Best Vegas craps experience

I’d like some thoughts on the best places in Vegas to play craps. I know the Casino Royale offer 100 X odds and Main Street Station offer 20 X odds. However some of us that don’t have the wallet/nerve to lay down $500 behind our $5 pass line bet. So I’m asking for the best Vegas craps experience with the typical 3,4,5x odds or better.

As an intermideate choice, the Stratosphere offers 10x odds. I intend to try there next April.

I love to play craps and also have the goal of finding the most fun place to play with the best craps pit/crew in Las Vegas. My personal criteria include having professional, experienced and friendly dealers and having a nice, clean, and fun atmosphere to play.

That being said, here are some of my thoughts:

1. In general the bigger casinos have more experienced craps crews then the smaller ones. A lot of the small casinos off the main strip or in downtown have break-in dealers who are new to the game and still learning. Because they are so focused on dealing, they have less time to be friendly and provide good customer service.

2. The mid tier casino dealers tend to be more appreciative of tips/tokes then the high end places. If you place a small bet for the crew at places like the Excaliber, Stratosphere, Luxor, etc. they seem to be more thankful then if you were to place that same small bet at the Wynn or Encore. Perhaps at the big joints they are waiting for George the Whale to make the night exciting. But hey, all those dollar and five dollar tokes add up.

3. It is always fun to watch the big boys roll it up. One morning at the MGM Grand I felt like a tiny flea when a man walked up and bought in for $10,000 and proceeded to lose it all in 5 rolls. He then bought in for another $10,000 and ordered a coffee. A second guy walked up to our cold table and bought in for a $50,000. And mind you, this was at around 9:00 am and these two guys were just getting their morning jitters out before they got some breakfast.

To watch the fun high rolling action I suggest Ceasar's Palace, the MGM Grand, and the Mandalay Bay. Probably any high end casino would work for this. You always hope that you are the shooter who goes on a 45 minute roll when these big boys (and girls) fire it up. Maybe they'll buy you lunch!

Hope that helps.

Quote: Nareed

As an intermideate choice, the Stratosphere offers 10x odds. I intend to try there next April.

Just don't step up to the Crapless table by mistake. That game screws with your head.

FYI: Unless things have changed, Stratosphere has the only Crapless table in town (or at least on the strip), and it has only one of them.

Quote: gambler

You always hope that you are the shooter who goes on a 45 minute roll when these big boys (and girls) fire it up. Maybe they'll buy you lunch!

If you go on a 45 minute roll and still can't buy your own lunch, you don't know what you're doing!

I was the shooter when a loud-mouth obnoxious guy stepped up on my left and put $600 each on the hard 6 and 8, and proceeds to tell everyone that he needs to make one more hit before going to his room to watch some porno and jerk off. Yep. Those were his exact words. I'm thinking, Oy! In addition to my own bets, now I got the pressure of this idiot. I go about setting the dice (I'm still working on dice setting and controlled throws), and throw an easy 6. He replaces the bet with $700. I set the dice again and throw an easy 8. He replaces it with $800. I'm setting the dice again when he says "Just shake up the dice and throw!" So, I pick up the dice like a novice, give 'em a shake and toss 'em. Hard 8! He picks up his winnings, and his bets, and gives me a $25 chip as he's leaving. Sure, that was nice, but boy was I happy he left!

If you really want the low roller experience, check on the Joker's Wild on Boulder Highway in Henderson. $2 (sometimes $1) minimums with 10x odds! Good crews, I know some of the dealers have been there for a while. Really fun place to play. Eastside Cannery on Boulder is also nice, with $5 min/100x odds without the craziness of Casino Royale. Check out these places after you've had enough of Caesars Palace ;)

Despite the Casino Royale being the best game in town for Craps, I don't like the atmosphere. My gambling style prefers the 3-4-5x times at .374% HA. All of the big casinos have those rules in Vegas. So then you have to ask yourself what makes a good gambling experience and I think that really depends on who you are.

Don't ask me why, but I loved playing at the Boardwalk before it was torn down. But now I love playing at Mandalay Bay. I don't feel uncomfortable there, the staff seem to be nice, the players friendly, and the atmosphere great (right lighting, relatively smoke-free, good location).

I like the atmosphere at Monte Carlo. The tables are near the center of the casino floor and there is plenty or room around them, unlike Excalibur where it seems you are constantly being jostled by people walking by holding two-foot tall frozen margaritas and ogling the party pit dancers. When I've been at the Monte Carlo, where I've also had some of my biggest wins, the dealers always seemed competent and friendly, and for some reason that's the place where I've seen the most fun, boisterous players -- you know, the ones who loudly cheer on the shooters, make crazy bets and win, which just spurs them on, and pretty soon the whole table is yelling and cheering for a come out yo.

I also like to walk around between sessions, so the proximity and ease of access between MC, NYNY, MGM, Excalibur, Luxor and Mandaly Bay gives me a broad range of atmosphere and people watching. Just know that you are not likely to find $5 tables except at MC and Excalibur.

Well of the two casinos that offer 100X odds I think Eastside Cannery is much nicer. It's brand new, and it has a nice bar on the roof. I think they will let you go 100X odds at $3 minimum which you can't do at Casino royale. Besides Casino royale is a dump, and every table besides the one 100X craps table has a very high house edge.
----------------
However, Main street will let you go 20X with a $5 minimum. That compares favorably to 3X-4X-5X with a $15-$20 minimum. It's a nice casino with good inexpensive beer pub. You can alway opt to play less than maximum odds, but it's nice to have them if you are on a roll and you want to up your bet. Main Street aims to be the craps players casino in Vegas.
---------------
Binion's at 3AM has $1 minimum with 5X odds. You can play maximum action (every come bet as well as every pass line) without feeling nervous as hell. El Cortez has $3 minimum with 10X odds during the day and late at night.

Paco, thanks for the information about limits. I've never seen Eastside Cannery at $3, even at graveyard. It's always $5. When did you see that limit? Agreed, MSS is pretty nice, but can get crowded sometimes. I really agree with you, there is a ton of space in EC and there is *really* bright light (an underrated amenity; Why are most casinos so damn dark?) El Cortez is great. Sam's Town also has 20X odds but I have never seen a minimum of less than $5 and I don't care for their casino that much. Joker's Wild is still my top pick.

I would prefer Eastside Cannery to Main Street Station. The brew pub and its proximity to the craps table are fine and dandy at MSS, but the Eastside Cannery would have much greater appeal to me. Cheap micro brews? Great. Better atmosphere and less of a frenzy... I'd vote for that! Eastside Cannery.