Learn to deal casino Craps, Blackjack, Baccarat and Carnival Games.
On May 23, Patricia Demauro set a new "world record" for the longest known craps roll of four hours and 18 minutes. The New Jersey grandmother declined to disclose the amount of her winnings.
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The following video clip demonstrates how to press both 6 & 8 Place Bets from $12 each to $18 as well as pressing from $60 each to $90 each.
The physical procedure, the mechanics, for both presses is exactly the same. The only difference is the color of the cheques.
It is good practice to set up four players, two with $12 each on the 6 & 8 and two with $60 each on the 6 & 8. Alternate the players' bet amounts, as done in the video, to re-enforce the fact that the move is less about dollar amount and more about the number of cheques.
Base dealers' hands are not referred to as "left" and "right", but, rather "inside hand" and "outside hand" in relation to the dealers' position at the table. The hand closest to box person is the inside hand as it is also closest to the inside or middle of the table. Obviously, the outside hand would be the hand farthest away from the box person, closest to the outside of the table.
The base dealers' working stacks of cheques are always positioned in front of the dealer the same way they are in the bank with the lower denomination cheques towards the outside and the highest denomination cheques on the inside for game protection.
In the video the student has the $1 white cheques on her left which means she is on third base where her right hand is the inside hand and her left hand is the outside hand. If on second base the dealer's left hand would be the inside hand and the dealer's right hand would be the outside.
The repetitive use of the terms "inside" and "outside" can make the explanation of the moves sound wordy and confusing. So, if you get confused know that it is perfectly normal and just keep replaying the video and re-reading the explanation until you get it. If you feel the need to take a break and rest your brain, do so. Multiple short practice sessions are more productive than one long cram session. As with everything, practice makes perfect. Giving up only makes you unable to do it.
For this move it does not matter which of the two bets wins because they both pay the same $14. We need to use $12 of a $14 payout to press two bets $6 each. So $14 minus the $12 we need is $2. The end result is the player gets $2 change and their 6 & 8 Place Bets are pressed from $12 each to $18 each.
To press the 6 & 8 from $12 each to $18 each cut out the $14 payout directly in front of you in the Come by picking two red cheques with your inside hand and four white cheques with your outside hand. The two stacks of cheques should be cut out in the Come reasonably close together, if not actually touching. Yes, the student in the video does have her payout spaced a bit too far apart for my liking.
With the $14 cut out in the Come, do the following:
As you practice this move, say "take one, leave one" as you take one, leave one. Your words should be in sync with your hands.
It is very important to strive for slow and accurate in the beginning. Speed will develop naturally with experience. Fast and sloppy is ugly. Smooth and controlled is your goal. To the beginner's inexperienced eyes everything appears to be moving much faster than it really is.
"Control, control, you must learn control!" - Yoda
A good Craps dealer should know how to pay every bet that comes across the table. That does not mean remembering every key to every obscure bet. It definitely does not mean remembering the payouts to every bet either. By the way. If you call the keys "formulas" you should stop.
What it does mean is knowing how to figure out what every bet pays.
Craps students are usually taught, incorrectly, that multi-way bets, such as a Horn Bet, should be bet in proper units. Since a Horn Bet covers the 2, 3, 11 & 12 a Horn "should" be bet in units of four. Wrong.
The truth is, Prop Bets should be bet in an amount which satisfies the table minimum. On most Crap games, take the number of ways a bet is split and follow it with the word "dollar(s)" and that is the minimum amount of the bet. A Horn Bet is a four way bet, therefore, $4 is the minimum Horn. However, the most common Horn Bet is $5. Five dollars is not equally divisible by four units of $1. Yet a $5 Horn is always a bet. The same is true of a $15 and $25 Horn Bet. Not "proper units," but still a bet.
So why then can't a player bet a $5 Three Way Crap? Usually the player won't be allowed to bet it because the dealer or box person doesn't know how to pay it. Weak! A Three Way Crap is a three way bet, so it should be bet at a $3 minimum, not necessarily in units of $3.
When first exposed to such a concept, someone usually asks how an improper three way bet can be paid. The answer is, the same way every other bet is paid, by using the key. The amount of the bet may change, but, the key does not, for the most part.
Back to the Horn Bet. A $4 Horn is $1 on each, the 2, 3, 11 & 12. If the 12 hits it is paid 30 to 1, or $30, minus the $3 which lost to keep the bet up, for a total payout of $27.
The key for the high side of a Horn was developed by asking how to get from a $4 four way bet to a $27 payout. Twenty-seven is very close to 28 and 28 is equally divisible by 4. So, how can we get from $4 to $28? Multiplying 4 by 7 gets us to $28. Now how do we get from $28 to $27? Minus $1? Yes, when the bet is $4, but, what about when the bet is $25? Seven times the bet minus $1 does not work then. A universal key which works for every amount is needed.
What fraction of $4 is $1? One-fourth or a quarter. So the key for the high side of Horn is 7X the bet, minus a quarter of the bet.
A $5 Horn and the high side hits gives us 7 X 5 = 35 - 1.25 = 33.75. Since the seventy-five cents cannot be paid, we round in the house's favor to $33. Rarely will a casino pay a $5 Horn $34. Another way to think of it is, when the key calls for subtracting, round up the portion to be subtracted.
Now we revisit the $5 Three Way Crap. There is more than one key for the low side, Ace-Deuce, of a Three Way Crap. For "proper" three way bets where the winning portion is paid 15 to 1 you can add a zero to 1/3 of the bet and then add the bet. For instance, a $15 Three Way Crap and Ace-Deuce hits we see three nickles, $5, $5, $5. Add a zero to $5 produces $50. Then add the entire $15 bet to $50 which equals the correct payout of $65.
Unfortunately, that key won't work very well for three way bets not divisible by three. So we use another key which works for any amount. Four times the bet, plus 1/3 of the bet. Surely, someone is now thinking, "but 5 isn't equally divisible by 3." Remember the $5 Horn Bet? It isn't equally divisible by 4, yet we can pay it.
Any time there is breakage, the portion of the payout which cannot be paid, coin change, we round in the house's favor. So 4 X $5 = $20 + 1.67 = $21.76, rounded in the house's favor is $21. Another way to think of it is, when the key calls for adding, rounded down the portion to be added.
Let's try another amount. A $25 Hi-Lo-Yo and Yo hits. 4X the bet, plus 1/3 of the bet: 4 X 25 = 100 + 8.33 = 108.33, rounded down is $108. Another way to think of it is when the key calls for adding, round the bet down to the next number equally divisible by 3. In this case, 24. One-third of 24 is 8. Eight plus 100 is 108, the correct answer.
One more. A $100 Three Way 7 and any 7 hits. 4 X 100 = 400 + 33 = 433. Easy!
Another scenario, which is very possible, is a $5 Horn Bet and the high side hits and is parlayed, that is, the entire amount of the winnings are added to the original bet, and hits again on the high side. $5 pays $33. Now $38 gets 7x the bet, minus a quarter of the bet.
Rather than try to multiply 38 by 7 we round 38 up to 40 which is much easier to work with. 40 X 7 = 280. But, we added 2 to 38 to get to 40 and we paid that extra $2 7X, or $14. So we have to take that $14 back. 280 - 14 = 266. Now 266 minus a quarter of 38. Since 38 is not equally divisible by 4 we round up to the next number which is divisible by 4, 40. Now subtract a quarter of 40, 10, from 266, which equals $256. A $5 Horn bet and the high hits and is parlayed and the high side hits again pays $256.
Now you know how to pay improper bets. Like everything else, you must practice if you want to get good at it.
A Place Bet on the 5 & 9 has a 4% house advantage which makes it a bad bet when judged by the 2% standard.
The house edge on a Place Bet 5/9 can be calculated as follows.
The 5/9 are bet in units of $5.00. With the true odds of 3:2 a $5.00 bet on the 5/9 should pay $7.50, but, it doesn’t. It actually pays $7.00. The sum of the bet, $5.00, plus what the bet should pay according to the true odds, $7.50, is $12.50. The sum of the $5.00 bet and the actual $7.00 payoff is $12.00. The difference between $12.50 and $12.00 is $0.50.
$0.50 divided by $12.50 is 0.04. When expressed as a percentage equals 4%. The house edge on a Place Bet 5/9 is 4%.
Now let's do the same math, but, this time for $36 5/9.
According to the true odds, $36 should pay $54. But of course, it doesn't. It pays $50. The $36 bet plus the $54 it should pay equals $90. The $36 bet plus the $50 it actually pays equals $86. The difference between 90 and 86 is 4. Four divided by 90 equals 0.04444 or 4.44%.
Betting $36 on the 5/9 in order to receive an even $50 instead of dropping $1 for $50 increases the already bad 4% house edge to 4.44%. That is not a good move.
The moral of the story? If you are going to bet a 5/9 Place Bet, bet in units of $5.
Also see U.S. Casinos Listed by State or Casinos in the USA in Google Maps (incomplete listing).
Casinos must have at least one of the following forms of gaming to appear on this list: slot machines, pit table games or live poker and must have a web site. Facilities offering only bingo, pull tabs, race betting of any kind or any other wagering of the like are not listed here.
No distinction is made between Indian and non-Indian casinos. Day cruise ships are listed, however, destination cruises are not listed.
The following Eleven states have commercial casinos:
Although the technical terms for non-management gaming employee licenses vary from "Level 2 License," to "Non-key Employee License" and "Support Employee" the colloquial term used here is "gaming license." Most applications for commercial casino non-supervisory employee gaming licenses are listed at Gaming License Applications Available Online.
If you know of a casino which should appear on this list, but does not, please leave a comment with the name of the casino and a link to its web site. Likewise, if you discover a "casino" on this list which is not qualified to be here by at least having slot machines, if not table games, please leave a comment to have that site removed.
Click on a state to see a list of casinos there.
Everyone did a great job dealing at the Zurich Classic event at Generations Hall last night.
Watch Tai bust a move!
Zurich Slideshow
Calculating the house edge or house advantage on most craps bets can be illustrated using cheques with the exception of the Pass Line/Come and Don’t Pass/Don’t Come as those calculations are more complex.
The house edge on a Place Bet 6/8 can be calculated as follows.
The 6/8 are bet in units of $6.00. With the true odds of 6:5 a $6.00 bet on the 6/8 should pay $7.20, but, it doesn’t. It actually pays $7.00. The sum of the bet, $6.00, plus what the bet should pay according to the true odds, $7.20, is $13.20. The sum of the $6.00 bet and the actual $7.00 payoff is $13.00. The difference between $13.20 and $13.00 is 20¢.
20¢ divided by $13.20 is 0.0151515 or 0.0152. When expressed as a percentage equals 1.52%. The house edge on a Place Bet 6/8 is 1.52%.
The 5/9 are bet in units of $5.00. With the true odds of 3:2 a $5.00 bet on the 5/9 should pay $7.50, but, it doesn’t. It actually pays $7.00. The sum of the bet, $5.00, plus what the bet should pay according to the true odds, $7.50, is $12.50. The sum of the $5.00 bet and the actual $7.00 payoff is $12.00. The difference between $12.50 and $12.00 is 50¢.
50¢ divided by $12.50 is 0.04. When expressed as a percentage equals 4%. The house edge on a Place Bet 5/9 is 4%.
The house edge on a Place Bet 4/10 can be calculated as follows.
The 4/10 are bet in units of $5.00. With the true odds of 2:1 a $5.00 bet on the 4/10 should pay $10.00, but, it doesn’t. It actually pays $9.00. The sum of the bet, $5.00, plus what the bet should pay according to the true odds, $10.00, is $15.00. The sum of the $5 bet and the actual $9.00 payoff is $14.00. The difference between $15.00 and $14.00 is $1.00.
$1.00 divided by $15.00 is 0.0666666 or 0.0667. When expressed as a percentage equals 6.67%. The house edge on a Place Bet 4/10 is 6.67%.
Now that we understand how to calculate the house edge or house advantage we can apply the same technique to the Big 6 & 8, the Field and all Prop bets.
Pictured below is the same photo from the "Why Place Bets Pay What They Pay" post which demonstrates visually why Place Bets what they pay and why the house edge is what it is.
The money on the line between the Field and Come represents the portion not paid on the bet. That amount divided by the sum of the bet and what the bet should pay according to the True Odds results in the house edge.
click on image to enlarge
Know thy game.
A dealer may not know the house advantage on bets and still be good enough to deal the game, but, a good dealer strives to be better than “good enough”. Knowing the house advantages is not necessary to physically deal a game, but, knowing the house edge is a part of your game knowledge.
A superior dealer knows their game.
Occasionally you may have a player walk up and toss you a purple and ask for $500 Inside. That is "no bet this roll."
If you have the time before the dice move you can ask how the player would like that set up, but, you should not assume anything.
Five hundred Inside is a shot waiting to happen. Although the non-shot-taker may take offense to being "no bet" on that roll it is good game protection and nothing less than proper procedure.
The honest player may claim, "there's only one way to set up that bet." Unfortunately, their honesty makes them naive. There are many ways to set up $500 Inside. The two best ways for a shot taker are pictured below along with the what most people mean by $500 Inside.
If you assume the player wants $150 each on the 6 & 8 and $100 each on the 5 & 9 the shot taker will wait for the roll and then say they didn't want what you set up.
If the 5 rolls the shot taker will claim what they really wanted was a $5 9, $30 each on the 6 & 8 and $435 on the 5. Of course. That way they make $609. If the 6 rolls the shot taker will claim they really wanted $10 each on the 5 & 9, a $30 8 and a $450 6. Then they make $525.
In either case the shot taker stands to at least double their money because the dealer opened themselves up to a shot by booking an improper bet.
A proper bet in a series of Place Bets, i.e. Across, Inside or Outside, are made in an equal number of units on every number, not an equal dollar amount nor a variety of dollar amounts which, individually, are proper bets. Equal units on every number and equal units only comprise a proper series of Place Bets.
The bet the non-shot-taker means by "$500 Inside" should be booked as, "$500 action Inside. One-fifty each on the 6 & 8, hundred each on the 5 & 9."
Pictured below is the reason for why Place Bets what Place Bets pay.
On the 4 & 10 a $5 bet should be paid $10 according to the True Odds of 2 to 1. But the 4 & 10 don't get paid 2 to 1 because the house needs to have an advantage on the bet in order to keep the lights on. So, the casino keeps $1. One dollar less than $10 to $5 is $9 to $5. Hence, 4 & 10 Place Bets are paid 9 to 5.
On the 5 & 9 a $5 bet should be paid $7.50 according to the True Odds of 3 to 2. But the 5 & 9 don't get paid 3 to 2 because the house needs to maintain an advantage. So, the casino keeps the 50¢. Fifty cents less than $7.50 to $5 is $7 to $5. Hence, 5 & 9 Place Bets are paid 7 to 5.
On the 6 & 8 a $6 bet should be paid $7.20 according to the True Odds of 6 to 5. But, again, the 6 & 8 don't get paid 6 to 5 because the house needs to have the advantage. So, the casino keeps the 20¢. Twenty cents less than $7.20 to $6 is $7 to $6. Hence, 6 & 8 Place Bets are paid 7 to 6.
The following picture compares minimum Place Bets to minimum Put Bets with maximum odds at various casinos with 5x odds, 10x odds and 20x odds.
The bets next to stick and next to base have a $15 minimum and 5x odds for a combined house edge of 0.326%.
The bets two from stick and two from base have a $5 minimum and 10x odds for a combined house edge of 0.184%.
The bets three from stick and three from base have a $5 minimum and 20x odds for a combined house edge of 0.099%.
The following picture is a combination of the Place Bet set up drill and the Pass Line Odds drill.
Both the Place Bets and Odds are in units of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 10 red cheques. After completing the drills for each Point with all red bets and paying color-for-color the drills shall be repeated with green, black and purple cheques in the same number of units, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 10.
Check for updates to Game Questions as more will be added.
