It's taken almost eighteen months, but Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood (Near LAX) has finally opened its single card craps table. the table opened for business thursday night. I did not play, but observed and talked to some of the dealers during their final practice sessions on Wednesday night (during a break in a poker tournament). the table is small, and can hold a maximum of eight players... four on each side. There are two dealers, one in the "stick position" who handles the center bets, and a second dealer in the "box man position" who handles the automatic card shuffler, pays out other bets, and handles the sale of chips. some immediate observations: 1. they have the big 6 and big 8 for $5 minimums 2. otherwise the minimum bet is $10 except for the hardways and hornbets 3. there is a 1% vig (one dollar minimum) on pass, dont pass, andplace bets. so it you bet $10 on the pass, you also pay a $1 vig. If you bet $100 on the pass, you still pay the $1 big. If you bet $101 on the pass, then you pay a two dollar vig. 4. there is a one dollar vig for your place and buy bets on the firstone hundred dollars. if you bet $135 across (for example) the vig is two dollars. 5. Hollywood Park has contracted with an outside company to run thecraps table. Apparantly, they didnt think their own dealers could handle it. The company has trained the dealers, who are generally young, and from what I could see, know their payoffs well for both rightway and wrong way betting. I asked a couple of the dealers how they were trained on the payoffs and odds, and they told me they all had to memorize the payoff charts perfectly. 6. the game will operate evenings from 5pm till 1AM. I havent been back since the actual opening, so I dont know what kind of "turnout" there has been, but my guess is that this table will have "a better chance" than the card craps system that they have at the Normandie casino, because Hollywood Park plays on a real craps table. At Normandie, they have an "adjusted craps layout" on a baccarat style table. In the few minutes I was observing the rehearsal and practice, a couple of players came up to the table and threw live chips on the table... only to be told it was a practice session. cheers. alan

You guys sure killed it. I guess you enjoy playing with yourselves. Vito

I want to play a $10 pass line bet with double odds. Then place all numbers except my passline number for $10 each($12 on 6-8). I want to pull my 1st winning place bet (while keeping my original bet on the number), then press my 2nd, pull my 3rd, press my 4th..etc. What kind of stake would I need for this type of play during a 2 hour session? Thanks to all who accept this task. DD

I just came back from a trip to Las Vegas. I drove there from Los Angeles and stayed at the Monte Carlo. They had some good 'fire sale' rates on rooms there. I have a question about hi rollers. These are the folks that bet minimum green and black chips. I was playing the wrong way at the Riviera casino. There was a fellow playing all black chips across the table. He was placing up all the numbers and losing on a decidedly cold table. The fellow would not lower his betting or quit and return. He just kept losing. It was amazing to me to watch this. He kept signing markers and taking $2000 stacks of black chips from the boxman. He must have taken out $20,000. He finally left after losing this all. BTW, this was on a $5 min bet table. I also went to Wynns and stood and watched at a $100 min bet table. Only about 2 active players here with racks full of black and purple ($500) chips. They were losing too. Question: I can see making bets like these when you are winning, but not when you are losing. Is this an ego thing to lose like this? I mean it seems like these players could lose just as easily with the red or green chips and give the rest to charity. Maybe they think they are cool and suave like James Bond. However, I do not care how cool and suave you think you look, you look foolish to sit there and continue to lose regardless of the amount of money you are betting. Vito

In a couple weeks (on a Monday early evening for about 3-4 hours) I have the opportunity to visit a casino in the Chicago area. I have narrowed my choices down to these two. Horseshoe in Hammond or the Grand Victoria in Elgin. I have not been to the GV but have been to Horseshoe several times. I like $5 table with high odds (both have 100X I think I like to progress my odds on Come bets). Which (if either) is most likely to have a $5 table at 6 P.M> on a Monday evening? Thank you in advance for your help.

I've played with a guy recently who is strictly a pass/come bettor. He doesn't start out on the pass line on a shooter but as soon as he gets one come bet moved to a point he then places/buys the point number for what I think is the equivalent of a pass bet plus 5 times odds. Any comebet that moves to a point, he takes 5 times odds. When he has an off/on on a comebet he increases his odds to 7 units, then 10 units, then 15 units, then to max odds of 20 units. If he reaches max odds, he then doubles his come bet and I'm not sure what his odds are on the increased come bet. If he gets a comeout 7 he starts over at 5 times odds. He is a green player and insists that he has average six figures wins over the last 7-8 years, and his lowest was mid five figures in 2006. With us knowing that most of his action is on the odds on which he should break even, why is he such a big winner? Just lucky, or as he says, when he loses he loses the small odds and when he gets a hot roll he wins the big odds bets. Am I missing something.? Noah

Hello fellow craps junkies. My friend and I are making yet another trip to vegas in a month. We both bet the exact same way (pass line with 2 x odds). We have pretty much the same bankroll ($500/day). This time my friend suggested we pool our money and have one person play. He suggested we bet the same way/amt as one person would do. This effectively doubles our bankroll but also half's the wins. My question to the forum is has anyone tried this? Or maybe a variation of this (bet a little more than one person would). I'm hestitant to do this as I like to be involved in the game (every though I'm the worst shooter in the history of craps)

It is hardly ever we run across a controlled shooter in action. I recently went to Vegas for a few days. Even though I stayed at the Wynn, I gambled at the Golden Nugget. I stayed on east coast time and promptly awoke at 3:00am each morning, got myself together and headed to the nugget to shoot craps. I staked in for $500 and was cruising around the craps pit jumping in when I felt my mojo working then back out when it left me. I was up around $200 when I came upon an almost full table and thought I would jump in. I was taking a beating when the dice went to the "stick right" position. I watched the guy roll and could tell he wass a controlled shooter quickly. He held the dice for three points then crapped out. The dice came down the table and I noticed the controlled shooter left the table and went to a table where he was the solitary player. I quietly moved over to his table taking a position behind him so my chips would not be in his toss path. I started with 1 black on the pass with full odds and $135 on the place bets. The shooter begin hitting eights (hard and soft) for six numbers. After that he rolled a hard four that became the point and proceded to hit 8 4's along with a goodly number of eights and 5's. I pulled $1200 of my place 4 $25 bet. i pulled over $1800 from my pass line bets and around $1200 from my other place numbers and hardway bets(yeah, I made a few). His roll took about 45 minutes. The shooters name was Charles from Oaklahoma. Thanks for making my trip to the nugget fun on this morning, man. It is really fun when you find a controlled shooter on a slow early morning roll. DD

I am very curious about the system at crapssystem.com. Anyone have any information about these guys? Are they for real? I tried to order a the system and they told me "no" that there is a waiting list till 2009. Please let me know its sounds like they are running a tight shipover there or just really pulling off the ultimate scam.

I had a couple coupons for cash and a buffet, so I decided to see what effect the "ban" was having. I don't smoke in restaurants anyway, so the buffet was no big deal. Cashed in my coupons, and went to the craps table, both of them were half empty on a usually busy night. After a few minutes, there was an announcement over the loud speaker.."The state of Illinois has imposed a no smoking ban, but for all of you that wish to exercise your right to smoke, there are smoking areas off each floor of the casino, just follow the signs!". A short time later they announced that in mid january, a smoking section on the forth floor would be completed for the smokers enjoyment. It sounded like they were trying to lay all the blame on Illinois, and Harrahs was trying to apologize to the smokers. From my observation, the ban has had a pretty drastic effect..the casino was not nearly as crowded as normally. But maybe it's just that time of year, not sure. I played for about an hour and a half, won a few dollars, and went home..took one smoke break, no big deal. But even the atmosphere around the tables seemed subdued, I think maybe smokers, and drinkers make more noise than the conservative "health nuts"! JB

Has anyone played a tht en new tables at Wheeling Downs? I'll be there Saturday and was curious about odds and table minimums.

enough name calling.. let's talk craps! Theoretically, Regression play is the best strategy. I play it usually, but still must admit to a long term loss, though I win occasionally. Play... If point not 6/8 , no odds on pass line, place 6/8 for $30 One hit, regress to $12 on 6/8, 2nd hit take odds on pass if point is 5/9. 3d hit on 6/8 , press one unit.fourth hit same bet. Since the odds of ONE 6 OR 8 hit are 5/3 in the players favor, and with regressing, a 7 out on the 3d roll still leaves a $9 profit.. WHy ain't I rich ? Cowboy Blue

Anybody have a line on this? From Atlantic City Weekly: "As part of the Harrah's properties "World Series of Gaming," Bally's hosts the craps portion of the tournament on March 7-8. The buy-in is $500 plus a $20 entry fee. The final prize money will be determined by the number of entries."

This guy's supposedly a craps expert. Anyone ever heard of him? Lady Shooter