Does Martingale Work In Craps? (Systems Best To Be Avoided)

A thing in common for the majority of casino-goers, be they land-based or online visitors is a belief that each game has some secret system, a pattern which is guaranteed to bring the untold riches. Craps is by no means an exception, and it has so far inspired countless “proven successful” strategies and theories. Parity Hedge, Martingale, dice setting are just some of them, and the new ones keep coming all the time.

Can implementing the Martingale system in craps bring you tons of cash?

Although it seems like one of those “million-dollar questions”, the answer is fairly simple. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but there’s no such thing as proven successful craps patters for collecting huge sums of money. Martingale doesn’t work in craps, but nor do many other systems, and superstitions.

Allow us to introduce you to the most commonly seen craps systems and explain to you why they aren’t the smartest choice to make!

What is Martingale and Why It Doesn’t Work?

Those among you who have happened to play Roulette have surely heard about Martingale system. It’s widely one of the most popular methods gamblers apply, and it dates back to 18th century .

Simply put…

…this system sees gambler doubling up bet after every loss so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original stake. When implemented in Craps, it is usually used with / don’t as well as Come and Don’t Come bets. These bets are statistically the only ones with a good house advantage.

Unless one has infinite wealth, Martingale is a huge no-no, particularly not for beginners and newbies, and we all know that there aren’t many punters with the bottomless bankroll. But that’s not the only issue, there’s something else equally important- the majority of establishments impose betting limits.

So, no matter how unlimited the source of cash one has…

…casino won’t allow, in the long term, to follow through the system endlessly. A pre-defined bet size cannot be ignored.

Wanting to spice the method up a bit (or for some other reason), system lovers came up with anti-martingale.

Contrary to the approach in the ordinary one…

…this system sees players increasing bets after wins while reducing them after a loss. In this way, the gambler will benefit from a winning streak or a “hot hand”. Using the same logic, one will reduce losses while “cold” or having a losing streak.

Having in mind that all the single bets are completely independent, and the very concept of hot/cold machines and tables, or winning and losing streaks makes little sense, this system has the same badge as its “parent”- gambler’s fallacy.

Getting to Know Iron Cross or “No 7s” System

Assuming from the name, this system sees the player is betting on every number but the 7 in a one-roll bet. This includes place bets on 5, 6, and 8, as well as a field bet, which encomes 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Out of the total number of the 36 different possible dice combinations…

…a player can gain some winnings on 30 of them. This number is, you will agree, not insignificant at all, but there are other factors which make this one not so good choice.

This system comes with so many payouts, that evaluating the house edge can be a bit challenging. While the HE for Place 6 and 8 is 1.52%, when Iron Cross is implemented, the percentage goes up to 2.37%

In reality, this indicates that the chances to win do exist, and they may happen more than often, BUT, a single loss can devastate the bankroll. It’s too risky to be used on a regular basis.

Parity Hedge- An Urban Legend or a Real Thing?

As far as the story goes, inspired by the idea to beat the craps tables , a group of nuclear physicists and theoretical mathematicians started working on a special algorithm. Their project was simplified and well-rounded in 11 points, representing an upgraded version of Doey- Don’t.

In this system…

…a player combines betting equal amounts on both the /Come and Don’t /Don’t Come. The ideal solution to minimize the losses is to bet equal amounts on both sides of the Line (or Come box).

As for the Parity Hedge, the enthusiastic brainiacs gambled smaller sums during quiet hours, testing their method and collecting cash. Still, it was becoming risky to remain under the radar, while implementing a slow-paced strategy on a fast-paced game, and they needed to come up with an alternative solution.

Enters THE Japanese businessman.

Upon grasping the basics of Parity Hedge…

…this individual with a reputation of an avid gambler scored over $15,000. After negotiating, he got permission to stake $10,000 per roll, and as far as claimed, by the end of the first day, this whale was said to be up to $11 million.

Reaching agreements with five casinos where he continued to collect juicy winnings, he disappeared mysteriously while on the way to collect cheques. Perhaps he was killed, no one can tell for sure. The creators of the system sought protection from one of the founders of Binion’s casinos, in exchange for a complete breakdown of the technique. Along with the promise not to use it anymore.

There aren’t any real pieces of evidence…

…not even the body was found, no family gave any comments, there are many non-verifiable details, and it all remained a huge mystery. Perhaps the story is just another urban legend, that’s all, but more than well-told by an amateur platform that exposes various sorts of financial frauds.

Apart from this action-packed scenario, there’s one more detail to be questioned. Could a single roll of $10,000 bring so much money? In of math, when one plays at 100% success rate, let’s say 50 roles per hour, to win $11 million, one would have to play 20 hours straight? With no defeat?!

It’s common knowledge that…

…the house is always favored over the punter. Even if those are the tiniest of margins, it’s the house that always has the advantage. Not counting the rigged machines, none of the systems has turned the tables so drastically so far- what are the chances that Parity Hedge managed to do so?

While there’s no doubt that this system is absolutely NOT to be implemented in casinos, it does make a wonderful plot for a book or a movie, doesn’t it?

What’s so Delightful about Boozer’s Delight?

With such a rather self-explanatory name, the system is more a sort of strategy on how to get drunk without spending much money, than it is a legit system that brings juicy winnings in Craps.

Jokes aside…

…it is a relatively safe system in which a player bets $5 on the line, $15 on the Don’t , and once the point is established, lays $10 Odds on the line bet.

This way, a player can either win or break even depending on the point. In case the point is 4 or 10 and the shooter makes it, a punter scores $10. If the point is 5 or 9, and the shooter makes it, punter walks away with $5, or with $2 if the point is 6 or 8. And finally, if the shooter 7’s out, punter loses NOTHING.

The only situation when punter can lose is…

…when a Come out roll is 7, 11, or 12. For 7 or 11, the loss is $10, while for 12, the loss is $5. But, in case 2 or 3 is thrown on the Come out roll, a punter scores $10.

While it cannot get any huge profit, it’s a fine strategy to help the newbies in the world of Craps see how the game works, and try it out, even with some average bankroll.

Introducing the Follows System in Craps

Winning and losing streaks are quite commonly used in the gambling universe, and some punters are strongly assured that they exist. So much, that they even came up with a system which relies on streaks.

That’s how the Follows system was born.

Long story short…

…the player simply places the same bets the way the last decision went in hopes of it happening again. Knowing that each roll of the dice is unaffected by any previous rolls, we can only conclude that anything can happen. Chances are fifty-fifty.

This method, applied on winning or losing streaks, makes sense only if one places the appropriate /Come or Don’t /Don’t Come bets. Although the system itself makes no attempts at choosing bets with lower HE, the two pairs of bets in play already have the lowest house edge values themselves.

Should anything else be added?

Why Are Any of These Craps Systems a Forbidden Fruit?

Sometimes players find it hard to resist when they hear that one player ended up loaded with cash just because he/she played a game using some of the systems. But we rarely know the full story behind those jaw-dropping wins.

Here’s why any of those Craps methods don’t work:

• Every roll of a dice is completely independent and is not correlated with either the previous or with the next one
• Gambling, in general, is random and unpredictable
• Winning and losing streaks are just coincidence

Aside from these systems…

…throughout history, punters came up with numerous bets as well, such as Hard Ways, Any Seven, Any Craps, totals of 2, 3, 11 (the “yo”), and 12, Hop Bets, and numerous variations. What all of them have in common is a terrible house edge, which is why they also deserve to wear the proud title of sucker bets.

Final Thoughts

Having thorough knowledge always puts you in a more advantageous position compared to those who haven’t got it. Familiarizing yourself with the serious player, be it a recreational or a professional one.

But it certainly doesn’t mean…

…you should implement ALL the systems, strategies, or special secrets behind the basic bets, when in a land-based or online casino. They don’t work. Period.

From whichever perspective you analyze- mathematics, your bankroll, logic, whatever, nothing guarantees you will end up bagging tons of cash because you used Martingale, Iron Cross, Boozer’s Delight, or any other system.

So the question is, how do any of these manage to stand the test of time, and what’s even more intriguing, why the new ones keep coming?

The answer is simple…

…some players like to have a well-structured plan, believing it’s much easier to follow some pattern, some at least simple strategy than making decisions for each separate bet. It’s in human nature to seek patterns even when there aren’t any patterns because we like to have things well-organized and explained, don’t we? Why would a sudden win be an exception?

Just in case, we can all keep our (snake) eyes wide open, and who knows, maybe someday someone indeed comes up with a method which actually works in practice. Something far better than that Parity Hedge fiasco, for sure.

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