Betting the Don’t Pass in Craps is one of the least popular bets, despite being mathematically more likely to win than the pass line. This is because most people are rooting for a “Win” rather than a “Don’t Win” result, and Don’t Pass bettors are betting against most of the table and possibly the shooter too.
This can be a pretty alienating position, especially if you’ve arrived at the Craps table with a group of friends. Only winning when they lose isn’t much fun, and if your friends don’t understand how the Don’t Pass bet is played then they may be reluctant to bet that way. Craps is a pretty complicated game, and a lot of people who play craps (especially tourists in Vegas) only know how the pass line bet works.
The Don’t Pass bet is pretty simple when you know what you are doing though. If you bet the Don’t Pass line, then any time the pass line loses, you win. The only exception is if the come out roll is a 12, in which case your bet is “barred”. This means you don’t win or lose. Your bet remains on the table. This is often called a “Push”.
If the come out roll is 2 or 3 then you will win, and you will lose if the roll is a “natural” (a 7 or an 11). After a point has been established, you will win if the shooter rolls a 7 before they roll the point number.
The more mathematically inclined among you will have realized that when the shooter is rolling for a point you are at a great advantage. That’s because the shooter is more likely to roll a 7 than any other number. If you’ve managed to get past the “come out” roll then you have a 3 to 1 advantage on every point roll. It doesn’t matter which point is established, you will still have the advantage.
Betting on the Don’t Pass line is an integral part of the optimal strategy for Craps. You will minimize the house edge by betting on the Don’t Pass and then backing it up by laying the maximum odds after a point is thrown. You can bet on the Don’t Come for the same chance of winning. No other bet in Craps is as likely to pay out.
The layout of the Craps table is actually designed to discourage you from making a bet on Don’t Pass. The wager box is slightly further away from you, so you will have to reach further to place your money. That’s not just because there is a slightly lower house edge on “Don’t” bets, but also because they take longer for the dealer to service.
Betting on the “Don’ts” is known as playing the dark side. You should be careful with your reactions when you are betting on Don’t Pass. Remember that you will win when the vast majority of other players at the table will lose, so don’t jump up and down with glee when you win.
You should also remember that playing the Don’t Pass will require a bigger bank roll if you decide to back it up by laying odds. You’ll be betting more with a lower pay out, as opposed to when you take odds.
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