Craps Systems


Many new players confuse craps systems with craps strategies. Craps strategies are all about how you play the game, whereas craps systems are about how you will place your bets. Both focuses on how to reduce the house advantage and improve your own winnings; however they approach the problem from different angles. There are many different craps systems out there, but the effectiveness of each varies. Some are better for different types of players, and some quite frankly don’t work for anyone.

Martingale System

The Martingale system is one of the most widely used casino game betting systems. It is not exclusive to craps and therefore once learned can be used at a variety of tables. The basis of the Martingale system is that you double your bet for every loss. You start by betting the lowest whole denomination ($1). If you lose, you double your bet for every loss ($1 becomes $2 becomes $4 becomes $8 becomes $16).

The Martingale system works best on even money bets like the Pass/Don’t Pass. For example, if you lost your first four bets ($1 + $2 + $4 + $8) you will be $15 under, and should you win the fifth bet will profit by $16, covering your losses and putting you $1 ahead.

There are two problems with the Martingale system. First, very few players are satisfied with winning $1 at a time, which is all the Martingale system allows for. Second, while the bets initially start small they get larger quickly, so that a losing streak can eat up your entire bankroll in a matter of minutes. While a single win at the higher bets will put you back in the black, many players will run out of money before they can recoup their losses. This makes the Martingale system advisable only for players with a larger bankroll.

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The CPR System

The CPR is CPR system stands for “collect, press, and regress.” After the come out roll, you place a bet on a certain point. For the ease of calculating payouts, we will say you are placing your bet on an 8. If you bet $6 and the shooter rolls 8, then you collect a win of $7, putting you one ahead.

When your point is hit again, you tell the dealer to “press” your bet. He will place an additional $6 on your point, returning the second $1 profit for a current total of $2 profit. When the point is hit a third time, tell the dealer to “regress” your bet. The dealer will take your bet back to the original $6, giving you the $14 earned from your original place bet plus $6 from regressing for a total of $20 and a profit of $22 overall.

Obviously your profit is contingent on winning, but your risk is only your original place bet. Besides the earlier mentioned Pass/Don’t Pass bets, the 6 and 8 places have the lowest house advantage, making them the best bets for beginners and the most common place bets for the CPR craps system.

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Hedge Betting Systems

Hedge betting, unlike other craps systems, does not focus so much on betting with the lowest house edge as with betting to protect the player. A hedge bet is a bet used to counter another bet. A hedge bet is usually a small bet with a high payoff meant to compliment a large bet with a low payoff.

An example of this is betting big on the Pass Line and then hedging that bet with an Any Craps bet. If the player bets $10 on the Pass Line and $2 on the Any Craps, they have a total investment of $12. If the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 then the Pass Line bet is lost but the Any Craps bet will yield $14 for an overall profit.

This sounds very logical but in truth is not a great craps system because you are now dealing with two house advantages and a hedge bet of Any Craps is against a house edge of more than 11%. The likelihood of you hitting one bet is slightly raised, but not enough to compensate for the additional expenditure on an unlikely payout.

Faulty Systems

There are all sorts of crap systems being advertised on the Internet. Paying for a good way to lose money before even hitting the craps table. Many experts offer tips, strategies, and basic system information for free on their blogs, and will back this data up with tables and true odds. Regardless of what craps systems you choose, it is important to go into the game with a level head and a good understanding of the odds.

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