How To Play Dice

Let's take a look at the good bets on the table, why we like them them & how to make. Starting with the Hershey bar of dice gambling, the pass line bets.

The pass line bet has a house edge of %1.42, which is a fairly good number compared to the rest of the games in the online casino (it's where a decent black jack gambler would be able to bring the edge down to), but it can get better. Once youve made your pass line bet, youre allowed to back it with something called free odds. It's details of the pass line bet are covered in their own page.

The popular stems from the fact that free odds is actually a 'fair bet'. Free odds are an additional wage'r you stack right behind your original pass line bet, after the point has been set. You'll notice almost everyon'e at the table doing this, thats because its a part of absolutely everyone's dice strategy. In other word's, the house edge on this bet is exactly zero ("0"). The pass line bet is one of the negative expectation bets you can back with free odd's. The catch is you have to make a negative expectation bet before you can back it with free odd's.

Another bet you can place free odd's behind is the come bet. To place a come bet put your wager down in the large area in the center of the board with the words *come* written in it. The come bet is a particularly interesting bet on the dice table, as it act's completely independent of the pass line bet's and the cycle of play.

When you place a come bet, it's like you've started your own little sessions. The next roll that get's thrown will win the come bet if it's 11 or 7 & lose outright if it's 3, or 2. The little difference is if a 12 is rolled, the come bet is a push (it's would be a loss for a pass line bet). If anything else is rolled, the number become's your personal *come point*. To signify this the dealer will move you'r bet to the appropriate numbered square on the tables (the same place they put the puck to signify what the session point is). When this happens you can go ahead & back the come bet with free odd's.

Don't Pass Bet

The don't pass bet is a bet that the shooter will fail to *Pass* (fail to win their pass line bet). Since it is like betting against the shooter (or against the dice), you win when everybody else loses, and it's never really appreciated. If you're in a land based casino then you may want to think about it before you bet on the do not pass bet. The superstitious folk will frown at you & blame you if the table runs cold.

To make a do not pass bet place your chip's in the narrower section just beyond the pass line labeled do not pass. The bet will lose on a 11 or 7 & win on a 3 or a 3. A 12 on the comeout roll is a push, where nobody wins or loses. If anything else is rolled it becomes the point & you win if a 7 is rolled before the point is repeated. Everything (except the 12 on the come out roll) is the opposite of the pass line bet. The odds of a 7 coming out before a 10 are quite good. So the online casino does not pay at the best odd's.

Place your bets

The dice table, as intimidating as it seem's, is easy to work with when you break it up into each little section. Learning those section's is learning the bet's you can make on them. You're already familiar with the pass line bet, the come bet, free odds & the cycle of play at the table. So now we delve into some more of the bet's you can make, starting with the counterparts to Pass and Come, the *don't* bets.

The Field Bet

The field bet is a tricky bet that appears to be easy to win, but hide's the fact that its alterted in the online casino's favor. It is a bet that the shooter will throw a 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 or 6 (any of the numbers in the field area) on the next roll. If a 8, 7, 6 or 5 are thrown then you lose. These are of course, the more likely number's. Most online casinos also give a bonuses if a 12 or a 2 is thrown. It is common to be paid 2-X your bet when a 2 or *snake eyes* is or a 12 is thrown.

Don't Come Bet

The do not come bet is the opposite of the come bet. When one wins, the other loses. The do not come bet must be made after a point is set by the shooter. If a 11 or 7 is rolled you lose, if a 3 or 2 is rolled you win & a 12 is a push. Otherwise a come point is set & you win if a 7 is rolled before the come point is repeated & lose if the come point is repeated before a 7 is rolled.

Now we can talk about a couple of bets that many people base their dice strategy around.

The Buy Bet

You can also *buy* number's instead of placing them. The numbers 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 4 can all be bought. But usually the 10 or 4 is bought because it is pays off better than placing it would. The buy bet is similar to the place bet in that the number you buy must come up before a 7 does. The odds are higher for a buy bet. 1:2 on a 10 or 4 buy; 3:2 for a 9 or 5; or 6:5 for a 8 or 6. The catch is, you have to pay a %5 commission on any bet's you buy (often called a *vig*). Depending on how much you bet, buying a bet can make you more money in the end even after accounting for the vig.

The Lay Bet

An uncommon bet, the lay bet is against the dice. So it is related to the do not pass and do not come bet's. The lay bet can be made at any time. Basically, it is the opposite of the buy bet & the same as the do not come bet, but with different odd's. The lay bets may be placed on 10, 9, 8, 6, 5 or 4. The bet is on the fact that a seven will be rolled before your numbers. A 7 is more likely to come up than any other number so the online casino requires you to wager more, than you could win. This bet usually also requires a commission of %5. Lay bets are rarely if ever, your best choice.

The Place Bet

The place bet is the most common way to bet on a specific numbers. You can make a place bet at any time after the point is set by handing the dealer your bet and saying: *I want to place the 8* or whichever number you want to bet on. You can make a place bet on any of 10, 9, 8, 6, 5 or 4. If the number you have placed is hit before a 7 - you WIN =).

Different number's have different odds of being hit & are paid back differently: 10 or 4 placed - 5:9 odds, 9 or 5 placed - 5:7 odds, 8 or 6 placed - 6:7 odds.

Proposition Bets

The bets located at the center of the table are collectively known as *proposition bets*. Even the field bet is considered a proposition bet, as the term applies to any bet that applies only to the next roll.