Looking at Various Craps Systems

The most honest craps systems out there are ones that show you how to avoid losing money, and maybe win a little. Promises of big wins are not real.

Craps Systems – Looking at Various Craps Systems

There are numerous systems purporting to teach the user how to win at craps. Some of them are clearly and demonstrably ineffective, while others may have some value. Read on to learn about craps systems.

Dice Control - Skirting the Big No-No

On of the more common, yet more risky, craps systems that people promote is dice control. It is also known by such names as rhythm rolling, precision shooting, or dice setting, with varying associated techniques. In every case, a player using these techniques runs the risk of being thrown out of the game. Someone inept at dice control may try to accidentally use two hands, fumble the throws, fail to hit the far bumper, and so on. And someone who genuinely can control the dice may be suspected of cheating. Either way, the results may not be what you expected.

Martingale System

The Martingale system is probably the best known of all craps systems. It’s used by starting with a small bet, say $1, and then doubling that amount every time the previous bet lost. On a win, the Martingale gambler takes the winnings and goes back to the original betting amount. The idea is that by constantly “raising the stakes,” the wins will over time exceed the losses. The big problem is that a long string of losses can quickly “break the bank,” or at least your wallet. When you’ve lost $512, are you ready to bet another $1,024 to try to win the lost money back? And if you play at a casino table with a maximum bet, as most tables do, then the system can also fail that way, because being unable to double up on a loss of the maximum amount, you’ll be unable to win back all of the money at once, and will then need two wins in a row to offset the one loss. Don’t try this unless you’ve got deep pockets and nerves of steel for a run of bad luck, at a table with a very high limit, or better yet, no limit at all.

Parity Hedging

It is sad that out of all the craps systems out there that Parity Hedging is mentioned so often. In fact, this “system” was actually first written up as a spoof of other craps systems! Jay Adkisson, the author of the Quatloos website, who provides descriptions of frauds, scams, and fallacies, was in a satirical mood one day and wrote up a craps “system” that was supposed to have been invented by nuclear physicists designing atomic weapons in the Nevada desert. In fact, the article was in the nature of an April Fools’ joke, and the mathematics of Parity Hedging are contradictory, as anyone with a good understanding can work out. The humor, however, was too sophisticated for many people, and over the Internet it’s become common to see this system recommended to craps players. Don’t bother! It does not work.

Parity Hedging

It is sad that out of all the craps systems out there that Parity Hedging is mentioned so often. In fact, this “system” was actually first written up as a spoof of other craps systems! Jay Adkisson, the author of the Quatloos website, who provides descriptions of frauds, scams, and fallacies, was in a satirical mood one day and wrote up a craps “system” that was supposed to have been invented by nuclear physicists designing atomic weapons in the Nevada desert. In fact, the article was in the nature of an April Fools’ joke, and the mathematics of Parity Hedging are contradictory, as anyone with a good understanding can work out. The humor, however, was too sophisticated for many people, and over the Internet it’s become common to see this system recommended to craps players. Don’t bother! It does not work.

Don’t Be a Sucker

Casino Craps may be the most mathematically analyzed game you can play. There’s tons of information, but really you must remember only two things. First is that dice have no memory. It doesn’t matter if you or anyone else has rolled ten sevens in a row or not the palest pink hint of “Big Red,” on any given roll there’s one chance in six that seven will come up and lesser odds for any other roll. Two, remember that the casinos are in it to make money over the long haul. You might win a little (or even a lot) one day, but at the end of the week it’s the pit bosses who are counting the cash. If you win, someone else has lost, to make up for it. You can’t expect to keep winning and winning; if you keep playing, the odds are that you will lose more than you’ll win.

Remember with any “system” that the old adage holds true -- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t be taken in by scams or fantasy promises of instant riches. Bet responsibly, never risk more than you can afford to lose, and above all, always try to have fun. If you think of craps as a way to spend lots of time playing for very little money, with an added chance to win small amounts, then by all means go out and enjoy yourself.