Smarter Bet Guide to Craps
Bad Craps Bets
These are the sucker bets that your mother warned you not to make. These are the legendary wagers that have broken millionaires and laid waste to fat bankrolls. Much of craps’ bad reputation
Basil Nestor is the author of the new Playboy Complete Guide to Casino Gambling. This wonderful book teaches players how to avoid sucker bets and win more when playing gambling games. He is also the author of The Smarter Bet Guide series for video poker, slots, craps, and many other books about gambling. Basil's website is www.smarterbet.com rests on these extremely disadvantageous gambles.
The one thing that most of them have in common is that they pay handsomely when luck is your lover. But when luck leads you with teasing kisses and sweet promises into a dark corner and then mugs you, it’s usually these bets that come crashing down on your head.
Playing the Field
Just below the area for come and above the don’t pass is a section on the layout known as the field. A bet here can be made at any time without dealer assistance. It’s an even-money wager that the next roll of the dice will be 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11; if the dice roll 2 or 12, the casino pays double the wager (some casinos pay triple). 5, 6, 7 and 8 are losers. Eight winning numbers and only four losers may seem like a good bet but the true odds are 20:16 against the field. The house edge on a field bet is 5.6 percent when 2 and 12 pay double. It drops to 2.8 percent if either 2 or 12 pay triple. That’s worse than roulette, though it’s still better than most slot games. Of course, a slot machine might give you a big jackpot. The best you’ll do on the field is 3:1.
Just below the area for come and above the don’t pass is a section on the layout known as the field. A bet here can be made at any time without dealer assistance. It’s an even-money wager that the next roll of the dice will be 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11; if the dice roll 2 or 12, the casino pays double the wager (some casinos pay triple). 5, 6, 7 and 8 are losers. Eight winning numbers and only four losers may seem like a good bet but the true odds are 20:16 against the field. The house edge on a field bet is 5.6 percent when 2 and 12 pay double. It drops to 2.8 percent if either 2 or 12 pay triple. That’s worse than roulette, though it’s still better than most slot games. Of course, a slot machine might give you a big jackpot. The best you’ll do on the field is 3:1.People who play the field do it because it allows them to simultaneously cover many numbers without putting up a lot of money. Forty-four percent of all the number combinations including craps and 11 can win with one bet. That means the dealer is frequently pushing chips to players who bet the field. Unfortunately, he takes chips away at an even greater frequency.
Big Six and Big Eight
Big six and big eight are found in the corners of some layouts, and they are the ultimate sucker bets. Each is a wager on one number, either 6 or 8, to roll before the 7. Big six or big eight works exactly like a place bet except the payoff is even money. That’s right. $30 on the big six wins $30. The same money “place the six” will bring $35.
Why would anyone play the big six/eight? It’s usually a favorite of minimum-bet players who don’t want to put up the few extra dollars it takes to properly place the six/eight. Others bet big six/eight out of ignorance or because they don’t like to work with dealers (the bets can be made without dealer assistance).
The house edge on big six/eight is a nasty 9.1 percent. That’s comparable to a progressive slot machine, but without the one-in-a-few million chance of winning a fortune. Big six/eight simply bleeds its suckers dry. The bet is so bad that it’s not allowed in Atlantic City.
Hardways
A 4, 6, 8, or 10 thrown as a double is called a hard number because it is produced the hard way. Betting the hardway is a wager that a particular number will be thrown hard before a 7, and before it is thrown the easy way. Hard four and hard ten pay 7:1. Hard six and hard eight pay 9:1. The area for these bets is at the center of the table, and they’re sometimes called all-day bets because they can stay out there for quite a while if the shooter doesn’t throw the number or 7. The bet can be made at any time and withdrawn at any time; it requires dealer assistance. Just put your chips on the table and tell the dealer what you want…if you dare. The house edge for hard six and hard eight is a painful 9.1 percent. It’s an excruciating 11.1 percent for hard four and hard ten.