WinCraps™ Frequently Asked Questions

Question #1: I'm interested in playing WinCraps. How do I get started?

Answer: First, you'll need a copy of the game software. If you don't already have a copy then click here to download WinCraps version 5.0m The file you'll download is a single file named WINCRAPS.EXE which is actually a collection of many files that have all been compressed together into one self-extracting zip file.

To install the game, simply run WINCRAPS.EXE. You can do this by clicking your Windows Start button, then choosing "Run", and entering the path and file name of WINCRAPS.EXE. For instance, if you downloaded WINCRAPS.EXE into your TEMP folder, you would enter C:\TEMP\WINCRAPS.EXE Another option is to open your Explorer and double-click on WINCRAPS.EXE.

A small window with three buttons will appear. Press the one marked "Setup" to proceed. This will cause the game files to be extracted to a temporary folder. A craps table will then appear and you'll be presented with opportunities to select a permanent folder as well as create shortcuts. The default folder is C:\WinCraps but you can select another or create a new one if you like.

All of WinCraps' files are copied to the single folder which you specify. There are no hidden files and no changes to your system registry or configuration. When installation is complete (or if you should cancel installation) the temporary files and folder will be deleted.

If you're unable to install WinCraps using the automated installation program, you can manually extract WinCraps' game files from WINCRAPS.EXE using any standard zip program. In this event, if you're installing WinCraps into the same location as an earlier version of WinCraps, be sure to overwrite all files.

To run WinCraps, simply invoke the game from the desktop or program menu shortcut that was created during installation. If you did not allow WinCraps' installation program to create a desktop or program menu shortcut for you, or if you manually extracted the game files using a zip program, then you must locate and run the file WC50M.EXE. You'll find this file in the folder you specified during installation or extraction.

- Click the "Start" button on your taskbar
- Select "Run"
- Enter the path to the location of the game file
- For example, C:\WINCRAPS\WC50M.EXE

Note: If you're installing an earlier version you'll need to look in the game folder to find the executable game file name and use that. For instance, to run version 4.7d you'd enter C:\WINCRAPS\WC47D.EXE

Question #2: I'm having problems installing WinCraps. I either get error messages and the installation aborts, or when it's done I can't find WinCraps installed on my computer. What's going on?

Answer: This depends on which version of WinCraps you have. Versions 4.7d and earlier require the file VBRUN300.DLL in order to run. Check your WinCraps and your WINDOWS\SYSTEM folders. If you can't find a copy of VBRUN300.DLL then click here to download VBRUN300.DLL (approx. 390K) and be sure to place it in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder. (Windows NT users should place VBRUN300.DLL in their WINNT\SYSTEM folders.)

Also, in some earlier versions the WinCraps game file and the installation program had the same name of WINCRAPS.EXE. Therefore, if you attempted to install the game into the same folder containing the running installation program, it would abort. This is solved by simply installing the game into a different directory/folder than the one containing the installation program. A better solution is to download and install the latest version of WinCraps which does not have this problem.

Question #3: After installing WinCraps, I dragged the game's executable file (WC50M.EXE) to my desktop. But when I try to run the game I get something that says "runtime error". What's with this?

Answer: By dragging the main game file to the desktop, you isolated it from its needed support files. You should keep all of WinCraps original files together in the same folder. (New files that you create such as Auto-bet and Dice Roll files can be located anywhere.) The same is true for shortcuts. Any shortcut you create needs to start in the folder containing the main game file as well as its support files.

The easiest way to create a shortcut is:

1) Using your explorer, open the folder containing WinCraps' files (this would be C:\WinCraps unless you changed it)
2) Right-click the main game file WC50M.EXE. A menu will appear.
3) Select SEND TO. A second menu will appear.
4) Select DESKTOP (Create shortcut)

An alternate way of creating a shortcut is:

1) Right-click your mouse pointer while pointing over an open space on your screen (desktop). A small menu will appear.
2) Select NEW from the menu. A second menu will appear.
3) Select SHORTCUT. A "Create Shortcut" box will appear.
4) In the location box enter C:\WINCRAPS\WC50M.EXE (unless you installed WinCraps into a different folder. In that case enter the folder you used or find it with the BROWSE button.)
5) Click NEXT
6) Enter a name for your shortcut such as "WinCraps"
7) Click FINISH

A shortcut will then appear on your desktop. Just double-click it to start the game.

Question #4: WinCraps has been properly installed on my computer but some strange things happened inside the game when I ran it. Any ideas?

Answer: Most likely the game's default save file has become corrupted. This is easily corrected by exiting the game and deleting the file DEFAULT.CRP from your WinCraps folder. This is in effect a "master reset" and will result in all the game features reverting to their original WinCraps settings.

Question #5: Will WinCraps run on Windows Vista?

Answer: Yes. However, Microsoft decided not to support their older help file format and did not include a file called WINHLP32.EXE which is necessary to run WinCraps' help. Although Microsoft is not allowing developers to redistribute WINHLP32.EXE they are allowing users to download it free of charge from the following site: go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82148

Question #6: Will older versions of WinCraps run on Windows XP or Vista?

Answer: Yes. However, if you're running version 4.7d or earlier and if you should experience any problems, you may need to do this: Open your Windows Explorer to the WinCraps folder. Right click on the main game file (for instance, the main game file for version 4.7d is WC47D.EXE), choose Properties, and then click the Compatibility tab. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for", and select the Windows 95 version.

Question #7: Will WinCraps run on my Mac?

Answer: Yes. Although WinCraps is written for Windows, many folks are running it on their Macs using either Virtual PC or Soft Windows.

Question #8: WinCraps seems to be running very slowly. Is there anything I can do about it?

Answer: Here are a few possibilities:

1) Check the volume. If you have the game sounds turned on but your volume is turned down, then what seems to be a delay is actually the game attempting to play the sounds. In most cases your volume can be controlled from the Sound tab on WinCraps' Configuration screen.

2) Check the time delay on the Auto-play screen. If you're using auto-rolling (not the hyper-drive), check the time delay setting on the right side of the Auto-play screen. The Auto-play screen is accessed from the Action menu.

3) If you're running version 4.7 or later, another possibility is that you have too many statistics screens open. Each open statistics screen consumes an extra bit of time because it's actively updated as the game runs.

Question #9: How do I play an auto-bet file?

Answer: First you need to open the auto-bet file as follows:

1) Start WinCraps
2) Click on the "Action" menu and select "Auto-Bet" (the auto-bet screen will appear)
3) Click on the "File" menu and select "Open" (a file list box will appear)
4) Select an auto-bet file from the list, then click on "OK". (If desired, you can double click on entries in the DIRECTORIES box to change to different folders).

The file will load and appear on the auto-bet screen. You can edit any of lines if you like. To play the file, click on the box near the upper-left which says "Active", then return to the game table and begin rolling.

Question #10: Is there a way to automatically play the same rolls over again so I can compare different methods?

Answer: Yes, absolutely! You can repeat the rolls played using either of two methods:

1) Provide a seed to the random number generator and re-enter that same seed each time you want to play the same rolls. See RNG in the help file or on the "Misc" tab of the Configuration screen.

2) Record a dice roll file and replay the file when desired. Select "Dice Roll Files" from the "Action" menu or find it in the help file.

Question #11: Can you recommend a good system to play?

Answer: That depends on what you define as "good". We all have our own desires, goals, limitations, and expectations. How much risk do you want to take? How long do you want to play? How much are you willing to spend? Will you accept small wins or would you like to shoot for the moon? What may be a good system for someone else, may be completely wrong for you. Therefore, the only one who can really decide what's a good system, is you.

In order to develop and/or evaluate your system, you're going to need to practice with it. But do you really want to do that in a casino with your hard-earned cash at stake? Hardly. Save yourself a lot of time, energy, aggravation, and MONEY by practicing on WinCraps first. Although nothing (including WinCraps) can guarantee what your outcome will be on your next outing, with enough practice you should develop a feel for the kind of action you might expect to see.

An important thing to remember regarding systems is that those utilizing bets with lower house advantages will on average lose less than those utilizing bets with higher house advantages. For instance, a system that plays the Hard 10 will ON AVERAGE lose more than a system playing an equivalent amount of action on the Passline. A table of house advantages can be found in WinCraps' help file.

Question #12: How can I get the bankroll indicator to reset so I can start over?

Answer: Select "New" under the "Game" menu to reset the table. Your initial bankroll will be determined by the settings on the "Bankroll" tab of the Configuration screen. The Configuration screen is also found under the "Game" menu. If you don't want to start a completely new game, you can make bankroll adjustments through an ATM on the bankroll tab.

Question #13: I'm trying to write some auto-bets but I can't get the game to log any of the lines I make. Can you advise?

Answer: To log an autobet, first modify the type of line that you want (Condition, Action, etc.), then click on the command button next to the line. For instance, to log a condition line, click on the button to the far left marked "Condition". When you do, the condition line will turn red and the mouse-pointer will change. Next click inside the large logged bets box at the point where you want the line to appear. Voila!

Question #14: I'd like to make a Place 6 or 8 bet for less than $6, but each time I try, the program changes it to $6. The same thing happens when I try to make Place 4,5,9,or 10 bets for less than $5. Is there a setting to allow me to do this?

Answer: Yes, absolutely! Navigate to the Auto-play screen (found under the Action menu) and select "manual" on the "Auto-adjust bet amounts" feature. With "Manual" selected, the game will allow you to bet any amount you want (as long as it's not less than the minimum bet set on the Configuration screen). With either of the auto options selected, the game will automatically adjust any amount you bet to an amount that squares with the odds.

Question #15: Can I move checks from one bet to another?

Answer: Yes, you can move checks from one bet to another by dragging and dropping them. Just point at the checks and hold down the Alt key, then click-and-hold the left mouse button and move the mouse-pointer to where you want the checks to go. Finally, release the mouse button and voila! - your checks will be moved to the new location. The dropped checks will be treated the same as if you had placed them there normally and are therefore subject to any options you have selected such as Auto-Adjusting bet amounts. If you drop your checks over an area where checks are not allowed, they are simply removed from the table.

Question #16: At the casino I heard a dealer ask someone if he wanted to come "Down with odds". What does that mean and can I set WinCraps up to simulate it?

Answer: When you have a Come bet and the shooter rolls a number on which you also have a Place bet, the dealer will ask you if you want to come "Down with odds." It means to take down the Place bet and use the money to take odds on your newly established Come bet. You can set WinCraps up to give you "Down with odds" by checking both the "Auto-Take Full Odds" and "Auto-Remove Place Bets" options from the Auto-Play screen.

Question #17: How do I collect random data from http://random.org/ and use it to create a roll file to play on WinCraps?

Answer:
To collect the data:

• Navigate to http://random.org/
• At the top of the page click on "Numbers"
• Click on the button titled, "Switch to Advanced Mode"
• Fill out the form with how many numbers you want. There's a max of 10,000 per request which would equal 5000 dice rolls.
• Enter "1" for the lowest value and "6" for the highest value.
• Enter any number of columns.
• Where it says "Choose Numeral System" select "Decimal (base 10)"
• Where it says "Choose Output Format" select "Bare-bones text document."
• Where it says "Choose Randomization" select "Generate your own personal randomization."
• When you get the numbers, click on your browser's edit menu and choose "Select All" then click on the File menu and choose "Save As". Give your file a name and under the option "Save as type" select "Text file."

To create the roll file:

• Open WinCraps, click on the Action menu and choose Dice Roll Files
• On the Dice Roll Files screen click on the File menu and select New/Open
• Enter a name for your new roll file and click on OK
• Click on the Edit menu and choose Paste From Text File
• Enter the name of the text file you created when you collected the data.

That's it. Your rolls are now ready to play in WinCraps. You can add more rolls by repeating the process except instead of naming a new roll file, paste the rolls into your existing roll file (remember that the rolls will be pasted in starting at the Next Roll line as indicated on the Dice Roll Files screen.)

Question #18: I'm trying to open or save a file on the dice roll files screen, the auto-bet screen, or the main game table and I get an error message which says "Invalid Property Value" and then the program closes. What's happening?

Answer: This is a bug which exists in the older version 4.6. The error appears and the game aborts only when no files of the requested type are present in the default folder. For example, if no dice roll files are present in the WinCraps folder and you select New/Open from the dice roll file menu, the error message will appear. The solution is to place at least one of the requested file types in your WinCraps folder (most likely C:\WINCRAPS). For a dice roll file you can click here to download hotbits1.zip
A better solution is to download and install the latest version of WinCraps which does not have this problem.