In my somewhat limited craps experience, it's always more fun to play with the locals due to the constant lower table limits ($5 craps with at least 3-5x odds). I definitely don't want to play $10 minimums if I can help it; it just eats away at my already modest bank roll (less than $1000). In Crapless Craps, the odds payoffs on 3 or 11 are 3-1, and on 2 or 12 they're 6-1. That helps bring the higher house edge on Crapless pass and come into reasonable territory. If you back your pass or come bets with an equal free odds bet, the house edge on the combination is 2.94 percent. Different casinos allow you to back your bets with. Whichever wager you make, the Fire Bets have some of the highest house edges in craps. It is common to see the Fire 3 pay out at a 6:1 rate, the Fire 4 to pay 29 to 1, the Fire 5 to pay 149 to 1, and the Fire 6 bet to pay 299 to 1. Consequently, the odds bet has a house edge of 0%. Overall, the pass line bet is definitely one of the best bets on the craps table with a house edge of 1.41%. In addition, adding odds onto this wager is without a doubt the best way to extend your gambling bankroll. The Best Craps Bets. The best bets in craps are the pass line bet, taking the odds, the don't pass bar, the come bet, and placing the 6 or the 8. Let's look at each: Pass Line. This is the most basic and popular of bets when playing Craps. It has one of the lowest house edges (1.41%) and it is very simple to place.
In my video Bellagio Craps, Part 3 of 3, I comment on the All, Tall, and Small bet. This is a breakdown of the ‘All, Tall, and Small' bet.
THE PARLANCE
This bet is commonly written as the ‘ATS' bet. First, understand that most gambling writers refer to the All, Tall, Small bet as the ‘ATS' bet, when mentioned in written form (because it's easier to write ‘ATS). If you go into a casino, no one calls it the ‘ATS' bet. I was in Las Vegas this past weekend, and just being the curious cat that I am, I experimented by throwing out three red chips and said ‘A-T-S' (as in the letters, said phonetically; I didn't say the word ‘at' with an ‘s' at the end). Many dealers and boxmen – when there was a boxman – did know what I was betting. Some did, some didn't.
In a casino, the bet is known as the ‘features' bet, or just, ‘All, Tall, Small'. If you watch the video above, it's mostly called the ‘features'.
If you're confused, watch my videos and then come back and read the explanation above. Nothing is better for learning than witnessing the actual event.
One more thing. On the layout, the ‘All' part of the bet is actually written as ‘Make 'em All', however, no one refers to the All bet as the ‘Make ‘Em All'.
That's the parlance of the ATS bet, which ironically, in an actual casino is not called the ‘ATS' bet.
So that I don't have to constantly write out ‘All, Tall, Small', I am going to refer to it as the ‘ATS'.
THE MECHANICS OF THE BET AND HOW TO BET IT
On a pair of dice, the only numbers that can be rolled from lowest to highest, are 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11, and 12. The most likely number to roll is the 7, which will roll once in six times. All other numbers have mirror counterparts, as far as their likelihood to roll. The 6 and 8 both have five ways to each roll. The 5 and 9 each have four ways to roll. The 4 and 10 each have 3 ways to roll. The 3 and 11 each have 2 ways to roll. The 2 and 12 each only have one way to roll.
So of the mirrored counterparts, the lower numbers are considered the Small, while the higher numbers are considered the Tall.
The ATS bet is actually three separate bets. It's not one big bet. Most players bet all three because they fear missing out, but if you want, you can bet any combination of the ‘All', the ‘Small', or the ‘Tall'.
The player decides to make an ATS bet. He should then toss in, to either the dealer, the stick or the box (but usually to the dealer) the amount that he wants to bet. The player is not required to make all three bets, although, as stated, the vast majority of players make all three bets. The player then clarifies to the dealer how he wants to split up his bet.
Another way of betting the ATS is throwing in a bet and saying three numbers that add up to the amount thrown in. For example, if you throw in $15 when the bet can be bet (more on that later), and you say ‘five, five, five', the dealers will know that you are betting $5 on the Small, $5 on the All, and $5 on the Tall. Or throw in $20 and say ‘five, ten, five'. The middle number is always the ‘All'.
As the shooter rolls the numbers, you will see one of the employees covering the number that had just rolled. If the same number rolls again, the repeating number is not relevant. There is no penalty or bonus for rolling a number multiple times. The shooter only needs to roll the number at least once in order to progress the bet towards the win condition.
WHEN YOU CAN BET IT
The ATS bet is always available after a 7 has rolled. Always. (SPOILER WARNING!!!!) Notice in the video above at the 1:54 mark, the shooter rolls a 7 out. At the 2:00 mark, the stickman then leans over and moves the discs off the numbers. He is resetting the ATS bet. Now it can be bet because no numbers are covered.
The reason is that a 7 rolled will cause the bet to lose, thus wiping out the board and starting a new ATS series. Unlike the older FireBet, where the bet could only be made when a new shooter started, the ATS can be made several times with the same shooter, or it can be made in the middle of a shooter's roll.
Unlike some bets, where the bet is not live on the come out roll, the ATS bet is always live. At the 2:00 mark, you hear the player say, ‘I go back up'. He's saying that because the 7 winner (on the come out) caused his ATS to lose. The ATS bet is always live, even on the come out roll.
Depending on the casino, the ATS bet can also be made if no one has bet the ATS on any one of the bets, even if numbers have been rolled. For example, let's say shooter rolls a 2,3,4, requiring the dealer to cover the 2,3 and 4, but no one has made any bets on the ATS. In that case, the house will reset the discs and allow you to bet the ATS because there is no action and no one is affected by your new bet. Some casinos want you to wait until the 7 naturally resets the ATS board, so this rule varies from casino to casino.
If in doubt, just look at the board. If there are no numbers covered by the disc, you can bet it. Alternatively, if there are no bets made on the ATS, then you can probably bet it. Just ask the casino because they may have different procedures in the second scenario.
THE WIN/LOSS CONDITIONS (HOW TO WIN)
Remember that the ATS is comprised of three separate bets. Here is the win condition for each bet…
The All Small bet wins if the player rolls a 2,3,4,5, and 6 before the player rolls a 7. The 7 will cause the Small bet to lose.
The All Tall bet wins if the 8,9,10,11, and 12 roll before the shooter rolls a 7. The 7 will cause the Tall bet to lose.
The All bet (actually written on the felt as ‘Make 'em All') wins if the player rolls a 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11, and 12 before the shooter rolls a 7. If that list is too long for you to memorize, then have no fear. Just know that it is every number EXCEPT THE 7 (because the 7 always causes you to lose).
THE PAY OFF FOR WINS AND THE HOUSE EDGE
There are two pay tables for the ATS bet. I refer to them personally as the ‘stingy' and the ‘better' table.
Stingy pay table:
All pays 150 – 1, resulting in a house edge of 20.61%.
Tall pays 30-1, resulting in a house edge of 18.30%.
Small pays 30-1, resulting in a house edge of 18.30%.
Better pay table:
All pays 175-1, resulting in a house edge of 7.47%.
Tall pays 34-1, resulting in a house edge of 7.76%.
Small pays 34-1, resulting in a house edge of 7.76%.
The above house edge numbers are from the Wizard of Odds website. If you don't know about Michael Shackleford, you should know about the man, especially if you want to be a smart gambler.
Almost every Las Vegas casino that offers the ATS bet (and most do), uses the stingier pay table.
Most casinos outside of Las Vegas use the better paytable. Free slot games with bonus spins.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE ATS
Personally, I never bet the ATS when I'm in Las Vegas. Ozzy ozbourne video. 20% house edge is just a hammer to the toes.
I love the ATS bet outside of Las Vegas. Unlike the FireBet of old, the ATS hits on a regular basis. Considering that I'm usually betting only very minuscule amounts on it, it's a cheap thrill. My record on the ATS was when I hit the All bet, then hit the Small bet again during the same roll. On that roll, I won $20,000+ and won $277 on the ATS bet. It's a fun bet, and if you're looking to hit a jackpot, you should bet bigger on the ATS. That's just not my goal.
The ATS can also be a frustrating bet. Usually, if all three components of the ATS hits, it means that the shooter had a very long roll. But I once had an ATS hit where I actually lost a lot of money because the shooter did not repeat any of his points. Granted, that's very rare.
I see the ATS bet staying around for a long time. It's great for the house because it now is a way for the boxman to actually do something, other than watch the game. With the ATS bet, the boxman can watch and mark all the numbers and play for himself.
It's good for players because it's a relatively low house edge side bet that hits frequently. I was never a fan of the FireBet, which hits once or twice a year if you're lucky. The ATS bet can hit several times a day.
Give that ATS bet a try next time you're at the casino.
Let me know if you have any questions. Leave them in the comment below, and I'll be happy to answer them.
Good luck at the tables.
Posted in: Casino, Craps, Gambling
Las Vegas Craps Casinos - Best Table Odds - Bettling Limits
Vegas Craps Table Conditions - Table Minimums, Maximums, Odds
This page is a guide to craps conditions in Las Vegas. We've included sections for lowest and highest betting limits, and sections for which casinos offer the best table odds. The section about table odds is possibly the most important, because the amount you can bet on the 'Free Odds' bet in craps is always a multiple of what you bet on the 'Pass Line' bet. The higher that multiple is, the lower the house edge becomes. (Although the house edge is never 0% or negative, you can get the house edge pretty low if you can get a high enough multiple.)
Here are some examples of the house edge for Pass Line bets followed by Free Odds bets at various available multiples:
Table Odds | House Edge on Pass Line Bet + Free Odds |
| 1X | 0.85% |
| 2X | 0.61% |
| 3X | 0.47% |
| 5X | 0.33% |
| 10X | 0.18% |
| 20X | 0.10% |
| 100X | 0.02% |
The house edge on the 'Don't Pass' bet + free odds is about 0.15% lower than the Pass Line bet + free odds, but a lot of people don't like to bet against the shooter. The house edge on the Don't Pass bet + free odds is only 0.01%, which makes it the best bet in just about every casino if you're not counting cards at blackjack or something like that.
Best Odds Craps Casinos in Las Vegas
Casino Royale Craps on the Strip
The Casino Royale on the Las Vegas Strip offers 100X odds on their two craps tables. Their betting limits at the craps table range from a minimum bet of $3 to a maximum bet of $500, and the maximum odds bet you can place is $2500 per bet. The Casino Royale is located in the center of the Las Vegas Strip, next to Harrahs and across the street from the Mirage.
Sam's Town Craps on Boulder Highway
The best casino at which to play craps on the Boulder Highway is Sam's Town, where they offer 20X odds. That makes the house edge on the pass line bet + odds bet only 0.1%, which is as close to an even money bet as you will likely find at any Vegas casino game. Their minimum bet is $5 and the maximum bet is $3000, but they have a maximum odds bet of $5000. Sam's Town has four craps tables.
Main Street Station Craps Downtown
In downtown Vegas, the best odds craps can be found at Main Street Station, who offer 20X odds. The minimum bet there is $5, and the maximum bet is $1000. Main Street Station has three craps tables.
Highest Betting Limits on Craps in Vegas
$5000 is the practical maximum betting limit at the craps tables in Vegas. Several casinos offer a maximum bet of $5000, and we've listed them below, along with what kind of multiple the free odds bets offer.
| Casino | Table Odds |
| Golden Nugget | 6X, 8X, and 10X |
| Wynn Resort | 3-4-5X |
| Mirage | 3-4-5X |
| Treasure Island | 3-4-5X |
| Caesar's Palace | 3-4-5X |
| Venetian | 3-4-5X |
| Paris | 3-4-5X |
| Aladdin | 3-4-5X |
| Bally's | 3-4-5X |
| Bellagio | 3-4-5X |
| MGM | 3-4-5X |
3-4-5X odds is something a little different from what was discussed earlier. The house edge for casinos offering this is 0.37%, which makes it a respectable bet. When you make the maximum odds bet at one of these casinos, the payout is always seven times the bet no matter the result, instead of true odds. But the maximum amount you're allowed to bet is based on the point:
If the point is 4 or 10, then the max odds bet is 3X.
Lounge club reviews. If the point is 5 or 9, then the max odds bet is 4X.
If the point is 6 or 8, the max odds bet is 5X.
Place Bets On Craps
Lowest Betting Limits Craps in Vegas
If you're just looking for the cheapest place to play craps in Las Vegas, then you're looking for the lowest betting limits. Slots a Fun, the Orleans, Sunset Station, Boulder Station, and both Arizona Charlies all offer minimum bets of $2. But Vegas has an even lower minimum craps game available at Nevada Palace, which is a neighborhood casino with only one craps table.
Craps World Bet
Best Place to Play Craps in Las Vegas
Craps True Odds
The best place to play craps in Vegas is the place where you're most comfortable with the table odds and betting limits. We've tried to provide a lot of information about casinos to choose from in order to play craps in Las Vegas, but there are other factors which might go into your playing decision, like whether or not the casino is someplace you'd actually be willing to stay, what the cocktail waitresses look like, or how friendly and active the craps games are. We hope this section has gotten you started in terms of places to think about playing though.
