First Craps Game Strategy

How to Play

Now, let's get to the core of winning lots of money. Now don't panic, but it's necessary that you have a partner. This can be a friend, your wife, husband, girlfriend, or anyone you trust with your money. If you are sharp enough, you can play without a partner, but it's difficult to keep up with two players at once.

That's right, you look puzzled, we are going to place a bet on the pass line and also a bet on the don't pass line. So now we don't care which one wins, we have a winner every play. In effect, one side protects the other. The only thing that we don't want is for one side to win as many as 5 in a row. The odds are 33-1 against that. As long as the wins go back and forth from pass to don't pass, we rake in a bundle.

You must decide with your partner as to how the chips are to be split up when you finally quit playing. If you put up all the money, then all winnings are yours when you stop. If both partners go 50 - 50, then all chips are split 50 - 50 when play ceases, etc.

I recommend that each partner start with $200 in $5 chips. Play $5 units only, until you are ready to increase bets. (How to increase comes later).

For example - if partners are 50 - 50... and after 30 minutes of play, partner #1 has $170 left and partner #2 has $320, the total amount of money is $490. This belongs $245 to each partner. In this example both partners are $45 winners even though one side has won more than the other. When you are playing 50 - 50, all chips are pooled together and split in half to each partner. If you put up all the money to begin with, then of course all chips belong to you.

Now remember, whether we play craps, roulette or baccarat, we are betting on "nearly" even money bets, so what we want is for winners and losers to alternate as much as possible. An occasional streak will hurt, but not much because one side is winning on that streak anyway. As long as one side doesn't lose 5 in a row, we are in tall cotton. The odds are 3 3 - 1 against 5 wins in a row for one side.

Now, here's what we do. . . . . . . . .

Craps Core Strategy

If you have a mental block against playing don't pass, just get that out of your head! Right now, we are playing to win money!

Player #1 will play the pass line. Player #2 will play the don't pass line. We will also use a 1-2-3-5-8 negative progression money management system. It is playing both sides of the line along with the progressive money system that makes this method work to perfection.

To begin - Player #1 places a $5 chip on the pass line. Player #2 places a $5 chip on the don't pass line. Now what's going to happen, either pass or don't pass is going to win, right? So on the first roll you are going to come out even, big deal. The first roll is the only time that this will ever happen, so don't worry about it, you didn't lose.

Let's say that the pass player won the point and $5, don't pass lost $5. We are going to increase the bet according to the 1-2-3-5-8 progression for the losing player. The winner always goes back to one unit after a win.


Player #l's Bet                 Player #2's Bet

(Pass)                  (Don't Pass)                     Results

Roll one              $5 (1 unit)          $5 (1 unit)                        Pass Won

Roll two              $5 (1 unit)          $10 (2 units)                    Don't Pass Won

Roll three           $10 (2 units)      $5 (1 unit)                        Don't Pass Won

Roll four             $15 (3 units)      $5 (1 unit)                        Pass Won

Roll five              $5 (1- unit)        $10 (2 units)

Every time you win, you go back to one unit bet. When you lose, that player increases according to the 1-2-3-5-8 system.

In the previous example we are ahead 2 units or $10 through the first four rolls. The 1-2-3-5-8 progression gives you five point rolls of the dice to get a winner on your side whether you are pass or don't pass. The odds are about 3 3 - 1 against either player winning or losing 5 in a row. It will happen occasionally though, believe me. Should you have a streak on one side of 5 losses in a row, stop there, take your loss and start over at 1 unit. You will win enough on alternative wins that the rare streak won't make any difference.

Playing $5 units with the 1-2-3-5-8 progression, the largest bet for either player will be $40 (8 units). Stop your progression at 8 and return to 1 unit. This ends the streak and minimizes your short term loss. When you begin to increase your basic betting unit, the maximum initial bet will be $50 because $50 times 8 units =$400. Most table limits are $500 so to go any farther would go over the limit. If you bet more than this, you don't need this system anyway.

Every time the line point winner changes you are ahead at least 1 unit.

Let's say we are already into play and player #1 (pass) just won and the next ten points alternate. Here's what happens:

 Craps Strategy - Chart #1

In this example, out of 10 point rolls each player won half. Each player won $25 a piece and the most bet by either player was $10. Of course, the wins won't alternate every time, but every time the line winner changes, you come out 1 unit ahead.


  1. Decide how the winnings are to be split.
  2. One partner plays the pass line, the other the don't pass line.
  3. The winner on the point roll always goes back to one unit, the loser increases the bet per the 1-2-3-5-8 progression.
  4. Never play beyond 8 units.

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 2

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 3

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 4

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 5

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 6

Craps Game Strategy - Chart 7

Note: Always stop play on a line change.

In the preceding 201 actual rolls of the dice, you would be ahead 54 units even though 3 streaks went against you.

You are ahead by:

  • 54 units times $5 = $270
  • 54 units times $25 = $1350

Patience is the key. You will win if you follow the instructions. Do not get greedy until you are ahead of the house.

If you play exactly as described, the odds are incredible that you would ever have a losing session.


Sometimes a table will get hot. That means a shooter rolls the dice many times before he sevens out or makes his point. If you "need" more action, you can make a place bet on the 6 & 8 while you wait for the point to be made or missed.

You should make only a one unit place bet, and you are the only one who can judge whether the table is hot or not. You should only make this bet after you are comfortable that you already have enough of the online casino's money.

Do not play the "Big 6" and "Big 8". The place bets are on the back line of the table. If you have been playing $5 units on the pass and don't pass, then place a $6 bet on each of the 6 and 8 on the back line. This play pays 7 - 6 odds in your favor. When you hit the 6 or 8 two times, then tell the dealer to take your bets down and wait for the next point.

If the "shooter's" point is either 6 or 8, then just place bet the one other number. For example, the shooter's point is 6, you place bet the 8 only because your pass line partner is going to win anyway if the 6 comes up.

Increasing Your Unit to $10. Here's what you do....

The don't pass player very simply increases to $10 units and continues with the 1-2-3-5-8 progression. The pass player should still make his original $5 bet and once the shooter has established a point, take the odds behind the pass line. Now the pass line player has the same unit bet as the don't pass partner. But the odds bet behind the line now pays 2 to 1 on 4's and 10's; 3 to 2 on 5's and 9's; and 6 to 5 on 6's and 8's.

Now the don't pass player has simply doubled his bet, and the pass player has doubled his too, but pass has odds in his favor on half his bet. The pass line player still uses the 1-2-3-5-8 progression but at half the don't pass player's unit and takes the free odds behind the line.

I do not recommend laying the odds for the don't pass. With this system, the only flaw to pass line taking odds is the come-out roll when the bet is half what don't pass is making. However, I have had success with it because the odds bet overcomes the 7 or 11 come out when pass has just half a bet up.


Your odds against a streak on either side increase from 33 -1 to 70 - 1 if you carry your progression for one more roll. In other words, instead of stopping at 8 units, go one step further to 13 units. You are doubling your odds against the streak but you also double your loss if you lose on the 6th roll, too. Unless you have a large bankroll, this variation is not recommended until you are comfortably ahead of the game.