An Introduction to Craps

July 1st, 2010  |  Published in Gambling Games

Craps is one of the most exciting, face-paced and loud games in the casino. Each time you walk by you’ll hear patrons yelling and hollering. As a result Craps is also one of the most intimidating games, especially to new players. On the other hand it’s a profitable game to learn with the house edge being 1.41 percent over the player.

The Betting Structure

Overall there are around 40 different bets that can be made most of which offer terrible odds. The most important wagers for new players to learn are the passline bets. A simple passline bet is made by placing your bet on the passline before a new shooter rolls (aptly named the come out roll).

The Rules

If the new shooter hits a 7 or 11 you’re a winner. If the shooter rolls a 2, 3 or 12 you lose. Any other number acts as the point number in which the shooter must hit that number before a 7. If they roll the point number prior to a 7, your passline bet wins even money.

Once a point number is reached, bettors can place additional wagers behind the passline bet (known as the odds bet). This is the only bet in the whole casino that offers true odds and doesn’t have a house edge. Most establishments allow the bettors to place twice the wager of the original bet.

The Payouts

The passline bet is one of the easiest bets to make. Since the odds bet has no house edge, it is one of the smartest bets to place. If you win, the standard payouts in craps are:

  • If the point number is 4 or 7, the payout is 2 to 1
  • If the point number is 5 or 9, the payout is 3 to 2
  • If the point number is 6 or 8, the payout is 6 to 5

Most casinos offer free lessons on how to play craps. The instructors present the basics along with table etiquette. These lessons are a great way to practice craps in a safe, money-free environment to prepare you for real money games.

Craps is by far the most exciting game in the casino and online. Due to the low house edge (even lower with the odds bet) and action on every role, it is also one of the most popular games on the casino floor.

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Charles Fey- The Man Who Invented the Slot Machine

March 29th, 2010  |  Published in Inrodution

Walk in to any casino today and you are  likely to see hundreds of slot machines, and for good reason. Slot machines are the single most profitable game for the casino industry- totaling up to eighty percent of a casinos profit. People love slot machines- they are easy to play, fun to use, and pay out. But do you know how the slot machine started?

The First Slot Machine

On April 15th, 1887, Charles Fey revealed a game he called the Liberty Bell to a select group of bar owners. The game featured three spinning reels with symbols on them- bells, hearts, diamonds, spades, and horseshoes. A player pulled a level on the side of the device, spinning the reels, and a combination appeared. If three bells showed up on the Liberty Bell, the player won a prize. Charles Fey leased out the Liberty Bell to bar owners for fifty percent of the profits and slot machines were born.

The Slot Machine Goes National

In 1907, Charles Fey collaborated with the Mills Novelty company. By 1910, a new slot machine was introduced- the Operators Bell. The Operators Bell weighed one hundred pounds and featured the same three reels, but now there were twenty symbols spinning around. This increased the house’s odds from the twenty-five percent seen on the original Liberty Bell. The Operators Bell also featured a few improvements like an easier coin inserter. Charles Fey and the Mills Novelty company produced 30,000 of these slot machines.

The Slot Machine Reaches Las Vegas

In the 1940’s the mobster, Bugsy Siegal had a dream. That dream was to make a stop over destination in the middle of the desert for Army G.I.s and travelers. This destination was to include hotels, swimming pools, restaurants, and most importantly- gambling. Bugsy saw his dream come to life when he built the Flamingo casino in the city of Las Vegas. He put the Operators Bell on the casino floor.

The Slot Machine Today

The slot machine has gone from a three-reel device found in the back corners of a local bar, to a filler game in Las Vegas, to the most profitable game on the casino floor. Slot machines are now technologically advanced, featuring bonuses, interactive game play, and even multiple players. Charles Fey’s invention will has a bright future, even a hundred years after it was born.

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