The odds of this happening
are therefore 35 to 1. That is, there are 35 non-twos
to every one 2. Gamblers who bet the 2 straight
up at craps are getting a very poor bet, not because
of the longshot quality of the situation, but because
the payout is usually 30 to one. That means the
casino has an almost 14 percent edge on the bet.
In a fair game, where neither the casino nor the
player had the edge, the 2 would pay off at 35 to
one. The casino is therefore keeping those extra
5 units for itself when a player wins on the 2.
On the Come-Out roll,
the number 2 is considered part of the “craps”
numbers. Right bettors, those who are betting with
the shooter, lose their Pass Line bets should the
2 appear during the Come Out. Once the Come-Out
is over and a point is established, the two has
no effect on the Pass Line bet. Don’t bettors,
those who bet the Don’t Pass line, love the
2 as it’s an instant winner for them.
But all numbers have
other connotations as well, not just their mathematical
ones. Two is considered, if not an evil number,
than a number that is, well, not nice. Since God
is the number 1 in numerology and 2 is the first
number to go away from 1, it is considered a fallen
number or a number that has strayed. It will not
bring you luck if you bet it. So combine its high
house edge with its low numerologic character and
you have a number that deserves its nickname --
snake eyes! Recall that it was a serpent or snake
that tempted our first ancestors Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden. Had it not been for Adam and
Eve, no one would ever lose at craps.
The number 3 can be
made in two different ways: either 2:1 or 1:2. The
number 3 is also a craps number, so it’s a
loser for Pass Line bettors on the Come-out roll
but a winner for Don’t Pass bettors on the
Come-Out. For gamblers betting straight up on number
3, the house pays off this 17-to-1 shot at a mere
15-to-1. That gives the casino a hefty 11 percent
edge! Yuck.
Yet, believe it or not, in numerology the number
3 is considered the luckiest number of all. This
was probably due to men being in control of society
for all those centuries. Why do I say that? Because
the 3 represents the male sexual apparatus composed
of three parts (if you don’t know what those
three parts are, you are too young to be reading
gambling articles). It also represents the Trinity.
While this number looks good in numerology circles,
in craps circles, it has less lustre. Even when
combined with other numbers as in the bet Any Craps,
the house has a crippling edge on it.
The 4 is the first
of the “point numbers.” On the Come-Out
roll if the shooter rolls a 4, the 4 becomes his
“point” and he must make this number again
before the 7 appears or he loses. There are three
ways to make a 4 with two six-sided dice: 3:1, 1:3,
and 2:2. Four made with 2:2 is called a “hard
way,” because there is only one way to make
it. Since there are six ways to make a 7 and only
three ways to make a 4, the odds of making a 4 are
2-to-1 against.
You can bet that the 4 will be made the hard way.
In this, you are betting that 2:2 will come up before
3:1, 1:3, or all combinations of the 7. There are
eight ways to lose this bet and one way to win it.
The casino pays off at 7 to 1. The house edge is
therefore 11 percent. Awful.
Some gamblers like
to “place” the 4 when they play. That
means, they plunk down $5 (or $10 or whatever) and
say: “Place the four!” The dealer will
take their chip(s) and put it directly in the box
marked 4 in the upper layout. If the 4 should hit,
the casino pays off at $9 to $5. Since the true
odds are 2 to 1, and the “true payoff”
should be $10 to $5, the casino edge on placing
the 4 is therefore 6.67 percent. Not good.
You can cut the edge
of the casino on the 4 by buying it. If you plunk
down $25, adding $1 for a commission, the casino
will pay off the 4 at its true odds of 2 to 1. The
edge on a buy of the 4, when you pay a $1 commission
on $25, is 3.8 percent. However, some casinos (in
Vegas and Mississippi mostly) will only take the
commission on a winning bet. This reduces the house
edge on the “buy 4” to an approximately
1.3 percent -- a good bet in the craps world.
In numerology, the number 4 is considered to be
a solid number, and it is the number of all things
that are solid and thick such as wood or your brother-in-law’s
head. It is also the number of the Earth herself,
so when you bet it knock on some wood or bop your
brother-in-law. This would be a good number for
women to bet since it is a feminine number representing
Mother Earth. But men had better watch out because
the number “4” is considered the second
most unlucky number next to 13, as it deals with
things that can end, such as, well, Earth, wood,
a hot streak, and your brother-in-law.
Craps 5, 6, 7
Craps 8, 9, 10
Craps 11 And 12
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