We recommend black text on a light gray
or blanched almond background,
but you can try other color schemes.
( You cannot set a color scheme if cookies are disabled. )
| This Site : | Bottom-of-Page | Home | Part 1 | Part 2 | Other Topics |
If all you want to do is learn about odds Vs. probability and how to convert from probability to odds or vice-versa, then here is a simple formula for converting odds to probability and probability to odds.
| The Craps tutorial is divided into two parts. | ||
| Part 1 -- Rules -- how craps is played | ||
| Part 2 -- Math -- finding the house edge and the odds for various bets | ||
| The Other Topics section is for things not necessarily related to craps or math. | ||
For part 2 the reader should have taken at least one
high school algebra course and should
know how to
add fractions ( both with and without a calculator ).
Some sections of part 2 require a familiarity with inequalities.
The author began writing this tutorial to help himself learn more about craps. He hopes that this tutorial will be useful to some math teachers, a few students, and a small segment of the general population.
Although the main topic is craps, there is a brief look at
roulette and the lottery.
There is no discussion of games
that require genuine skill, such as blackjack or poker.
( However, the Other Topics section has links to help for some poker games. )
Craps is not an important game, but knowing something about it could enhance your understanding of a few more movies :
| "I'll take full odds on the ten, 200 on the hardway, | ||
| the limit on all the numbers, [ and ] 250 on the eleven, | ||
| thank you very much." | ||
| -- James Bond ( Diamonds Are Forever ) | ||
So far there has been no peer review of the material at this site, so mistakes are possible. Use any of this information at your own risk. The author has taught a few math courses ( mostly while a grad student at Florida Tech ) but is not an expert on either craps or mathematics. If you find errors, you can notify the author at schoolmarm@crapsmath.com
Most people should not expect to earn money by playing
craps or other casino games.
In the long run, you will lose more money than you win.
But if you do play, then do so for entertainment only;
and,
never bet any money that you can't afford to lose.
There are many web sites that deal with gambling and its mathematics. The author learned a lot from Michael Shackleford's Wizard of Odds web pages. Anyone interested in math / gambling should definitely visit his web pages.
| An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers | ||
| by Ivan Niven and Herbert Zuckerman | ||
| © 1960 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | ||
| See chapter 7 for continued fractions and chapter 4 for bracket function | ||
| Mathematical Statistics 2nd edition | ||
| by John E. Freund | ||
| © 1971 Prentice-Hall, Inc. | ||
| Chapter 1 has good information about Permutations and Combinations | ||
| Continued Fractions ( paperback ) | ||
| by C. D. Olds | ||
| © 1963 Yale University ( A volume in the New Mathematical Library ) | ||
| Targeted to high school and college students but some tough reading | ||
| An Introduction To Continued Fractions ( paperback ) | ||
| by Charles G. Moore | ||
| © 1964 The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc. | ||
| Chapter 6 shows some practical applications, e.g. gear ratio problems | ||
| Elementary Number Theory | ||
| by J. V. Uspensky and M. A. Heaslet | ||
| © 1930 McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. | ||
|
The appendix ( pages 206-211 ) has a proof of
the Rev Zeller formula for perpetual calendar calculations |
||
| All Casino Games -- The Wizard of Odds | ||
| One of the best web sites for expert information | ||
| on all the major casino games | ||
| Math Topics ( e.g. Craps ) by Dr. Math | ||
| For CRAPS articles, go to the site and | ||
| type CRAPS in the SEARCH THE ARCHIVE box | ||
| Continued Fractions by Wikipedia | ||
| Nice article from a free encyclopedia | ||
| Continued Fractions by R. Knott | ||
| I've not read all of this, but at first glance it looks | ||
| like it would be worth studying | ||
| Perpetual Calendars by R. Knott | ||
| What is the Herschel Perpetual Calendar ? | ||
| ( His More Links link seems to be broken ) | ||
| Perpetual Calendars by Dr. Math | ||
| Another version of the Reverend Zeller formula | ||
| Math Atlas | ||
| Links to many math topics ( e.g. Probability & Statistics ) | ||
| at and beyond the college level | ||
| Virtual Laboratories in Probability And Statistics | ||
| This page from the Math Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville contains many lessons in Probability & Statistics and includes several java applets. | ||
|
To learn about the mathematics of craps,
click on the Craps link at Games of Chance [ Note: People using Internet Explorer will need MathPlayer, which is available for free at Download MathPlayer ] |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 2007 Note : The author of this website was and still is a fan of Don Imus, whose humanitarian work has improved the lives of many. |
|
| Jason Whitlock is a columnist for the KansasCityStar, and he had | |
| an interesting perspective on the Don Imus firing | |
| Also worth reading : Crucifying Imus and free speech | |
| This Site : | Top-of-Page | Home | Part 1 | Part 2 | Other Topics |
Last Update: 12 May 2008
© copyright 2005 gayle tellis