Craps Power Betting by John Gollehon

Quote: TIMSPEED

The only bad part about a come bet, is once it's on a point, you're facing a negative HA...when it's in the COME box, you have a positive HA, HOWEVER your advantage would also be your DISADVANTAGE because your passline bet would lose...this is the main reason I never play a come bet. I simply pass PL and place the 6/8.
I full press on each hit. PL starts at $5 with 3/4/5, then goes to $10 with 3/4/5.

You make a point to a degree but I think the reasoning gets a little foggy. When your bet is on the come box you still face the risk of losing outright on a craps 2, 3, or 12. You'll get a even money on 11. A 7 will pay you even money but you'll lose your pass line, yeah but you'll also lose your place bets on 6 and 8 too.

When comes down to it, I'd rather take the risk of a come bet with odds and get the true odds instead of house odds. So on a 6 or 8, you'll getting 6 to 5 true odds vs. 7 to 6 house odds. The payout is much greater. Place bets and come bets on points both face the same risk of a seven out any roll.

Again it's just me but I'd rather get true odds then greatly reduced house odds. To anybody that wants to place bet though, your money and I'm rooting for you and that the shooter keeps making points rather then seven's out. Unless I'm on the don't of course. Then I'm not rooting and just keeping a low profile.

I think the main reason I play craps is to hope to be there when someone rolls 15 minutes or more without rolling a 7-out. I'd love to be there when it goes anything like an hour or more, something I've never witnessed and may never witness.

I don't mess with 'the don't' much anymore for this reason.

If somebody can't seem to roll a 7-out, if you have multiple come-bets going it is so sweet! Nothing like hitting your point and your next come bet goes up to take it's place with full odds *and* it happens again and again.

There are decisions to make. Generally you have to guard against having too many different points to make or you are really just figuring your luck is invincible that day, something that gets pretty clear when the 7-out does come and clears it all out and you look at your bankroll and realize even though it was a hot shooter you maybe even lost money. That's one reason it is so sweet to have a come bet replace a just-hit number rather than become a different point to have to also make.

Anyway, that's my two cents on why I play the way I do, in reply to the other posts about not doing the come bets. I don't say you don't have a point. It can be frustrating, usually I hold off on too many come bets and wait until a hunch says the time is right, often judging by the shooter [which is pure superstition].

Quote: BearCraps

Interesting. No suprise though. In conquering craps he himself wrote that another player met and him and found him making place and come bets. That player walked away disappointed and he claimed he was in himself too. Doesn't shock me at all that anybody selling gaming books has to rewrite or create a new 'strategy' in order to write a new book to gin up sales. Much the same as everybody has their own blackjack card counting methods they hawk.

I remember that story in his book too.

The things I find valuable in Gollehon's books are his general philosophy of keeping your play in the short-term and quitting quickly before losing one's bankroll at a cold table, regardless of the game. His progression formulas have proven useful to me as well. The fact he has varied recommendations as to Craps does not bother me either. He is trying to sell books after all.

BTW, his commentary in Conquering Casino Craps as to dice setting is both enjoyable and a bit odd inasmuch as he plainly sees value in dice-setting while protesting that it takes away from the game in a philosophical sense.

Quote:

BTW, his commentary in Conquering Casino Craps as to dice setting is both enjoyable and a bit odd inasmuch as he plainly sees value in dice-setting while protesting that it takes away from the game in a philosophical sense.

I bet it is a direct relationship between how much money he is making ; )

I have played his strategy before and as Murphy would have it no table ever made more than two or three points in a row. Soon as we gave up on the system of course we came across tables with hot shooters and the whole while only having a PL with 2X odds... In my opinion it is a valid strategy if you like to go for the big win, but you will be surprised how many tables don't "qualify". Also, where we live there were not a lot of casinos at the time so just going to another table / casino was not an option. I would like to try it again though in Vegas or AC.

Quote: wrongway

I have played his strategy before and as Murphy would have it no table ever made more than two or three points in a row. Soon as we gave up on the system of course we came across tables with hot shooters and the whole while only having a PL with 2X odds... In my opinion it is a valid strategy if you like to go for the big win, but you will be surprised how many tables don't "qualify". Also, where we live there were not a lot of casinos at the time so just going to another table / casino was not an option. I would like to try it again though in Vegas or AC.

You're right on wrongway. He even wrote himself that it's not often you'll get out of "pre play" pharse to moving into the progression. Which is what I've found most times probably just the same as most others. It's a hunt for the hot table. All said and done though I'd rather leave a cold table up a couple dollars (have many times) hang around and cut into my orginal stake and have a net loss 'cause my lucks gotta change this next roll.....'. Some people like to play, other people are looking to take wins and bank them. Rather bank a win any day but sometimes, well you'll going to lose and you'll just going to have to walk out the door at a loss.