Gaming Guru

Pushing the House

Dear Frank,

I'm always entertained and educated by your writings in The Blackjack Newsletter, Casino City Times, and others.

I've seen you use a term that I don't understand several times and I wondered if you'd explain it in full detail?

1. What exactly does "pushing the house odds" mean in craps?
2. Is this process available in all casinos?
3. Is the process available only when certain minimum amounts are bet?
4. If there are casinos that do not offer this process of "pushing the house" or don't know anything about it, how do you persuade them to offer it?

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Sincerely,
Les

Dear Les:

At a 5X odds game, if you bet $15 on the Come, you can push the house to give you the following odds:

• $15 on 4/10 = $75 in odds = 5X odds
• $15 on 5/9 = $100 in odds = 6.67X odds
• $15 on 6/8 = $125 in odds = 8.33X odds

Note how high those odds bets can be. You can also bet $30 and push up to $200 on the 5/9 and $250 on the 6 and 8. Essentially you are getting a better game than the casino advertises.

There are many more ways of pushing the house. I cover all of them in Casino Craps Shoot to Win!

Every casino I have played in allows pushing the house. However, on a recent cruise the ship did not allow it.

How can you persuade a casino to offer this option? First it allows for quick payment of bets. Each of the above $15 bets with full odds has a payout of $165. Dealers don't have to think, just pay out. The game goes far more quickly when players bet that way and casinos make more money the faster the game goes. That analysis might work.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete