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Craps Live by Evolution Gaming: Interview with CPO Todd Haushalter

29/10/2020

Evolution Gaming has just launched Craps Live, a popular dice game that is played in casinos around the globe. To celebrate the release, we asked Todd Haushalter, CPO at Evolution Gaming, to give us some inside information about the game. Learn about how the game works and get his best tips below!

Craps is usually played in real casinos and is widely popular in Las Vegas. What made you want to create an online live casino Craps game?

In short, because it is such a great game! Everyone knows about craps but may not have played it and we wanted to bring it to online in a way that strips away all of the intimidation and high minimum bets that usually come with playing live. The tricky part was doing this in a way that preserves the excitement of craps, which I think we have done.

Come Out roll, Point roll, Pass line. There are many types of bets and outcomes in Craps. What do players need to know about the game before taking a seat at the table?

Great question! Know that craps can be easy. My favorite way to play is to bet on numbers to win (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) and here you are just betting that number will roll before a 7. All other rolls are irrelevant and plus you get odds betting on numbers since they are harder to roll than a 7. There are also some fun one-roll bets, the most popular of which is the field which gives you the 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 all with one bet. Just stick to these bets to start and you can have a lot of fun.

Your version of Craps has several unique features such as My Numbers, Dealer Assist, and Dynamic Statistics. How do these features enhance the Craps experience?

Craps has a lot going on and usually players have lots of bets going so we have various tools to help you keep track of what numbers you need to win and what you will win with each outcome. We also offer “Easy Craps” which strips away the complex bets and leaves just the numbers and the one-roll bets. And finally, we have a great tutorial that explains the game in plain and simple language.

Craps is considered one of the most thrilling table games out there. How have you made your version of Craps as immersive and fun as the “real deal”?

The craps game is in what looks like a 1920’s underground speakeasy where Al Capone could come in and join you at the table. It is a lot of fun and then on the wall behind the dealer you can see the most popular numbers and bets that your fellow players bet on. We also have this cool steampunk mechanical arm that throws the dice each round. We worked really hard to make the game like the real deal.

Craps has a low house edge compared to many other casino games, and the optimal strategy has a theoretical payout percentage of 99,17%. Do you have any tips for our players?

The bets with the really high payouts like rolling a 2 or a 12 (pays 30:1) have a lower theoretical payout so I would not go too heavy on these if you do play them. Pass Line and Come bets with full odds are the best bets on the table for payout percentage so these should be part of your strategy. Finally, if the dice are hot, pretty much every craps player would say press your bet and when they are cold, well, bet the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come.

Evolution Gaming’s Craps Live is available in our live casino lobby right now!