Cashing in on Craps on the Las Vegas Strip
You’re at a busy Las Vegas Strip casino craps table and luck is in the air. You’re on the Come Out roll, and all eyes are on you as you shoot the dice and watch them bounce off the back of the table with great anticipation. The crowd is energized, rooting for you to roll a seven or 11. Craps is the most social game in every casino from The Flamingo to The Bellagio because the entire table can make money when the shooter rolls a natural or makes his Pass Line point.
10x Odds at the Strat
The Strat is king when it comes to craps on the Strip, because of a supplemental bet called the odds bet. It is advantageous for the player because it is the only bet you can make in a casino with no house edge. While other Strip casinos offer 3-4-5x odds, allowing you to wager up to 5x your original bet, The Strat offers 10x odds at its craps tables.
$5 Craps Tables
The Strat is also one of the few casinos on the Strip with a $5 table minimum. The other casinos with $5 craps are the recently remodeled Sahara, and Horseshoe, but you can only find red chip tables on weekday mornings.
High Roller Tables
While most players are looking for low table minimums, high rollers are focused on betting big. At most high end Las Vegas casinos, the maximum bet at the craps table is $5000. More than a dozen luxury Strip casinos, including the Wynn, the Venetian, the Palazzo and Mandalay Bay allow players to bet this amount.
Learning to Play
YouTube is a good place to begin learning the game of craps. There are many videos that will adequately prepare you to make simple bets. Put the time in and these videos will teach you advanced betting techniques as well.
Want a more hands-on learning experience? Casino Quest at the Fashion Show Mall is a school that helps players master table games before putting real money at risk. For $20 an hour, an instructor will teach you the game at a realistic craps table with an experienced dealer. They offer two levels of craps courses, one to teach the nuts and bolts and another for students with some understanding of the game.
Looking to learn the basics and have a good time without spending any money? Some casinos offer free lessons so players can practice rolling the dice, and even place bets with play chips. Classes are popular, so arrive early to get a seat at the table. They’re offered at several Strip casinos.
Sahara – everyday at 12:30 p.m.
The Venetian – Monday – Friday at 11 a.m.
Luxor – Daily at 12 noon.
The Wynn – No regularly scheduled classes, but if you’re the only one at the table the dealer will give you a lesson.
The Good Old Days
The highest odds bet a player can place on the Strip today is 10x, but in the past, two Strip casinos offered 100x odds. Casino Royale was one of those spots, and while it was once the place to go for craps on the Las Vegas Strip, that all changed in the summer of 2020 when table games were removed from the casino.
The other Strip casino loved by local craps players and out-of-town gamblers alike was the Cromwell. Once Casino Royale discontinued its craps games, the Cromwell became the only casino to offer 100x odds. It was a real disappointment when in May 2021, the Cromwell switched to 3-4-5x odds. Resorts World casino Las Vegas also has six tables with 3-4-5x odds.
What About Off the Strip Las Vegas Craps Games?
Main Street Station Casino in Downtown Las Vegas has $5 craps games. Low table minimums are much easier to find downtown than at Strip casinos. The thing that truly makes Main Street a stand out is the casino’s 20x odds on craps, the highest in the city.
Club Fortune Casino in Henderson used to be famous for its $1 craps games, the lowest minimum in Las Vegas. The minimum bet has since been raised to $3, but it’s still one of the lowest in town. Club Fortune Casino is ideal for beginners looking to sharpen their skills without putting too much money at risk.
Electronic Craps
It’s only natural that in today’s high-tech world, property owners would be moving electronic craps games onto the casino floor. Harrah’s Las Vegas introduced a digital craps board with real dice in February 2021. “Roll to Win Craps” [shown below] is the first of its kind on the Las Vegas Strip.
“Shoot to Win Craps” bubble machines can be found in many of the casinos that line the Strip. A craps table can be the most intimidating place in the casino. These electronic games are a nice option for players new to the game who prefer to play solo. Bubble machines also give experienced gamblers a break from all the commotion at the craps table.
Conclusion
Like all casino games, the odds are not in the player’s favor at a craps table. Even so, with a little luck and the right strategy, anyone can wind up a winner. At other table games, players may walk away in disgust after watching you win big, but with craps on the Strip, players bet together and win together. You can’t help but have fun with your tablemates as you cheer each other on and shout out your point. Similar atmospheres can be found at sportsbooks in Vegas as you cheer on your team. But remember not to say seven once a point has been established at the table. Superstitious gamblers will tell you it’s bad luck.
