| There are 36 different ways in which two dice can come up. A total of 7 is the most common combination because there are six ways the two dice can add up to 7 (1-6, 6-1, 2-5, 5-2, 3-4, and 4-3).
 The further away from seven a number is, the fewer combinations there are that add up to it -- so the odds of winning with that number decrease.
For example, there are five combinations that total to 6, and five that total to 8. For the 5 and the 9 there are only four combinations of the dice that total each number. There are three ways to make the numbers 4 or 10, two ways to make 3 or 11, and only one combination of the dice for each of the numbers 2 and 12.
Craps is the only game in the casino that offers "true odds" bets -- these are bets where the casino has no edge at all. If you could make only true-odds bets, you could play forever and still break even with the House. So what's the catch? The House won't allow you to make a true-odds bet on its own. You must first make another bet that is not a true-odds bet.
Let's say you've bet $100 on the Pass Line and have rolled a 9. You are now a 3-2 underdog to win, since you must roll a 9 (a number that has only four combinations) before you roll a 7 (a number with six combinations.) And when you do win, you get paid only even money, which in this case is $100. This bet, at first only slightly to your disadvantage, has become a terrible proposition. What can be done about it? You should hedge your bet by taking full odds on your Pass Line bet. Zone.com Craps is a double-odds game, which means you are allowed to take up to twice the amount of your Line bet in odds. These odds bets pay out in direct proportion to the odds of their success, which is why they are called "true odds" bets. In our example, you place an additional $200 behind your Pass Line bet after the point of 9 has been established. If you win on the Pass Line, your odds bet also wins. In this case you would get paid even money on the $100, and 3-2 on your odds bet, since you are a 3-2 underdog to win. So the odds bet would pay $300. You've risked $300 to win $400, instead of risking $100 to win $100.
Of course, if you're playing on the Don't Pass Line, the same principal applies -- but this means you must wager MORE money on your odds bets than you stand to win, since after a point has been established, you are the favorite and the House is the underdog. (Playing "on the Don'ts" can be a frustrating exercise.) Since Come and Don't Come bets are identical to Pass and Don't Pass bets, the odds and the payouts are identical.
Place bets are calculated in a similar fashion. All place bets consist of one unit at even money, plus additional units at true odds. Place a $5 bet on the 4 (or the 10), and if you win, it will pay off $9. Why? The first dollar pays even money, and the next four dollars pay out at true odds, which is 2-1 for the number 4. Place another $5 on the number 5. If you roll a 5, you win $7, or $1 at even money and 3-2 for the next $4. Now place $6 on the number 6. True odds on the number 6 are 6-5, so your $6 bet will pay you $7. (To avoid payouts with units less than $1, many casinos require a $6 minimum bet on the 6 and the 8, as opposed to $5 bets on the other numbers.)
Buy and Lay bets allow you to directly make true-odds bets on each of the six point numbers, without any units at even money. Of course, the House takes a 5% commission on these bets, win or lose. (It turns out that it is more beneficial for the player to Buy the 4 and the 10 than it is to Place those numbers. Conversely, it is better to Place the 5, 6, 8, and 9 than to Buy these numbers.)
The logic behind hardway bets should be clear once you understand the dice odds. A hardway bet on the number 6 is a bet that one particular combination of the dice (3-3) will appear before any one of ten other combinations appears-- the four "easy" sixes (1-5, 2-4, 4-2, 5-1) and the six combinations that total 7. Hence, you are a 10-1 underdog to win this bet. As the bet only pays 9-1, however, you should feel pretty hot about the dice before you bet too much money on the hardways. (Yes, it does say "10 for 1" on the table layout. A useful fact to know is that anytime a payout uses the word "for" instead of the word "to," your winning payout will include your initial bet. So, 10-for-1 is the same as 9-to-1.)
As for the one-roll bets and the Field, the significant edge the House enjoys on these bets can be easily deduced from calculating the dice odds.
Okay, player, remember these combinations and odds. It may help keep you on the plus side. | |
