Menu Close

How Do Craps Dealers Calculate Payouts So Fast

The craps table is considered the original gambling game. Its inventor was French gaming engineer Nicolas Le Bel (1672-1739). Back then, the odds of winning were fixed at 3:1 against the player and 6:1 against the house. Today, the odds favor the players, thanks to casino operators who constantly adjust the payout structure using a formula known as the point spread. Are you aware of how the craps dealer calculates payouts at casinos? Is it that complicated? Here is an article on how to calculate payouts so fast.

Craps Dealers Arrange Chips on the Craps Table about the Player’s Bank Rack Position 

The table layout is also determined by the amount of money bet. For example, if $100 is wagered on “Six”, the dealer may place chips from the leftmost bank rack to the rightmost bank rack so that there will be 6 chips per stack. At this time, the payoff for the dice roll is calculated and placed under each chip. If the first roll wins, the player receives 50% of his wager plus any additional bets he has made on subsequent rolls. If the second roll loses, the player must cover half of the total stakes with one hand and half of the remaining balance with another hand. This continues until all bets have been covered or they are exhausted. However, some craps tables offer more than one betting option. For instance, there may be two 1/2 options, three 1/4s options, and 12 2s options, which would mean that the first roll could win up to 75%, the next roll could win up to 37.5%, and the final roll could win up to 25%. That’s why the player needs to know which option(s) he chooses before placing his initial wagers.

dice chips

Craps Dealers Give Payouts in a Specific Sequence 

Casino managers use a computerized system that determines how much to give back to a losing player based on their cumulative performance over time. It works like this: The software compares the player’s actions during the past 10 minutes to determine what kind of strategy the player used. Based on the type of strategy employed by the player, the program computes the likelihood of him winning or losing various amounts. Then the computer uses an algorithm to calculate the expected rate of return. Next, the dealer adjusts the payouts accordingly. When the machine detects that the player is about to lose, it gives out a big chunk of cash, otherwise, it withholds a small stake, but usually enough for the player to break even on his investment. Since the casino doesn’t want too many of these large returns, they simply add them together and keep just a little percentage for themselves.

Bets are paid out According to the Player Closest to the Stickman 

If you’re not familiar with the term “stickman,” it refers to the person nearest to the centre of the craps table – the stickman. He holds the stick and controls the dice. In other words, he’s responsible for controlling the action and overseeing the activity. As such, he is the most visible man at the table. You’ll notice that whenever a ball lands near the stickman, the dealer hands him some cash – that’s because the stickman is closest to the area where the ball landed. No rules are governing when and how the stickman gets paid out. Sometimes, though, he will be given a lump sum payment after only one roll; sometimes he will wait until several rolls pass without making any profit. Regardless, the casino takes its cut. Now let me help you understand exactly how casinos do payout calculations.

Crap Dealers Memorize Payout Odds 

When the dice come rolling down the floor, the casino’s computers automatically record the numbers generated by the shooter and compare them against the dealer’s “payout odds.” These odds vary depending upon the game being played. Each table is assigned a set of payouts, and the dealers memorize the different outcomes associated with each number from 0 to 9. They then look up the corresponding payout odds for those respective outcomes. During the play of craps, there are generally six possible outcomes: Even Straight Passes (1, 4, 5, 8), Even Pairs (0, 2, 3, 7), Odd Straight Passes (6 and 9), Odd Pairs (1, 3, 6, 9), Fives (5) and Threes (2). Of course, craps include a third straight possibility, which is having all the numbers rolled come out as 7, but we’ll ignore that for now. If you want to learn more about craps’ payoff possibilities.

Conclusion 

The fact is that the casino has already determined whether or not the house should be compensated before the dice have made any contact with the players at the table. That means that there is very little room left for error in calculating payouts once a hand starts rolling. At that point, the dealer can either adjust the payouts manually, giving out larger sums if he believes that the shooter has a good shot at hitting something big, or he can leave things alone and allow the computer systems to make adjustments. Either way, it makes sense to bet the largest amount possible when placing bets on your first attempt at a craps wager!