The Cromwell Hotel & Casino has overtaken long-time winner Casino Royale has having the best craps game on the Las Vegas Strip. The Cromwell is the only Strip casino to have 100x odds on craps. This is by far, the most generous odds in Las Vegas, and certainly on. Megabucks boast that it paid the biggest slot jackpots in the history of Vegas. One of its lucky winners was Trinidad Torres. She is a 78-year-old from Utah who played $100 and managed to win over $10 million in the jackpot. She plans to use the winnings to travel. The Five Biggest Craps Winners of All Time When, where, and how these five craps players hit the jackpot 5 – The Phantom Gambler – William Lee Bergstrom. Bergstrom is known mainly by his shady nickname and is most famous for the tale of the two suitcases.
Up until a few years ago, the frumpy little Casino Royale – its attached hotel is a Best Western – offered craps players a deal they couldn’t resist. The brightly lit marquee seen above the Casino Royale on the Las Vegas Strip flashed the words “100x Odds on Craps” – yep, you read that correctly.
The independently owned casino right in the heart of Las Vegas Boulevard has always resisted the creeping corporatization, and it doesn’t even charge guests that ghastly “Resort Fee” to pinch pennies. Eventually though, even the Casino Royale did away with its 100x craps tables, opting instead for the watered down 3x-4x-5x structure on the Odds bet that has swept through The Strip like a plague.
But before I get ahead of myself, let me bring the readers who are wondering why this Odds bet is so important up to speed.
How House Edge Applies to Craps
Whether you visit Las Vegas to roll the bones regularly, or find yourself learning craps online through an casino online, knowing how to navigate the maze of available wagers is crucial.
I mean, just get a load of this lengthy list of common craps bets below to get a glimpse into the classic dice game’s complexity:
Payouts and House Edge Rates for Common Craps Bets
BET/RULES | PAYOUT | HOUSE EDGE |
Odds – 4, 10 | 2 to 1 | 0.00 percent |
Odds – 5, 9 | 3 to 2 | 0.00 percent |
Odds – 6, 8 | 6 to 5 | 0.00 percent |
Don’t Pass / Don’t Come | 1 to 1 | 1.36 percent |
Pass / Come | 1 to 1 | 1.41 percent |
Place 6, 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52 percent |
Field (3:1 on 12) | 1 to 1 | 2.78 percent |
Place 5, 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00 percent |
Field (2:1 on 12) | 1 to 1 | 5.56 percent |
Place 4, 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67 percent |
Big 6, 8 | 1 to 1 | 9.09 percent |
Hard 6, 8 | 9 to 1 | 9.09 percent |
Any Craps | 7 to 1 | 11.11 percent |
Hi-Lo (2 or 12) | 15 to 1 | 11.11 percent |
3; Yo-leven (11); Easy hops | 15 to 1 | 11.11 percent |
2; 12; Hard hops | 30 to 1 | 13.89 percent |
Any Seven | 4 to 1 | 16.67 percent |
As you can see, craps bets can largely be divided into two groups – reasonable plays and longshots designed for suckers.
Don’t get me wrong now, I’m prone to splash around on exotic bets like the Any Craps or Hard Way when inspiration strikes – but only occasion.
Craps players who consider the bottom half of that list to be their bread and butter tend to watch their bankrolls get eaten by the casinos in a hurry.
No, the best craps players out there typically stick to the first half of the list by default, especially that Odds bet which carries no house edge whatsoever.
That’s kind of a misnomer, as you can’t place an Odds bet without first putting up an “ante” of sorts on either the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line. And with those base bets carrying house edge rates of 1.41 percent and 1.36 percent, respectively, you’ll always have a hill to climb even on the 0.00 percent Odds wager.
Here’s how it works… after placing your Pass Line (or Don’t Pass for “dark side” specialists), the shooter will establish a point number more often than not. With a point number now set, the Odds bet allows you to back your base bet up with a second wager that pays out according to true odds (hence the name).
Those true odd payouts – 2 to 1 on points of 4 and 10; 3 to 2 on 5 or 9; and 6 to 5 on 6 or 8 – really do hold a null house edge of 0.00 percent.
And as you might’ve suspected by now, betting as much as you can on the Odds is a great way to lower craps’ overall house edge:
House Edge on Craps Odds Bet (by Odds Limit)
ODDS (TAKEN) | PASS LINE | DON’T PASS |
0x | 1.41 percent | 1.36 percent |
1x | 0.848 percent | 0.682 percent |
2x | 0.606 percent | 0.455 percent |
Full Double Odds | 0.572 percent | 0.431 percent |
3x | 0.471 percent | 0.341 percent |
3x-4x-5x | 0.374 percent | 0.273 percent |
5x | 0.326 percent | 0.227 percent |
10x | 0.184 percent | 0.124 percent |
20x | 0.099 percent | 0.065 percent |
100x | 0.021 percent | 0.014 percent |
See that last entry for 100x on the Odds? With a house edge of just two-tenths of a percent, players who score 100x – you’d be able to bet $1,000 on Odds with a $10 base bet – enjoy some of the best odds in all of casino gambling.
On that note, the following list highlights six casinos on The Strip where sharp craps players can still enjoy high limits on the Odds and other perks.
1 – The Cromwell Hotel & Casino
If you visited The Strip at any point between 1979 and 2007, you know The Cromwell as its previous incarnation Barbary Coast.
The building eventually became Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall, a rough and tumble joint straight out Las Vegas’ glory days.
Bill’s gave way to The Cromwell in 2014, and while the casino resort has blossomed into a full-scale boutique establishment offering the height of luxury, it did retain one element of that gamblin’ spirit – 100x Odds.
Yep, four tables found at the Cromwell offer the only 100x craps still alive and kicking in Las Vegas.
The minimum bet here is a bit higher than the standard at $25 per rolling session, but that’s a small price to pay for the ability to go “all-in” on the best bet in craps.
The Cromwell also caters to sharp gamblers by offering 3 to 2 payouts and double-deck games in blackjack, single-zero European roulette wheels, and commission free EZ baccarat.
2 – Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower
Famous for its “Space Needle” like tower stretching high into The Strip’s skyline, the Stratosphere also has the lowest-stakes craps game around.
You can enjoy 10x Odds – the highest offered on The Strip outside of from The Cromwell – for just a $5 minimum base bet. Folks who like to play a bit bigger will also find a pair of tables with a $10 minimum and 10x Odds.
You’ll also come across a gimmick game known as “Crapsless Craps,” which purports to give players a helping a hand by removing losing outcomes from the come out roll. Instead of “crapping” out on a 2, 3, or 12 on the come out roll, Pass Line bettors in Crapsless Craps simply set those numbers as the point.
But knowledgeable craps players avoid this sucker game at all costs, as it balloons the house edge on Pass Line wagers from 1.41 percent to 5.38 percent.
3 – Bellagio Hotel & Casino
![Vegas Vegas](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2wZzX_TJD2g/maxresdefault.jpg)
One of the glitziest and most glamorous casinos in the world, let alone The Strip, the Bellagio is a true Las Vegas icon.
The tables here only offer 3x-4x-5x Odds, which lets you bet 3x on points of 4 and 10, 4x on points of 5 or 9, and 5x on points of 6 or 8.
That’s basically the standard on The Strip, aside from The Cromwell and Stratosphere of course, so the Bellagio makes the cut for its sheer beauty and grandeur. Simply put, every gambler should spend at least one day strolling through the Bellagio’s rarified air.
And while you’re there, hit the eight $25 minimum tables or the lone $10 table and let the dice fly.
4 – Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
I always advise my craps playing buddies who are stubborn about The Strip to stay at Bally’s. Foxwoods online casino login.
Four tables here have a low limit of just $5 and 3x-4x-5x Odds, while higher-rollers can up the ante to $15 on a single table.
5 – Wynn Las Vegas
Combined with its sister casino Encore, the Wynn offers a level of luxury to rival even the Bellagio.
Live Craps In Vegas
This place is gorgeous inside and out, and the nine craps tables with 3x-4x-5x Odds with limits ranging from $10 to $100 paint a pretty picture too.
6 – Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
The $5 limit craps tables with 3x-4x-5x Odds at the Westgate aren’t anything special, but whenever you can dabble in dice before hitting the world’s largest sportsbook (the aptly named SuperBook), no gambler worth their salt would pass up that opportunity.
Conclusion
Craps, like any casino game, comes down to the player’s contributions. If you stick with longshot exotics and let casinos offer bad limits on the Odds bet, the mess you make of your bankroll is your own fault. On the other hand, by searching for the best Odds limits and playing a snug, sensible game, craps on The Strip can still be a profitable proposition when the dice cooperate.
Sean Chaffin
With the busy World Series of Poker schedule behind us, PokerNews brings you a Vegas tale from Sin City's past.
Take a break from the poker action and check out one of gambling's most amazing runs at the craps table.
The California Hotel and Casino sits a bit off the beaten path. Located far away from the Las Vegas Strip, the old casino founded in 1975 sits at the intersection of East Ogden Avenue and North Main Street.
Main Street Station is across the street, but the Cal sits a bit outside the unique festive atmosphere of the Fremont Street experience.
The casino has long catered to residents of Hawaii and a trip inside exudes that relaxed atmosphere that founder Sam Boyd brought to the property.
That effort attracted many gamblers from the islands looking for a good gamble and they still flock to the action there today.
The state doesn't have casino gambling and from its early days, Boyd offered cheap vacation packages for islanders and even island culinary delights, and still does. Deals on chartered flights from Hawaii sometimes were as low as $9.90.
The Cal's website even uses the tagline, 'Aloha Spoken Here,' and dealers even sport Hawaiian-print shirts.
Absolute super reels. The casino has become so ingrained with many island gamblers that in 2008 the University of Hawaii Press published the book California Hotel and Casino: Hawaii's Home Away From Home.
Flying over for weddings and other special occasions at the downtown casino became a regular for many islanders.
Craps is a fairly easy game. In essence, a shooter rolls to establish a point number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) and then attempts to roll that number again before hitting a seven (crapping out).
Wagers on the board vary, but if the shooter hits that point number without rolling a seven, those betting with the shooter win. A few nice rolls can certainly make for a fun night.
However, rolls rarely even make it into the double-digits and streaks of more than 30 minutes are rare.
But on May 28, 1989, Oahu native Stanley Fujitake defied all the odds. A regular at the Cal, Fujitake was also a regular dice player. Around midnight, he dropped $5 on the pass line and took the dice in hand.
What followed became a Las Vegas legend.
'There were at least 30 to 40 people trying to place bets at his table.'
Fujitake continued to roll for just over three hours. Crowds gathered around throughout the night to take in the mystical roll – those red dice bouncing along the green felt and hitting point number after point number.
Guido Metzger was dealing craps at a table next to Fujitake's table that night. Now director of casino operations for Boyd Gaming's downtown properties, Metzger remembers the as something he had never seen before at a casino as dealers struggled to keep up with players' wins as more and more players tried to squeeze into the action.
“They had trouble keeping up with the chip payouts that night,” Metzger said in 2014 in an issue of Boyd Buzz. “My table was empty. But there were at least 30 to 40 people trying to place bets at his table. They couldn't get fills to the table fast enough and had to start issuing scrip [casino credit] because not enough people were going to the cage and cashing in their chips.'
During his historic night, Fujitake rolled 118 times for 18 pass line winners. After beginning with the table minimum, the sharpshooter had increased his bet to the table maximum of $1,000 when he finally passed the dice. Friends said on a previous trip Fujitake has rolled the dice for an hour and 45 minutes. Casino staff were astounded at the scene.
Live Craps In Las Vegas
“Half an hour is average, over an hour is amazing, but more than three hours is totally astounding,” casino manager John Repetti told the News at the Cal in July of ‘89 after Fujitake's accomplishment.
The craps king passed away in 2000, but his widow Satsuko recently spoke with Hawaii News Now about that amazing night.
Machines that do nothing. 'It was a miracle, because it's impossible to hold the dice,' said Satsuko, who introduced her husband to the game. 'It doesn't happen all the time, maybe it's only once in a lifetime deal.'
Fujitake took home about $30,000 that night, Satsuko said, and the California Hotel and Casino paid out about $750,000 in winnings to players gathered around with their pass line and other bets at the table.
“That was one of the ironic things about his roll – the other players at the table ended up winning a lot more money than Stanley did!” says David Strow, Boyd Gaming vice president of of corporate communications.
While the casino may have lost big bucks that night, Boyd took it in stride and turned the legend of Stanley Fujitake into a marketing opportunity, and reward, for craps players. He was nicknamed “The Golden Arm” and the casino has since hosted the the Golden Arm Club. Inside a glass trophy case, Fujitake's hand is cast in bronze holding those winning dice from that night.
Next to the case, small golden plaques display the names of all those players who have rolled for an hour or more become members of the club, which averages about on player a month.
Playing Craps In Vegas
How does one earn entry into the Golden Arm Club? Simply roll without sevening out for an hour. More than 300 players can now call themselves members. Roll for 90 minutes or obtain Golden Arm status more than once and your name gets placed on the even more exclusive Platinum Wall located on the mezzanine level of the casino. Fujitake was a platinum member himself after reaching the one-hour threshold a staggering four times.
Dollar Craps In Vegas
The Fujitakes visited the California often and while he may be gone, the Hawaiian craps champ won't be forgotten. The Cal even hosts the annual Golden Arm Craps Tournament in his honor. His wife Satsuko told Hawaii News Now: 'As my husband of 54 years, in my heart, he is still the champ to me and will be forever.”