The Seldeen Craps System
Purpose: Craps has been among the most favorite
form of gambling among Americans. The bouncing of the dice, the thrill
of the rolls, the challenge, all combine to inspire thousands to devise
theories and systems to win money. Scientific AmeriKen is no exception.
This week, Scientific AmeriKen will put science aside and test probability
and mathematics on the Craps table.
Hypothesis: Craps uses two dice. Of which,
in general rules analysis, a roll of 7 means the most bets lose. Mathematically,
the chances of getting a 7 with two 6 sided dice is 1 in 6. Scientific
AmeriKen hypothesizes that by placing bets such that all numbers are covered
except the 7, then it is possible to win money with the better odds of
5 to 6 then the 1 in 6 chance of a 7.
Equipment: Used in this experiment, were two
dice, pen and paper, Beat the House Gambling simulator for the IBM,
cash for poker chips and a Las Vegas Casino.
Procedure: There are various bets that win
on certain numbers and lose on others in craps. The Seldeen Craps System
uses 2 different bets. The first is called a place bet, in which, money
is placed on a specific number, in which it wins if that number comes up,
and loses if a 7 shows up. The second bet is called a field bet. This bet
loses on a 5,6,7, and 8, however wins on the numbers 2,3,4,9,10,11 and
12 (pays double on 2 and 12). The procedure involves placing one dollar
in the field, and 2 dollars on each of the 5, 6 and 8 place bets. This
insures that all numbers will win 1 dollar, except for the 7. It should
also be noted that the place bets are removed when there is no point (a
point is a number 4,5,6,8,9, or 10, that has been thrown, and must then
be again thrown before a 7). This means that the system is taken off the
craps table until there is a point.
Results
| Type Tested |
Money Invested Per Trial |
Money Returned on Average |
Shortest Win Streak |
Longest Win Streak |
| Normal Dice |
7 dollars
|
2.6 dollars
|
0
|
8
|
| Beat the House (ComputerGame) |
7 dollars
|
6.5 dollars
|
1
|
16
|
| Prima Donna Hotel/Casino |
7 dollars
|
0 dollars
|
0
|
---
|
Conclusion: Unfortunately, the money lost
by the system in 2 rolls of the dice is comparable to almost half of the
total money spent by Scientific AmeriKen last year. Though mathematically,
what happened in the Prima Donna hotel, should happen only once in 36 rolls
of the dice (1 in 6 x 1 in 6) or roughly 3% chance of such an evil event
happening, it should be stated, that using the system for just one roll
may be more effective then attempting to establish a win streak. As supported
by the additional Information. However, in retrospect, the hypothesis
was proven wrong and until corrections can be made to the system, 21 will
have to be the gambling game of choice for Scientific AmeriKen.
Additional Information:
| Type Tested |
First roll Wins |
first roll Loses |
| Normal Dice |
13
|
7
|
| Beat the House |
20
|
0
|
| Prima Donna Hotel/Casino |
0
|
2
|
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