10 Critical Mistakes Every Craps Player Wannabee Makes
There are "Craps Players" and there are "Craps Player Wannabees". The sad thing is that less than 1% of the "Wannabees" have a chance at making money playing Craps. There are too many pitfalls in their way; roadblocks to success on the Craps Table that sidetrack them, diminish their successful play, or stop them completely! Once you learn what those obstacles to successful Craps play are, you're well on your way leaving the ranks of the Wannabees, and finally able to win money at our favorite game. So, let's take a look at those 10 "Roadblocks to Success" and then get rid of the 10 mistakes every "Craps Player Wannabee" makes.
1) Listens to the Dealers.
The dealers are paid by the Casino. What do you suppose that means to you? It means they are required to tout the bets that make the most money FOR the Casino! They will constantly holler "Hard Ways" and "Field Bets" and "Yo" to remind you to bet on those moneymakers (or money-losers for the Wannabee).
2) Accepts the free drinks.
Is it not obvious why the Casino gives away alcohol? Does anyone believe their ability to make good decisions is not hampered when drinking? "Nuff" said!
3) Doesn't set goals (for winning and losing).
Any successful endeavor happens by plan, not by accident. The same is true for the business of gambling. Please realize and remember that gambling is a business. Whenever and wherever large sums of money are concerned, it is no longer a pastime, but a business! Successful business plans include goals. When playing Craps, you should set two very important goals: how much you plan to win, and how much you can afford to lose. Wannabees win until they lose it all, and they lose until they lose it all. Either outcome is nuts. Set an amount to win, and an amount you can lose, then stop when you reach either! It's not crazy to stop winning by the way - IF you know when and how! There is a third goal that can make a big difference in how well (or poorly) you do in any given session: Time limits. Know your own physical and mental limitations and don't try to abuse them - instead, use them!
4) Doesn't understand the math.
Wannabees rely on luck, hunches, superstitions, guesses, and advice from the dealers. That spells certain doom. The ONLY way to win consistently at the game of Craps is to know, understand and apply the math. There are math absolutes that can help you (though most will hurt you). There are math "secrets" that shouldn't be secret, and once exposed and explained will take the Wannabee into that 1% who win money consistently.
5) Bankroll ignorance (doesn't have one, bets the rent).
Another common mistake is charging into a Craps game "willy-nilly" with a stack of chips - play them - and NOT keep score! Every game is won or lost by the score, yet Wannabees never know at any given time what their score is. They don't know how much they started with, have won or lost, have on their rack during play, nor how much is in their pocket when they leave. They have not set aside an amount of money for gambling (bankroll) and they don't take the correct amount of money into each session because they don't even know that it's critical to carve out a percentage for each session. Further, the Wannabee will bet the rent. There is an old adage that proclaims: "Scared money never wins". The Wannabee doesn't believe that. They don't understand that when they can't afford to lose that money, they alter their bets. They pull back when they shouldn't, they charge at the wrong time, the chase after bad bets and do so many more foolish things.
6) Sucker bets.
The Craps table is full of options. There are many betting opportunities that can easily confuse and suck the Wannabee in... and suck his money out! There are bets that just should never be made because they represent very difficult outcomes. There are bets that should not be made because they don't pay off correctly (the possibility of an outcome dictates true odds, but the house pays less). There are attractive bets that are given bigger real estate on the table to attract the Wannabees. There are sexy bets that payoff "big" and bring the greatest noise to attract Wannabees.
7) Ignores the odds.
The greatest gift the casino offers is free odds. The Wannabees don't even know they exist (because the dealers NEVER mention them, and the Wannabees don't study the game). The odds are the great equalizer at the Craps tables. Thanks to odds, Craps players are able to get the house advantage down to less than 1%. That is the best odds anywhere in any casino. There is NO game other than Craps where the house allows such a fighting chance. Yet the Wannabee ignores this gift... or is ignorant to the existence and proper play of them. To not take advantage of the odds on a Craps table is like burning your bankroll with fire!
8) Right bettor.
The Wannabees hear the roar of the crowd. They see the camaraderie amongst the players. They feel the excitement of the fast action. They can taste their winnings. So, they do what everyone else at the table is doing... betting right! The Wannabees don't even know there is a "wrong way" to bet. Even if they did, they'd never bet "wrong". But the math clearly indicates that betting "wrong" is right! There are house advantages that beat the right bettors that can be put to the advantage of the wrong bettor. And betting wrong is right! It's not as fun! But if a Wannabee wants to make money - not friends - then he must become a "Wrong Bettor"
9) Chases lost money (bad bets, worse bets, and hot shooters).
The Wannabee is guilty of several mistakes (as seen here), and among the most crucial is this one. He is not considering goals, odds, math and... memory! Not his own, but the dice's memory. He believes the dice have one! He'll believe that his number is "due" because it hasn't come up in a while... or that it won't repeat. He'll believe that after three (or two, or four or...) easy fours... the hard way four is due! He believes that a shooter who made his point is "bound" to make his next one also - or contrary to that - he is "bound" to seven out on his next one. This goes on and on, and all of them are based on a foolish belief that the dice have a memory. There are "systems" that the Wannabees buy that capitalize on that nonsense - they're called "Counting Systems". Maybe (MAYBE) some card games, under certain conditions, counting might give you an edge - but NEVER Dice!
10) Don't learn and study.
At what endeavor does one succeed without learning and studying? Yet the Wannabee will gladly throw his money around a Craps table based on anything but! As with anything one wants to do WELL, Craps should be learned, studied, tested, and practiced BEFORE investing money. And the learning should never stop! Successful campaigns take testing and tweaking and more testing and more tweaking... so too should playing Craps. One should learn from those who have put their knowledge to the test over many years and have already tweaked their game to perfection. There's no sense in reinventing the wheel! Obtaining the perfect wheel (or Craps knowledge) is much smarter. Then and only then can a Wannabee approach a Craps table with confidence and correct abilities - and thereby become a Craps Player!
I hope you'll take these mistakes out of your game, and get rid of the curses of the "Craps Player Wannabee". If you like what you've read here, I invite you to take a closer look at my book wherein these mistakes and more are fully discussed, dispelled, dismissed and destroyed... and you'll come out the other end a consistent, moneymaking Craps Player.
There are "Craps Players" and there are "Craps Player Wannabees". The sad thing is that less than 1% of the "Wannabees" have a chance at making money playing Craps. There are too many pitfalls in their way; roadblocks to success on the Craps Table that sidetrack them, diminish their successful play, or stop them completely! Once you learn what those obstacles to successful Craps play are, you're well on your way leaving the ranks of the Wannabees, and finally able to win money at our favorite game. So, let's take a look at those 10 "Roadblocks to Success" and then get rid of the 10 mistakes every "Craps Player Wannabee" makes.
1) Listens to the Dealers.
The dealers are paid by the Casino. What do you suppose that means to you? It means they are required to tout the bets that make the most money FOR the Casino! They will constantly holler "Hard Ways" and "Field Bets" and "Yo" to remind you to bet on those moneymakers (or money-losers for the Wannabee).
2) Accepts the free drinks.
Is it not obvious why the Casino gives away alcohol? Does anyone believe their ability to make good decisions is not hampered when drinking? "Nuff" said!
3) Doesn't set goals (for winning and losing).
Any successful endeavor happens by plan, not by accident. The same is true for the business of gambling. Please realize and remember that gambling is a business. Whenever and wherever large sums of money are concerned, it is no longer a pastime, but a business! Successful business plans include goals. When playing Craps, you should set two very important goals: how much you plan to win, and how much you can afford to lose. Wannabees win until they lose it all, and they lose until they lose it all. Either outcome is nuts. Set an amount to win, and an amount you can lose, then stop when you reach either! It's not crazy to stop winning by the way - IF you know when and how! There is a third goal that can make a big difference in how well (or poorly) you do in any given session: Time limits. Know your own physical and mental limitations and don't try to abuse them - instead, use them!
4) Doesn't understand the math.
Wannabees rely on luck, hunches, superstitions, guesses, and advice from the dealers. That spells certain doom. The ONLY way to win consistently at the game of Craps is to know, understand and apply the math. There are math absolutes that can help you (though most will hurt you). There are math "secrets" that shouldn't be secret, and once exposed and explained will take the Wannabee into that 1% who win money consistently.
5) Bankroll ignorance (doesn't have one, bets the rent).
Another common mistake is charging into a Craps game "willy-nilly" with a stack of chips - play them - and NOT keep score! Every game is won or lost by the score, yet Wannabees never know at any given time what their score is. They don't know how much they started with, have won or lost, have on their rack during play, nor how much is in their pocket when they leave. They have not set aside an amount of money for gambling (bankroll) and they don't take the correct amount of money into each session because they don't even know that it's critical to carve out a percentage for each session. Further, the Wannabee will bet the rent. There is an old adage that proclaims: "Scared money never wins". The Wannabee doesn't believe that. They don't understand that when they can't afford to lose that money, they alter their bets. They pull back when they shouldn't, they charge at the wrong time, the chase after bad bets and do so many more foolish things.
6) Sucker bets.
The Craps table is full of options. There are many betting opportunities that can easily confuse and suck the Wannabee in... and suck his money out! There are bets that just should never be made because they represent very difficult outcomes. There are bets that should not be made because they don't pay off correctly (the possibility of an outcome dictates true odds, but the house pays less). There are attractive bets that are given bigger real estate on the table to attract the Wannabees. There are sexy bets that payoff "big" and bring the greatest noise to attract Wannabees.
7) Ignores the odds.
The greatest gift the casino offers is free odds. The Wannabees don't even know they exist (because the dealers NEVER mention them, and the Wannabees don't study the game). The odds are the great equalizer at the Craps tables. Thanks to odds, Craps players are able to get the house advantage down to less than 1%. That is the best odds anywhere in any casino. There is NO game other than Craps where the house allows such a fighting chance. Yet the Wannabee ignores this gift... or is ignorant to the existence and proper play of them. To not take advantage of the odds on a Craps table is like burning your bankroll with fire!
8) Right bettor.
The Wannabees hear the roar of the crowd. They see the camaraderie amongst the players. They feel the excitement of the fast action. They can taste their winnings. So, they do what everyone else at the table is doing... betting right! The Wannabees don't even know there is a "wrong way" to bet. Even if they did, they'd never bet "wrong". But the math clearly indicates that betting "wrong" is right! There are house advantages that beat the right bettors that can be put to the advantage of the wrong bettor. And betting wrong is right! It's not as fun! But if a Wannabee wants to make money - not friends - then he must become a "Wrong Bettor"
9) Chases lost money (bad bets, worse bets, and hot shooters).
The Wannabee is guilty of several mistakes (as seen here), and among the most crucial is this one. He is not considering goals, odds, math and... memory! Not his own, but the dice's memory. He believes the dice have one! He'll believe that his number is "due" because it hasn't come up in a while... or that it won't repeat. He'll believe that after three (or two, or four or...) easy fours... the hard way four is due! He believes that a shooter who made his point is "bound" to make his next one also - or contrary to that - he is "bound" to seven out on his next one. This goes on and on, and all of them are based on a foolish belief that the dice have a memory. There are "systems" that the Wannabees buy that capitalize on that nonsense - they're called "Counting Systems". Maybe (MAYBE) some card games, under certain conditions, counting might give you an edge - but NEVER Dice!
10) Don't learn and study.
At what endeavor does one succeed without learning and studying? Yet the Wannabee will gladly throw his money around a Craps table based on anything but! As with anything one wants to do WELL, Craps should be learned, studied, tested, and practiced BEFORE investing money. And the learning should never stop! Successful campaigns take testing and tweaking and more testing and more tweaking... so too should playing Craps. One should learn from those who have put their knowledge to the test over many years and have already tweaked their game to perfection. There's no sense in reinventing the wheel! Obtaining the perfect wheel (or Craps knowledge) is much smarter. Then and only then can a Wannabee approach a Craps table with confidence and correct abilities - and thereby become a Craps Player!
I hope you'll take these mistakes out of your game, and get rid of the curses of the "Craps Player Wannabee". If you like what you've read here, I invite you to take a closer look at my book wherein these mistakes and more are fully discussed, dispelled, dismissed and destroyed... and you'll come out the other end a consistent, moneymaking Craps Player.
