Understanding Dice Odds

Last time I discussed the basicsof playing craps. In order to play the game you obviously need dice.You also need an understanding of the dice and the odds and probabilitiesof rolling the numbers.

In the movies you will see the players picking up the dice and rolling themtogether in their hands before letting them fly down the table as they scream,Baby needs a new pair of shoes! or some other wild chant. This is finein the movies but it is NOT allowed in the casino. When you are at the tablesyou are only allowed to handle the dice with one hand.

Dice are actually precision instruments manufactured to very strictspecifications. They are inspected for any flaws such as nicks of chips beforebeing put in to play. Rubbing them together or other rough handling can damagedice. If the dice are thrown off the table they have to be checked beforebeing put back into play. The average life of a pair of dice is only abouteight hours.

Let's take a look the dice.

Dice are cubes about three quarters of an inch square. One alone is calleda die. Each die has spots called pips totaling a number from one to sixon each side. If you add the corresponding sides you will get the numberseven. The side with six pips will have one pip on the opposite side. Twoand five are on corresponding sides as are the three and four. Since eachdie has six sides and the game is played with two dice, there are 36 (6 x6) combinations that can be made giving totals of two through twelve.

Take a look at the Dice Chart

.You will see that there is only one way to make the numbers two (1 and 1)and twelve (6 and 6). There are two ways to make the number three: (2 and1) and (1and 2). If it helps you to understand the combinations, picturea blue and a red die. You could have number one on the red and two on theblue, or number two on the red and number one on the blue.
There are two ways to make the three and eleven.
There are three ways to make the four and ten.
There are four ways to make the five and nine.
There are five ways to make the six and eight.
There are six ways to make the seven.

By knowing how the numbers are made, you can calculate the odds of makingany number before the seven is rolled. Since the number 7 can be rolled sixways, you divide the number six by the number of ways a number is rolled.

Number	# ways to roll	True Odds
4	3	2 to 1
5	4	3 to 2
8	5	6 to 5
9	4	3 to 2
10	3	2 to 1

Once you understand the odds and probabilities of the dice, you are on yourway to mastering the game of craps.

Until next time, remember: Luck comes and goes...Knowledgestays forever.

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