Definition
Pressing a bet means increasing the amount of your wager after a win. Instead of pocketing all of your profits, you leave a portion of your winnings on the table to increase the size of your next bet.
In context
In a game of Craps, a player might have a $10 bet on the “6.” If the shooter rolls a 6, the bet wins $12. The player tells the dealer to “Press it,” meaning they want the dealer to add $6 of those winnings to the original bet, making the new wager $16.
Why it matters
Pressing allows a player to capitalize on a winning streak by compounding their returns. It is a way to potentially win a large amount of money using the casino’s money (profits) rather than your initial bankroll, though it also increases the risk of losing those profits on the next hand or roll.
Related terms
In detail
Pressing a bet is one of the most fundamental aggressive betting strategies found on the casino floor. While it is most commonly associated with the Craps table, the concept applies to almost every game where players have the option to change their wager size between rounds, including Blackjack, Baccarat, and even some table poker variants. At its core, pressing is an attempt to “strike while the iron is hot.”
The Mechanics of the Press
When you “press,” you are choosing to reinvest your winnings back into the game. There are several ways to do this. A “full press” usually involves doubling your current bet. For example, if you have $25 on a Blackjack hand and win $25, a full press would involve letting the $50 ride for the next hand. In Craps, pressing is more specific to the payouts. Since a $6 Place bet on the 6 or 8 pays $7, a player might “press to $12” by adding $5 from their winnings and pocketing the remaining $2.
The Psychological Appeal
Players love pressing because it creates the “parlay effect.” It allows a player who started with a small minimum bet to suddenly have a massive wager on the table. This is how “legendary” sessions are made. A player might start with a $10 bet and, after five or six consecutive wins or “presses,” find themselves with a $300 or $500 wager. If that high-level bet wins, the payout is substantial. Psychologically, players feel more comfortable doing this because they view the extra money as “house money”—even though, mathematically, every dollar on the table belongs to the person who currently owns it.
The Mathematical Reality
From a casino operations perspective, pressing does not change the house edge. If you are playing a game with a 1.5% house edge, that edge applies to every dollar you wager, whether it’s your first $10 or your pressed $100. However, pressing significantly increases the variance of your session. You will experience much sharper swings in your bankroll. You will lose your initial “buy-in” faster during cold streaks, but you will see much higher peaks during winning streaks.
Operational Nuances
For dealers and floor supervisors, pressing requires careful attention to “max bet” limits. Every table has a minimum and a maximum. If a player continues to press their bets during a long heater, they may eventually hit the table maximum. At this point, the dealer will “cap” the bet, and any excess winnings must be taken down by the player. Floor managers watch players who press because it changes the “average bet” for comp calculations. A player who starts at $10 but presses to $100 for half the shoe has a much higher value to the casino than a “flat bettor” who stays at $10 the entire time.
Strategic Considerations: When to Stop
The biggest mistake players make with pressing is not having a “take-down” point. If you press your bet indefinitely, you are guaranteed to eventually lose it all on a single losing hand or roll. Professional-style players often use a “press and pull” strategy. They might press their bet for two wins, then “pull back” to their original bet size to lock in a profit, then start the pressing cycle over again. This ensures that a single loss doesn’t wipe out the entire gain from a winning streak.
In summary, pressing is a tool for managing volatility and potential profit. It doesn’t beat the math of the game, but it determines how you experience the wins and losses. It transforms a slow, steady grind into a high-stakes event. For the casino, pressing bettors are high-action players who provide the “drop” (money exchanged for chips) that keeps the lights on, even if those players occasionally walk away with a massive win.