Craps Etiquette

I have questions about betting on craps. I like betting by switching back and forth from pass and don't pass. Is this a problem? I have had dealers tell me that it's confusing. However, I do not like to stay on one side. I think of it as staying on either red or black when betting on roulette. Also, a dealer told me that coloring up is usually done when a player is done playing. Is this true? What if you have too many chips? I also have questions concerning coloring up. I colored up once and the boxman put the chips in the come area. I tried to get the chips and my hand ran into the dealer's hand. It hurt. He put the chips behind the pass line. So is it not ok to get the chips until they put it behind the pass line? I do not want to confuse the chips in the come area as a bet.

Switching back and forth between pass and don't pass should not be a problem. I don't see it much, but I don't see why it would be confusing. The dealers were right that it is proper etiquette to color up when you're done playing. If you have too many chips, then bet the smaller ones. Astute dealers will pay winnings with larger denominations. For example, if you have too many reds, and want to bet $50, then bet 10 reds rather than 2 greens. This goes for any game.

Quote: Wizard

Switching back and forth between pass and don't pass should not be a problem. I don't see it much, but I don't see why it would be confusing.

This is weird as I have had 2 dealers from different places tell me this. I think the reason why they find it confusing is because when they see a 7 out, they usually just take the chips from those who always bet on the pass line. If you switch back and forth, then they will have to pause and make sure which side you are on and then decide if they are supposed to pay you or take your bet. I personally find it really annoying to be pressured to stay on one side, but I do not know if this is how players usually do it as I am still a new player.

Switching your line bets between do and don't with subsequent come-out rolls should not be a problem if the dealer is awake. (Just don't do it while a point is set.) Asking for your chips to be colored up is normally done when leaving a table. An attentive dealer will make payouts with larger chips when he/she notes that you are getting a full rack, even sometimes giving more than the payout due and asking you to give change. That usually eliminates the need to color up early.

When you color up, the box man typically provides the larger chips that the base dealer doesn't have in front of him. The base dealer often places the chips in the "come" area temporarily if the dice are out or going out, so that you don't reach for them and possibly interfere with the roll. When the dice are back in the center, the base dealer will slide them toward you for you to pick up. The colored up chips in the "come" area will not be confused with a wager if the dealer is the one who places them there.


(Ooops! Sorry. Slow typist.)

So going in and out (like blackjack - betting sometimes and not betting sometimes) is also NOT a problem right? Because in BJ or other table games, it is a problem if you go in and out.
EDIT - If anyone has had the same experience I have had (dealers saying it is confusing if you switch back and forth) then please share it. If I remember correctly, one dealer just simply said it was confusing switching and another said the reason why is because they don't know when to cheer and when not to because they are not sure which side I was betting on since I switch all the time.

Quote: focd

So going in and out (like blackjack - betting sometimes and not betting sometimes) is also NOT a problem right? Because in BJ or other table games, it is a problem if you go in and out.

Nah, no one cares if you go in and out. I mean, if you're sitting out for a while, I'd be prepared to give your spot to someone who actually wants to bet, but if you want to sit out a come-out roll here or there, no one really minds.

If you want to shoot, of course, you have to do a pass/don't pass bet minimum.

Quote: focd

So going in and out (like blackjack - betting sometimes and not betting sometimes) is also NOT a problem right? Because in BJ or other table games, it is a problem if you go in and out.
EDIT - If anyone has had the same experience I have had (dealers saying it is confusing if you switch back and forth) then please share it.

Taking a pause in your betting at the craps table is fine, except of course at some Sweat The Money joint such as the Isle of Capri in Biloxi where they will actually have the floor speak to you about it. (You see now why I will never enter that casino again... or any casino owned by or managed by that company).

Such taking a break is actually good from time to time. I should do it more often but feel a psychological pressure to be making bets if I'm standing there at the rail with chips in my hand.

Confusion as to your being a Right Bettor/Wrong Bettor? Dealers, particularly if they are good dealers, should be able to anticipate your play but I don't see why it would confuse a dealer since most of his decisions are based on the position of the chips. However, I have had experienced dealers at top joints tell me they are confused when I switch from Wrong Betting to Right Betting in Mid-Roll. This is what I often do: Don't Pass on the ComeOutRoll, then one or two ComeBets and then the rest of the roll, I will be making DontCome bets. That seems to confuse them, but do I really care if a dealer is confused. It may mean I am doing something unusual but thats not my problem.

As to ColoringUp, you do not have to do it and may leave the table with a heap of low value chips if you wish.Its foolish to do it, but probably should be done if you are afraid that you will be "taxed" during color-up (another reason why I will never enter Isle of Capri, Biloxi). I think the problem is that when the play is fast and your focus in on the action, you tend to not feel there is time to count out chips from your rail. Atleast that is what happens to me. Greens and Reds and the annoying but obligatory whites ... its hard to stay mentally "there" and keep the chips neatly arranged as well. Atleast its hard for me.

Switching can be confusing. If a dealer tells you it's confusing, he's probably just letting you know that he might make a mistake and you should watch him. On the other hand, it can mean that he's not able to anticipate and remind you if you're missing a bet.

If you have a lot of whites, bet them! Also, if you're getting paid $14, a good dealer will give you three reds and ask for $1. Feel free to anticipate that by dropping the white before he gets to you.

Color up anytime you want, but, yeah, wait until the dealer pushes them out of the come box. They use the come box to count them out, and to allow you and surveilance to double check that what's going it is what's coming out.

And ALL tables (except poker) encourage you to color up before leaving.

Taking a break is not a problem, although you might not be allowed to re-enter at a BJ table with a "No Mid-Shoe Entry" rule.

I would make sure that you make it clear what bet you are on and that the dealer is aware of your switching back and forth.

Coloring up can be done between shooters at any time. You do want to avoid coloring up and then check changing. It can even be done between points as long as you are not stopping the play. If you color up between points, make it an expedient affair as possible, putting down your money in increments of black so it's very easy to pick up and count. Don't bother coloring up for green between points.

You don't take any colored up money from the center area or anywhere within the playing field. It must be shipped to you. The only time that you are allowed to pick up chips from the playing area should be a come bet winner (down and up) or a don't pass winner, in which case the winnings are placed alongside your bet. Your bets won't be confused as something else, especially color ups.

Of course, dealers will do anything for you if you tip.

Quote: FleaStiff

As to ColoringUp, you do not have to do it and may leave the table with a heap of low value chips if you wish.Its foolish to do it, but probably should be done if you are afraid that you will be "taxed" during color-up (another reason why I will never enter Isle of Capri, Biloxi). I think the problem is that when the play is fast and your focus in on the action, you tend to not feel there is time to count out chips from your rail. Atleast that is what happens to me. Greens and Reds and the annoying but obligatory whites ... its hard to stay mentally "there" and keep the chips neatly arranged as well. Atleast its hard for me.

I feel the same way too as to not having enough time to count my chips on the rail. Do you feel that it is possible for boxmen to miscount chips? Sometimes I think - and I repeat, I think - they just divide them into 4 stacks without counting how many are in each stack (some dealers dismantle one stack so that it is clear how many are in each stack). It makes a difference because they usually do stacks of red chips in 5 and green chips in stacks of 4. If they sometimes make a mistake by putting green chips in stacks of 5, then I will be shortchanged by a huge amount! Sometimes I really don't want to color up my chips there and want to count it alone on the side. However, with other table games where they have limited low denomination chips - like BJ or 3 card for example, the dealers seem to want to chase you down to color up. Also, when you mean "taxed", do you mean a miscount?

Quote: boymimbo

I would make sure that you make it clear what bet you are on and that the dealer is aware of your switching back and forth.

Ok, I was just curious as to what you guys would do in those situations. I'm a player who likes switching back and forth. This is because it makes no sense and is no fun sticking to one side (especially when I feel a 7 out is imminent). At the same time I don't want to anger the dealer, but I want to bet comfortably by switching back and forth even though it could be confusing. So what should I do?

Edit- I do not see people switching back and forth much. I'm just wondering how many of you do it as well?

I *always* count my money before getting chips and while coloring out. This is the time for mistakes to be made, and there's no recovering from them.

focd, ahve you considered trying Rapid Craps? The machine won't be confused, you don't have to worry about chips at all, and you only color up when you leave. As of now there's just the one table at Bill's. It offer 3x,4x,5x odds, I think double on 2 and 12 on the field and no fire bet. Otherwise it seems like any other craps table I've seen.

Is this like chipless blackjack they offer at Barona Casino?

I've noticed it is quite normal to sit out when a new shooter takes the dice, evidently in the effort to prequalify him. Once he makes a point, then the money will start to come out.

Quote: focd

Is this like chipless blackjack they offer at Barona Casino?

Beats me. There's a rapid craps thread with lots of info:

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/tables/1100-rapid-craps/

Quote: focd

If they sometimes make a mistake by putting green chips in stacks of 5, then I will be shortchanged by a huge amount! Sometimes I really don't want to color up my chips there and want to count it alone on the side.

If you've got fewer than 20 or so green, how about stuffing them in a pants or jacket pocket or a pocketbook/fanny pack and counting them stepping away. If you've got more than that you presumably already have black. With a bettor with black chips, the dealers and boxes seem to be a bit extra careful, maybe in the hope of a final toke.

On the switching of bets. I'll just saying dealers are human, humans make mistakes. The more randomness you put into the game the more mistakes happen. Just be aware of how much you should be getting back and be ready to watch for any mistakes. I would also make sure that your bet is very clearly in one of the spaces. Something sitting on a line could be bad if the dealer has no idea what you are betting.

As for too many chips. Only once have I come close to filling up the 2 racks in front of me. Before that happens, the dealer should generally be trading up chips for you as well. In my case this was a $10 table, come bets with full odds paying $70. They would give me a black chip and I'd drop $30 to them. A similar thing happens a lot more often with something like a $10 bet on the 4 or 10. This pays $14, if you have a bunch of white chips they will ask you to drop $1 and give you 3 red chips. If you are truly running out of space, I would simply ask the dealer if you would be able to caller up some of the chips. I wouldn't do this unless you were close to filling up the 2 rails though.


Where/When to grab chips.

General rule of thumb is if the chips are in 1 stack, you can pick them up. If they are spread out, they are spread outbecause the camera needs to see them. Once that happens the dealers will gather those up and place them in 1 stack in front of you.

I would also wait to pick up chips until all similar bets have been paid. An example would be a field bet. If there are 3 bets out there, just wait until all 3 are paid before picking your own up. I've had some casinos want me to wait, most don't care, that is just what I do now.

When a chip is knocked off by a flying dice, can you touch it to move it back to the proper position or do you have to tell the dealer to do it?

Quote: focd

When a chip is knocked off by a flying dice, can you touch it to move it back to the proper position or do you have to tell the dealer to do it?

If it's a pass line bet or odds, yeah, you can fix it. Just wait for the stickman to bring in the dice, and be obvious about fixing them.

Then again, it may be better to let the dealer handle it if it's a winning bet.

If it's something like a field bet being moved, point it out to the dealer.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

If it's a pass line bet or odds, yeah, you can fix it. Just wait for the stickman to bring in the dice, and be obvious about fixing them.

Then again, it may be better to let the dealer handle it if it's a winning bet.

If it's something like a field bet being moved, point it out to the dealer.

Well, for clarity sake, if it was a field bet that was knocked off by a throw, that bet is now resolved. It either lost or won. Either way, you do not want to be touching those chips. If you won, and have not yet been paid, you will call that to the dealer and boxman's attention. Putting your hands on the chips is a good way to get into a Past Posting argument. If the bet lost, it is up to the dealer to pull the bet away. You certainly don't want to be putting your hands on a bet that has lost, regardless of how good your intentions may have been.

The passline could go either way. I prefer to allow the dealers to clean up my stacks. That way there are no questions.

Has anyone seen dealer(s) slide the puck at a really fast pace from the point box back to where it originally was? The problem is that they slide it at such a fast pace it slides past the where the puck is supposed to be and might hit someone's hand. I'm seriously afraid that sometimes it can go so fast with so much momentum that it can sandwich my fingers between the puck and the wall. Anyone see this before?

Quote: RaleighCraps

, that bet is now resolved. It either lost or won. Either way, you do not want to be touching those chips.

Yeah, its their layout and it is much more preferable to annoy them with some request than to have them think something improper is going on. If you are in doubt, a palm turned up to the camera as you reach out to adjust a stack of chips is always sensible.

I've occasionally reached for my buyin when its still in the come area but often dealers seem to hesitate.

So my question is: is there something wrong with betting on the don'ts (or should I say betting against the majority)? I seriously have heard 3 dealers tell me it is confusing when people switch to bet on the don'ts. I'm starting to suspect they DISLIKE the don't bettors because if they are winning, then that means the table is empty and the dealers won't get much tip for their work since no one is playing. It starts me make me feel uncomfortable playing the don'ts. Has anyone had this experience before?

SOME dealers feel that you are "cooling" the table and therefore affecting their potential for tips. There is no real reason for such beliefs as only rarely will some idiot walk away from a table because another player happens to have bet on the Donts.

I've mentioned before about a stickman who called out that I should not be betting against a pregnant woman when he saw I had put money on the DontPass as the dice came around to a new shooter. I assumed he was joking so I winked at the young lady who was sitting box and slid my bet from DontPass to PassLine. (As if the dice somehow are going to "know" they've been rolled by a young woman who is noticeably pregnant or that my DontPass bet is a bet against the shooter rather than against the Casino). I simply went along with the stickman's gag and I probably should have thanked him because that shooter happens to have made her point. She was young, she was attractive and she was noticeably pregnant but more likely than not, the Stickman was simply bored working the day shift on a very uncrowded table and wanted some entertainment.

Whatever you choose to do, its YOUR money and YOUR decision. The crew's superstitions or the other player's superstitions should not enter into your decision-making thought processes. If, as the dice come to me, the stick calls out From The Don't, Hoping They Won't and someone walks away from the table, that is unfortunate. Particularly unfortunate for that player who walked away if I immediately roll a Seven!