning bet. In this way your winning bets are always higher than your losing bets. The sequences can also be higher, such as 1 2 3 4 7 11, etc.

My 4/10 Method

Wait until a shooter rolls a 4 or 10. Then LAY $50 (or whatever you wish) against the opposite one. That is, if a 4 is rolled, then lay the 10, and vice versa. If the point is made by the shooter, take off your bet and wait for his next come-out... waiting for a 4 or 10 and then repeat the process. Of course, you win when a person 7-outs (unless he rolls your point first).

A variation of this (which does not bet anywhere near as often) is to wait until the point is 4 or 10 (as opposed to just rolling a 4 or 10, as above), and then proceed as stated.

The Captain's 5-count

Use the Captain's 5 count method for waiting for a possible good shooter. Shooter must roll a 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 before you begin the 5-count. Any number that comes up on the 2nd,3rd & 4th roll keeps the count going to the 5th number. Only if a 4,5,6,8,9 or 10 is rolled does that count as a 5th number, and then you may make a place bet, come bet or if s/he makes a point on the 5th roll, a pass line point. Naturally a 7 rolled anywhere in this series, ends the count and you start over on the next shooter.

Place 6/8 after a seven

Flagshipcomm@mail.earthlink.net

Here is one that is well thought out and original... Unfortunately it is somebody else, and not me, that originated it and sent it to me for publication here. The words are his. I have put the email address of the author at the end, in case you wish to contact him.

It is very long, but it may be worth your time to read it carefully. You might want to print it out, and you might even want to try it!!

We know that there are 36 possible combinations on a pair of fair dice, we also know that there are 6 ways to make a 7 and 5 ways each for the six OR eight to be made. Our sample set is only 16 out of the 36 combinations. If we compare the probability of a 6 (5 ways) or an 8 (5 ways) coming up on any roll as compared to the 7 (6 ways), we have a ratio of 10/16, 62.5% ways to win versus 6/16 37.5% ways to lose. In other words if we were to make a place bet on both the 6 & 8 which pays 7 to 6, we can expect to win 62.5% of the time and lose 37.5 % of the time. Which is an exact representation of the true odds. Since the payoff is only 7 to 6, that is the built in edge for the house. The "edge" on the place 6 or eight is approximately 1.51%. I think you'll agree that is one of the best bets on the casino.

So if we made 100 wagers of simultaneously place 6 & 8 (which must be made in $6 increments, $600, $720, $18, $132, etc..) We can expect on a $6 wager on each to win $7, one at a time, not on both simultaneously, 62.5 times which would equal $437.50. We would lose $6+$6=$12 37.5 times which equals $450.00. This $450 loss less the $437.50 wins equals losses of $12.50 for each 100 wagers.

But what happens if we can change the expected outcome of 62.5%/37.5% to ANY ratio where we can generate a profit? Or perhaps said another way, can we expect a result other 10/16 vs. 6/16? Given the same 100 wagers and a change of just 1% to 63.5%/36.5% would equal a win of $444.50-$438.00=$6.50. Amazingly a "swing" of $19.00. But that's the question, isn't it? Can we expect over the long term any change of what is expected over the long term. I say we can.

Over 10,000 test rolls (which is not very many) I have discovered that a window of opportunity opens and closes on a typical series of dice rolls that when recognized, can be exploited to start the first phase of my strategy. While on each roll of the dice, if we made each wager, we could expect the above stated outcomes of 62.5%/37.5%, if we make the place 6&8 wager immediately after a seven, the expected outcome changes to approximately 65%/35% A huge change of 2.5% which translates to a profit of $35 for every 100 wagers made. In other words we wait for a seven to show then we make the place 6 & 8 bet. What we're betting on is that two "7s" won't show before one 6 or 8 shows. While it is true that each roll of the dice is an independent event, it is also true that the dice do not know whether or not we've made the previous wager. I have found that for some reason the expectation of a subsequent 7 immediately after a seven is less than the 62.5/37.5 expected ratio. I have a spreadsheet that proves this. Try it! You'll see. Roll many games of 100 rolls each, record only 6s, 7s & 8s. You will find that while in a set of 100 rolls, you do get an even distribution of 62.5%/37.5% the "count" of 6's or 8s after the first seven is higher than 62.5% Try with real dice, computer simulations or stand at a live table in a casino. Any way you track it you will see, over the long run that this "window" of opportunity does exist. But then it closes once a 6 or 8 is rolled.

Combining this revelation with the correct bankroll and a disciplined money management technique know as up "regress - up & pull", we can expect consistent daily wins of 10%-20% of our bankroll amount. That may not sound like much. But even playing with table limits, we can expect profits of $10,000 per gaming day. We never bet more than 1/100th of our total bankroll on the two 6 & 8 bets following the seven. We then regress, put down our profit and reinvest 50% of our first wager. If we continue to win, we go with a 50% up & pull progression (see table below). Therefore as the 6 or 8 trend continue, we continue to win more and more. And at any time it ends, we have a profit in our pocket.

For example: We wait for a seven to show, place a $120 place bet wager on both the 6 & 8. When one of them comes in, we get paid $140. We pull back the $140 plus $120 off one of the bets and split the remaining down to $60 on each. We now have a $20 profit no matter what happens. Which ever of the 6 or 8 comes next, we get paid $70 of which we reinvest $30 and go up to $90 on the one that came in now pocketing $40. We continue this until we hit the table limit or the trend ends. For this size wager we would need a bankroll of $24,000. Since we don't want to play "short", a major winning mechanism of a casinos. And as you can see when that wager is made the "edge" is in our favor. When that window closes, we pull "our" money off and play with the casino's money. That is why I need a large bankroll to play with. Playing with a smaller bankroll means we play with a greater than 1/100th of bankroll and does not allow for even regressions and progressions. Since anything can happen over the short run this overly large bankroll protects us from short runs of bad luck.

Below is a sample betting progression:

Progression: 150%

Starting Wager: 120

Wins 140 Nets 20

Series Exact Actual Amount Amount Amount Total

Level Prog. Wager Won Invested Pulled Won

1.................. 60.........60..........70..........30..........40...........40

2.. ................90........ 90.........105.........45..........60.........100

3................ 135.......138........161.........69..........92.........192

4................ 203...... 204.......238.........102........136.......328

5................ 304.......300.......350.........150........200.......528

6................ 456.......450.......525.........225........300.......828

7................ 683.......690.......805........345.........460.....1,288

8............. 1,025....1,020....1,190.......510.........680......1,968

9............. 1,538....1,530....1,785.......765.......1,020.....2,988

10........... 2,307....2,310....2,695....1,155.......1,540.... 4,528

11........... 3,460....3,450....4,025....1,725.......2,300.... 6,828

12. ..........5,190....4,980....5,810....2,490.......3,320...10,148

Well good luck, hope to hear from you. Take Care

25 Cent craps Strategy
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Here is another one that was sent to me:

This is a strategy for the 25 cent craps players that has worked very well for me over the last 40 years. Bankroll required is $30. Place the inside nrs (5-6-8-9) for 75 cents each. Betting progression is as follows for each successive hit: 6 or 8, 75-1.50-3.00- 4.50 - 6.00. 5 or 9: 75 - 1.25 - 2.50 - 3.75 - 5.00. If you are fortunate enough to reach the last level, stop betting and leave as is until the shooter 7's out. Any comments

Bob

B53032@aol.com

Go with the flow

This is a trend type of method that was sent to me, and I am sharing it with my readers, the words are those of the person who sent it to me:

When at a craps table I try to pay attention to the flow of numbers from the dice as occasionally the dice will produce some unusual sequences of numbers. Sequences that are well within the standard distribution of numbers obtainable from two dice but unusual in that these sequences occur infrequently. What might be causing these unusual sequences is of little concern to me, they do happen.

The strategy is simple. If the hard way numbers appear more frequently than usual you place a bet on all the hard ways. The amount is immaterial as long as you have the bankroll to sustain the bets. Hardway bets that lose because of easy way rolls are replaced until the shooter sevens out. Hits of the hardway numbers are parlayed 3 times before taking a profit. i.e., a $1 hard six becomes a $10 hard six which becomes a $100 hard six which becomes a $1000 hard six on the third consecutive hard way rolled. On the third hard way you drag $800 and shoot $200 on the hard way. Doesn't happen very often but if you start small and hit a table where the hard ways are jumping around like crazy it can be a lot of fun.

I've hit the 4 hard way bet on two different occasions and the 3 bet parley a good many times. If the hard ways are not hitting you lay off them and use whatever betting scheme you normally use.

By being selective in when to bet the hard ways it keeps you from betting them when the dice are not passing as well as when the dice are chopping. I've used a similar parlay betting scheme to bet the horn on come out rolls and have hit 3 number parlays numerous times. The payoff is not as good as with the hard ways though.

I realize that these bets pay a tremendous percentage to the house and don't make them all the time, but sometimes they help spice up the action in a frequently boring and frustrating game.

"Bets Off!"

These are the words of the person who sent this method to me:

I came upon this strategy by watching place bettors making a bundle but losing at the end because of hanging in too long. My question was: how much would this bettor have made if he would have bailed out early? The answer was how early do we want to say " bets off."

I have tried staying in and this is what works for me. The key is to have discipline and sticking to your rules. Place bet the 6,8 for a multiple of $6. Place bet the 5,9 for a multiple of $5. BUY bet the 4,10 Stay for 2 hits and GET OFF the shooter!!! Wait until the next come-out and start again. ( don't bet on the come-out.)

Again, the hardest time you will have is sitting out on a monster roll. The thrill will come when you are the one escaping the 7 before everyone else. Which is usually within 5 rolls of the come-out.

44 Inside

This person told me that he likes to place 44 inside at the same time he lays 40 each on the 4 and 10. After one hit on any inside number he takes down the 5 and 9. In this way if the seven pops up he's a winner for this shooter.

Dominant Numbers

(Jim's note: this has a resemblance to Craps Pro)
The words are those of the person who sent it to me.

All Place Bets

I bet dominating repeating numbers over last 24-36 rolls.

I bet Recent Dominating repeating numbers over last 12 rolls (2-3 times their probability, mainly 5,6,8,9)

I bet the sister number to the point (especially if the point has been lost).

I bet the compensating number of lost number (ex. 5 lost, bet 9).

I try to make large unit bets ($100) and limit my exposure.....less than two hours for 3-5 unit gains typical.

6/8 Press

This is another strategy that was sent to me... what do you think about it? The words are the author's, not mine.

1) Place 6 and 8 for 2 units each (for me $6 units, but there is no reason that this wouldn't work with larger bets).

2) When either number hits, bring both bets down to 1 unit each.

3) For each subsequent hit, treat each number individually and follow this sequence: same bet, press1unit, same bet, press1 unit, etc... Continue until the seven shows or until you decide there is plenty of money on the table and want to collect. I usually will stop pressing at 3- 4 units per bet and leave them there. It depends on how much you are willing to risk in hope of that hot roll.

4) I have seen other place bettors who swear by taking all bets down after three or four hits. I personally believe this is nonsense, as the 7 has an equal chance of showing up on every single roll. While sitting out will often save a loss, it will sometimes result in watching the monster roll we all hope for pass us by. I have also seen variations where the bettor goes to $22 inside on the third roll. I personally don't like the high vigs on the 5 and 9 however, so I press the 6 and 8 instead.

All Line

Here is a very easy one that somebody sent to me, and he has apparently done very well with it. The words are his.

My best strategy is to place ALL LINE after the come-out roll and then take it down after the first hit. Try it and you will see you are winning 19 times out of 20. ALL LINE means that you place the 4 5 6 8 9 & 10.

6/8 Regress

One of my readers suggests that after the comeout roll, place the 6 & 8 for $24 each. After the first hit, lower your bets on the 6 AND 8 to $6 each. Then with each subsequent 6 or 8 that hits, press whatever number just came in by $6 and pocket the difference.

Thomas' free-roll