Placing point instead of taking odds

While, playing craps the other night, I noticed that the guy next to me was always placing the point instead of taking odds. I was debating whether or not to ask him why. I was worried that if I engaged him, I was in store for a long, rambling tirade.

Finally, I just had to know. "Why do you place the point instead of taking odds?"

"Well," he said, "this way I have complete control over the bet. I can take it down any time I want, I can increase the bet, I can decrease it... I have complete control. And the payout is not that much worse than taking odds."

I considered pointing out that he could do the same thing with odds, but decided against it. I felt a long, rambling tirade was still a possibility.

So he made a pass line bet every time and just didn't take his odds? Lol

That's a moronic way to play, but good thinking on staying quiet.

For that, I would have just said "you know, you can take down the odds part of a line bet at any time," and left it at that. If he had further questions, point him to the dealers who should be able to confirm. I've never seen someone place the point who already had a line bet.

Quote: MathExtremist

For that, I would have just said "you know, you can take down the odds part of a line bet at any time," and left it at that. If he had further questions....

...I'd hand him a WoO/WoV business card:
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Quote: ahiromu

So he made a pass line bet every time and just didn't take his odds?

Sorry, yes, he had a $12.00 pass line bet every time. ($12.00. Another reason I wasn't particularly interested in engaging him.)

A few years back at Wynn, I saw a high roller placing the point instead of taking odds on his pass line bet. He told me that he did it so that he'd get a better rating at the casino. (Casinos typically don't rate players on their odds bet because there's no house edge.) Apparently that was more important to him than winning more/losing less money. (At least he had a "legitimate" reason.)

I missed the line bet part..what a donk!
When I play, I place/buy the point for $30 and drop them a buck when I win...(unless I'm shooting, then I put $2 on the line and give the $1 for vig and the other $1 hand in)

Perhaps the player wanted to increase his action on the point beyond the 2x odds limit, but not lock up the money by increasing his line bet?

Quote: Ayecarumba

Perhaps the player wanted to increase his action on the point beyond the 2x odds limit, but not lock up the money by increasing his line bet?

That would have been a truly legitimate reason, but no. He never wagered more on his place bet than he would have been able to wager on his odds (3x-4x-5x).

Reminds me of the Horseshoe, way back in the day when guys would cap their bets with DIMES (yes, ten whole cents) in order to take advantage of "rounding up" their odds.

Yikes.

Mama says, "Stupid is as stupid does".

Quote: YouCanBetOnThat

I considered pointing out that he could do the same thing with odds, but decided against it. I felt a long, rambling tirade was still a possibility.

Save time and breath and let him do it, he will be amusing dealers for years. I consider table advice same as golf course advice--never give it unsolicited.

Smart dealers will advise him once and once only, because that is right in he may have made an error. But after that once they will let the fool and his money alone, they having been lucky enough to get together in the first place.

This is, however, the dumbest statement by a player since the party game where a woman told her friend "Aces are 1 or 11 but you always want them to be one." Same woman wanted to hit on a 20 until I reminded her what the total was.

Cynical? I'm not cynincal. I am just tired of explaining to idiots about probablilty, outcome, odds, and basic strategy being a smarter way to play than guessing.

I would like to bring attention to the fact that this is absolutely splitting hairs. The truly horrible mistakes are betting single-roll bets. Especially non-field single-roll bets.

Seriously? Surprised that people who aren't that smart are playing craps? Shouldn't be!

People employ betting strategies using multiple place bets and don't want to be bothered with changing strategies based on what the point is.

It's the prop bet guys that really are ignorant.

But it does bug me too. But I'm the kind of guy who can obsess over ten cents difference on a $100 item.

Quote: Ahigh

I would like to bring attention to the fact that this is absolutely splitting hairs. The truly horrible mistakes are betting single-roll bets. Especially non-field single-roll bets.

Sure, those bets are horrible.

The difference here is that the guy who's making the place bet has another bet available to him that wins and loses at the same time but pays better, and he's not taking advantage of it. (A player betting on exactly 11 to hit on the next roll only has one betting option, albeit a crappy one.)

Now, if we wanted to open up this thread to truly stupid things we see at the craps table, I would nominate the player who says "No action" when his Don't Come is about to go up to a 6 or 8. I see it all the time.

Quote: YouCanBetOnThat

Sure, those bets are horrible.

The difference here is that the guy who's making the place bet has another bet available to him that wins and loses at the same time but pays better, and he's not taking advantage of it. (A player betting on exactly 11 to hit on the next roll only has one betting option, albeit a crappy one.)

Now, if we wanted to open up this thread to truly stupid things we see at the craps table, I would nominate the player who says "No action" when his Don't Come is about to go up to a 6 or 8. I see it all the time.

Actually, "Come" and "Field" are alternates to the one and done "Yo" bet. The beauty of Craps is that there are so many ways to lose your money.... wait a minute...

I've found a way to bet the DC to get paid on aces and ace-deuce and to bet against yo and seven. If the bet travels, I neutralize it with a place bet. Dealers hate it, but it is fun.

An example: bet $30 on the DC. Seven-out and yo are your enemies. Craps are your friends, and any box number is a "consolation prize."

4/10 look to profit $9 or $10 (33% avg) by placing for $20, 5/9 look to profit $5-$6 (20% avg) by placing it for $25, and 6/8 look to profit $0-$6 (9.09% avg) by placing it for $30. and tell the dealer "make sure it works on the comeout for me" ideally they put a lammer on it even when not on the comeout and don't take it off after the comeout. A cocktail waitress can distract you long enough to get screwed on this.

You have to bet about 8x as much as you would normally bet on a crap check, and you lose all at once instead of a dollar or two at a time, but I think it last longer than crap checks over and over since the combined edges are smaller if you are at $30 and above on the DC.

Some dealers are wise to the scheme which leads me to believe others have done this too. But I have generally never witnessed it.

If you have a really big bankroll and do this with very large bets, it does get a little distracting for some. But if you tell the shooter "roll the aces" and nobody else has a come bet, they generally understand you're not betting against the shooter, just looking to get paid for random crap.

Quote: Ahigh

I've found a way to bet the DC to get paid on aces and ace-deuce

Two and three are winners for don't come.

Quote: Ahigh

and to bet against yo and seven. If the bet travels, I neutralize it with a place bet.

What bet is against the yo and seven?