Craps (version 2) – Part 4 of 5
Michael: Hi, my name is Mike Shackleford, otherwise known as the Wizard of Odds and I'm here with Angela Wyman, my favorite dealer in Las Vegas. This is part four of my series on craps and in this video we’re going to be talking about the Don't Pass and the Don't Come bets. Angela, what were you going to ask me at the end of the last video?
Question 1 - [00:27]
Angela: I'm excited that we got to this, because apparently these are good bets that I can actually place but I have no idea what they are. What are they?
Michael: Okay. Well, again, these are bets that offer the best odds on the table. Let's start with the Don't Pass Bar. This is exactly the opposite of the Pass bet which we talked about in part one, except everything that causes the Pass bet to win causes the Don't Pass to lose and vice-versa. What's bad for the Pass is good for the Don't Pass. Now, however the house advantage, the casino has to have a house advantage on everything, so there's one rule that is not exactly reversed. You may remember that a 12 on the Pass line bet, on a Come-Out roll is a loss. On the Don't Pass, it doesn't become a win, it's only a push.
Okay, nevertheless, the house advantage on the Don't Pass bet is 1.36% which is 0.05% lower than the 1.41% on the Pass. If you want to get the odds as much in your favor as possible, then the Don't Pass is the way to go. Now, most, the vast majority, at least 90% of the players are going to be betting what's called the right way or the positive way on the Pass and the Come bets. However, there are opposites to those bets which some players like me bet because the odds are a little bit better. These players are called Wrong Way Players or Dark Side Players or Negative Players. The players betting the positive way don't like them generally, so this is not the most fun way to play but it’s the best mathematical way to play.
Angela: Okay. I'm in.
Michael: Shall we give it a try?
Angela: Yes, definitely.
Michael: All right. Angela, it's a Come Out Roll, so to make the Don't Pass bet, it's quite easy. You just put your money right there.
Angela: Okay. I'm on the street today.
Michael: Let's see if it keeps going.
Angela: Okay.
Dan: Seven. Take the don't.
Michael: Okay, so we lost. The Pass line players would have won on that but we are the opposites, so we lost, but let's try again. Here we want a two or three.
Angela: Two or three.
Dan: Eight, easy win.
Michael: All right, so the point is an eight. Much like a Pass line player would be wanting an eight before a seven, we want the opposite, we want that seven and we don't want an eight.
Angela: Okay. I'm glad you clarified that.
Michael: Try to roll a seven.
Angela: All right. Here it goes.
Dan: Yo eleven.
Michael: Okay, so nothing happens there.
Angela: All right.
Michael: Nothing will happen until it's a seven or an eight.
Angela: All right.
Dan: Out Seven.
Michael:You did it.
Angela: Seven it is.
Michael: Seven it is.
Question 2 - [03:52]
Angela: Mike, you showed me how I can take odds on the Pass line. We did that earlier. Can I do the same thing on the Don't Pass?
Michael: Absolutely. It's called laying odds and it's another bet with zero house advantage, so it's something you should always do if you are comfortable with the amount that you are gambling.
Question 3 - [04:09]
Angela: How do I do that?
Michael: Well let me show you. First let's make a Don't Pass bet and once you roll a point, I will explain how to lay odds on it.
Angela: Okay.
Dan: Eight, easy, mark eight.
Michael: All right, so the point is eight. We want to make a lay bet that is seven will become up before an eight. I explained before how a lot of casinos have what's called three, four, five times odds. It's a lot easier with laying the odds. If it's always six times the Don't Pass bet. If the rules are three, four, five times odds, taking the odds. I see that I bet $10, so I'm going to be laying $60. It looks like you bet $20, so you are going to be betting $120. You are going to be laying $120 on the odds.
The way you physically put these on the table is you do what's called healing it. It's like where you make two little stacks that are touching each other like that and you put them close to your Don't Pass bet. Don’t freak out if the dealer touches the money. Unlike all the other bets like the Pass and the field where you do it yourself, the dealers are very particular about how things are placed with laying odds. They may re-position the chips a little bit to remember who made the bet and which chips are the Don't Pass and which are laying the odds.
Angela: Okay.
Michael: Okay. We made a lay bet on the eight. You are still the shooter.
Angela: All right.
Michael: Try to get that seven.
Angela: All right.
Dan: Seven out.
Michael: You did it. Very good. Let's talk about how much you are going to win. The odds on laying the eight or the six pay five to six. My $60 bet will win $50, your $120 bet will win $100. Again, those are statistically fair odds and we are also going to win on our Don't Pass bet and it's a new Come Out Roll.
Question 4 - [06:29]
Angela: I love it. I like where there is a Don't Pass since there's a Pass. Since there is a Come bet is there also a Don't? It goes that way?
Michael: Absolutely. The Don't Come is again, a great bet, low house advantage of 1.36% and it works just like the Don’t Pass bet but it's made any time that’s not a Come Out Roll. Again, it's exactly the mirror opposite of the Come bet except a 12 is a push rather than a win.
Angela: Okay.
Michael: Let's try an example where all we are going to make is a Don't Pass and Don't Come bets, okay?
Angela: Perfect.
Michael: All right. You are still the shooter so good luck.
Angela: Thanks.
Dan: Eight, easy way.
Angela: It’s my number.
Michael: All right. Now we want to make Don't Come bets.
Dan: Five no field, DCs go behind.
Michael: All right. Let's make a new Don't Come bet.
Angela: Okay.
Dan: 10 easy way, DCs gone.
Michael: All right. We are getting a lot of money here on the table Angela, so try to roll a seven.
Angela: Okay. All right.
Dan: Seven out, in line.
Michael: All right.
Dan: Pay the don'ts, pay behind.
Michael: We're going to win on all of our bets, they all win in one shot which is the great thing about playing the Don't side. You don't win often but when you win, you win a lot.
Question 5 - [08:24]
Angela: I like this. There's been so many mirror images with the Pass and Don't Pass and the Come and Don't Come, so just like we saw earlier, can I also lay odds on the Don't Come bet?
Michael: Absolutely. Continuing on with the bizarre world of the dark side player, yes, indeed you can lay odds after a Don't Come bet, in fact, this is how I like to play. This may not be the most fun way to play because you are going against the table, but it's the best mathematical way to play is Don't Pass, Don't Come bets and always lay the maximum on the odds. Let's do that. Let's go to try.
Angela: Yes. Let's play that way.
Michael: Okay. As always it's a Come Out roll now. Make a Don't Pass bet and you are still the lucky shooter.
Angela: Okay.
Dan: Yo 11, take the dough.
Michael: Okay, so much like the 11 causes a Pass bet to win, it causes a Don't Pass to lose, so you can't win them all.
Angela: No, bizarre of craps world again, okay.
Michael: Yes.
Angela: All right. None of that this time.
Dan: Eight easy way, mark the eight.
Michael: Okay. Let's lay odds on the eight. As I was explaining before, you always bet six times your Pass line bet. We each bet 10, so we are going to lay $60 on the eight and put it like a hill, like two little stacks. Again, don't freak out if the dealer touches your bets. They’re very particular about how they’re placed. They won't bite your head off if you placed it wrong, they're just correcting it. Now, let's make our Don’t Come bets.
Angela: All right.
Dan: Nine seven.
Michael: All right, again.
Angela: It’s just like before?
Michael: Six times the amount, so we bet -- we each bet 10. Laying odds on the nine, please.
Angela: Thank you.
Michael: Let’s make another Don’t Come bet. The Don’t Come bet, you can either place it yourself or ask the dealer to do it. If you have long arms, you can reach out all the way over there and do it yourself, it’s perfectly fine. But it’s a long reach for you and if you’re dressed like that, you may not want to lean over. It’s perfectly okay to ask the dealer to do it.
Angela: Okay, thank you.
Michael: Okay, so we’re ready to go. Try to roll a seven.
Angela: Here we go.
Dan: 10 hard 10.
Michael: All right, so lay six times your Don’t Come bet on the odds. Laying on the 10 please. Let’s make it yet another Don’t Come bet.
Angela: All right. I am going to ask the dealer, so 10 Don’t Come please.
Michael: Me, too, please.
Angela: All right, here we go.
Dan: Nine, down behind the nine.
Michael: Okay, so our old Don’t Come bet and laying the odds on the nine just lost because you rolled a nine. But it’s not the end of the world, we still have a lot of ways we can win on a seven.
Angela: Okay.
Michael: Let’s lay the odds on that new nine. Laying odds on the nine please.
Angela: Also laying odds on the nine please.
Michael: Can you put that on the Don’t Come for me please.
Angela: Me as well.
Michael: Okay. Seven is the magic number.
Angela Marie: Okay, it’s time.
Dan: Sshhh. Two crap aces, pay the DC.
Michael: All right. Much like a two causes a pass or a Come bet to lose, it causes us to win, so we just won $10s each. I’m going to take my winnings and let’s make a new Don’t Come bet.
Angela: Okay, I’ll do the same. Don’t Come please.
Michael: By the way, before you shoot, you may have heard the dealer hush us after I said seven is the magic number, because it’s a superstition in craps to never say seven. Especially when it’s after the Come Out Roll, because the vast majority of players are going to lose if it’s a seven, so they will incorrectly think you’ll jinx the table by saying seven. Trust me you will get players angry if you do that. I would never say that at an actual table in the casino.
Angela: It’s the Macbeth of the gambling world.
Michael: Exactly. But we’re not superstitious, so we’re going to say whatever we want.
Angela: Suerte puerto vore?
Michael: Si, si. Buene suerte.
Dan: Seven, line away.
Angela: Yes.
Michael: All right, let me explain what’s going to happen here because we just won three different bets. The lay bets on the six and the eight pay five to six odds, so our -- so when we laid the eight after the Don’t Pass Bet, we bet $60, that’s going to win 50. On the five and the nine, lay bets pay two to three, so our $60 are going to win 40 on the nine. On the four and the 10, the winning odds are one to two, so our $60 lay bet on the 10 is going to pay $30. Plus, all or our Don’t Come bets and our Don’t Pass bet are all going to pay even money. We just hit a huge windfall.
Angela: Wooh [laughs].
Michael: Again, this is mathematically speaking the best way to play and how I personally play.
Angela: This is how I’m going to play.
Michael: All right. Okay.
Angela: All right.
Michael: Okay. You just have to keep a poker face and don’t get the other players angry. Like don’t celebrate when you win because they’re losing.
Angela: Right.
Michael: Right, okay, so you want to keep a low profile as a dark side player.
Angela: I’ll do my best.
Michael: Or if you don’t like it, I wouldn’t bite your head off if you bet with the table because the mathematical difference and the house advantage is really small, so the decision is yours. It may depend what mood you’re in. Some players go back and forth. It’s perfectly okay.
Angela: All right.
Michael: All right.