tips for new Craps player (AKA, things NOT to do)

[RedBeard78]

Hey all, every cruise I tell myself that i'm going to learn more about playing craps.   I've been watching videos and playing some free online craps games.   What are your tips on what NOT to do at the craps table if you are new?

 

Is it poor form to bet against the shooter?   I've heard conflicting opinions.

 

Any tips you can lend are appreciated!!

[Big_G_111]

A cruise ship is a great place to learn how to shoot, as you’ll likely have the same few dealers working the table for the whole trip.

 

My #1 tip would be to come right out and tell the dealer that you’re new to the game. They will then know to bring you onboard and clearly explain what’s going on.

 

Speaking of which, know your crew - you have the boxman watching the chips, the stickman working the dice, and two dealers, one at each end. 90% of your interaction will be with the dealer on your end. He is your man in the game, watching and paying your bets. Treat him well (not just $$$) and he will treat you well, learning your preferred bets and reminding you if you forget. 

 

Everyone has their own preferred bets - for me, it’s the pass line and one come bet, both with full odds behind. But hey - you do you.

 

I don’t do the dark side, but I don’t have a problem with someone else doing so - unless it’s me shooting. 🙂 Fact is, having a dark side player at the table keeps the game honest. Otherwise, it’s to the house’s advantage to call a questionable 7-out with a tipped die or what not. But yeah, if you’re looking for fun and socialization, don’t do the dark side.

 

There’s a lot of superstition that goes with craps, and you’ll pick it up by observation. Eventually, you’ll do something that angers someone.  For the most part, don’t sweat it - no one can please everyone, and you aren’t purposely trying to screw up the game. But, since you asked ....

 

My list of 4 absolute DON’Ts:

 

1) Do NOT reach into the bowl (main area of the table) when the dice are out, that is, once the stick man has pushed the dice to the shooter. If you missed a bet, tough. Worst case, you can verbally request your bet from your dealer (i.e., “$10 on the pass” or “$6 on the eight”). If he’s working with you, he will acknowledge with “It’s a bet”, and you can get the money straight after the roll. 

 

There is nothing that will anger the entire table more than some doofus sticking his hands in and getting in the way of the dice while they are in the air. Superstition says that’s a guaranteed 7-out. Place your bets while the dice are at center table. 

 

2) Do NOT hold your drink over the table. There’s a ledge under the table for drinks. Use it. Turn to the side to drink your beer or whatever, like everyone else is doing. One spilled drink will shut the table down for anywhere from 15 minutes to the rest of the night. 

 

3) Do NOT buy in with cash money in the middle of a roll - wait for the shooter to make a point or 7-out. You can spot this condition by looking at the black/white puck that indicates the point number  - if it’s on white/on, hold off on your buy-in.  Otherwise, you’re slowing down the game. (This one isn’t as absolute as the others. If there’s a bunch of chip-shuffling at the other end or players hashing out hardway bets, and you can get your buy-in done quickly, then have at it.)

 

4) Do NOT, under any circumstances, say out loud the number between 6 and 8. No real reason, just don’t. 

[proggieus]

Hey, something i can actually talk about-

Betting the darks side is not a real favorite for many craps players, you may get some ribbing but nothing too bad, I have seen players leave the table when somebody was playing the dont pass but its rare.

 

saying the word "7" while a point is established is bad form, Usually happens when some guy who learned to play the night before is trying to show his wife/gf/bf/buddy how to play. By far the worst thing (at least for me) is getting your hands in the way while the dice are out.

 

If you need to make a bet and the dice are moving just call it out-

 

the crew will confirm it without the chips on the felt.

 

it seems the crews i have seen on the ships prefer to have the tokes wagered. i will frequently call out a two way hard bet when the point is 4/6/8/10. This absolutely killed me on the symphony of the seas a few weeks ago, i dont think i hit a point (soft or hard)the entire trip while i had a two way hard down.  I started toking them after the roll straight out. Literally every two way hard i called was immediately "7 out"

 

Other then the pass/dont pass and the odds the other bets on the table are no better then most other table bets.

playing the numbers can be fun and profitable if the shooter starts throwing some numbers but carry a 1.5% house advantage.

 

I actually didnt play nearly as much craps as i would have normally because of how they assign points for table play.

 

I did earn Prime tier this time so it will interesting to see how that goes going forward.  i have three more cruises planed before 4/2020 so i should have no problem keeping it for at least the next two years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jcruise3883]

Some great advice so far from Big G and Proggieus- craps is a great game! My advice is start simple, it is very easy to get overwhelmed because there are an incredible number of bets that can be made and an infinite number of ways to bet or strategies to use, with a crowd of people playing and usually a crowd watching-- or it can be as simple as $5 on the pass line. in general everything in the middle is high risk, a lot of fun, but not a "good" bet. Keep researching- you'll be fine. The number between 6 and 8 is statistically the most probable to come up and does come up for EVERY shooter sooner or later. i like to make my money and then get mostly out- sometimes tough to take bets down, but craps is coming (said that in my Eddard Stark voice)