Best craps on OSX?

February 18, 2006 4:31 PM

Tonight, I lost it all on the hard eight. In an effort to become a better player, what's the best craps video game (or general casino game) for Mac OS X?
posted by The Jesse Helms to computers & internet (7 comments total)

I don't know about the best macos craps game, but I can tell you this much:

Don't bet a hard ANYTHING! They're "sucker bets" -- meaning the payout you get compared to the odds of hitting them are tremendously bad.

Basically, you should just be betting the pass line, and taking odds.

The Wizard of Odds craps page is all you need.
posted by twiggy at 4:49 PM on February 18, 2006

You'll never be able to beat the house at craps, so why try?

Learn poker.
posted by Paris Hilton at 4:51 PM on February 18, 2006

Actually, Paris, if the house didn't 'bar 12' and you were a don't better you'd essentially be the house.
posted by fixedgear at 4:54 PM on February 18, 2006

Pass line plus max odds, and if you want more action, come bets plus max odds (and keep the come bets on when they're setting the point).

And don't bother playing unless you're getting at least 3x odds (and preferably 3-4-5, or more).

You can get a miniscule fraction more (about .05% before odds, less after.) if you're a wrong bettor. But who wants to be That Guy?
posted by I Love Tacos at 5:21 PM on February 18, 2006

Ick... hardway 8? That's got a greater than 9% house advantage. You don't need software yet... you need to learn the math of the game.

If you want to stay alive on the craps table, the only bets you want to make are (as a right bettor) on the pass line and the come bar, and don't forget to take odds on both. Look for a table with a low bet minimum, and high available odds (last time I was in Vegas, the Casino Royale had a $1 table with 100x odds). With the right bankroll, the house advantage on this table can be considerably less than .1%, which is about as good as you'll find in any casino, at any game.

If you want to play craps with the absolute lowest house advantage, you actually bet as a "wrong" bettor, playing the don't pass, and the don't come lines. Many players are reluctant to do this, because it means you'll be betting more (in odds) than you'll win when the player rolls a seven, and it means that you'll be winning when the rest of the table is losing -- so don't gloat when you win (and often, wrong betters choose not to roll the dice)

Ultimately, the key to winning craps is knowing when to walk away from the table. Set a goal for winning, and a stop-limit for losing. If you hit either one (hopefully for winning), walk away.

I'll second the "Wizard of Odds" link above. And for those who are reading along, Hoyle's Casino has a decent craps simulation for Windows (or at least it did several versions ago, not sure about the current one). Can't help you on OSX, though.
posted by toxic at 5:28 PM on February 18, 2006

"Ultimately, the key to winning craps is knowing when to walk away from the table. Set a goal for winning, and a stop-limit for losing. If you hit either one (hopefully for winning), walk away. "

This is a common myth among gamblers, just about no matter what the game. Unless you're talking about leaving the table for the last time, never to return, then it doesn't matter when you leave the table or return to it.

If you make a 100 plays, you make a 100 plays. It doesn't matter whether you get up after 40, come back for 15 more and leave again, and then play the last 45 at one sitting. It's the same as if you sit there for the full 100.
posted by iconjack at 10:57 PM on February 18, 2006

Wow, how about a lot of answers to questions that weren't asked.

Craps is the most fun you can have in a casino, largely because of its rapid pace and high variance. Who wants to fuck around with a bunch of contentious pricks over a poker table, any one of whom is liable to pull a gun on you when you try to cash out?

I very much enjoy Sierra On-line's 'Hoyle Casino 2003', although you have to have a Mac that will run a Classic app to run it. It's worth buying - it comes with a little version of Hoyle that explains exactly what your good and not-so-good bets are, and how to use the program to practice for your time in a real casino.

Disclaimer: when I travel to a casino, I set aside a certain amount of money and figure I'm probably going to lose it all. Occasionally, though, I've been able to use the craps table to raise a sizable stake to blow on booze and strippers.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:56 PM on February 19, 2006