TABLE GAMES

CRAPS SLANG & ODDS FOR AZ CASINOS

Enjoy Yourself, But Proceed With Caution!

If you haven’t given Arizona craps a try, let me tell you a few more things that might make your transition into the game and its lingo easier. The first thing to know is that you’ll have to get chips from the inside dealers, but the stickperson runs the game.

Like other games, casinos set their limits and payoffs, so don’t be surprised if things are slightly different at each club. You’ll also have to listen carefully because every casino or group has its flavor.

In Reno, you’ll get paid 15 to 1 for a winning bet on eleven. In Vegas, that same bet pays 14 to 1. Either way, seven and eleven sound very similar, so dealers often refer to eleven as Yo or Yoleven. When the stickperson calls the roll, they’ll also make multiple references to betting names. Again, to make sure the inside dealers catch the call correctly.

STICKPERSON ROLL SAYINGS

The stickperson manages the dice flow and won’t send them out to the shooter until the inside dealers are ready. In the meantime, they’ll have a steady patter of come-ons, bets, and encouragement.

On each roll, the stickperson will be sending out clues to their team with snappy comments designed to cement the number in the other dealer’s minds with what a field-wager pays. Here are some things you’ll hear for each total from 2 to 12.

1-1: two craps, aces, snake eyes, pays double in the field. 1-2: three craps, the old one-two, once in the field-field. 3-1: four the easy way or the hard way (2-2), field roll four. 2-3, 4-1: fiver, five, no-field five. Two-way bets keep us alive. 5-1, 2-4: six the easy way or the hard way (3-3), two treys, the world’s smallest forest – two trees. 6-1, 5-2, 4-3: seven, a winner on the come out, a natural. When a point is already established – seven out, line away, pay the don’ts, take the field. 6-2, 5-3: eight the easy way or the hard way (4-4). No field eight. 6-3, 5-4: nine, midfield, Texas. Niner-niner, nothing’s finer. 6-4: ten the easy way, field roll ten or ten the hard way (5-5), double nickel, speed limit, Sammy Hagar (“I can’t drive, fiftyfive”). 6-5: Yo-leven, a natural, pay the line (on the come-out roll) and pay the come (with a number established). E-O-leven in the field. 6-6: twelve craps, the tops, double sixes, boxcars, two six-packs, and pay triple in the field.

Obviously, you’ll hear much more, but that gives you an idea of what the stickperson is babbling about. It’s their job to entertain and to get the calls right every time.

The Field Bet (double on 2, triple on 12) has a house edge of 2.78%. The Pass Line is 1.41%. If you take 3-4-5x odds, the house edge drops to just 0.374%.

The house edge runs 11.11% for Any Craps (2, 3, 12); Hi-Lo (2, 12), C&E (craps and 11); and 3 or 11. It’s 13.89% on 2 or 12 and jumps to 16.67% on Any Seven. The Horn Bet is 12.5%, hard way 6 and 8 run 9.09%, while hard way 4-10 are 11.11%.

If you play the one-roll hopping hard ways, the house edge is 13.89%. Enjoy yourself but proceed with caution! $

Writer Al Moe has worked in the casino industry for many years. He has lived and worked in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. He also attended the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an avid writer and blogger. His book, “Vegas and the Mob," is available online at Amazon.com. He is also the proud father of four beautiful girls.

6 TO 5 BLACKJACK VARIANT

How Close To The Truth Is It?

Iwas out the other night and decided to stop in one of our local casinos and play some blackjack. I was playing $50 a hand and received blackjack. The dealer paid me $60 on my bet. I said, “Excuse me but that should be $75!” The dealer said, “Not on a 6 to 5 blackjack table!” I pushed my chips in and said, “Color me up!” That is what you should do if you run across these games. DO NOT PLAY 6 TO 5 BLACKJACK! I had hoped that 6 to 5 blackjack would never come to Arizona but it has.

When the house changes the rule for blackjacks to pay 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 it increases the house advantage by 400%! For example, a six deck blackjack game that pays 3 to 2 on blackjack, has a house edge around 0.57% depending on the rules. Take the same game and change the blackjack to pay 6 to 5 and the house edge jumps to around 1.97%. Almost four times the expected loss! Most players won’t come close to beating a blackjack game with 6 to 5 payouts using basic strategy.

What's the loss in real dollars? To put it in perspective, if a player bets $25 per hand (at about eighty hands per hour) the expected loss will be around $11.20 per hour for a 3 to 2 blackjack game. The expected loss for the same player at a 6 to 5 blackjack game is about $38 per hour.

Here is what specific rule changes do to the game of blackjack: 3 to 2 natural blackjack payouts—Lowers house edge by 1.40% in comparison to 6 to 5 payouts. Double down on any total—Lowers house edge by 0.25% in comparison to only doubling down on 9-11.

Dealer must stand on a soft 17—Lowers house edge by 0.2% in comparison to the dealer hitting a soft 17.

Double down after splitting—Lowers house edge by 0.17% when allowed.

Re-splitting aces—Lowers house edge by 0.08% when allowed.

Late surrender—Lowers house edge by 0.07% when allowed.

Number of decks—A single deck swings the house edge in a player’s favor by 0.02%. An 8-deck game gives the house a 0.57% advantage. Blackjack in the United States has ranked as the number one table game for the last fifty years. It’s also had the reputation as a low house edge game that gives players a good chance at winning. With 6 to 5 blackjack, that reputation is bound to change. No longer do players have a good chance at winning, now it is more than likely that they will lose, and nobody likes to lose. In the late 60s, the Las Vegas casinos changed their blackjack rules to make it harder for players to win. Their plan backfired and no one played their games, so they were forced to return them to the original format.

If we as players don’t stop supporting these 6 to 5 games it’s just a matter of time before casinos remove all the real blackjack games. What can you do as an individual? Don’t play any game that pays less than 3 to 2 for a blackjack. Warn your friends and family if they are headed to the casino not to play these games and use your knowledge gained from this column to explain why. Let the casino floor person or your casino host know that you do not like to see the casino floor filled with misleading games instead of real blackjack. If we all work together and don’t play these games, the casino will have no choice but to only offer 3 to 2 blackjack. $ Writer TJ Jorgensen has been a professional Blackjack player for over 25 years. He is well known for his tournament play and has beaten some of the top tournament players in the world. He has also won the World Series Of Blackjack. His newest book “How To Become A Blackjack Jedi” is available online at Amazon.com.