Take the best dice sets for each situation, and re-compute the actual player edge (given the Pro Test analysis approach noted previously). Once again, we can see that computing optimal dice sets by hand is not possible. But a computer can do it trivially, which is what the Dice Set Optimizer does in Smart Craps. Gambling Tips Craps. Interview With The Greatest Dice Controller. By Henry Tamburin. Dom LoRiggio, known in craps circles as the “The Dice Dominator”, has turned the craps world upside down with his uncanny ability of being able to control the dice when he throws them. This is a good set for inside numbers, whirls and horns. Good for come out roll ONLY! NOT good for place numbers! Click on any of the dice set photos to see additional information.
- Craps Dice Combinations
- Best Way To Throw Dice In Craps
- Best Dice Roll In Craps
- Best Dice Set Up For Craps
According to historical consensus, the first methods humans devised to gamble against one another involved rudimentary dice fashioned from shells and bones. Over the millennia, those early dice contests evolved into an English game known as “hazard,” in which shooters sought to hit a seven and the two and three were instant losers.
By the time hazard reached American soil in Louisiana, the derisive term “crabs” used for the dreaded two and three roll out was pronounced as “craps” in the Cajun tongue. Today, craps remains one of the most popular casino table games ever invented – but that hasn’t stopped enterprising inventors from trying to improve on the gold standard in real money gambling.
Playing Poker Dice Online
By 2012, the “poker boom” launched by an anonymous World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion had already begun to fade into fad status.
Even so, that year saw online casino software provider Wager Gaming Technology take a crack at merging poker’s popularity with the most appealing features of craps. The company’s Poker Dice product was released on several iGaming networks in 2012, including major European sites like William Hill and Intertops.
To play Poker Dice, participants utilize a special set of five dice which each show the standard six sides. But instead of the 1-2-3-4-5-6 “pips” found on standard craps dice, Poker Dice incorporates six poker “cards” – 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.
After placing your Ante bet, clicking the “Roll” button sends all five dice flying across the virtual felt at once. From there, players are hoping to see their dice combine to form various five-card poker hands.
The best possible hand in Poker Dice is five of a kind, paying out a whopping 20 to 1 on your wager. Unlike the usual “X to 1” payout structure, Poker Dice’s “X for 1” system means the house takes your Ante bet for itself before paying out the posted prize. Thus, a $1 bet that wins 4 for 1 produces a $3 profit ($4 win – $1 “lost” Ante bet = $3 profit).
Next up is the High Straight (A-K-Q-J-10) at 6 for 1, followed by the Low Straight (9-10-J-Q-K) at 5 for 1, Four of a Kind (4 for 1), the Full House (3 for 1), Three of a Kind (2 for 1), and Two Pair (break even).
Any “hand” ranked lower than Two Pair is considered a loss and the house claims the player’s wager.
As with traditional poker hands, the odds of forming these five-card hands range from highly improbable to highly likely. For example, your chances of hitting a perfect Five of a Kind using only five dice are just 0.07 percent. Landing either of the Straight hands is a 1.54 percent longshot, while finding Four of a Kind runs at a 1.92 percent probability. The Full House is slightly better at 3.85 percent, while forming Three of a Kind clocks in at a 15.43 percent likelihood.
In other words, you’ll either break even or lose your bet on more than three out of every four rolls.
Add all those figures up and Poker Dice offers the player a house edge rate of 2.01 percent. This is extremely reasonable when compared to many poker-themed table games, but it’s higher than the standard Pass Line bet (1.41 percent) that is craps’ staple wager.
All told, Poker Dice offers online gamblers a nice change of pace from both basic craps and poker. With that said, most iGaming networks these days don’t spread the game, and it never become popular enough to warrant any live casino installations.
The Classic Dice Game Chuck-a-Luck
Known by many names over the last two centuries – including “Chuck ‘Yer Luck” and “Sweat Cloth” – the age-old game of Chuck-a-Luck is a relic of a bygone era in gambling lore.
Chuck-a-Luck rolls begin with three standard six-sided dice placed in a special container known as the “birdcage.” The player then decides between five different betting options which are described below:
Craps Dice Combinations
- Single Die – The player chooses any number between 1 and 6. When one of the dice lands on the chosen number, the player wins an even money payout. Two dice landing on the number is worth 2 to 1, and all three dice corresponding with the player’s number pays out at 10 to 1.
- Big – The player is betting that the sum of all three dice will equal 11 or more. When this occurs, the player wins even money on their wager.
- Small – The player is betting that the three-dice total is 10 or lower to earn an even money reward.
- Field – The player hopes to see the three dice combine to create any total between 5 and 8 or 13 and 16 for an even money payout.
- Any Triple – The player is betting that all three dice will any three matching numbers. Should this longshot come in, the payout is juicy at 30 to 1.
As for the casino house edge implications, the best bets in Chuck-a-Luck are the Single Die and the Field at 3.70 percent.
Conversely, the Big, Small, and Any Triple wagers inflict a massive house edge of 25 percent – putting them on par with keno as some of the worst bets in any casino. Accordingly, most gamblers these days who stumble upon on of the last remaining Chuck-a-Luck tables in Sin City rightfully view the affair as nothing more than a carnival game.
Dazzling Dice by Wager Gaming Technology
Another design developed by Wager Gaming Technology, the Dazzling Dice online casino game is essentially a fusion of Poker Dice and slot machines.
Players see a basic slot machine screen layout featuring 12 pay lines and a 5×5 reel grid alignment. After placing an Ante wager, players simply click the “Spin” button and send those reels flying to reveal their fate.
The reel symbols found in Dazzling Dice are basically ported over from Poker Dice, so expect to see the 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace adorning each die. Once these symbols have tumbled and landed in place, you’ll be hoping to see five-card poker hands formed along any of the 12 pay lines.
Once again, the game’s premium hand is Five of a Kind with its generous 100 for 1 payout. After that, players want to see a High Straight (10 for 1), a Low Straight (8 for 1), Four of a Kind (6 for 1), a Full house (4 for 1), or Three of a Kind (2 for 1) in that order.
Even with 25 dice in play rather than the five found in Poker Dice, the win probabilities in Dazzling Dice are almost identical. Five of a Kind will rain down on just 0.07 percent of spins, the Straights offer a 1.54 chance of success, Four of Kind appears on 1.92 percent of plays, the Full House shows up 3.85 percent of the time, and Three of a Kind is a 15.43 percent likelihood.
And just like in Poker Dice, the player stands to lose their bet on 75.61 percent of their spins.
That may be acceptable for real money slots players, but unless you’re a craps player who specializes in longshots like the Hard 8, an edge that steep just isn’t worth trying to overcome.
Casino Craps Is Still King
The anticipation felt when the stickman slides the bones in your direction. The kisses, cradles, and other superstitious talisman shooters rely on to guide their dice perfectly to the point number. And the roar that erupts when a group of strangers collectively cashes in on yet another successful roll.
These unique features, found only at the craps table, have come to define the definitive dice game in the minds of most gamblers. Because of this, any attempt of other dice gambling games to improve upon the original has been an exercise in futility – as the trio of failed craps variants found above clearly demonstrates.
My Dice Sets
The dice have no memory...
The Crossed Hard 10:
Crossed Hard 10 Set:
The fives are on both horizontal surfaces, the four is on one vertical surface, the three is on the other vertical surface.The six and one are on the axis.
Pros and Cons:
This is an excellent set for the come out (4 possible theoretical sevens, but no theoretical Yo's or craps).You'll have a higher propensity of come out hard ways with this set so if you feel so inclined to bet the hardways, make sure you call them on.
Important: Remember, ALL SETS are based on the axis and not the horizontal and vertical faces, so the crossed hard 10 set can be arranged in a variety of other combinations based on the same six / one axis. Example: Five and two on the horizontal surfaces, four and three on vertical surfaces is on same axis.
Crossed Six Set:
The sixes are on both horizontal surfaces, only the pips (dots) on one die should run left to right and the pips on the other should run up and down. The five should be on the vertical surface of the six with the pips running left to right, the four should be on the vertical surface of the six with the pips running up and down.The 4/3 will be on the axis of the left die, the 2/5 is on the axis of the right.
Pros and Cons:
This is an excellent set for after point is established (2 possible theoretical sevens).You’ll role a good number of inside numbers and also find yourself hitting the same numbers over and over again.If I throw a 12 or a Yo, I’ll generally put some money on them for the next roll.
Flying “V” Set:
The threes will be on the horizontal surfaces, but when you hold the dice together, the threes should form a “V”.The two or five should be on the vertical of the left die, the one or six should be on the vertical of the right die.The one/six and the two/five should be on the axis.
Pros and Cons:
Again this is an excellent set for after the point is established (2 possible theoretical sevens).Excellent for place bets on the inside numbers.
The Hard 4 Set:
(or mini 'V')
The twos are on both horizontal surfaces. Facing the shooter is a three on the left vertical surface while the one is on the right vertical surface. The axis is made up of the six / one on the left die while the three / four is the axis of the right die.
Pros and Cons:
Best Way To Throw Dice In Craps
This set targets the outside numbers 4,5,9,10 (each with 2 of 16 possibilities) while maintaining only 2 theoretical sevens. The 6 and 8 too have four total possibilities while the 11 and 3 have one possibility each. No 2 or 12 are expected.
The Straight Sixes Set:
Straight Sixes Set:
The sixes are on both horizontal surfaces, the twos or fives are on the vertical.When the dice are held together, the three and four are on the axis.
Pros and Cons:
Good for come out (4 possible sevens), good for horns and hard ways.Bet cautiously if the stickman is presenting the dice to other shooters in this manner after the come out.
The Hard 8 Set:
Hard 8 Set:
The fours are on both horizontal surfaces, the sixes or ones are on the vertical.The five and two are on the axis.
Best Dice Roll In Craps
Pros and Cons:
Possible for come out (4 possible sevens), good for the outside numbers.Poor C and E and hard ways.
Remember, you are shooting on a theoretical axis which still has undesirable outcomes.Since the dice are cubes and the back wall is beveled, you will not have success with every throw.But, even with occasional success you will find that you have indeed altered the frequency table, which in turn will increase your profits over time.How will you achieve success?
Best Dice Set Up For Craps
Practice!