6 Reasons Why You Lose When You Play Craps

I love the energy at most craps tables. The casinos have been able to create an atmosphere where the gamblers have so much fun that they often don’t even realize that they’re losing money. And some players are having so much fun that they don’t seem to care even when they realize they’re losing.

However, you don’t have to lose so much money just to have fun at the craps table. You can improve your results when you learn the main reasons why you’re losing money.

Here are 6 reasons why you’re losing money when you play craps.

1 – You Play Like Everyone Else

I learned many years ago that craps gamblers tend to be like an animal pack. This isn’t an insult meant to offend anyone. It just means that craps players tend to do the same things and loosely work together.

Everyone makes the same come out wager on pass, and then make most of the same wagers after a point is set. This is ok I guess, but it would be better if the pack was making the best bets. But most packs of craps players aren’t making the best bets.

This is why it’s a mistake to play craps like everyone else. When you play real money craps like everyone else you’re losing more money than you should.

Sadly, you’re probably not doing a single thing wrong when you play like every other craps player. Instead, you’re doing several different things wrong. You’re going to learn about all of these things in this article.

But you’re going to learn the first mistake in this section. The first mistake that you make that everyone else seems to be making is betting the pass line. While the pass line isn’t as bad as some bets at the craps table, it’s not as good as don’t pass.

Instead of following the pack and using the pass line, break away and make the better wager and stick with don’t pass.

2 – You’re Ignoring Odds

Craps has 2 different types of odds. And you can’t afford to ignore either of them. In fact, if you ignore 1 type of craps odds you’re going to lose at least twice as much as you should when you play.

The first type of craps odds you need to know about are the odds of winning on any roll. These odds are directly tied to the odds of any particular number or total coming up on the 2 dice. For example, a total of 7 is going to come up on the 2 dice 6 out of 36 times, or 1 out of 6 times. A total of 12 is going to come up 1 out of 36 times.

You need to learn what the odds are that you’re going to win with any wager you place at the craps table. But this isn’t the most important thing about odds that you need to know.

The most important odds are the odds wager option. After a point is set you can make an odds wager. This wager has no house edge, so it’s an important way you can lower your risk and the overall edge the casino has.

3 – You Make Too Many Wagers

In the first section in this article you learned that the best wager on a come out roll is don’t pass. In the second section you learned the importance of using the odds wager option.

In this section you’re going to learn about all of the other options for wagers at the craps table. I’m going to get into the reason why this is true before the end of this section, but everything that you need to know can be summed up in one statement.

If you make any wagers at the craps table other than don’t pass and the odds you’re making too many wagers. In other words, make these 2 wagers and never make any other wagers when you play craps.

The reason why this is important is because any other wagers you make when you play craps costs you money. Other wagers increase the amount of money that you put at risk and increase the edge the casino has.

Every other wager option is worse than the two you just learned about. Some of them aren’t much worse, but some of them are 5 to 10 times worse.

4 – You Bet Too Much or Not Enough

I realize that the title of this section might make it sound like it’s impossible to bet the right amount, but the best way to play is actually simple. And if you do anything else but use these guidelines you’re losing too much money.

On the 2 wagers that you make when you play craps, you need to bet a specific amount on each of them every time you make them.

When you make a wager on don’t pass you should risk the minimum amount that you can. Whatever the table minimum is; this is the amount you should bet. Never bet a penny more than the table minimum on your come out roll.

When you make a bet on the odds, you should bet the maximum amount allowed by the casino. If you bet less than the maximum amount on the odds you’re increasing the overall edge the casino holds.

The only exception to these rules is if your bankroll isn’t big enough to let you bet the maximum amount. In this case you either need to build a bigger bankroll or make the biggest odds wager that you can afford to make without running the risk of going broke.

5 – You Use a Craps Gambling System

The first thing you need to understand is that craps gambling systems don’t work. And as far as I know, this includes any type of craps system that is based on controlled dice rolling.

Craps systems and dice control are 2 different things, but they both end up with the same results. You end up losing more than you do when you follow the simple 2 step craps model I explained in the first 2 sections of this article.

Craps systems usually involve money management and/or doubling your bets at certain points. Any time you bet more than the minimum on any bet except for the odds you’re losing more money than you should.

Controlling the dice always sounds like an easy way to riches, but it doesn’t work. It’s just a different type of craps system that’s designed to cost you money. If dice control really worked you could make money playing craps. This is why some craps players continue trying to control the dice.

You’re welcome to try to control the dice, but as soon as you stop making the 2 best wagers and changing your wager amounts because of your attempt at dice control you’re going to start losing more money.

6 – You’re Playing Online Craps

If you play craps online, or in a mobile casino, there are a couple benefits. But the negatives outweigh the benefits.

The benefits of playing mobile and online craps include the ease of finding a craps table, the ability to play without being surrounded by people, smaller wager limits, and the possibility of receiving a deposit bonus.

On the other hand, being able to play craps with other players is one of the big draws for most gamblers. And you simply can’t get the same atmosphere and feel playing digital craps as you get playing in a live casino.

But the big problem is that craps plays too fast in online and mobile casinos. This means that you can play far more rolls online than in a land based casino, and the more rolls you take the more money you risk.

I don’t recommend playing digital craps. But if you do play craps in mobile and online casinos, you need to slow down. Take advantage of the smaller wager limits and try to take the same number of rolls that you take in a land based casino.

Conclusion

The worst thing you can do when you play craps is what everyone else seems to be doing. Most craps players don’t play the best possible way, so you have to be willing to go against the grain when you play.

Most craps gamblers make too many wagers, and they either bet too much or too little on the wagers that they do make. The fact is that you should only make 2 craps wagers, with the minimum risk on 1 and the maximum risk on the other.

Finally, craps betting systems don’t work, so if you use 1 you’re losing too much.