Source: http://www.findarticles.com

Chicago Sun-Times, John G. Brokopp

In a gaming market the size of the Chicago area, where players essentially have nine casinos from which to choose, it’s a good idea to go “shopping” once in a while to check out the differences in the house rules and determine which establishments offer the best deals tailored to your individual style of play.

This week, I’m sizing up the craps games offered in Northwest Indiana at the following casinos: Horseshoe Hammond, Resorts East Chicago, the Majestic Star and Trump in Gary, and the Blue Chip in Michigan City. Next week, the focus will be on the four Chicago area casinos in Illinois.

The first category, “free odds,” is a critical one because this is the only wager you can make in a casino where the house does not extract a cut. Winning bets are paid off at true mathematical odds. It’s an optional wager you make in addition to your pass line bet after the point has been established.

The Horseshoe, Resorts and Majestic Star all offer 100-times odds. Trump and Blue Chip offer 20-times odds. High-rollers are the only ones affected. Essentially, it means that if you make a pass line wager of $5, you can take odds up to $500 if it’s 100-times, $100 if it’s 20-times.

If you’re a craps player who likes to play the “field,” your best bet in Northwest Indiana is found at the Blue Chip, where a 12 pays triple. All of the other properties offer double the payoff on 2 and 12, although Therrin Protze, senior director of operations at the Majestic Star, hinted there may be some changes “to make the game more appealing”.

The house advantage on a field bet is 5.55 percent, but a triple payout on either the 2 or 12 cuts it in half.

Many craps players are fond of “buying” the 4 or 10. That is, paying the house a 5 percent commission in order to receive true odds of 2 to 1 if the bet hits instead of the 9 to 5 place payout. Horseshoe and Resorts get the edge here because you pay the commission only on winning bets. At the other three properties, you pay the commission up front.