Dear Mark,
I like to bet the don’t side on a crap game. Isn’t
it a slightly better wager than a pass line bet? Kenny
K.
You are correct in assuming,
Kenny, that the don’t pass bet (seven rolling
before the point) is a marginally better wager—a
1.4 percent casino advantage versus the pass line’s
1.41 percent—but craps is a game of community
esprit, everyone in it for the win together. By betting
the opposite you become the adversary, a villain against
the majority of players. Why let the casino off the
hook?
Dear Mark,
What is a “buy” bet in craps, how does
it differ from a “place” bet and what
are the payoffs of each wager? Hank M.
In
lieu of waiting for a number to show up as your
point for a pass line bet, you may “place”
or “buy” that number. Both work but
are not paid the same way. By placing or buying
a number, you are wagering that your number will
roll before a 7.
Place bets on the 4 or 10 are paid 9-5 for a house
edge of 6.67 percent, the 5 and 9 are paid at
7-5 (4 percent edge) and the 6 and 8 at 7-6 for
a 1.52 percent house advantage. Buy bets work
the same as place bets, except that you must pay
a 5 percent commission to the house on all buy
wagers. In return, the casino will pay you at
true odds.
Because the house edge is less than 5 percent
when placing the 5, 6, 8 and 9, it’s not
worth buying those numbers. True, buying the 4
or 10 can reduce the house edge to 4.76 percent,
less than if you were to place them; still, the
price is too egregious.
Buy, place, commissions, true odds, yes, Hank,
it can be complicated, but here is my one bet
recommendation: “Place” only the 6 or
8. Lose the rest from your betting arsenal.
Good
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