Bubble Craps Machine

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The slot machines were either pushed together in triangles or only every other slot machine was turned on. Same for bubble craps, only 4 total machines turned on (5$ minimum). I don't know this for sure as I was there by myself, but I don't think it was allowed to have 2 people next to each other at the craps table between the same plexiglass. Bubble Craps Machine Odds By awtefmava1973 Follow Public Craps is a game where players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice.

The over-sized, bouncing dice create quite the spectacle. The game is also known, informally, as “craps bubble” machines. We love traditional craps, at a craps table, with the chips and the cussing and the dice you can fondle, so we spent months just walking right by the Shoot to Win Craps game.

One of the most confounding casino games for rookie gamblers visiting Las Vegas is real money craps.

And that’s a shame too, because the classic dice rolling affair is also one of the most entertaining experiences on any casino floor. Even better, despite the trappings of exotic bets like the “hard way,” the basic wagers in craps offer odds which are among the most favorable around.

Unfortunately, due to the craps table’s reputation as the domain of hardcore gamblers, many beginners who want to learn the game never step up to take the dice in hand. This phenomenon can be attributed to many reasons, but first and foremost is the intimidating atmosphere presented by a traditional Las Vegas craps table.

Unlike other table games like blackjack and roulette, real money craps tends to shine a spotlight on novice players. You’ll be asked to take the role of shooter as the dice rotate around the table, which means up to 11 other players all looking your way for a lucky roll.

And even when you’re not rolling the bones yourself, a crowded caps table can feel more like a frat party than a casino game. Everyone is shouting their desired number, yelling to the dealer to get bets down, and celebrating in unison when the shooter nails their point number.

As for the craps table itself, this elongated piece of equipment is always home to no less than five casino staff members working the game. You’ll see a boxman supervising the action, a stickman sliding the dice to shooters, and three dealers scanning bets to collect losers and pay out winners.

Throw in one of the more complex betting layouts found in any casino – one featuring several dozen unique wager types listed using all variety of slang terminology – and traditional craps can easily dissuade would be beginners from giving the game a try.

Bubble

For these reasons, whenever I encounter a craps rookie lingering near the rail and showing hesitation, I politely suggest that they try a “Bubble” craps machine first.

Officially known as “Shoot to Win Craps,” these innovative machines manufactured by Aruze Gaming manage to recreate the game to perfection in a personalized play format.

The only thing is, many Las Vegas gamblers simply ignore these Shoot to Win Craps machines out of hand, mistakenly believing them to be bastardized versions of the real deal.

That’s what Scott Roeben of the popular Vital Vegas blog used to do, as the experienced local simply didn’t see Shoot to Win Craps as a viable alternative. Here’s what Roeben had to say about this first impression of the machine:

“We love traditional craps, at a craps table, with the chips and the cussing and the dice you can fondle, so we spent months just walking right by the Shoot to Win Craps game.

Until recently, when we sat down and played, and we loved it right from the start.”

After taking the time to play Shoot to Win Craps – which takes its “Bubble Craps” moniker from the plexiglass bubble used to house and roll large foam dice – Roeben took to his Vital Vegas page and spread the new game’s gospel to the masses:

“Craps can be intimidating. While craps tables are often the most boisterous parts of a casino, the jargon and fast pace of the game can be a little off-putting.

The table layout and bets can take some time to learn, so many just watch and move on to game they’re more comfortable with.

Shoot to Win Craps makes craps accessible to everyone, and even provides a lot of benefits more experienced players will appreciate.”

If you’ve ever wanted to play craps for yourself, but couldn’t quite muster the courage to put chips down on a real table, this page is here to tell you that Shoot to Win Craps provides the perfect entry point.

Shoot to Win Craps Machines Won’t Hit You With Hidden Changes

First things first… you’re probably wondering how the house uses Shoot to Win Craps machines to get one over on players.

In other machine-based replicas of traditional table games, the casino can easily adjust the odds ever so slightly in their favor to increase the house edge. Video blackjack machines largely eschew the more favorable 3 to 2 payouts on a natural 21 for the inferior 6 to 5 reward. And on a video roulette machine, you might find 34 to 1 payouts on a single number hit instead of the standard 35 to 1.

But on a Shoot to Win Craps machine, the payouts and house edge rates are identical across the board to those offered on a genuine craps table:

Payouts and House Edge Rates for Common Bets on the Shoot to Win Craps Machine:

Bet/RulesPayoutHouse Edge
Odds 4, 102 to 10.00%
Odds 5, 93 to 20.00%
Odds 6, 86 to 50.00%
Don’t Pass/Don’t Come1 to 11.36%
Pass/Come1 to 11.41%
Place 6, 87 to 61.52%
Field (3:1 on 12)1 to 12.78%
Place 5, 97 to 54.00%
Field (2:1 on 12)1 to 15.56%
Place 4, 109 to 56.67%
Big 6, 81 to 19.09%
Hard 6, 89 to 19.09%
Any Craps7 to 111.11%
Hard 4, 107 to 111.11%
Hi-Lo (2 or 12)15 to 111.11%
3; Yo-leven (11); Easy Hops15 to 111.11%
2; 12; Hard Hops30 to 113.89%
Any Seven4 to 116.67%

This may not seem like much at first glance, but knowing that Aruze Gaming chose to design their Shoot to Win Craps machines with integrity is very important. I would never advise my readers to take a shot on an inferior wager, so rest assured that you’ll be facing the exact same odds and house edge rates, while playing for the same payouts, when you try the Bubble Craps alternative.

The Minimum Bet Limits and Odds Offered Can Be Much Better on Bubble Craps

Bubble Craps Machine In California

Speaking of odds, one of the most popular and profitable wagers in craps – and all of casino gambling for that matter – is known as the Odds bet.

After you’ve placed an introductory bet on either the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Line, and the shooter sets a point number on their come out roll, you are then free to “take the Odds.” Essentially, this is a second bet placed behind your Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line wager which pays out at true odds when based on the point number.

In other words, you’ll receive a payout of 2 to 1 on your money when the shooter rolls the point of 4 or 10 again; 3 to 2 odds on a 5 or 9 point; and 6 to 5 on a 6 or 8 point. And as the table above makes clear, the Odds bet offers one of the rarest sights in all of casino gambling – a wager with no house edge whatsoever.

Of course, casinos aren’t in the business of offering fair odds like this, which is why you have to place a perfunctory Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bet first. Furthermore, craps tables nowadays have ditched the old 100x limit on Odds bets which once made Las Vegas the craps capital of the world. Instead, you’ll often see physical craps tables in Sin City limit the Odds bet to 3x on 4 or 10 points, 4x on the 5 or 9, and 5x on the 6 or 8.

Here’s how the various limitations on Odds betting can affect your overall house edge rate when the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line wagers are factored in:

House Edge on Craps Odds Bet (by Odds Limit):

Odds (Taken)Pass LineDon’t Pass
0x1.41%1.36%
1x0.848%0.682%
2x0.606%0.455%
Full Double Odds0.572%0.431%
3x0.471%0.341%
3x-4x-5x0.374%0.273%
5x0.326%0.227%
10x0.184%0.124%
20x0.099%0.065%
100x0.021%0.014%

Now that you know how the Odds bet works, check out the list below to see how various Las Vegas casinos choose to limit this crucial wager:

Bubble Craps Machine

Survey of Craps Tables in Las Vegas:

CasinoMinimum BetMaximum Odds
Aria$103x-4x-5x
Bally’s$53x-4x-5x
Bellagio$103x-4x-5x
Binion’s$55x
Caesars Palace$53x-4x-5x
California$52x
Casino Royale$3100x
Circus Circus$52x
Cosmopolitan$153x-4x-5x
Cromwell$5100x
Downtown Grand$510x
El Cortez$510x
Encore$102x
Flamingo$103x-4x-5x
Four Queens$55x
Fremont$32x
Golden Gate$510x
Golden Nugget$53x-4x-5x
Joker’s Wild$110x
Linq$53x-4x-5x
Luxor$103x-4x-5x
Main Street Station$520x
Mandalay Bay$103x-4x-5x
Margaritaville$103x-4x-5x
MGM Grand$103x-4x-5x
Mirage$103x-4x-5x
Monte Carlo$103x-4x-5x
New York New York$103x-4x-5x
O’Shea’s$53x-4x-5x
Orleans$53x-4x-5x
Palazzo$103x-4x-5x
Palms$103x-4x-5x
Palms$103x-4x-5x
Paris$53x-4x-5x
Red Rock Resort$510x
SLS Las Vegas$510x
South Point$52x
Stratosphere$510x
The D$510x
Treasure Island$103x-4x-5x
Tropicana$103x-4x-5x
Venetian$103x-4x-5x

As you can see, almost all of these venues like to cap their Odds bet action using the 3x-4x-5x structure. And when you can find higher limits than that, you’ll usually need to place a higher minimum wager on the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line to “earn” that right.

Conversely, players sitting at a Shoot to Win Craps machine can almost always limit their initial liability via lower minimum bets.

Almost every casino in town uses a $5 or $10 minimum on the initial bets when you play at a traditional table. But when you try the Shoot to Win Craps machine, you’ll be able to learn the game at a more leisurely pace thanks to lower limits – all while still enjoying up to 5x on your Odds bet:

Survey of Shoot to Win Craps Machines in Las Vegas:

CasinoMinimum BetMaximum Odds
Aria$52x
Bally’s$32x
Binion’s$25x
Cosmopolitan$52x
Cromwell$32x
Downtown Grand$14x
Excalibur$12x
Flamingo$32x
Harrah’s$32x
Linq$32x
Luxor$23x
Mandalay Bay$32x
MGM Grand$53x
Monte Carlo$35x
New York New York$25x
Palms$25x
Slot-A-Fun$25x
Tropicana$22x

Comfort Is Key on the Shoot to Win Craps Machine

Enough about the intricacies of craps mathematics for a moment though… the real hook offered by Shoot to Win Craps machine is ease of entry.

When you play Bubble Craps, you won’t have to worry about anybody else at the table sizing you up and pegging you as a rookie.

That means no dirty looks if you decide to dance with the “dark side,” a colloquial craps term used to describe Don’t Pass Line bettors. Similarly, when you want to splash around on some of the more longshot exotic wagers like the Any Craps, Hard Way, or Yo-Leven, you can feel free to indulge yourself without receiving a lecture from more conservative players.

And for pure beginners who are simply trying to learn the rules and basic gameplay, Shoot to Win Craps uses a convenient touchscreen input to make the betting layout easy to read and navigate.

You can watch this short video provided by Aruze Gaming to see exactly how Shoot to Win Craps machines present the game from the player’s perspective:

Conclusion

I’ll be the first to admit that as a longtime craps player, adjusting to the machine-based Bubble rolling can be a bit tricky. Cradling the dice in hand and letting them fly is all part of the fun, as is high-fiving and back-clapping your fellow players when the right number comes in.

But for folks who have little to no experience rolling real dice at the tables, sitting down for a session on the Shoot to Win Craps machine is definitely the next best thing. When you’ve learned the ropes there, feel free to take your newfound knowledge and confidence to the tables to complete your evolution from student to master.

Wasn't sure if this is the right subforum to start a thread dedicated to bubble craps, but while the rules are the same as the game we all know and love, it is inherently different from the game we all practice at. Heavy, feel free to relocate this if you think it belongs elsewhere.
Bubble

Bubble Craps Machine Locations

There's been some discussion about the game on other threads lately that I thought it was time to create a thread dedicated to it so that the initial comments didn't get lost and so that we could have a home to chat about it.

Bubble Craps Machine Locations


mssthis1 wrote:I know you guys don't like them because they don't take classes, but the bubble machines are a great place to try out you lay bet strategies at 3.33% the cost of a live table in some cases. The one they put in at my local casino allows $1 lay bets and pays to the penny, vig on wins only. I often lay $6.00 across and reverse press $1 per box number roll, till I catch a seven, $10 per point max pain.
Where it's located, I can watch the live tables for a good shooting opp. to arise from there and I often can grind out $100 an hour playing that way.
heavy wrote:I think the bubble craps machines are under-rated by many of us. I look at them as slot machines and as such, they are subject to streaking. I've done well playing SIA's one hit - can't miss. My biggest problems is getting my bets in before the time limit expires. But like you - I can make $60 - $100 an hour on them with relatively conservative play.

Bubble Craps Machine California

Personally, I've never run into one of these games so I have no real skin in this game to contribute yet. But I would still love to hear other's experiences and ways to approach the game that differ from the more traditional game we all know and love.