A friend is getting married in Reno in a few weeks and asked me to attend. I’ll get in late on a Wednesday night, attend the quick wedding Thursday, probably go to a shooting range, and leave noon Saturday. I assume I’ll d a little gambling.
Usually when I’m at a casino I’ll sit down at a Blackjack table. Usually I break even, or else come away with a token amount. (I often break even because I’ll stake all of my winnings on a final hand, and I usually lose it.) It’s a way to pass time. It’s gambling, bit it isn’t Gambling.
I thought on this trip I might try something different. Craps. It looks exciting. But I know nothing about it. I know that you have to make a the come-out point before a seven is rolled. I know you can bet Pass or Don’t Pass, or Come or Don’t Come. I know there are ways of backing up bets, but I don’t know them.
Welcome. There is only 1 range that I know of and I think it’s skeet and outdoors, so your visit might depend on weather. There are some more ranges down in Carson, and one way out of town at Pyramid Lake.
I don’t know much about Craps, but wikipedia is pretty comprehensive here. Some of the more arcane bets have horrendous odds, Don’t Pass seems to be the best. If you are looking to increase your earnings, then I would stick with blackjack.
The dealers are your friends, here. Ask any questions you want. My advice:
Find a sparsely populated table to start with. Less chance of slowing down the game.
Bet the Pass Line. There is a spot on the table for that. Put your minimum bet (usually $5) on the line and wait for the come-out roll. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, you win. If they roll a 2, 3 or 12, you lose. Anything else establishes a number. If the shooter rolls the number again before they roll a 7, you win.
Back up your bet with odds. Look for the little plate on the table that tells you what odds are allowed. When the shooter establishes a number, place say $15 behind your bet, just off the Pass Line. When the shooter wins, the dealer will pay true odds on this bet, in addition to paying 1 to 1 on your Pass Line bet. This is the way to get the odds down to almost even.
Every other bet on the table is iffy to downright stupid. If you play the Pass Line and take maximum odds, you can last a long time on your stake and sometimes leave quite a bit ahead.
Betting the Don’t Pass line means you are betting against the table and the rest of the bettors. Fractionally better odds but definitely not any fun.
So let’s say I put $5 on Don’t Pass and a seven comes out. If it pays 1:2, does that mean that I ‘win’ $2.50 for my $5 bet (i.e., I lose $2.50 on the bet)?
Well, you bet $5 and win $2.50. So it’s 1:2. Remember, you’re laying odds when you bet Don’t Pass, so you have to bet more than you can win. But if you were to make the bet one time and win and then leave the table, you’d bet $5 and leave the table with $7.50.
I tried the online game on the page (bodog). Apparently you can actually play for money, but I did the ‘practice’ session. I bet Pass and Pass odds. Did pretty well. But being a bit of a cynic I wonder if the dice roll differently when you’re playing for money.
Hey, if you find a range where you can shoot machine guns, let me know where please. We’re going this weekend and I’d love to take my boyfriend to one.
I’ve already shot my share of them, but it would be fun unless it’s really snowing horribly.
:smack: I knew I should have taken my afternoon nap. My mind automatically equated “gambling” with “Las Vegas” since that’s the only place I gamble. My apologies.
Apparently, Craps ain’t my game. I pulled out a double-sawbuck and had a table to myself. First bet: Rolled a 12. Second bet: Rolled a two. Third bet: Sevened out. Fourth bet: Rolled a 12.
On the other hand, I did win $300 playing blackjack at a $5 table.
No joy on the machine guns. Couldn’t find a place. A Class III dealer said there’s the ‘Mustang Range’, but they’re not in the book. I tried calling the Mustang Ranch, which the range was supposed to be near, and they’d never heard of it (except for people calling to ask if they knew where it was). C’est la guerre.
As for the wedding, I caught the garter. Of course I was the only single guy around at the time, and my friend tossed it right at me.
So let’s say I put $5 on Don’t Pass and a seven comes out. If it pays 1:2, does that mean that I ‘win’ $2.50 for my $5 bet (i.e., I lose $2.50 on the bet)?