A good craps strategy combines intelligent bankroll management, a decent understanding
of the good and bad bets on the table, and the ability to differentiate between
a strategic approach and a systematic approach. Learn each of these skills and
you will be well ahead of the players sharing the table with you. Lets will have
a look at each of these components of a good craps strategy one at a time.

Intelligent bankroll management is important to a well put together craps strategy, as without it you have no way of gauging the success of your
strategy. Bankroll management can be approached a number of ways. One of the best methods, but often considered among the hardest to follow, is to set
loss limits and to stick to them. Many times a player will settle down to play craps and bankroll themselves a hundred dollars. But, with a bad start,
the money can disappear quite quickly, and so the player is tempted to increase their bankroll without much consideration.

It is just as difficult, or even more difficult, to set walk away limits for wins. When you’re winning, why stop playing? Try to set a loss limit for
yourself long before you start playing, and keep this limit in mind during play. The more aware you are of your mental limit, the more likely you are
to listen to yourself should that limit be met. This strategy works not just for craps but for
online keno, online gambling and
really any casino game.

An alternative approach to managing your bankroll may involve a strategy of playing to win, then only playing with winnings. As an example, say you
were to begin a game with a set bankroll of $100, which is also your loss limit. If you happen to lose your bankroll early in play, try to follow your
loss limit and walk away. If you happen to win initially, start being tricky: play until you have won $75 over your initial bankroll, and then take your
original $100 and place it safely in your pocket. From this point on, play only with your excess money. If you happen to lose these winnings you’ve
managed to retain your original bankroll, and if you happen to turn your winnings into even more cash, try the strategy again by pocketing a second
hundred and considering it permanently out or reach for the session. Any gambling experts will tell you that a craps strategy that involves only
playing with your winnings, can’t possibly be bad.

The second component vital to a good craps strategy involves your understanding of the bets on the table. Basically, can you tell the good bets from
the bad? You may think this is the difficult part, but truly, with craps there are a limited number of low house edge bets. Read our ‘rest of the bets’
page to learn about each bet and its odds. This will let you know which bets are gems, and which are likely to take your money and run.

Generally it is a good idea to stick with pass line bets backed by free odds, come bets backed by free odds, and place bets on the six or eight.
Learning to hedge your bets when making more complicated wagers can be a benefit, but it contains some hidden costs, and truly shouldn’t be the be
all and end all of your craps strategy. To learn a little more about how hedging affects your play at the table, read our more craps strategies page.

The difference between strategies and systems cannot be stressed enough. A system, as the name implies, tries to systematically beat a game. That is,
it tries to beat it by the numbers, by combining bets into something that will shift the edge over from the house to the player. Casino and
online casino games are
mathematical beasts though, and they have had a lot of time to evolve. Many mathematicians have worked over time to crack the code of craps, but the
simple fact of the matter is, it’s a negative expectation game, and the edge cannot be geared towards the player over the long run, even with the
most complicated hedging techniques.

A craps strategy on the other hand, is a way to go about playing the game, a style
even. A strategy helps you quit while your ahead, and not chase your loses. In
other words, it gives suggestions for playing smart. The strategy suggested above,
of limiting your losses and wins, is the method best designed for the player to
gain as much control as possible over the outcome of the game.