Peetster

I see nothing like this anywhere else, so I guess I'll put it here.

First a disclaimer. If you lose your shirt, it's not my fault. If you win a ton of money, it's also not my fault and I won't ask for any of it. So feel free to post your success/failure stories.

I'm lucky with dice. Let's start there. I can roll them at least 8 to 10 times without making point or crapping out. This strategy works for me. Frankly, in the long run, it doesn't matter whether I make point or crap out, I win more by making point, but still win when I crap out.

There are a lot of variations and odd bets, I'm going to cover the most basic strategy that works best for me.

Just before a new roll, called a "Come out roll", you can place money on the "Come Bar" or the "Don't Come Bar". The former means you think the shooter will win, the latter you think he will lose. I like to root for the shooter, so I *always* play "Come". Insert witty reference to a preference for Coming here.

If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, you win. Roll over. If he rolls a 2, 3 or 12, you lose. Roll over.

More often, the shooter rolls a number that is not any of the above. That number becomes the "point". The goal is to roll that same number again before rolling a 7 or an 11.

So, we have a point, time to make better bets. You can put money on as many numbers as you want, and as long as the shooter doesn't roll craps, every time he rolls your number, you get paid what you bet. I like to pick two numbers, and I focus on the 6 and the 8. If one of those numbers is point, you can't bet it, so I'll move out to the 5 or the 9.

You can also put "odds" on your come bet, meaning you basically double your bet on the come line. Why? Because the odds bet pays better than 1:1. If you have a $5 come bet, and a $5 odds on the come bet, and you win, the first bet earns you $5, but the odds bet earns you $7.

The shooter rolls, and doesn't make point or crap out. Here's where it gets statistically interesting. You can lay odds on your number bets as well, and it's a ratio the stickman or pitboss will always help you with. The payback on the number odds is even better, and is recognized as the only truely 50/50 bet in a casino.

Now, the shooter rools a bunch of times, and doesn't make point or crap out. But every time they roll your number you get paid. The longer they roll, the more you get paid.

I think my record is 36 rolls.

Two more fun things if you are rolling well.

Yo: Before your come out roll, throw a dollar at the stickman and yell "Dollar Yo!" You are betting that on this roll, you will roll exactly an 11. It pays 14:1, but the true odds are 17:1, so it's only a good bet if you are really rolling well. I've won a dollar yo and let it ride, then won, turning $1 into $196 on two rolls.

Hardway: If the point is an even number, you can bet that it will be two of the same number. A hard six is two threes, a hard four is two twos. I usually throw a dollar on the hard way if the point is even, cause if you throw a 1-3 instead of a 2-2, you've won a ton of money and lost a dollar.

Finally, know when to walk away from the table. I've seen some very hot tables get very cold very fast. Scoop up your chips and walk away. Have a drink. Eat a meal. Recharge. Just don't keep throwing your money at them.