I went over to the card room a few days back to sit down and enjoy playing some Holdem. I have been playing Holdem for a little over eight years now, and although it is not the most fun in a card game, it does not cost me anything. Although as with any gambling game, Holdem has its ups and downs. Some days you are hot, and some days, well, they are not so good.

The other day was in between hot and not so good. I went down almost eight big bets and there I stayed. Up a few big bets, down a few big bets. This went on for a little over two hours, and I decided had enough Holdem for the day. Some days it seems I am not destined to win no matter how hard I try.

As I was walking out I passed a Craps table. There were about eight people at the Craps table and they were having a lot of fun. They were happy, laughing and talking. Craps is quite a contrast to the Holdem table where you try to not let too much emotion show through, happy or otherwise.

I had been reading about craps and played a few days before and understood the basics. I played a day later but I did not do well. I was not sure I would enjoy the game. I took out the forty remaining dollars of my original hundred dollar bill, added five to it. I thought I would try Craps one more time. I traded my cash for chips, and placed a red five dollar chip on the pass line (sort of like your entry fee in a round of dice throwing). The shooter (the person who throws the dice for the round) threw a seven and the dealer dropped a red chip next to mine. I had won already!

I picked up one red chip and let my five dollar chip sit on the pass line and the shooter threw a good number, a six I think, and off to the races we went. To make a long story short, I made back my losses for the day plus a few dollars more. Maybe Craps is not such a bad game after all… I understand it is streaky like cards, so some the same rules apply.

I found Craps is an easy game to play. If you ever played street Craps, or Yatzee, you have a general idea of how it is played. You throw the dice for a number that is allowed, and try to throw that same number again before you throw a seven. If you do, you are a winner and if you do not you lose. There are a lot of other bets but I won’t go into them because what I write may be wrong. Don’t let all the table markings fool you, you don’t need to know what most of them are for to play.

All in all if you are a Holdem player, and find Holdem is not working for you one day, you may want to learn Craps – if you have a game where you live. The odds of winning are almost even on some bets, and other bets are more of a long shot. Just like pocket Aces verses draws in Holdem. The game I played in, I found it hard to believe the house was making any money, but I was assured they make a lot of money.

As when playing Holdem, you have to be cautious. Trying to push things gets you broke quickly. Slow and cautious seems to work the best for me as a beginner. I did see one man take $200.00 up to $2,900.00 in less than two hours. He played an aggressive make it very quick or go home fast style. He has more gamble in him than I do right now, I suppose.

If you have some extra money and want to have some fun, I recommend you give Craps a try. It is an easy game to start playing, pays better than slot machines, and includes a lot of funny betting terms like Hopping Buffalo, Whirl, Yo, Horn, Hard Way, and other terms I have forgotten.

I think you can’t help but have fun if you try Craps. As with any gambling, be responsible with your money, and your time.