Craps : Is crapless Craps worth playing?

Usually when a casino promotes a game as better than the standard game, it is always better for the casino, not for the players. The game of craps is composed of two phases: the "come-out cycle" and the "point cycle."

In the come-out cycle phase of craps, the player must place a bet on the pass-line and then he must throw the dice on the table. If 7 or 11 are rolled, he wins the bet, but he loses the bet if 2, 3 or 12 are rolled.

The game enters in the point cycle phase if one of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled. If one of these numbers is rolled, the point becomes a point. Now the only way of winning in this situation is to roll that same number before a 7 is rolled.

Crapless Crap, a variation of craps has been recently introduced by various casinos. The benefit of the game, the casinos say, is that the roll of a number won't cause you to lose your bet. That seems like a great improvement to the game. Or is it? Let's analyze this:

From a mathematical point of view, the player’s chances of winning at the standard craps table are of 2-to-1 in his favor.

There are eight ways of throwing 7 and 11, which means there are 8 ways of winning. A 7 can be rolled in six ways: 1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4 and 4-3, and a 11 in 2 ways: 6-5 and 5-6.

There are 4 ways of throwing 2 and 3, meaning there are 4 ways of losing. A 2 and a 12 can be rolled in one way each: 1-1 and 6-6. A three can be rolled in two ways: 1-2, 2-1.

Eight ways of winning and four ways of losing: a 2-1 chance of winning. In the crapless game, rolling a 2, 3 and 12 won’t make you lose the bet, but that numbers become a point. The downside is that 11 is also turned into a point, it doesn't bring you the money. Only a 7 is a winner in the crapless game.

The house edges are different in these two games: is 1.41% in the standard game because the probability of making a point of 2 or 12 is 1-in-7 and the probability of making a 3 or 11 is 1-in-4. In a crapless game, the house edge is 5.38%, so you can clearly see why this game is advantageous for them.

The benefit when playing craps is that you will feel the excitement of a win. That will make you play even more and it will keep you entertained; for 2, 4, 6 hours that depends.

The main idea is that you play the game even if you know on the long run you won't win, but you play for those little moments of pleasure offered by a win.

At a crapless table, the fun will be only 25% of the one experienced at a regular craps table. There are ways of extending the playing time at a crapless table by reducing the losses, but we will cover this subject in another article.