Shoot to Score – Guide to Dice Control in Craps

The idea that you can control the way dice roll while playing craps is as old as the game itself. In fact, it's one of the more well-known ways to tilt the odds in the player's favor and beat the casinos at their own game. However, the practice is highly controversial and steeped in myth and secrecy. In this article, we'll attempt to dispel some of the confusion with an in-depth look at what dice setting is, how it works, and whether it can actually be done.

Before we begin, we'll have to note a few important details. First of all, controlling dice in craps would be very difficult to pull off. So much so that many doubt it's even possible. Either way, doing something like this would require years of practice and a lot of dexterity – all for a technique that might not even be able to beat the house advantage of craps. We'll explain how it all works in theory, but be warned – things are not nearly as simple in practice.

Secondly, we'll state the obvious – dice control sets are not possible in online craps, live or otherwise. You can play Evolution's Craps Live all you want, but you never actually get to touch the dice.

Also, most of the article assumes that you already understand how the game works. If not, we recommend checking out our guide to craps as well as the craps glossary we put together. More dedicated players should also read up on introductory craps strategies and various tips and tricks.

With that out of the way, let's dive in.

Although the ideas behind dice control are pretty straightforward and even reasonable, most experts and advantage players agree that dice control is not a reliable way to beat the house advantage.

Table of Contents

How Dice Control Works - The Basics

Dice control in craps comes down to the simple idea of “controlled shooting.” According to these ideas, players can control the outcome of rolling dice through a combination of skilful hand movements and careful placement of dice in the shooter’s hand.

The basic idea is as follows:

Instead of simply picking up the dice, the shooter carefully places them in their hand while knowing which side is turned which way. This is called “dice setting”
Secondly, the shooter rolls the dice in such a way as to minimize their rotation, hopefully resulting in a more predictable outcome
The goal is for the dice to simply gently touch the edges of the table instead of bouncing off. This prevents further rotations without breaking the rules of craps

As you can see, even the basic ideas hinge on a lot of assumptions. Namely that any of this is even feasible on an actual table without setting off any alarm bells with the casino staff.

Secondly, you’ll notice that all of these steps require skilled hand movements and a lot of perception. That’s without even acknowledging that you would also have to be very discrete about it.

It’s probably obvious why so many players are sceptical about the whole thing. Still, let’s look at all of those steps in detail and how you might attempt them.

Dice Control Technique

The technique consists of two basic elements – setting and throwing.

Setting is all about placing the dice in a certain way before you roll them. Basically, you try to set the result before the dice leave your hand, and then ensure that this result indeed happens.

Throwing, obviously, is all about how you’ll perform the actual throw. The idea is to set the dice a certain way and then throw them so that the result will match their initial position.

Dice Setting

Dice setting refers to the way you position or “set” the dice before you throw them. The goal is to have a certain side of every die facing upwards while in your hand. Which side that is depends on what you’re trying to achieve and how you want to achieve it.

There’s nothing special about how this is supposed to go down, either. The idea is to set the dice in a certain way, hopefully without anyone else noticing.

Most agree that setting up the dice perfectly the way you want them to be on all six sides is practically impossible.

That’s why the technique focuses on two sides of the dice – the one facing up and the one facing the direction opposite of the direction you’ll be throwing in. If you think about how dice roll if you only give them a gentle touch instead of a hard throw, this makes a lot of sense. Controlled shooting in craps is all about trying to land the dice so that one of these two sides is the outcome – more on that later.

So which sides do you want where, we hear you asking. Well, several methods have emerged over the years as popular ways of setting dice or “dice sets“. Here’s an overview of the most popular ones.

Dice Sets Overview

6-5/4-4 – 6+5 on the top and 4+4 on the side
6-4/5-6 – 6+4 on the top and 5+6 on the side
6-5/5-6 – 6+5 on the top and 5+6 on the side
6-5/5-4 – 6+5 on top and 5+4 on the side
Straight 6s – 6+6 on top and 2+2 on the side
Crossed 6s – 6+6 on top – one placed vertically and the other horizontally
All 7s – adjusting the dice so that each face side gives a total of 7

These presets take into account that you most likely won’t throw perfectly. The idea is to maximize the chances that these dice will land the way you want them to. However, it’s by no means a fool-proof plan, which is something you should plan for no matter how skilled you are.

Sleight of Hand

Keep in mind that you're definitely not the first to think of controlling the dice and how they roll and bounce. The sticman, pit boss, and all other employees know exactly what to look for, and they won't be happy if they catch you. If you're going to attempt dice controlling in craps, do so at your own discretion.

Dice Throwing

Now we come to the second part of the equation – the shooting itself.

On one hand, the technique for throwing dice in craps is a lot better defined than the setting part. Supposedly successful players have outlined exactly what you need to do so that the dice land exactly as you set them up to.

However, this part of dice control requires a lot more dexterity and hand-to-eye coordination. It’s obvious not everyone will be able to pull it off successfully and that doing so requires a lot of practice.

What you have to do is ensure your dice stay on an axis when you roll them. How to actually pull this off is a matter of a lot of debate – many even doubt it’s possible. We’ll explain what our research found, though.

To understand what the ideal craps tice roll looks like, you should imagine that there is a metal wire that is cutting through your dice, keeping them in a fixed joint position. If you are able to roll with that notion on your mind, you should eventually be able to reduce the number of possible pip combinations from 36 to 12.

The idea here is to try to stay on this imaginary axis every single time, making sure that the final result is one of the pip combinations that you have pre-set.

Dice Grips

The way you hold your dice has a lot to do with whether or not you will be able to pull off the throw without going off the axis. This is a matter of your personal preference as well as figuring out which Dice Grip provides the best result with the minimum friction while staying on the axis at the same time.

The only way to find the optimal Dice Grip is to test all of the below-listed techniques and see which one provides you with the most hits – you will discover that the best grip is the one that’s the least awkward to pull off, since it is merely impossible to roll or slide the dice if your Dice Grip feels insecure.

Some of the most popular ways to hold the dice are:

Ice Tong grip – holding the dice horizontally at the sides with your thumb on one side and index and middle finger on the other
Stacked grip – same approach as Ice Tong, only with vertically positioned dice
Five Finger grip – the player holds one side of the dice with their thumb and the other side with all four fingers
Three Finger Front grip – same as the previous method, only with 3 fingers
Three Finger Front Diagonal grip – same as the Three Finger Front, with dice being held askew
2 Finger Pincer grip – works like a counterpart of Three Finger Front Grip, but with the index and ring fingers removed
2 Finger Front Diagonal grip – dice are being held at an angle, with middle finger and thumb on the sides

How to Make it Work – Tips & Tricks

Deciding on the grip and learning how to set the dice is only an intro to developing your Craps skills.

The most important part is practice. Consider it a sports discipline and make sure to do it daily. As you progress, you will also notice your signature numbers emerging, which are the dice pips that you yourself are most likely to land.

The technique requires both knowledge of the game and skills such as hand-eye coordination. However, even with all the knowledge in the world, you’ll still need to take the time to master the fine movements necessary.

Keep a few things in mind if you decide to try the Dice Control technique while playing craps:

Sliding the dice, or tossing them in a way that does not actually roll them but simply slides both or one of them across the surface of the table is an action that can get you in a lot of trouble with the casino authorities. It’s against the rules, so be careful you don’t do that instead of a proper roll technique.
In brick-and-mortar venues, the Stickman is always watching the Shooter closely and for sliding or other irregularities. They don’t take kindly to dice setting, so you’ll also need to conceal what you’re doing.
When you are feeling confident enough to join the actual table, make sure to find the right table position and, if possible, go for the shorter table.
The best place to stand if you are a right-handed “pitcher” is left from the Stickman while the left-handed players will do their best to choose the position on the Stickman’s right.
The closer you get to the Back Wall, the less likely will the dice scatter and therefore, the less randomness you can expect.

Other Tips for Winning Craps

What happens when you are not able to control any of the above-explained factors and you cannot make any physical contact with the dice?

Fortunately, even with online or Live Dealer Craps variant, there are a few ways in which you can increase your odds without relying on hand techniques.

Make Pass Line your first bet – the house edge here is only 1.4% and you either stand a chance of winning or waiting for a new roll when the point is established.
Always go with the Odds bet – the free Odds bet has literally 0% house edge and if the casino allows it, do not be afraid of doubling the amount.
Place two Come bets after the first Pass Line bet – this increases your odds with three simultaneous bets
Steer clear of Proposition bets – the house edge on these is almost 14%
Avoid Big 6, 8, Hard 4 and Hard 10 – the payout for 6 and 8 before 7 is only 1:1 which is not worth the house edge of 9%. Hard 10 has an even higher edge ( 11% ) and even though the payout is 7 to 1, the risk level exceeds the probability of actually landing this total.

Conclusion

Dice manipulation in craps is, at best, a hard strategy to execute and even harder to master. At worst, it doesn’t work for most players and can land you in trouble with the authorities.

Our advice is to try out the techniques we described and see the results. Again, they don’t promise to work 100% of the time. Try out a few practice runs and record the results. If you notice that the dice you want to show are showing more often than their mathematical probability, you’re on the right track.

Still, it’s not a technique you can learn easily and it won’t work in all cases. Especially if you’re playing online. If you can actually master the necessary skills, though, it’s one of the very few ways players can use to beat the casinos.

Shoot to Score – Guide to Dice Control in Craps

How Dice Control Works - The Basics

Dice Control Technique

Dice Setting

Dice Sets Overview

Sleight of Hand

Dice Throwing

Dice Grips

How to Make it Work – Tips & Tricks

Other Tips for Winning Craps

Conclusion

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