Dear Mark,
What is a hardway number on a crap game and is it a
good bet? Steve. R.
A
hardway wager is a 4-6-8-10, but only paired up as a
2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 combination. For example; if you
have a hard six wager, a pair of 3-3s would have to
roll for you to win. Not a 2-4 or 5-1 dice roll. Is
it a good bet? No! House advantage on a hardway 6 or
8 is 9.1 percent. A hardway 4 or 10 has an 11.1 percent
casino edge. Readers of Deal Me In only make wagers
that have a house advantage of two percent or less.
Steve, say adios to this wager.
Dear Mark,
You mentioned in a previous column that players
should never make a hard way bet on a crap game.
Why not? Norman G.
Hey, Norman, what is Mark Pilarski’s rule
number one of casino gambling? (Actually, it’s
rule number two as rule number one is: “Only
bet what you can afford to lose.”) Rule number
two of my gambling commandments is “Only
make wagers that have less than a two percent
house advantage.” Hard way bets are much,
much higher and will gourmandize most of your
hard-earned, hopefully disposable, income.
The true odds of a hard 6 or 8 materializing are
10 to 1, but your friendly casino is only going
to pay you a paltry 9 to 1. This gives the casino
a 9.09 percent edge. As for the hard 4 or 10,
the true odds are 8 to 1, but the payoff is a
measly 7 to 1, giving the casino a whopping 11.1
percent advantage.
My advice is to stick with a pass/come bet with
odds or placing the six or eight.
Good
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