Iron Cross In Craps
- How To Play The Iron Cross In Craps
- How To Play The Iron Cross In Craps
- Iron Cross Craps Betting Strategy
Way back in 2006 when I visited my first Las Vegas casino, I didn't actually realise it was going to be the first of many pilgrimages. I was awestruck by the sheer size of the casinos and the vibrant atmosphere that just carries you along until you hit exhaustion point or (speaking more as a slots player! The Iron Cross is a good strategy to play, since you get paid on every roll. Watch the videos to better understand. Below is a summary of the bets as described in the video. The Craps Coach's 'Iron Cross' Betting Strategy. Dream Sources Christian Dream Symbols dreamencyclopedia.net, contains over 50.000 indexed entries, 32 different sources the meaning of your dream.
The Iron Cross System is one of the oldest and most popular Craps betting strategies. Many Craps players implement it into their repertoire because it seemingly ‘wins most of the time.’ While it is true that most bets win, statistically the house still has an edge of 3.87%
What is the Iron Cross System?
In the oldest form of the Iron Cross System, two bets are made in conjunction with each other. The Field Bet and Place Bet are the two bets placed together in combination. It means that you win (some) of your money back on every roll of the dice except when a 7 is rolled.
Field Bets
A Field Bet can be made on every roll of the dice. A Field Bet wins when your dice shows a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12. You will lose a Field Bet if you roll any other number with your dice. Wins are paid out at even money (you double your money).
Place Bets
A Place Bet can be made on any roll of the dice as well. It is possible to make the bet on the 4,5,6,8,9,10. As you may have noticed though the 4, 9 and 10 are already covered by our Field Bet. That means that we only need to make the Field Bet on the 5, 6 and 8. If a 5 is rolled the payout is 5:8 and if a 6 or an 8 is rolled the payout is 4:5
How to Play the Iron Cross System
It is actually quite easy to play this system and there isn’t much to learn. All you have to do is make a Field Bet as well as Place Bets on the 5, 6 and 8. When your bets lose you simply replace them and keep playing. For example if a 5 is rolled you lose the Field Bet so you make another bet on that for the next roll of the dice. The other Place bets will remain unchanged.
Unbeatable Iron Cross
The Unbeatable Iron Cross System is one that draws a lot of attention because of the name. In actual fact though, this system is no better than the original version. The difference with the Unbeatable Iron Cross is that it “predicts” when a 7 is more likely to be rolled.
After the come out roll has been made and the point is established the Field and Place Bets are made. This means that you will effectively be betting with the Pass Line bettors because they are trying to avoid a 7 as well. When you win, they win, and vice versa.
You keep reloading your losing bets like you normally would in the Iron Cross System, but the difference occurs when the shooter wins. Because the shooter has rolled his point before he rolled a 7, a new round begins. Players using the Unbeatable Iron Cross will now stop reloading their bets. The reasoning behind this is that they “feel” that a 7 is now more likely to be rolled. Obviously there is no more chance if this happening that before, which is ultimately why the system is flawed.
Flaws with this Craps Betting System
There is a major problem that can’t be ignored when analyzing the Iron Cross. This system is a mixture of two different bets that both have mid-range house edges. What I mean by that is that the Field Bet has a house edge of 5.56%. The Place Bet on the 5 has a house edge of 4.00% and a Place Bet on the 6 or 8 has a house edge of 1.52%.
By combining these bets together the house still has an edge of 3.87%. Even though it might feel good to win more than 83% of the bets and win on every roll other than a 7, the casino still has a clear advantage
Why Play the Iron Cross System?
Well this is up to a matter of personal preference. It can be pretty enjoyable to have so many bets going on at the same time. When you have such a high winning rate it can also make you feel like at least you are winning something. Also, you have to remember that even though the house has an edge, you can still win. If you avoid that dreaded 7 the majority of the time you can still come out ahead. A 7 is only rolled 1/6 times so you will find that you will be winning a lot of bets (more than 83%).
Be careful though, because when that 7 does come you will lose all of the bets at once. Overall though, if you haven’t yet played this system it is well worth the look, even if it is just for educational purposes.
Playing the Iron Cross at Craps
By Jerry 'Stickman'
The lure of playing the Iron Cross bet in the game of craps revolves around the fact that you get paid when any number is thrown any number but the 7 that is. The Iron Cross bet consists of a one unit place (or pass line) bet on the 5, 6 and 8 plus a one unit field bet. An example is a $30 6 and 8, a $25 5 and a $25 Field. The field bet pays when a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is thrown. Most field bets pay double when a 2 or 12 is thrown, but sometimes the 2 or 12 pays triple.
I have mentioned in previous articles that the Iron Cross is not all that great a bet. Actually exhorting players to avoid this bet is a better description of previous articles. This is because the house edge on the total bet is simple a sum of each portion of the bet times the house edge on that portion. The house edge on the 6 and 8 is 1.52%. The edge on the 5 is 4.00%. Where the 2 and 12 pay double, the house edge on the field bet is 5.56% and if the 2 or 12 pays triple, the edge is 2.78%. Overall the total edge for the Iron Cross is 3.87% if the 2 and 12 pay double. It is reduced to 2.49% if the 2 or 12 pays triple. Even at its best, the Iron Cross extracts almost a full percent more than the 6 and 8 place bets, so logic dictates that the money should be placed on the 6 and 8.
But gamblers actually human beings are not necessarily logical creatures. I have to admit that I have watched sadly and somewhat enviously as others at the table collect on bet after bet while I patiently wait for a 6 or 8 to hit. So recently I decided to try the Iron Cross when my point was a 5. Though giving up some house edge I am not a masochist, so I only tried this in casinos that pay triple for a 2 or 12, making the house edge 2.49% - not great, but tolerable for a research project.
I was surprised by how excited I was when the first opportunity presented itself. My point was 5, so I placed the 6 and 8 (which is normal for me), and then added the field bet. The numbers rolled that first time were: 10 (collect one unit), 4 (collect one unit), 9 (collect one unit), 6 (collect 1.2 units but lose one unit on the field), 6 (collect 1.2 units and lose one), 8 (collect 1.2 units and lose 1), and it continued.
It felt great collecting on the 10, 4, 9 and other field numbers. It sure hurt, however, collecting a 6 or 8 and losing the field bet, making the net win only one-sixth of normal.
Wanting to give the research a decent test, I continued to bet the Iron Cross every time my point was a 5. Over the period of several days shooting there was ample opportunity to play it. On long rolls I would press the 6 or 8 with the extra units I won by hitting field numbers. By doing this, the effect of losing the field bet when hitting the 6 or 8 is lessened.
After a week of playing the Iron Cross, here are my observations and feelings.
It is nice receiving all the extra payoffs from hitting the field numbers. It is particularly nice making some money off the 11 and the craps numbers 2, 3, and 12. The double payoff on the 2 and the triple payoff on a 12 are really fun.
How To Play The Iron Cross In Craps
Although, as a 'logical' person it shouldnt have, the psychological effect of losing the field bet on a 6 or 8 really impacted me. Being used to collecting the full amount when hitting these numbers, having it diminished by ponying up another field bet affected me more than ever expected. In fact, it more than made up for the exhilaration of collecting on more numbers. Add to this the fact that nearly an extra 1% is donated to the house by betting the Iron Cross, any desire to play this system in the future has been purged.
No longer will I be envious of those collecting on field. I will continue to bet as in the past: place the 6 and 8, possibly buy the 4 and 10 if the vig is paid on wins only. If I want to get more numbers in play, adding a come bet or two is the way to go.
While not collecting as often, I will never lose one bet while winning another and, the house edge will be limited to 1.5% or less on all my bets. That way I have the best chance of winning some of the casinos money.
While playing the best bets is sometimes not easy, winning more (or losing less) is much more satisfying. Stick with the math of the game and improve your results.
Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps and Golden Touch Blackjack. For more information visit www.goldentouchcraps.com or www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-886-738-3423. You can contact Jerry 'Stickman' at stickmanGTC@aol.com