Article Archive

Yeah, I know.  The title of this article sounds like the title of a spy novel.  John Kelly was an interesting fellow, but as far as I know he was never an undercover agent.  John Kelly worked at AT&T’s Bell Labs in the fifties.  In 1956 he developed what...

It’s no wonder we have trouble attracting new players to the game. Unless they’ve taken time to learn the “slanguage” of craps, they never know what number just rolled. And yes, sometimes the calls do get a bit racy. Here are a few examples: TWO: Two craps. Aces. Rat’s...

Through the years I’ve talked about this many times in seminars and articles on craps.  I call it “Craps Betiquette” and it’s amazing how many people just don’t get it. Imagine that you are the shooter. You’ve made three passes, and nine rolls ago established the six as your...

A few years back an Italian woman from Tuscany leaped into the ocean and drowned herself after betting and losing her family’s life savings on the number fifty-three in the Italian lottery. The Italian lottery offers bets on numbers between 1 and 90 in its twice-weekly drawings. Fifty numbers...

Many of the newer players I meet have been looking closely at the Don’ts as an alternative way to play, and I have to congratulate them on being open to both sides of the game. Unfortunately, many newbies assume wrongly that since so much money is lost by players...

There’s one in just about every class – the student whose thumb or fingers just don’t quite work right when gripping the dice. Sometimes it’s just a result of the natural shape of the player’s hand. Other times it’s something else. Take my pal G.H. down in Houston. G.H....

Through the years there have been many books and articles written on the proper way to attack the game of craps. Many of these books are written by mathematicians, statisticians, or physicists who chant an oft repeated mantra – that in the long run no system can overcome the...

Prop bets. Gamblers love them. So do the casinos. That’s why they have the stick man hawking them like a carnival barker. Despite the occasional large pay outs on these bets the house cleans up on them. Let’s take a tour of the prop box and I’ll show you...

Although the odds of winning by playing the Don’ts are essentially equivalent to right way betting strategies, very few players are comfortable betting against the dice. And those who do feel comfortable playing the Don’ts often feel uncomfortable about laying odds on their flat bets despite the fact that...

Okay, I never claimed to be a math guy.  Far from it.  In fact, I often say that if I ever NEED a mathematician I’ll just take a few bucks from my winnings and hire one.  Still, I enjoy playing with numbers – particularly when those numbers are units...

Pro craps teams can be tricky.  Why?  Because of two things.  People and money.  Get four or five people together, convince them to pool their money and take on the casinos and you’ll quickly see what I mean.  Nobody agrees on anything.  And that’s just the tip of the...

Back about ten years ago we had a flashing banner at the top of the Axis Power Craps forum that read  “Winning is at the Tips of your Fingers.” It’s absolutely true. But to win with those magic fingers, you have to take care of them. Years ago I...

Recently a high profile player and author was heard bragging about winning hundreds of thousands of dollars at craps during a prolonged streak. Is it possible? Certainly – if you bet big enough. I’ve seen students win over $100,000 at single sessions we’ve played over the years – the...

On November 15, 1993, Dr. Tom Amberry made 2,750 consecutive free throws and stopped without a miss. He tossed baskets for twelve straight hours. He was seventy-two years old at the time and had only been practicing for a year and a half. Later, he appeared on the David...

Are some players really luckier than others, or does it just seem that way? Psychologists at Stanford University say “good luck” and success in life usually stems from certain attitudes. They identified five “luck factors” – every one of which can be applied to precision craps shooting and winning....

Smart craps players never make place bets on the 4 and 10, and rarely place the 5 and 9. They make buy bets instead. Why? A buy bet gives you more bang for your buck. Here’s how. When you place a bet, your winnings are not paid true odds....

Stress.  It’s a killer – in life and at the craps table.  Stepping up to the table and taking charge of the dice can be very stressful. Even our practice sessions can drive stress levels up when the dice just won’t behave like they should. So how do you...

Okay, let’s get a show of hands. How many of you were taught when you were young that it’s okay to fail. Oh, maybe not in so many words, but failure is implied in more clichéd phrases than you can imagine. You’ve heard them all.

“You can’t win ’em all.”

“Don’t…

Recently, after one of our forum members posted about an exceptionally long hand he’d tossed in the casino, a fellow board member and I started an off-forum discussion on pressing bets. I casually mentioned that if I had been at the table during that hand and the player had…