Craps is a fast and extremely exciting game that attracts the loud and very macho type players.
The game is controlled by the Boxman and three dealers: two base dealers for paying winning bets and taking losing bets and one stickman who talks up the game.

A good stickman can be entertaining by using some really good banter and help create an explosive atmosphere. You can win or lose your bankroll on a craps game very quickly so its important that you study all the betting options carefully, if you bet smart, the house edge can be as low as 0.6 percent.


You can bet with or against the dice and you can continue to make bets on each roll of the dice. Betting with the dice (right betting) generally pays off at better odds than even money.
The bigger the odds, the less likely the win.

Every player gets the opportunity to become the shooter as the dice move around the table clockwise.

The shooter usually makes one of two bets before the first roll of the dice:
Pass (front line)

Don’t Pass (back line)


If you choose to bet the Pass Line you're betting with shooter hoping the first roll is a 7 or 11 natural winner (betting right) the casinos edge is 1.4%.


If you choose to bet the Don’t Pass Line you're betting against the shooter hoping the first roll is a 2- 3 or 12, the 12 is often excluded in casinos giving the house a 1.4 % advantage..


Rrelated Articles: Casino Bare-Knuckle Basics | Craps: Glossary | Craps Odds

CASINO SLOTS: History


Charles Fey designed the first slot machines in the 1800s. He called the first of these machines "Liberty Bells" and naturally a symbol of the Bells was used to determine whether a player won or lost.

When slots first arrived in the UK, they where commonly known as "One Armed Bandits" or “Fruit Machines”.
Slots have become so popular today that it’s a known fact that they take in more revenue than table games in US casinos.

Most slot machines operate on a three reel system with numerous possible outcomes all of which make the casino a massive favorite. Yet slots remain a great marketing tool for casino operators bringing thousands of players through the casino doors on a daily basis. These extremely colorful and noisy machines often offer a return of 90% or more, in some cases as much as 97%.The more modern machines are extremely creative and very addictive almost like a fairy tale adventure.

CASINO HEALTH AND FITNESS


Croupiers work under extremely difficult conditions when it comes to their health and physical fitness. Shift work doesn’t allow a person the luxury of an every day routine. When it comes to eating, who knows what time of day breakfast or dinner is going to be and for the most part the main meal of the day is served in the casino's cafeteria, with very little consideration for calories and necessary vitamins.


Add to this the fact that a croupier's break is only 20 minutes in which he or she has to wash, dine and return to the gaming floor. It doesn’t leave much time for digestion.


The same applies when it comes to exercise its impossible to get into a regular routine. The casino floor offers only a Smoke-filled environment with lots of stress from losing and intoxicated punters and let’s not forgets the sexual harassment that takes place.
Sleep patterns are an absolutely massive problem for croupiers leaving them feeling exhausted and lethargic. All this spills over into their family lives.

Relationships are constantly under pressure because of the antisocial lifestyle of a casino worker. Some of the more common medical complaints suffered by croupiers are back pain, which I suffer from myself from time to time, neck ache, shoulder, eye and throat problems are all common complaints.


A report by the GMB union in Scotland stated that

One in five croupiers suffered from carpel tunnel syndrome

Arthritis and problems with feet are also quiet common, many of my current and former work colleges suffer from most of these ailments.






Threats of violence

I can personally relate to this one I wouldn’t like to have the mathematical problem of calculating the amount of times punters have threatened to rip my head off, damage my property or get me fired. Although personally to date I’ve managed to avoid all of these situations, I know of some croupiers that have been hit in the head with a glass ash tray, a bottle, fist and even one croupier that was stabbed with a bayonet from a world war one rifle.
Even more shocking is the journey home after a graveyard shift where croupiers have been mugged, and in one particular case that I really don’t care to remember. A female dealer was raped and her boyfriend gun butted. Even the ride home can be stressful.


So having brought to light some of the problems casino workers have to deal with on a daily basis, its only fair that I attempt to offer some solutions, so let me start by mentioning a conversation I had with a Dutch co worker who said to me that in Holland, casinos addressed the physical situation of croupiers some time ago and with some success.

Although personally I've been unable to get any concrete information on this matter I suggest casino operators look into the issue. As far as diet is concerned, both parties need to take some responsibility as a casino operator its not difficult or any more expensive to offer a more healthy and nutritious menu

As a croupier its your responsibility to yourself to select the right food and not all the fries and grease. Its also your responsibility and yours alone to make sure you get regular exercise. Its in the best interest of both parties to address these situations as soon as possible, as a croupier you will live a little longer and feel a whole lot better and as a casino operator you're going to get a lot more value for money from your staff and there might not be quiet as many croupiers padding around like a herd of swamp donkeys.

Caribbean Stud Poker was first introduced to casinos in 1988 from the Carribean Island of Aruba. Today, almost every casino carries Caribean Stud Poker for it's players.

In my opinion, its so popular because it is the first casino game to have a jackpot that can be won with just one dollar, rather simular to playing the lotto where a player can win a large amount of money for a small wager. The object of Caribbean Stud Poker is to beat the dealer's five cards with you'r five cards.
The jackpot pays out only on the top five hands based on a $1 stake as seen above.There may however be a slight variation from casino to casino on the last three payouts of the jackpots.The dealer's hand qualifies less than 50% of the time.

The Ranking of Hands:

(1) Royal Flush 100-1
(2) Straight Flush 50-1
(3) Four of a kind 20-1
(4) Full house 7-1
(5) Flush 5-1
(6) Straight 4-1
(7) Three of a kind 3-1
(8) Two pair 2-1
(9) Pair of 10's or better Even Money


Jackpot payoffs:

Royal Flush 100%
Stright Flush 10%
Four of a kind $500
Full House $100
Flush $50

Inside The Swag Bag:



Always play on a full table,if all the other players fold their hand then make a bet. The chances are that more often than not, the dealer will not qualify and you will get paid out on the ante even if you don't have a hand that qualifies. The dealer's chances are now much less than 50% of having a hand that qualifies.

Below you’ll find the absolute ‘Bare-Knuckle Basics’ of the 3 most popular casino games.


Obviously, by far the most popular attractions at any casino are the Slot Machines. These machines bring in up to 80% of their revenue, but we’re ignoring them here. If you need instructions on how to use the slots, you shouldn’t walk into a casino in the first place.


The Bare-Knuckle Basics of Blackjack:
The object of the blackjack game is to accumulate cards with point totals as close to 21 without going over 21. Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are worth 10 points. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever is preferable. Other cards are represented by their number.

If player and the House tie, it is a push and no one wins. Ace and 10 (Blackjack) on the first two cards dealt is an automatic player win at 1.5 to 1, unless the house ties. A player may stand at any time.


The Bare-Knuckle Basics of Roulette:


Players, usually up to eight, play against the house represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. In the European roulette and French roulette version, the wheel has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In the USA most roulette wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots.
Each player buys-in a different colored chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colored chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the value amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colors. You then take these chips to the cash desk where they will give you actual cash money in exchange.

To play roulette, you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.


The Bare-Knuckle Basics of Craps


Craps is one of the most exciting casino games. It is common to hear yelling and shouting at a craps table. It is played on a purpose-built table and two dice are used. The dice are made after very strict standards and are routinely inspected for any damage. As a matter of course, the dice are replaced with new ones after about eight hours of use, and casinos have implemented rules in the way a player handles them.
The player must handle the dice with one hand only when throwing and the dice must hit the walls on the opposite end of the table. In the event that one or both dice are thrown off the table, they must be inspected (usually by the stickman) before putting them back into play.

The craps table can accommodate up to about 20 players, who each get a round of throws or at 'shooting' the dice. If you don't want to throw the dice, you can bet on the thrower. Several types of bets can be made on the table action. The casino crew consist of a stickman, boxman and two dealers.
The first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the Come Out roll - a new game in Craps begins with the Come Out roll. A Come Out roll can be made only when the previous shooter fails to make a winning roll, that is, fails to make the Point or seven out.

A new game then begins with a new shooter. If the current shooter does make his Point, the dice are returned to him and he then begins the new Come Out roll. This is a continuation of that shooter's roll, although technically, the Come Out roll identifies a new game about to begin.
When the shooter fails to make his or her Point, the dice are then offered to the next player for a new Come Out roll and the game continues in the same manner. The new shooter will be the person directly next to the left of the previous shooter - so the game moves in a clockwise fashion around the craps table.

The dice are rolled across the craps table layout. The layout is divided into three areas - two side areas separated by a center one. Each side area is the mirror reflection of the other and contains the following: Pass and Don't Pass line bets, Come and Don't Come bets, Odds bet, Place bets and Field bets. The center area is shared by both side areas and contains the Proposition bets.
Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the 'Bar' roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).


Thanks to Il Dado for much of the information on this page