The 5-Count Craps Strategy

The 5-Count is a waiting rule: you don't bet on a new shooter until they've rolled five times, with the fifth roll a point number. It was made popular by the gaming writer Frank Scoblete, who credits it to a player he called "the Captain". Here's how the count goes, roll by roll, what players bet once it's done, and a free table where you can practice it.

Play money and real casino odds. The table can bet it for you each roll while you watch how it plays.

How to count it

1. 1: the come-out roll that sets a point. A come-out 7, 11, 2, 3 or 12 doesn't start the count.
2. 2, 3 and 4: the next three rolls, whatever they are.
3. 5: the next roll that's a point number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10). Until one rolls, the count stays at 4.
4. Bet once the count reaches 5.
5. A seven-out ends the shooter's turn, and the count starts again with the next shooter.

What players bet after the count

Players use the count in front of their usual bets: place bets on the 6 and 8, inside numbers, Come bets with odds. The practice table places the 6 and 8 once the count reaches 5.

Try the 5-Count

Worth knowing

• Every roll is independent, so a shooter's earlier rolls don't change the next one. The count changes how often you bet, not the edge on each bet.
• On a bubble craps machine nobody throws the dice: they're blown by the machine. You can still count the rolls the same way.
• In crapless craps every total but 7 is a point number, so any roll other than a 7 counts as the fifth.

The house edge of the bets

How to practice it here

1. Tap the button below, or at the table tap the round ♟ button at the top right and pick The 5-Count.
2. Roll. The table counts each new shooter's rolls, places the 6 and 8 once the count reaches 5, and starts the count again after a seven-out.
3. The strip under the table shows the rolls, the shooters and the strategy's running total, kept apart from any bets of your own.
4. Tap Turn off any time and carry on by hand; the bets stay on the table as yours.

Questions

What is the 5-Count in craps?

A waiting rule: you don't bet on a new shooter until they've rolled five times, with the fifth roll a point number. Then you make your usual bets.

Who invented the 5-Count?

It was made popular by the gaming writer Frank Scoblete, who credits it to a craps player he called the Captain.

How do you count the 5-Count?

The come-out roll that sets a point is 1. The next three rolls are 2, 3 and 4, whatever they are. The count reaches 5 on the next point number, and stays at 4 until one rolls. A seven-out starts it again for the next shooter.

What do you bet after the 5-Count?

Whatever you usually play: players use it in front of place bets on the 6 and 8, inside numbers or Come bets with odds. The practice table places the 6 and 8.

Can you use the 5-Count on a bubble craps machine?

You can count the rolls the same way, but there's no shooter: the machine blows the dice, and each roll is independent of the last.

More craps strategies

• Craps strategies: every strategy explained, each with a free table to practice it.
• Place the 6 and 8: the two place bets on their own, or with a Pass Line.
• Regression: start bigger and come down after the first hit.
• Bubble craps strategy: playing these strategies on a bubble craps machine.
• Play Bubble Craps free

Play money only. No real wagering. No strategy changes the house edge; every roll is independent. About Mini Velvet · Contact