After I started reading
about gambling, and after I had my head handed to
me on a platter at the Sands in Atlantic City playing
this method, I realized I wasn’t a genius and
that the entire Western gambling civilization had
discovered this gambling system before me –
and those who had utilized it for large sums went
broke. At least I was smarter than they as I didn’t
go broke using it. Why? Because I quickly abandoned
it!
Several days, weeks,
months or years later, that same gambler who shouted
“Eureka!” will scratch his head as I did
and think: “Gee, it seemed so good. I wonder
why it didn’t work?”
I recently received
a letter from a craps player touting his “simple”
method of play. “I bet the Field, you have
seven of the 11 numbers! And you have 16 ways to
hit those seven numbers.”
He’s right, as
far as he goes. In fact, the Field is even better
than he said it was because on two of those numbers,
the 2 and 12, the player gets paid off at two to
one. So he actually wins $18 when those seven numbers
hit if he’s betting $1 a pop on them. Of course,
he loses $20. If we consider a “cycle”
to be the complete win/loss on every number, then
the house is a $2 winner for every “cycle”
of 36 rolls, an approximately 5.6 percent house
edge.
You can also have 18
wins if you place the 6 and 8, 5 and 9, as these
numbers, combined, will come up 18 times. Is placing
the “inside numbers” a better bet than
the Field? Well, let’s see.
If you bet $22 inside,
which is $6 each on the 6 and 8, and $5 each on
the 5 and 9, you will win 18 decisions for a win
of $126, since you get paid $7 for every win. However,
when the 7 rears any of its ugly face combinations,
you will lose all $22 and that will happen six times
in a 36 roll cycle for a loss of $132. You’re
a net loser of $6. This is an approximately 2.6
percent house edge.
Based strictly on house
edge, placing the inside numbers appears to be the
better bet. But is it actually the better bet in
the real world? Yes and no.
If you are a player
who can easily afford placing the inside numbers,
then avoid the field bet. Why give the casino more
than twice the edge on you? However, if you are
really on an extremely limited budget, then you
can make the Field bet for a mere $1 at most casinos.
Granted you’ll be in on every roll as the Field
is decided each and every time the dice are thrown,
approximately 120 decisions per hour. So you will
wager $120, have the 5.6 percent house edge cut
into it to the tune of almost $7 per hour.
But if you like to drink and don’t tip the
waitresses, you can probably drink more than the
value of the loss of your money (but perhaps not
more than the value of your liver!).
And what of our place
bettor? In 120 rolls of the dice, the “inside
betting” strategy will see a decision two-thirds
of the time, that’s 80 decisions, that’s
$1760 wagered, with the house keeping approximately
$46.
So if you are extremely
short on cash, then you can just keep betting the
Field, but once you can afford, and actually start,
to make bets that come in with lower house edges,
you abandon the Field in favor of those bets.
There is one caveat
to the above advice. Some casinos in their infinite
generosity will pay triple on the 2 or 12 Field
bet. That lowers the house edge to 2.7 percent on
the Field bet. Now that becomes just about as good
a bet as the placing of the “inside numbers”
in terms of the house edge.
Are there betting systems
that can overcome the Field edges? No, there aren’t.
But some players like to play around with raising
or lowering their bets, in the hopes of riding a
streak.
One of the best methods
for making a profit in a streak on the Field is
the “Four-Step” which is to place the
field for “X” amount and when it hits,
just let everything ride. On the second hit, take
your win. On the third hit, let it ride again. On
the fourth hit, take everything down to its initial
bet. So you bet 1 unit, then 2, (win and keep 2)
then 2, then 4, (win, then take the 4-unit win and
bring your bet down to 1-unit, keeping the additional
3 units). In this four-win sequence you have won
a total of 9 units. At this point you would start
again.
Looking for short streaks
is the best way to exploit the Field wager for extremely
low-rollers. But if you are already in the medium
roller league and can afford to play the game of
craps for table minimums, then the Field is just
another sucker bet, even though you are betting
so many numbers and they seemingly hit so many times.
The Field’s money-making potential is an illusion
to be sure.
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