Some Other type of Craps Bets
In addition to those craps betting options that we’ve mentioned previously, there are also some craps bets that we think fall into a category called the ‘not-so-good craps bets’. For some, the odds are just not that great, while others are just plain and simple ‘sucker bets’. See details below!
Field bets:
Just below the area for the ‘come‘ bets and above the ‘don’t pass‘ bar is a section on the craps table layout known as the ‘field‘. A bet here can be made without dealer assistance. A field bet wagers that the next roll of the dice will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. To place a field bet, place your chips in the Field bar. If the shooter rolls a 2 or 12, you get paid double your initial bet (2 to 1). If a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 comes up, you get paid even money (1 to 1). You lose the bet if a 5, 6, 7, or 8 is rolled. Eight winning numbers and only four losers might sound like a good bet but the true odds are 20:16 against the field. The house edge on a field bet is a whopping 5.6 per cent when two and twelve pay double. It drops to 2.8 per cent if two and twelve pay triple. Definitely not one of the better craps bets.
Big six and big eight bets:
Bix six and big eight are found in the corner of most craps table layouts. Plain and simple, these bets are ‘sucker bets’. Each is a bet that one number (either the six or the eight) will be rolled before a seven. If the number you select is rolled before the 7, you win even money (1 to 1). Why would you make a big 6 or big 8 bet for even odds when you could do a place bet (on the number 6 or 8) for much better odds. Big six and big eight are considered so horrible that they are not allowed in Atlantic City.
Hardway bets:
A four, six, eight or ten thrown as a double is called a ‘hard number‘. A hardway bet is a wager that a particular number will be thrown ‘hard‘ before a seven and before it is thrown the ‘easy‘ way. Hard four and hard ten pay 7:1, while hard six and hard eight pay 9:1. Great payback odds but the house edge for six and eight is a super-high 9.1%, and an unbelievable 11.1% for four and ten. Hardway bets are sometimes called ‘all-day’ bets because they can stay on the table for as long as the shooter doesn’t roll a seven. The bet can be made and withdrawn at anytime but requires dealer (stickman) assistance.
Proposition bets:
The rest of the ‘center’ bets aren’t better than the ones detailed above and in many cases they are actually worse.
Horn bets – this is a combined bet on two, three, eleven and twelve. The horn bet wins if the shooter rolls a 2, 3, 11 or 12 on the next toss of the dice. A winning horn bet pays 15 to 1 on the numbers 3 and 11 and 30 to 1 on numbers 2 and 12. The house edge on all four bets is a whopping 16.66%.
Whirl bets – a whirl is a horn bet with seven added.
Hop bets – you wager that a single number will be thrown in a particular way on the next roll.
Buffalo bets – a combination of four hardways plus a seven or sometimes a “yo” eleven.
Any craps bets – you win if one of the craps numbers (2, 3, or 12) is rolled in the next toss of the dice.
C&E bets – is basically an Any Craps bet plus eleven.
There are a few other proposition bets but they are all terrible bets to make so we won’t delve further on this. Not one proposition craps bet has a house edge of less than nine percent. Try one occasionally if you’re feeling lucky, but for the most part, avoid them like the plague.