Some at craps table just 'don't' play along

Can you imagine being at a blackjack table where one of the players is hoping for the dealer to get 21? No way. When the dealer wins, the players lose. The only escape is to quit or try your luck elsewhere.

Not so at a craps table. Ever see the silent and inconspicuous player "on the hook" (corner of the table)? When the dice are cold and the dreaded 7 is popping up with regularity, he may be the only one raking in the chips.

That's because he's a "don't" bettor, or a craps player who wagers 7 will be rolled before the point.

The vast majority of craps players bet the dice will pass, or that the point will be made before a 7. Rooting for the point creates the camaraderie that makes the game of craps so special. The cheers that erupt can be heard in the farthest points of the casino floor.

Don't bettors patiently wait for 7 to appear. If it does, they must celebrate in silence and collect their winnings without fanfare. Don't bettors are loners. Betting the dice will pass is a team sport.

Does this make don't bettors bad guys? Not really. It's just a way to take complete advantage of the freedom of the game.

If you wager the dice will not pass, the toughest mathematical hurdle you encounter is the come-out roll. The odds are against you. You'll lose your bet on 7 or 11. There are six ways to make a 7 and two ways to make 11 out of a possible 36 combinations of the dice. You'll win your bet on a 2 or 3 (12 is a push), but there is only one way to make a 2, two ways to make a 3 and one way to make a 12.

If the don't bettor survives the come-out roll, the odds of winning shift in his favor. The odds are 1-to-2 in favor of the don't bettor if the point is 4 or 10, 2-to-3 in favor if the point is 5 or 9, and 5-to-6 in favor if the point is 6 or 8. Win the bet and you collect even money.

Comparing the same situation if you have a pass-line bet, the respective odds are 2-to-1, 3-to-2 and 6-to-5 against, yet the payoff (even money) is the same.

Just as with betting the pass line, don't bettors can make an odds bet on which there is no house advantage.The casino knows that once a point is established, the odds are stacked against pass-line bettors, whereas don't bettors are in the driver's seat. That's why a pass-line bet is a contract bet. Once you place it, you can't pick it up. A decision of the dice has to be reached.

Don't bets can be picked up by the player at any time. The box man is only too happy to see a player retract a bet that has the possibility of winning when the odds are working against the house.

John Brokopp is a local free-lance writer.