Avoid The One Roll Bets

Tip Category: Craps

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Craps is a fascinating game because it is the only online casino game played with dice. However the bets in craps are among the most complicated and players should enter with care. To begin with there are a large number of bets in craps. Each of the bets has a different house edge. Therefore from the point of view of expected winning all bets are not the same. Players need to be aware which bets offer the lower house edges and which bets offer the higher house edges.

Bets in craps can be classified into two groups. These are sequence bets and one roll bets. Sequence bets are those bets that are decided over a number of rolls. Also the outcomes are conditional to what happens in the earlier roll. One roll bets are much easier to understand and are decided in the next roll of the dice. Therefore it seems natural for new players to gravitate to the one roll bets. One the surface their logic seems acceptable. It will give them a feel of the game and increase their comfort level and thus prepare them to handle the more complicated sequence bets. But there is a big rub in this argument and no online casino clarifies this upfront. The one roll bets have much higher house edges compared to the sequence bets. Some of the house edges go over 15%, which is horrendous. It is better to splurge money on a fancy dinner than play these bets.

Some of the one roll bets are explained. The most popular one roll bet is the Field Bet. This bet wins if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 are rolled. It loses if a 5, 6, 7 or 8 are rolled. Seven numbers win and four numbers lose. The pay out is even money for all numbers, except 2 and 12 that pay 2 to 1. It seems very attractive. But new players forget that the losing numbers are the more frequently rolled ones. There are six ways of getting a seven and only one way of getting a 2. If examined correctly there are sixteen ways to win and twenty ways to lose. Even after correction for the doubled payouts on 2 and 12 the house edge is 5.55%. The Proposition Bets are even worse. These bets win if a designated number is rolled on the next move. For example if a player places a Proposition Bet on Any Seven then a seven must be rolled for the player to win. Proposition bets generally have a house edge of 16.67%. In comparison most sequence bets have a house edge of only 1.5%.

It is understandable that there is some discomfort in the minds of new players for attacking the complex sequence bets right away. But playing the one roll bets is not the answer for two reasons. One is that the player will be as good as donating money to the online casino. The other is that playing the one roll bets does not help in becoming familiar with the sequence bets. The answer lies elsewhere. Almost all online casinos allow players to play for free. The new players should take advantage of this facility to increase their understanding of the sequence bets. They will make mistakes but not have to pay for the mistakes. Players should avoid the one roll bets at all costs.