Craps Shooters: The Dark Side

I have never really gave the DON%26#39;TS any thought until I was playing around with it a little on Bodog. Sure, I%26#39;ve seen the jerks that celebrate when the number gets thrown and those that quietly collect their money, but is this a solid strategy? I%26#39;m thinking about trying out being ';that'; guy this trip.

Craps Shooters: The Dark Side

This is one craps superstition I take to heart. The rest are a joke to me, but whenever some dingus walks up and drops $$$ on Don%26#39;t, I%26#39;m outta there.

It%26#39;s just way too negative.

Craps Shooters: The Dark Side

Do you have tough skin???

If you%26#39;re a loner and don%26#39;t mind the evil stares, go for it.

To be or not to be, that is the question. I will on occassion play on the don%26#39;ts. I will occassionally play the do%26#39;s. To play one or the other all the time, the casino will end up with your money eventually. The key to playing craps successfully is being flexible. Having a crystal ball is helpful.

Play how you like. If you choose the ';dark side'; I recommend that you stand all the way in the back next to the dealer, either left or right side of the table (not stick guy). It is less obvious (sp?) and easier to reach your $$.

Have fun and keep your eyes on the dice!

Cheers,

CS

The best part of craps are the celebrations when the table passes. The don%26#39;t bettors look like they are having no fun at all. What%26#39;s the point ?

Black %26amp; Purple chips. Enough of those and you can keep your celebrations.

There just seems to be waaaay more ice cold tables than hot.

I often play the dark side. The pattern of wins and losses is different. On the right side, you get many small wins, followed by a big loss. On the dark side, you get a few small losses, followed by a big win. (note - this is for the player making several come/don%26#39;t come bets).

As for the rest of the table, I%26#39;ve honestly never had any trouble in nearly 20 years of play. Most of the time, nobody even noticies what I%26#39;m doing. And when folks do notice, the biggest reaction is friendly, good natured banter. (Had a great time playing at the Wynn just afte they opened; I%26#39;m on one end with two very attractive women on the other end telling me how they were going to make their point and that I was going down - all done in a spirit of fun.)

Of course, my usual way of playing the dark side is to stand next to the box, and only make don%26#39;t come bets. That way I can legitimatly cheer for the shooter to make their number. And I especially cheer when they hit a 7 on the following come-out.

I was in a craps tournament and barely snaked by to the final table. I noticed that most of the other players who made the final table (easily) played the don%26#39;t. So I thought what the heck, and flipped to the dark, and sure enough that final table was hotter than a firecracker. Ever since then, I promised myself to never bet the dark side.

The don%26#39;ts are always the party poopers that bring down the mood, cool off the table %26amp; make everyone angry and bitter towards them.

I have been increasing my don%26#39;t play of late based on a simple observation, which others have intimated at: Most of the time you are at tables they are cold or, at best, choppy. Either is a bankroll killer.

While the odds would seem to say that cold and hot tables should average out, my gut feeling is that cold tables suck your bankroll dry over a series of bad rollers, while hot tables are really, in fact, a single hot shooter or maybe two. You have to have staying power to reach that hot shooter.

My new plan is to start with a don%26#39;t bet laying single odds. If the table is particularly cold, I may throw in a couple of don%26#39;t pass bets, but I am wary of these. I see far more shooters repeat numbers than they do points. My goal is make a little money or tread water waiting for someone - anyone, please - to get on a good roll. Then I will quickly jump on them, taking full odds on the pass line and come.

I discovered this new ';style'; when digging out of my latest pass-line hole in Detroit. Down to my last $50, I managed to get back to $400 fairly quickly with a combination of don%26#39;t bets and one hot shooter.

I plan to give it a full test in Vegas next month.

One last note: I have never felt much negative vibe at tables when betting the don%26#39;t. But then again, I don%26#39;t shoot craps at tables full of drunk guys in town for a bachelor party.