Craps Betting — Using Field & Hop Bets To Win
In craps the bets below are not seen as the best odds wise, but when you are betting in craps they add some variety and they can give you the excitement of a big payout, so let’s look at them.
Unlike a pass bet, the field bet is good only for one roll.
This means that if any other number than a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 rolls, you lose your bet.
Statistically the remaining numbers of 5, 6, 7 and 8 roll have chance of 20 times compared to the field numbers rolling only 16 times.
Any craps pro will tell you that winning depends on streaks.
So if they see a positive streak, they bet more.
If they see a negative one coming, they simply bet less. If you want play the field, you must determine when its time to increase or decrease your bets.
A pro’s approach to this is to establish a win goal and loss limit.
For example, you are buying-in at $300 (your stake), so a good starting unit on the field can be $5. This strategy calls for you to stop making bets, when you have won or lost 30% of your stake, or $100.
To make this work, you must keep betting on the field without missing any bets.
The dealer has to be sure you are doing this, so you will have to bet before the come out as well. Never miss a bet.
How to do it
Say you bet a red chip on the field.
In case you win, increase your bet by one more unit ($5). Do the same if you win again (increase it by one unit). That means you now you have $15 on the field. Should you lose the next bet, decrease your bet one unit (your bet is now $10).
Dont double your bet on a win though.
The strategy calls for you bet one unit up when you win and one unit down when you lose. For example, consider you now have $50 on the field and the two (or twelve) hits and you win $100. Pocket the balance and up your bet by one unit, to $55.
Your strategy calls for a win goal of $100. This means both the money in your pocket plus your money on the table. Having started out with $300 and you find you have a combination of $100 on the table plus the chips STOP.
How to make a hop bet
The hops bet, named after the legendary craps pro, Winston “the Hopper” Smith and is a little known one roll “verbal” bet that lets you win on a combination of numbers.
It’s got a payout of 15:1, so if you make this bet correctly, you can really win.
Again this is a one roll verbal bet.
So, if you have an idea that, say a 3 and 2 are coming - you bet “3+2 hopping”.
Any other combo other than 3+2 is a loss.
As the payout for a hop bet is 15:1, if you bet $5 on 3+2 hopping and it came, you win $75.
How the Craps Pros use Hopping Bets
the average player might have heard about a hops bet, but few know that you can bet on hardways hopping and get a higher payoff.
Say you believe a hardway six is coming on the next roll you can bet, for example, “$5 3&3 hop”.
Why do that? Well a hard way hops bet pays double. So instead of 15:1 (on a regular hop bet) you get 30:1 for your bet!
That means, your successful bet $5 hardway 6 hop, won you $150 (at 30:1) instead of $35 at 7:1 – or $110 more!
Don’t forget, your hardway hop bet (at 30:1) was for one roll only. The regular hardway bet (at 7:1 or 9:1) remains until it wins or loses.
Check with the dealer to see if the table pays 30:1 on hard way hops.
So with a payout of 30:1 means you can bet $5 hard way hopping on the 4,6, 8 or 10 and win $150. Were you to bet only hardway you would have won $35 (7:1) on the 4/10 or $45 (9:1) on the 6/8.
You can also use the hop bets when you notice a shooter with his own ‘signature’ roll. This is easy to spot. The signature shooter will bet big on a certain number. Let’s say the point is four and he buys the 6 or 10 for $50. Don’t buy the same number, but rather “hop” to another and win more money!
These bets will add variety and hopefully help you make some good money when you play craps.