Among craps players, rumour has it that introducing a certain technique in how you hold and roll the dice can make sure that the desired combination of numbers always lands. In fact, everyone who ever played the game probably tried to get the dice to do what they want them to.
There are certain techniques and hand movements designed to do exactly that without technically breaking the rules of Craps. However, the required skills are hard to learn and the casinos themselves do not look kindly on them
Still, there are many claims that it is indeed possible with enough skill and practice. We’ll take a look at claims in this article while explaining how dice-throwing techniques in Craps work, or at least how they supposedly work.
Dice Throwing and Setting in Craps
The technique consists of two basic elements – setting and throwing.
Setting is all about placing the dice in a certain way before you roll them. Throwing, obviously, is all about how you’ll perform the actual throw.
The idea is to set the dice a certain way and then throw them so that the result will match their initial position. Basically, you try to set the result before the dice leave your hand, and then ensure that this result indeed happens.
The setting is actually the more complex part of the equation, though throwing may require practice and dexterity. Still, we’ll start with throwing.
Dice Throwing
Those who thought that tossing the dice is all one needs to do at this point are only partially right.
What you have to do is ensure your dice stay on the axis when you roll them. How to actually pull this off is a matter of a lot of debate – many even doubt it’s possible. We’ll explain what our research found, though.
To understand what the ideal craps tice roll looks like, you should imagine that there is a metal wire that is cutting through your dice, keeping them in a fixed joint position. If you are able to roll with that notion on your mind, you should eventually be able to reduce the number of possible pip combinations from 36 to 12.
The idea here is to try to stay on this imaginary axis every single time, making sure that the final result is one of the pip combinations that you have pre-set.
Another important thing to remember is that each of the dice set should adjust to the Shooter’s skills and the pip total that they need to land.
For example, the All 7s set suits beginners, and players should use it for the Come Out roll – the first roll tossed in Craps. Players of the same level can also use the Hard Way. However, it works best for all the rolls after the Come Out roll. That’s because the combinations of numbers that are optimal for that stage of the game match the combinations you choose via dice setting.
If you reached the intermediate level and need a 6 or an 8, you will want to use 3V set while more advanced players will set the dice on 6-5/5-6, Crossed 6s, and Straight 6s. Those are just some examples, though – experts at the Dice Control technique in craps can pick more or less any result they fish for.
Dice Setting
Now we’ll move to the more complex but also more easily achievable part – the way you set your dice before throwing them.
According to the followers of Craps Dice Control principle, there are two things one will have to perfect before joining the Craps table:
- Dice Sets
- Dice Grips
Let’s take a look at what these elements are and what they do.
Dice Sets – Table
As we mentioned above, there are optimal ways to set up your dice to ensure the desired result when combined with a skilful throw.
Basically, you want to position the dice so that certain results are on the upward side of the dice before you roll them.
The side that should be up depends on what you’re trying to achieve – ie, the bet you placed in that round.
| Dice Set | Description |
| All 7s | Adjusting the dice so that each face side gives a total of 7 |
| Hard Way | Hard totals on all face sides (hard 10, hard 8 …) |
| 3 V | Combination forming a V shape, set as a pair of 3 forming a V on top and 6+2 on the side |
| 2 V | 2s forming a V on top and 1-3, 4-6, 1-4, 3-6 on the side |
| 6-5/5-4 | 6+5 on top and 5+4 on the side |
| Straight 6s | 6+6 on top and 2+2 on the side |
| Crossed 6s | 6+6 on top – one placed vertically and the other horizontally |
| 6-5/4-4 | 6+5 on the top and 4+4 on the side |
| 6-4/5-6 | 6+4 on the top and 5+6 on the side |
| 6-5/5-6 | 6+5 on the top and 5+6 on the side |
These presets take into account that you most likely won’t throw perfectly. The idea is to maximize the chances that these dice will land the way you want them to. However, it’s by no means a fool-proof plan, which is something you should plan for no matter how skilled you are.
Dice Grips
The way you hold your dice has a lot to do with whether or not you will be able to pull off the throw without going off the axis. This is a matter of your personal preference as well as figuring out which Dice Grip provides the best result with the minimum friction while staying on the axis at the same time.
The only way to find the optimal Dice Grip is to test all of the below-listed techniques and see which one provides you with the most hits – you will discover that the best grip is the one that’s the least awkward to pull off, since it is merely impossible to roll or slide the dice if your Dice Grip feels insecure.
Some of the most popular ways to hold the dice are:
- Ice Tong grip – holding the dice horizontally at the sides with your thumb on one side and index and middle finger on the other
- Stacked grip – same approach as Ice Tong, only with vertically positioned dice
- Five Finger grip – the player holds one side of the dice with their thumb and the other side with all four fingers
- Three Finger Front grip – same as the previous method, only with 3 fingers
- Three Finger Front Diagonal grip – same as the Three Finger Front, with dice being held askew
- 2 Finger Pincer grip – works like a counterpart of Three Finger Front Grip, but with the index and ring fingers removed
- 2 Finger Front Diagonal grip – dice are being held at an angle, with middle finger and thumb on the sides
How to Make it Work
Deciding on the grip and learning how to set the dice is only an intro to developing your Craps skills.
The most important part is practice. Consider it a sports discipline and make sure to do it daily. As you progress, you will also notice your signature numbers emerging, which are the dice pips that you yourself are most likely to land.
The technique requires both knowledge of the game and skills such as hand-eye coordination. However, even with all the knowledge in the world, you’ll still need to take the time to master the fine movements necessary.
Keep a few things in mind if you decide to try the Dice Control technique while playing craps:
- Sliding the dice, or tossing them in a way that does not actually roll them but simply slides both or one of them across the surface of the table is an action that can get you in a lot of trouble with the casino authorities. It’s against the rules, so be careful you don’t do that instead of a proper roll technique.
- In brick-and-mortar venues, the Stickman is always watching the Shooter closely and for sliding or other irregularities. They don’t take kindly to dice setting, so you’ll also need to conceal what you’re doing.
- When you are feeling confident enough to join the actual table, make sure to find the right table position and, if possible, go for the shorter table.
- The best place to stand if you are a right-handed “pitcher” is left from the Stickman while the left-handed players will do their best to choose the position on the Stickman’s right.
- The closer you get to the Back Wall, the less likely will the dice scatter and therefore, the less randomness you can expect.
Other Tips
What happens when you are not able to control any of the above-explained factors and you cannot make any physical contact with the dice?
Fortunately, even with online or Live Dealer Craps variant, there are a few ways in which you can increase your odds without relying on hand techniques.
- Make Pass Line your first bet – the house edge here is only 1.4% and you either stand a chance of winning or waiting for a new roll when the point is established.
- Always go with the Odds bet – the free Odds bet has literally 0% house edge and if the casino allows it, do not be afraid of doubling the amount.
- Place two Come bets after the first Pass Line bet – this increases your odds with three simultaneous bets
- Steer clear of Proposition bets – the house edge on these is almost 14%
- Avoid Big 6, 8, Hard 4 and Hard 10 – the payout for 6 and 8 before 7 is only 1:1 which is not worth the house edge of 9%. Hard 10 has an even higher edge ( 11% ) and even though the payout is 7 to 1, the risk level exceeds the probability of actually landing this total.
The Ethical Side of Dice Manipulation
The downside of the above-described techniques is that there’s no definite proof of their reliability and they carry too much risk for the player if executed poorly.
On the other side, there is a moral objection to using Dice Setting and Dice Grips to your advantage – even if you are not overly sensitive about swindling a casino, there is still a higher moral code we should all abide by, and in this case, it concerns your fellow players.
This also brings up the question of the purity of the game itself. Any player deserves the most transparent and cleanest gameplay that the casino can provide. Hence, affecting the outcome of what should be a game of chance is tainting the very nature of Craps.
One way to avoid that would be to play at Live Casino tables streamed live from studios around the world. Dealers roll the dice, with the clear shot of their hands so there is virtually no room for any Dice sliding. Evolution’s Live Craps is likely the best candidate for those who want to play craps live online.
Conclusion
Dice manipulation in craps is, at best, a hard strategy to execute and even harder to master. At worst, it doesn’t work for most players and can land you in trouble with the authorities.
Our advice is to try out the techniques we described and see the results. Again, they don’t promise to work 100% of the time. Try out a few practice runs and record the results. If you notice that the dice you want to show are showing more often than their mathematical probability, you’re on the right track.
Still, it’s not a technique you can learn easily and it won’t work in all cases. Especially if you’re playing online. If you can actually master the necessary skills, though, it’s one of the very few ways players can use to beat the casinos.