If you are a consistent crapshooter, you might want to enter a craps tournament at some point. Some are free to go into, some cost you a nominal fee, and several cost quite a lot more, according to the prize money. Many casinos also provide weekly craps tournaments without any entry fee and low buy-in’s, simply to get players into the casino.
Now how do the pros get it right? Let’s find out! In a tournament, bets are very different to those in a standard game. You are no more playing against the house, but against all your fellow players. Your goal is to have the most money after a certain number of rolls (like 100), or a specific amount of time (like 30 minutes). Which means you have to be really watchful of your fellow players moves, watch what’s taking place.
Let’s say, for example, you have R300, your closest competitor has R200 and he bets R90 on the six and eight. You have to mindful of what either of those rolls would mean in the game. In this case, he’ll jump ahead by R5 (enough to win). You might want to match his bets to stay ahead in the game. Or, what if you are in second place with R200 and the number 1 player has R300? You’ve placed the six and eight for R90 each and he matched you. Maybe you might bet hard ways or prop bets. You have to switch up your game plan in order to get past the front-runner. If you are close to last place you might make bets that aren’t typically made- like wagering a lot on the two or twelve. In the last few rolls of the game, they realize it’s the only way they can win.
Once the game starts, you’ll notice that there are conservative players, playing pass or coming with maximum odds, and aggressive players who bet hard ways and proposition bets. Bettors who play that aggressively usually, however, not always, lost their money prior to the last round. In case you are in the group playing pass/come, you’ll need one method or another of breaking out of the pack – like waiting for two successive points to be made and then jumping to the don’t. You must start doing something that everyone else isn’t to have a win.
Suppose the leader has R100 on the pass line and the point is 4. He takes R200 odds. You could then lay the 4 for R200. If a seven is rolled, he would lose R300 and you would win R100. You have to think out of the box and try things other players wouldn’t! If you are behind during the last few rolls of the game, become extremely aggressive…sometimes this might mean betting all your bankroll on one number. Say eight is the point and the leader is R300 ahead and has R100 on the pass line with double odds. You are in third place, and all you have left is R300. You may place the whole R300 on the six, take it down after it hits once, and then pray that a seven rolls before the eight does!
Tournaments aren’t for everybody, however they are fun to try out, particularly the inexpensive or free ones. So give it a shot you’re certain to have fun, make some friends and maybe even walk away with the jackpot!
