Bad Bets in Craps

January 20, 2004

Craps is a game with a lot of well, bad bets. Simply put, the odds of winning versus the payouts on a winning bet just aren't worth it, odds are you'll lose well, bad. Sure, you may have seen one of those guys at the casino with a tower of chips randomly place bets everywhere on the table, and they might even get lucky once in a while. These are the guys that play for entertainment and are not playing to win over the long run however. Don't let the excitement of a bigger payoff make you overlook the math.

The Sucker Bets:
The Middle of the Table or Proposition Bets:

If you've ever played or watched craps before you may have noticed that the middle of the table was just covered in chips. Despite getting some of the most action at the craps table, this bet is one of the biggest sucker bets in the casino - offering odds that are 11 to 16% in favor of the house!

The "Any" Bets:

This is when you're betting that the shooter will roll a specific number. Once again, not one of your best bets, we recommend staying away from 'any' of them. Below is a breakdown of payouts for all "any" bets.

Hardway Bets:

If ever there was a bet named more appropriately we haven't seen it. The Hardway bet is called this because it's the 'hard way' to win. It's basically when you bet that doubles will be rolled before a 7 or a soft 4, 6, 8, or 10. So you can only make Hardway bets on a hard 4, 6, 8, or 10. Below are the payouts for "hardway" bets.

• Hard 4 pays 7 or 8 to 1
• Hard 6 pays 9 or 10 to 1
• Hard 8 pays 9 or 10 to 1
• Hard 10 pays 7 or 8 to 1

As you can see the payouts for these bets don't look so bad at first, but the house edge actually ranges from 9-11%, so do yourself a favor and place your chips elsewhere.

The three bets listed are the biggest sucker bets in craps so take our advice and try to avoid them. Sure the bets pay off sometimes, but the odds are your stack of chips will soon be the casinos if you stick with them.