The optimal strategy for craps includes placing one or more of the most basic bets – the Pass/Don’t Pass and Come/Don’t Come wagers. The Don’t Come bet, in particular, is one of the best options because it comes with a low house edge (1.36%, although it is 1.40% on a resolved bet) and it can be made whenever you wish once the point has been established. A strategy I have employed when the table turns cold: a $15 don't pass bet with a $4 hedge on the any seven and a $1 bet on the yo; when the number is set, I don't take any odds but put out a $15 don't come bet and a $1 yo. Same thing for the third point. Then I wait to see if those numbers will repeat, or the seven beats them to it.

Most players bet the Pass Line and the Come, and they avoid the Don’t Pass and Don’tCome, even though the Don’t side offers slightly better odds. Here’s why.

For a refresher on Don’t bets, see our list of craps bets.

Most players do not understand the Don’t

You can’t bet what you don’t understand. You can learn more about the Don’t betsin our articles about types of craps bets.

Don’t bettors seem out of place

Most craps players are betting the Pass and Come and rooting for their points tobe made instead of a seven. Don’t bettors not only miss out on this camaraderie,but their goals are in direct opposition to the rest of the table, almost makingthem seem like an enemy.

Don’t bettors might not get to roll the dice

A Don’t bettor might already feel out of place by betting contrary to the rest ofthe table, and rolling the dice when in that position could make the Don’t bettorfeel even more out of place when (s)he’s in the spotlight. So many Don’t bettorstherefore decline to roll the dice. But by doing so they miss out on one of themain experiences of playing craps in the first place.

The table layout discourages Don’t bets

While the Pass Line and Come bets are clearly and brightly marked, the Don’t Passand Don’t Come are not so obvious.

Laying odds on the Don’t side requires a bigger bankroll

Making the Free Odds bet on the Don’t side means you have to lay odds rather thantake them, meaning you have to bet more in order to win less, instead of bettingless in order to win more. Although the house edge winds up being the same, it stilltakes more capital to play the Odds on the Don’t side. (See our article on Free Odds bets for more on this.)

It’s harder to use a system on the Don’t side

On the Pass side you can raise or lower your Free Odds bet easily as dictated bywhatever system you’re using. But on the Don’t side, the amount you put on the FreeOdds is the amount you’re laying in order to win a lesser amount, so it gets complicated.

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sabreRisingDough

Thank you all in advanced.
I have been reading and learning from this website for quite some time but I had a pretty bad run today and I just want some advice for the future reference of when to cut my losses and run. I followed the strategy of playing strictly Don't Pass/Don't Come and maxing out the odds with a base bet of $5 and 6x (for the odds). The whole thing took about 3 1/2 hours which by the end I had zero. I followed all the steps and I believe there were no obvious mistake made during the period (other than losing everything).
Initial Bank role $640
Steps I took:
$5 Don't Pass, then, after point set, $30 on Odds
$5 Don't Come, then, $30 on Odds
The highest the 'winnings' got was about $740 (including the original $640) and that was after going down about half. As I previously alluded to I lost everything. Any recommendations?
Thank you

There is no way to beat craps since it is a negative expectation game. Every bet you make on a craps table costs you money over the long run so it is inevitable that you will go broke. How quickly that happens is just a matter of variance. You could last quite a long time or you might lose it very quickly but the only thing we know for sure is eventually you will lose it all if you continue to play this game.
So if your going to continue to play craps just understand that it cannot be beat in the long run and treat it as an entertainment cost. Some games can be beaten craps is not one of them. (Unless you cheat)
Hope this helps!
RD

I have been reading and learning from this website for quite some time but I had a pretty bad run today and I just want some advice for the future reference of when to cut my losses and run.

it would not be meaningful to cut your losses and run since i am assuming you mean that you would come back on another day to play. if you play the same amount of time it doesn't matter which days you play on. however, if cutting your losses for the day means that you would spend less time overall playing then that would be a good idea. leave with the smallest win that is acceptable to you. you are playing a negative expectancy house game and even though you are playing against a very small house edge because you are taking free odds it is not possible to devise a money management or bet selection system that will win in the long run. anyone who says otherwise is mistaken. if you are having fun and not losing too much overall and enjoying the game because you sometimes win that's great. it's very important to be realistic.lilredrooster

If you play the don't pass, and don't lay any odds....
followed by the don't come, and again, don't lay any odds...
followed by a second don't come(if the above two not resolved), and again, don't lay any odds...
Stop at that point, with three points established, and wait for the seven out....(if one of the three hits, you start again with another don't come/pass)..the MAGIC number is three points in action.
You can indeed make a living at craps. It's incredibility boring but money is money, food is food, shelter is shelter.

'that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.'
your bogus claims are dismissed. you are unbelievably touting MAGIC numbers. why don't you give everybody a break dude.Ayecarumba

.. I just want some advice for the future reference of when to cut my losses and run...

I think reflecting on your 'goals' would be helpful:
1) Make an obscene amount of money / Break the bank.
2) Make my gambling money last as long as possible while I soak up free drinks and qualify for comps.
3) What is 'gambling money'... If I don't win, the rent doesn't get paid.
4) Make x dollars.
5) Have fun.
So depending on where you match up above (or what mix of the above suits you), the advice would be:
1) Never stop. In fact, you should continue to place more Come bets with max odds, or put the whole nut on the line, and parlay it until the owner comes down with the deed to the joint.
2) Establish a session loss limit (e.g. $500) and stick to it. Only make a line bet without odds to stretch your bankroll.
3) Stop gambling and get help. Addiction is real and destroys lives.
4) Establish a session loss limit to go with your win goal. Your two bets are among the best the casino offers, but as has been mentioned above, are still tilted in the house's favor. Consider switching to >100% pay

Craps Don't Come Bet Strategy

back video poker, sports wagering or live poker if you want to take the edge back. Sports wagering and poker take skill and bankrolls to be positive, and even then luck could still gut you.
5) 3.5 hours for $640? That's on par with two rounds of resort golf or a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. All in all, did you have 'fun' (Fun of winning time + free drinks + comps + admiration from inexperienced players as you explain why the Don'ts are a better wager than the Pass + excitement) > (Having to eat Subway instead of Lawry's + 'ATM Walk of Shame')? If so, you may consider the money well spent. If not, consider other leisure activities like golf or sightseeing.

Only make a line bet without odds to stretch your bankroll.

Good advice in the post, and this line is good advice too, but I would modify it to say 'you don't have to do full odds' ... that includes all the way up to 'no odds', sure.

$42 Don't Pass Craps Strategy

The only thing is though, is the line bets in Craps have very low variance. If you do no odds at all it is very boring. For myself I gamble less often instead so I can put something on the odds.
My 2 cents for the OP is take the better advice here - if you can figure out what is good and what is bad, maybe that is just a rite of passage you need to undertake. But you can also go to the Wizard of Odds site and compare the advice.
As for losing $6-700, get used to that or quit if the money is meaningful to you. The way you bet does say the day is coming when you'll win that sometimes too. It's the amount on average you lose that matters. Most of us wind up down in the long run, in my case it is roughly the amount I've been tipping over the years.You were crushed by a wide variance.
You are in good company. The original Nick the Greek played Craps on the Dark side, but he had much better sense than you have regarding bankroll exposure per outcome.
You must control your variance by limiting your exposure per outcome. Wild swings of fortune are normal even with naked Flat bets. When you are also laying Odds and risking more than you can win, the swings are much wilder. You were laying a huge five percent on each number. Only 20 net losses wiped you out. Your exposure per outcome should have been less than half that percentage.
With a table stake of $640 and a Dark preference, your patience and endurance technique calls for Flat bets of $5 and Odds bets of $6 or $12. Not until you have won an appreciable amount, at least half of your starting stake, should you consider boosting your exposure.
Think of yourself as awaiting your personal luck. You can play all day and go nowhere dramatic, waiting for your wagon to finally arrive. After it arrives, then you can begin to really play.

Strategy For Craps