Here the Wizard of Odds describes several different methods that California casinos use to simulate craps. The first method he describes (from Pala) is mathematically equivalent to regular craps.
The other two methods (Barona and Harrah's Rincon) are slightly different, because they're shoe-dealt. This isn't exactly the same as ordinary craps, because each "roll" is not independent. Drawing a 6 from the shoe on one roll reduces the odds of drawing a 6 on the next.
That is tempting, because it initially sounds like you might be able to count cards like in blackjack. However, I suspect it's impossible to gain an advantage by doing so because (1) they're using two shoes simultaneously and the outcome is based on the sum of cards from each, (2) the shoes are 13 decks each (in the case of Barona), and (3) lots of cards get burned, which means shoe penetration is necessarily poor.
So, I think you've accurately diagnosed the accuracy of your intuitions as beginner's luck. Have fun.