Learn the Secrets of Playing Craps:

Craps advantage and the craps game itself has been a subject to intense polemics. Some experts claim that craps is a game of luck and no craps advantage is possible, while others propose techniques that can turn the craps odds into the favor of the player. At this page we will try to mention most arguments from the both sides and to figure out whether the craps advantage is achievable.

Only four gambling games are officially recognized as the games of skills, where a good player can gain an advantage over the house and/or other players. These games are blackjack, poker, sports betting and thoroughbred racing, while other games either produce outcome that does not depend on the player's decisions or have the house edge that can not be overcome.

Craps theoretically belongs to the first group. Although its house edge is one of the lowest among casino games, the structure of the game does not allow players to influence the outcome. Therefore many experts claim that craps is an unbeatable game.

Claims that contradict this version are essentially based on a technique called dice control. In the game of craps each player receives his turn to throw the dice. Trained players are believed to be able to throw the dice in such way that the losing 7 will be rolled out less frequently. Craps tables in casinos have a special rule that says that when the dice are thrown they must hit the opposite wall of the table before landing. This surely makes dice control very difficult. However, as we said before, the house edge in craps is very low, and if a player can influence the outcome in the most insignificant manner, he already can gain an advantage.

The odds of 7 are 1/6, which means that in 42 shots 7 will come out 7 times in average (7/42 odds). If the player can lower the odds of 7 to only 7/43, he will completely eliminate the house edge of the game. So dice control is not supposed to permit a player to roll out any number by demand, he only needs to lower the odds of 7 from 1/6 to 7/43, which seems to be quite possible.

One of the arguments used by those who do not agree with dice control adherents is that casinos actually allow players to perform manipulations with the dice before the throw, which surely does not mean that casinos are unaware of dice control technique, but means that they do not consider it as a potential threat. Dice control is compared to baccarat cards supplied by the casino, where players can write down the results of previous rounds and uselessly force their brain in attempts to figure out how these outcomes affect the future game.

Both sides have quite strong arguments, so there is only one way to find out whether dice control is an effective technique or just another gambling myth: to watch other players who are believed to be the masters of the dice control art and to calculate the results they produce. If you decide that dice control is for you, you can read the dice control dedicated article at this very site and try to learn the technique.