The gap between true odds and payoffs yield house edges of 9.09 percent on hard 6 or 8 and 11.11 percent on hard 4 or 10. With 4 or 10, there are eight ways to lose and one to win. There are six ways to make 7 and four easy 6s, and only one hard six, so 10 ways to lose and only one way to win. The chances at big wins are alluring, but true odds are 10-to-1 on 6 or 8 and 8-to-1 on 4 or 10. Odds against winning remain 6-5, but instead of 7-6 payoffs as on the place bets, winners are paid only even money. You win on big 6 by the shooter rolling a 6 before a 7, on big 8 by rolling 8 before a 7.

Bets there work just like place bets on 6 and 8, but the payoffs are lower. THE UGLY CRAPS BETS, MULTI-ROLL DIVISIONīIG 6 AND BIG 8: In the corners at many craps tables, you’ll find boxes marked with a big 6 and a big 8. But if you find a casino that charges the commission only on winning bets, the edge drops to 1.67 percent – not quite as good as the best bets in craps, but not so bad, either. If the commission is paid on all wagers, that reduces the house edge only to 4.76 percent, firmly in the “bad bet” category.

Instead of placing 4 or 10, you can “buy” either number, paying the house a 5 percent commission in return for winners being paid at true odds. With 5 or 9, that rises to $4 per $100, and with 6 or 8, losses average $6.67 percent per $100. Stick to 6 or 8, and your average loss is $1.52 per $100 wagered. With 4 or 10, true odds are 2-1 and winners are paid 9-5, leading to a 6.67 percent house edge. Numbers are the same on 8.īut with 5 or 9, true odds are 3-2 and winners are paid 7-5, and the house edge is 4 percent. True odds against rolling a 6 before a 7 are 6-5, and winners are paid 7-6, leading to a house edge of 1.52 percent. It’s that payoffs on the other numbers are farther away from true odds. The most frequently rolled numbers are also the best for players, but it’s not the frequency that puts 6 and 8 among the good bets and 4, 5, 9 and 10 among the bad.

There are four ways to make either 5 or 9 and three ways to make either 4 or 10. Either can be reached via five of 36 possible combinations of two dice, compared with six ways to make the loser 7. The most frequently rolled place numbers are 6 and 8. Your bet either remains in action or you can take it down. If you place 5, you win if the shooter rolls a 5, but lose on a 7.

PLACE BETS ON 4, 5, 9 OR 10: On any place bet, you want to see the shooter roll your number before rolling a 7. There’s a division between the merely bad bets and the truly ugly, but any of them could and should be avoided. Making the worst bets amounts to reckless endangerment of your bankroll. A pass line bet with free odds is one the best bets you can make in a casino

Craps bets