Roll # 5 - hop 7 for $3 = win $15 plus $1 bet return or $16 - net win of $1. Please note that the actual amount of bets total only $15 so that while some might say that you cannot count that return of bet a win, they would be wrong simply because you end up with more money than you started with.


Playing a 'Hopping 7Â’s' Progression

By Jerry 'Stickman'

  1. There are 6 ways to roll a “7”. Some writers say there are three ways to roll a “7”: 1 and 6, 2 and 5, or 3 and 4. However, the math has to account for each die separately; hence, the probability of rolling a “7” in craps is 1 in 6. In declining order of probability, the possible combinations in craps are: 7 (1 in 6) 6 or 8 (5 in 36).
  2. The Canadian Craps Rolling 7 regulatory environment is just as cloudy as the United States, Craps Rolling 7 and in fact, in some ways, it is even more confusing. When all the changes happened in the U.S., many professional real money gamblers moved to Canada to take advantage of staying in the same time zones but being able to keep playing at their favorite sites.
  3. THE LONGEST CRAPS ROLL OF ALL TIME. A round of craps continues until a shooter ‘craps out’ or rolls a 7. The record for the longest craps roll in history goes to amateur gambler Patricia Demauro, who rolled the dice 154 times in a row, continuously, for 4 hours, 18 minutes in 2009.

Periodically people ask me about craps betting systems. Almost all of them rely on the premise that certain numbers are due because they havenÂ’t appeared for a while. I normally tell them that in a random you cannot beat the math of the game. The house edge is the house edge. In the long term you will lose the amount of money played times the house edge.

For many that is enough, but every so often someone says they have won a lot of money on a particular system and want me to look further into it. So periodically I will devote an article to exploring some of these systems.

This article will look at a 'Hopping 7Â’s' progression.

Here is the system as it was stated to me.

  1. Start over with each new shooter.
  2. Wait seven rolls before starting the progression
  3. When the bet hits, take the bet down along with the win.
  4. Start with a $3 bet. Starting with the first bet, the progression is: 3, 3, 6, 9, 15, 24, 39, etc. always adding the previous two bets together to determine the next bet in the progression.

Here is a table that shows the bet, amount invested, win amount (taking the bet down), and profit.

What we have here is a Fibonacci progression. This and the Martingale progression are well known in betting systems. In 'up as you lose' progressions, the thought is that when your number hits you will recoup your losses and garner a little profit. The Fibonacci progression is the less aggressive of the two.

Either of these progressions works as long as two things are true. The first is you must have adequate bankroll to make it through the inevitable losing streaks you will encounter. The amount you require can be very substantial. The last row in the above table represents the 17th roll without a 7. While 17 rolls without a 7 appearing may be somewhat unusual, it is not that uncommon.

If the shooter goes 20 rolls without a 7 appearing, the bankroll required is almost $2,000.

If the shooter rolls just five more numbers without throwing a 7, the total invested is over $20,000.

And what is the shooter is extremely lucky and throws just 5 more numbers without a 7? Our hapless system player will have just over $225,000 invested.

If he should win on the 30th roll, he will win $233,000+, so maybe he thinks it is worth it.

If our lucky shooter goes five more rolls without a 7, however, the investment skyrockets to almost $2.5 million. I donÂ’t know about you, but if I had that kind of money, I wouldnÂ’t risk it on a craps game.

The second consideration before using this system is something called table maximum. Virtually every craps game has a maximum bet ranging from $2,000 and up. Most of them are $10,000 or less. That means in the unusual but very possible case of someone going 25 rolls without a 7, this player is out his entire investment of over $20,000 and he cannot continue.

The math of the hop bet says that a player will lose 11.11 percent of all money wagered on a random shooter. That is what the math says. LetÂ’s see what some simulations say. I ran several simulations specifying a random shooter through an excellent software program called Smart Craps from DeepNet Technologies.

The first simulation did not put any limits on the maximum bet. It assumed an unlimited bankroll and no maximum bet limit at the craps table. It was very interesting watching the running edge percentage as the simulation progressed. For the first several seconds the expectation was a little over 103%. This means that if someone were playing this system and had the same results as the simulation, they would more than double their bets!

This came to an abrupt halt after about 96,000 rounds. At this point the simulation terminated because it couldn’t handle the size of the bet being placed – over 2.2 billion dollars. It may have taken a while, but the long term hit at about 96,000 player rounds.

Next I put some limits on maximum bet size. I started with 1.1 billion dollars. If the simulation hit the limit, it would restart the progression; that is, wait for seven rolls without a 7, then begin betting the progression. After 10 million rounds, the expectation was 59 percent for the house! During the 10 million rounds the $1.1 billion limit was reached 7 times. This was much worse than what the math would indicate, but with such a large limit, the long term had most likely not yet been reached.

Three more simulations were run with limits of $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000. The results more closely matched the mathematical expectations.

As you can see, all of these fell much closer to the calculated expectations.

So what does this show? You may be lucky and win for a period of time. You may even win for a long period of time. You could also be very unlucky and lose very big for a while. Eventually, however the math will catch up with you.

In the long run, you cannot beat the math of the game with random shooters. You will lose the house edge of your bets times the amount bet. Accept the fact and bet the low house edge bets. Your bankroll will thank you.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.

Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps and Golden Touch Blackjack. For more information visit www.goldentouchcraps.com or www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-886-738-3423. You can contact Jerry 'Stickman' at stickmanGTC@aol.com



Just like other casino games, Craps has plenty of terms, slang and jargon that can be heard at the Craps table or around it. Knowing these terms makes the game a little easier to understand and play. Don’t be afraid to ask a fellow player or one of the casino employees about any slang terms you hear at the craps table.

Aces – Betting that the next roll will be the total sum of 2.

Any Craps – A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12.

Any Seven – A bet that the next roll will be 7.

Arm – Term used to describe a player who is skilled at throwing the dice, sometimes even suggesting that the player can alter the result by the way he throws.

Back Line – same as the Don’t Pass Line.

Betting Right – Pass Line and Come bets.

Betting Wrong – Don’t Pass Line and Don’t Come bets.

Big Eight – Even money bet that an 8 is rolled before a 7.

Big Six – Even money bet that a 6 is rolled before a 7.

Big Red – Betting on any 7 being rolled.

Boxcars – Two 6s.

Boxman – The casino employee who sits behind the table between the two dealers and is in charge of the houses’ chips and overseeing all activity on the table

Buffalo – Betting on all the Hard Ways and Any Seven.

Buy Bets- 5% commission paid to the house so that the correct odds are paid

C &E – One time bet that the next roll will be any craps (2, 3, or 12) or 11.

Capped Dice – non standard, crooked dice which are no longer playable.

Center Bets – Also known as proposition bets, they are placed in the center of the table.

Cold Table – Something every Craps player hates! This table is losing often because shooters are not making points.

Come Bet – wager that the shooter will roll his point

Come Out Roll – The first roll by a shooter, either at the beginning of his turn or after he has made a point.

Craps Out – rolling a craps on the come out roll includes loss of pass line bets

Craps – The name of the game as well as a roll of 2, 3 or 12

Dealer 001f- the two casino employees on the sides of the Boxman who handle placing the bets and payouts

Don’t Come – Betting that the shooter will roll a 7 before he rolls his point.

Don’t Pass Bet – Making a bet against the dice before a Come Out roll.

Don’t Pass Bar – opposite of a Pass Line bet

Rolling

Double Odds – Doubles the initial Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Come, Don’t Come bets.

Easy Way – A dice roll of 4, 6, 8, and 10 with each die having a different number.

Edge – The casino’s advantage over the player.

Even Money – 1:1 payout

Field Bet – A bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.

Floorman – casino employee who stands behind the craps table, dealers with players and credit

Rolling

Free Odds Bet – Taken at true odds.

Front Line – Same as the Pass Line.

Hard Way- Betting on a 4, 6, 8 or 10 when both dice are the same number

Hi-Lo – One roll bet that the next roll will be a 2 or 12

Craps Rolling 7

Hope Bet – Single time bet that the dice will land on specific numbers.

Horn Bet – A bet on 2, 3, 11 and 12 with the same amount.

Horn High Bet – bet amount is split into five parts. Two parts on the high number 12 and three units for the other numbers 2, 3 and 11.

Hot Table – The best kind to play on! A Hot Table will have shooters making points and lots of money for other players. You can always spot these tables by the crowds around them and the noise coming from them.

Inside Numbers – 5, 6, 8 and 9. Used mostly when placing bets dice

Line Bet – Bet on the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line.

Lay Bet – Betting that a point number will not be rolled before a 7 is thrown

Lay Odds – Additional odds bet against the dice

Layout – painted marks on the felt showing all bets that can be made

Little Joe – A Hard 4 or rolling 2 2s

Loaded dice – dice that are weighted, results in specific rolled numbers

MarkerBuck/Puck- A Plastic disk that the dealers use to mark the point on the Craps table; ‘Off’ or ‘On’.

Midnight – One time roll bet on 12.

Natural – 7 or 11 on the come out roll.

Odds – ratio of an event occurring, generally the amount paid out per winning bet

Off – bets will not be active on the next dice roll.

On – active

Craps Odds Of Rolling 7

One Roll Bets – betting on a single dice roll

Craps rolling 7

Outside Numbers – 4, 5 9, and 10.

Parlay – Using winnings to increase a bet, usually double (let it ride/ press the bet).

Pass Line (Bet) – Betting the dice will win or pass.

Payoff – winnings on a wager

Pit Boss – Casino employee responsible for all craps tables in one area of casino

Place Bet – betting a point number will be thrown before a 7 comes out.

Place Numbers – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10.

Point – number established on Come Out roll 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10

Point Number – One of the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 determined on the come out roll.

Press (a Bet) – use winnings to double a bet.

Proposition Bets – Prop Bets – single roll bets and the hardway bet.

Rail – The grooved area along the top of the craps table where chips are kept

Craps Chance Of Rolling 7

Right Bettor – A player who bets that the shooter will make the Point.

Roll- single throw of the dice

Rounding – Payout rounding. Rounding up or down the amount.

Seven Out – When a 7 is thrown after a point has been established and before the point number is rolled again thus ending the shooters turn.

Shooter - The player who is currently rolling the dice.

Snake Eyes – When you roll a two in craps. Each die looks like a snake’s eye

Stickman – A casino employee standing opposite the Boxman who calls out the dice rolls and returns the dice to the shooter, also responsible for the placing and paying the proposition bets.

Toke – A tip given to the dealer usually made on a line or prop bet

The Point – The number established on the come-out roll. Only place numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10) can become the point. The shooter attempts to roll the point number again before throwing a 7 in order to win that round of pass line or come betting.

Three-way Craps – A bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12.

True Odds- odds a particular number will be rolled on any single dice roll

Unit – bet size used as standard of measurement

Vigorish – or Vig. The casino edge or commission taken by the house.

Working – Bets that are active on any given roll

Whirl Bet – Betting on 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 with the same amount.

Wrong Bettor – A player betting the dice will not pass. A player who bets the shooter will not make the point and instead he will Seven-Out.

Yo – The number 11. Also called Yo-leven