Craps Gaming

Craps rules and betting part B: place betting

Written by Pai Yao

Craps Rules and Betting Part A‘ covered betting on the pass line, and explained the difference between the come-out roll and the point cycle. Now in part B we look at betting individual numbers, more commonly known as ‘place betting’.

Generally speaking, place betting is for people who want more action on the table during the point cycle. Once a point number has been established we can then bet on other numbers by place betting. Remember a point is established when a 4,5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is thrown on the come-out roll. Place betting allows you to cover any (or all) of these six numbers during a roll.

Place betting means betting directly on a number and these bets are placed in the numbered boxes on the layout. The boxes on the layout are numbered 4, 5, six, 8, nine, 10. The six and nine are written in letters rather than numbers to avoid confusion (as a 6 can easily look like a 9 from the other side of the table). To bet on a number you simply tell the dealer which numbers you would like to bet on and he will put your chips on the number or numbers of your choosing.

This can be a little daunting to begin with so it might be a good idea to play at a quiet table with a helpful dealer until you get the idea of what’s going on. In a busy game people are often yelling at the dealers and chips are flying around the table – but that is the joy of the game once you get the hang of things.

An Elvis sighting!

An Elvis sighting!

Now the aim of the game is to simply roll your number before you roll the dreaded 7. For example, if you have a place bet on the 9 and the shooter rolls a 9 before a 7 you win, if he rolls a 7 before a 9 you lose. Remember never to utter the word ‘seven’ at a craps table as it is considered terribly unlucky! Place betting allows you to win on any of the other numbers. If any other number is rolled then the bet neither wins nor loses and the roll continues. If you roll your point number then your place betting amounts will just sit on the table until you establish another point. Your place bets are inactive while there is no point.

One difference between place bets and pass line bets is that the place bets are ‘non-contract’ bets. This means that you can take your bet off the layout at any time, unlike pass line bets which must remain there until they are decided. You can also add to or change a place bet at any time.

The odds that are paid for place betting are different for each number and the payouts are as follows:

6 and 8 pay 7 to 6
5 and 9 pay 7 to 5
4 and 10 pay 9 to 5

You will notice that these odds are slightly different to the odds that are offered behind the pass line. The odds are not quite as good as bets placed ‘behind the line’ (refer to part A) as they are not paid at true odds. Place betting the 6 and 8 though is still one of the better bets in the casino as it has a very low house edge.

You can find Part A of this article (and all other WGM articles) on our website www.wgm8.com.