Craps Psychology Decoded: What Every Player Must Appreciate and Understand

Craps has been one of the most popular casino games in the world for centuries. If you go to any casino, you are sure to see a crowd of people having fun around a craps table. Both serious and casual players have their own craps strategies and superstitions.

This article will take a deeper look at the psychology behind our habits when we go to a craps table.

We may not be psychologists, but we are gambling experts. This means we understand craps psychology and what affects players. Let’s go over some of the psychological reasons for why we do the things we do when playing craps.

Social stimulus

The biggest reason why craps is so popular is, because it is a social game. Unless you’re betting against the shooter, everyone wins when the shooter wins. This social atmosphere influences how you play.

If a shooter is on a run, you and the rest of the people at the table are going to feel excited. This may lead you to bet more or to alter your normal craps strategies and superstitions.

Social stimulus can even affect you if you are playing real money online craps alone at home. Peer pressure from seeing how other people wager, could make you change your strategy.

Illusion of control

Speaking of craps superstitions, have you ever wondered why we have them? Deep down, most of us know that our rituals don’t really affect anything, but we do them anyway. Why?

According to psychologists, the illusion of control is behind our superstitions. In other words, we tend to feel like we have more control over the game than we actually do. When someone blows on the dice, asks for the “same dice”, or shakes the dice a set number of times, they are trying to take control over a game of chance.

Our own superstitions are just one way the illusion of control affects how we play craps. One study says the illusion of control also affects how we bet on other players’ rolls compared to our own. It turns out that people are more likely to place bigger and riskier bets on themselves than others. You somehow feel that you have more control over your own rolls than someone else’s.

Gambler’s Fallacy

The “Gambler’s Fallacy” is something that affects all gamblers, and not just craps players. This fallacy is a misinformed belief that gamblers have about their luck.

Most players think that if they are on a losing run that they are more likely to win with their next roll. Mathematically speaking, this is not true. Your odds of winning or losing are exactly the same with every roll.

Belief in the “Gambler’s Fallacy” has a huge impact on how gamblers play. This is even more true in a fast-paced, exciting game like craps.

Emotional intelligence isn’t the first thing people think about when they gamble. Maybe they should though.

Using your emotional intelligence in gambling is the best way to make your money go as far as possible. Knowing yourself and how to control your emotions will keep you from making poorly thought out emotional decisions.

In craps specifically, being in touch with your emotions can stop you from caving to peer pressure from other players. It can also help you realise when it’s time to call it quits or change strategies.

As we explained above, a lot of the things we do are to try and give ourselves control. A lot of times, these things can be unconscious actions. The more aware of your own emotions you are, the more likely you are to realise when things are not going your way.