Craps is an extremely popular game that benefits tremendously from having a social environment like that found at online live dealer craps tables.
There’s no denying that most casino games have a social element that seriously affects the experience as a whole, and there’s no denying that this element is lost in most traditional online casino environments. However, one of the games that loses the most in this is craps, and that’s why live dealer craps is such a big deal for players who are fans of the game. This is an exciting and action-filled, dice-based game that gives players a ton to look forward to, but you have to know how to dodge the sucker bets if you want the best chances of having winning sessions.
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Where to Play Live Dealer Craps Online
In the past, Vivo Gaming offered live dealer craps games at a variety of online casinos as a part of the widespread EveryMatrix casino platform. They used a style of running the games that used two different members of casino staff to keep the games going quickly since it’s a fairly complicated game, and they had to keep the play moving along since online players are used to a much faster play speed than what you normally see in brick and mortar establishments.
However, they eventually pulled the games as a part of the restructuring of their product offering. As a result, there’s no popular software company offering live dealer craps tables at this time.
With that having been said, there are more traditional online craps tables that look and feel almost exactly like the real thing. You get the added benefit of not having to wait on other people to place their bets and so on, so you get to play at your own pace. If you want to take a break, you can take a break. If you want to play very quickly, then you can play very quickly. Overall, it’s much easier to customize your sessions for craps when playing in these games than the live dealer format.
Along these lines, we really recommend checking out our list of the best craps casinos. This will give you the information that you need to pick out the best place to play for what you’re looking for in your craps sessions.
How Live Dealer Craps Tables Work
Because there is a component of the game based on rolling dice as the “shooter,” the first question any player will have has to do with how the tables actually work. Since there can’t be someone physically rolling the dice over the computer, the tables are set up so that all players are in the spectator role in the sense that no individual player is rolling the actual dice. Instead, there is a mechanical device that shakes up and rolls the dice across the table, and everything is set up so that your result is random and not subject to predetermined patterns.
With that having been said, you can still play as if you are the shooter. All you have to do is make the pass line bet on the come out roll, and you will be playing along as if you were the person rolling the physical dice. The only significant difference, and this applies whether you would be the shooter or not, is that there is a timer between rolls. You have to get your bets in before that timer finishes for them to be counted for that particular roll, but that’s not a big deal for most players in most situations.
How Betting is Tracked and Wagers Are Paid
Since there can be tons of players placing wagers at the same live dealer craps table, there are mechanisms in place to streamline the betting. The way this works is that players put in their wagers on their desktop interface or mobile app, and the software client keeps up with the bets themselves. The dealer at the live dealer table will input the results of the dice rolls in order, and the software uses your betting information combined with the results of the rolls to determine your winnings.
The Social Atmosphere
Craps is one of those games that really needs a social atmosphere for it to be fun, and it’s not really the same without it, which is why typical online craps tables don’t get nearly as much action as their brick-and-mortar cousins. With live craps games online, you can get the social experience that you want by chatting with other players at the table. You can even chat with your dealer, and you have the standard options to tip that you would in a brick-and-mortar casino as well. It’s up to you to tip if you want, and it’s completely optional, but you have that option if you want to use it.
The main thing that makes the social atmosphere important in craps is the pass line bet. This is a bet that plays “with” the shooter in the sense that you win if the shooter wins, and you lose if the shooter loses. Most people tend to play this way, and it allows them to celebrate their wins together. However, if you want to be a contrarian, then you can bet the don’t pass and celebrate your wins when most other players lose, which can be fun in a cruel sort of way, especially if you’re loud and proud in the chat box. You just have to remember to be a good sport about it when you’re on the receiving end of the same kind of light-hearted taunting.
The Necessity of Good Strategy
Knowing the basics of craps strategy is extremely important in live games because there are a number of wagers that could be seen as “sucker bets” on the table. While there are more advanced ways of playing, here is a basic rundown of a way you can play that will give you a low house advantage while still allowing for a reasonable level of bankroll management:
- Always play the pass line bet, but only on a come out roll (the first roll of a “shooter’s” play).
- If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, this becomes the number called “the point,” and you can place a fair bet with no house advantage that the point will be rolled before a seven. You should place a reasonable bet on this wager as well, usually a few times the size of your original pass line bet.
- The “shooter” will roll over and over again until either the point or a seven is rolled. If the point comes first, then you win. If the seven comes first, then you lose.
This is a very basic strategy, but it will give you a payout percentage of over 99 percent, which is up there with what the best video poker and blackjack players can get with correct play. With that having been said, it also puts you in a good spot socially since you’ll win when other players win.
The Differences Between Online and Live Dealer Craps
- The social factor is extremely important for craps, much more so than other games, and having it in the live dealer format is much better than not having it in the online format.
- You’ll have a timer that you need to pay attention to between the rolls at live dealer craps tables that you do not have at traditional online tables.
- The betting limits are higher at live dealer tables, but they still aren’t as high as the required minimum wagers at brick-and-mortar craps games.
Overview
The live craps experience has to be taken as a whole, and you can’t just think of it like you would sitting at a typical online table game. The social interaction between players and the dealer is so important in these games, and it’s why in brick-and-mortar casinos that you’ll see large crowds gathered around craps tables in a lot of cases. By adding in this aspect of the experience, it’s easy to see how there is a world of difference between the usual online games and the live craps tables.