Customer Reviews

Craps Made Simple

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I suspect that the author's seminars would be pretty helpful. Maybe attending one of them is what's needed to make sense of this book. There is certainly some wisdom in this book, but most of it is almost indigestible.

First, note that this book isn't a book. It's a pamphlet of 26 pages.

Second, to the extent that this book explains the basic elements and flow of the game (and it doesn't do much of that), this information doesn't appear at the beginning, where it would be most helpful. It is, rather, mostly in the middle of the text, and scattered around even so.

Third, the copy I have appears to be an update of a prior version, but the inserted text is just dropped in at several points without being either seamlessly connected to the prior text or set out explicitly as an update. The result is that the updated sections feel poorly connected to the rest of the text.

Fourth, the writing and organization are amazingly poor: disconnected thoughts, comma splices, varying headings and formatting, and so on. Also, it looks like someone spilled a box of exclamation points on the copy. Two hundred dollars spent on a proofreader would have helped a lot.

In short, while I suspect that the author is an effective craps player, this book does NOT effectively teach the reader how to play the game. Seek other sources for that information.

This book is perfect because it explains a complicated game in a simple manner. It only tells you what bets work and why, and the math behind these bets. It does not discuss when to make sucker bets, even though they occasionally hit, because the math does not support making them. I have won a lot of money (and lost a lot as well) playing craps, and the system here is designed to help a bettor ride out a cold table. This book does not tell you that you are some mystical genius who will win a million dollars with only a dollar bet, so go act like a hotshot. It just tells you a safe way to play an enjoyable game. I saw a pit boss suggest this method to a very pretty girl at a Vegas Strip casino in order to keep her at the table longer during a cold streak so that all the rich sucker bettors would stay as well. It does not work all of the time, but it does work a lot and when it does not work, you at least play for a longer period of time.

As a novice I found this book helpful at learning the very basics of craps. To me, the bold print and the drawing were helpful.

After reading this book and going to the casino I found that I could perform basic functions and know what I was doing. What I am desiring after a few trips to the casino is a second stage (an intermediate level) that goes into brief straight-forward details of other bets on the table. I realize these bets are not recommended, but I have seen the table "hot" and nice rewards gained there.

I enjoy the game and I am ahead. If the table is cold (or turns cold) I walk away.

This book only has 26 pages so I guess on a price per page basis its cost is high. Another way to look at it is that its simplicity makes understanding the game easy for the beginner. There is none of the usual filler material to page through and skip. Every page is right on target.

This book is by far the most concise book I've ever read on craps. The language used made it easy to understand and very easy to implement. On my first trip to Las Vegas, after reading the book, I was able to win at craps for the first time. Thank you Mr. Gallager. You made my trip to Vegas very enjoyable.