Craps Side Bets

Fire Bet

The Fire Bet was invented by Las Vegas casino supervisor Perry Staci and was introduced in several casinos a decade ago. Its name reflects its purpose – capitalizing on a shooter with a “hot hand” who makes the point multiple times before sevening out. Depending on the paytable set by the casino, the Fire Bet wins if the shooter manages to make three or four points before throwing a 7.

For the purposes of the Fire Bet, however, these points must be different numbers. If the shooter tosses a 5, then a 3, and then a 5 again, only 2 point numbers will count for the Fire Bet. Usually, players wager the minimum – $1 or $5 – because this side bet wins only on very rare occasions. The probability of throwing different points before a 7 is simply too low – the number 7 is the most common outcome in this game, after all.

Typically, this side bet pays 25:1 if the shooter makes four points before sevening out. The payout for shooting 5 different points before a 7 is 250:1, while the payout for 6 different points is 1000:1. Of course, paytables vary across casinos, so players should keep this in mind when looking for a craps table with favorable side bets. The top payout corresponds to hitting 6 points because there are exactly six point numbers in the game – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

Let’s look at the probabilities to determine whether the Fire Bet can realistically be won. Roughly 59% of the time, no point will be rolled, so how likely is it to roll 6 different point numbers before a 7?

• 0 Points Made – 59%
• 1 Point Made – 26.08%
• 2 Points Made – 10.13%
• 3 Points Made – 3.34%
• 4 Points Made – 0.88%
• 5 Points Made – 0.16%
• 6 Points Made – 0.02%

As we can see, the probability of making a single point is not that bad; on average, the shooter does so 26.08% of the time. However, most casinos do not pay out unless 4 different points have been made before sevening out. The probabilities indicate that this scenario is highly unlikely. Still, the payouts for hitting 5 or 6 points before a 7 are very attractive. Considering you might risk only a $5 wager, the Fire Bet may not be that bad after all. Depending on the specific paytable, the house edge for this side bet ranges between 20% and 25%.

Point 7

Point 7 is one of the simplest and most popular side bets on the craps table. With it, players wager that the shooter will roll a point number on the come-out roll and then a 7 on the very next roll. Of course, those who bet on the Pass Line – including the shooter – will lose, since a 7 loses in this phase of the game. However, anyone who has placed chips on the Point 7 side bet will receive a payout equal to seven times their wager (7:1).

Here, the payout may be less attractive, but the bet is also much more likely to win than the Fire Bet. There are six point numbers, namely 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. The probability of rolling a point number on the come-out is 24/36 (0.6666 or 66.66%) because there are 24 possible ways to throw a point versus 36 total combinations for the two dice. The probability of rolling a 7, however, is 6/36 or 16.67%.

The overall house edge for this bet is a little over 11%. There are, however, multiple prop bets in the game that offer similar house edge percentages while paying much better – Yo, Ace-Deuce, and Hi-Lo pay 15:1 and come with a house edge of 11.11%. The Any Craps bet pays the same as Point 7, but it is easier to make and is settled with a single roll of the dice.

7 Point 7

This side bet debuted in 2008 when it was introduced by the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas. Also known as Double Trip Seven, it once again revolves around the number 7. Despite its simplicity, it carries a house edge of only 5.56%, which is probably the lowest among all craps side bets. With the 7 Point 7 wager, players hope that the shooter will throw a 7 as quickly as possible.

If a 7 appears on the come-out roll, the side bet wins and pays 2:1. If the shooter sevens out on the first roll after establishing a point, the bet also wins, paying 3:1. As noted above, rolling a 7 on the come-out roll is expected 16.67% of the time. The probability of tossing a 7 after a point has been established is 11.11%.

Based on these odds, the 7 Point 7 side bet is still more likely to lose than to win – such an outcome is expected 72.22% of the time. The overall house edge of 5.56% takes both the odds and the payouts into account.

Midway Bet

The Midway side bet is also very easy to place and track because it is settled on the very next roll of the dice. Available in several Atlantic City casinos, the Midway is usually located on the Big 6/8 box on the betting table. With it, players wager on the numbers that sit right in the middle of the range – 6, 7, and 8. The side bet wins if any of these numbers appear on the next roll, although the payouts vary depending on the specific total and dice combination.

• Hard 6/8 – 2:1
• Soft 6/8 – 1:1
• 7 – 1:1

With this side bet, players will not make huge profits, but the small, frequent wins can add up. The probability of tossing a hard 6 or a hard 8 on the next roll is around 5.55%. Hard totals consist of a pair of identical numbers – a hard 6 is 3-3, while a hard 8 is 4-4. Therefore, there are only two possible combinations, offering true odds of 17:1.

Soft totals, on the other hand, are formed with different dice. A soft 8 and 6 could be any of the following – 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, or 5-3 for an 8, and 1-5, 5-1, 2-4, or 4-2 for a 6, so the true odds are 3.5:1 (or 7:2). Rolling a 7 on the next throw offers odds of 5:1. As you can see, the payouts do not match the true odds, so the Midway side bet comes with a house edge of 5.56%.

Small and Tall

The Small and Tall side bet can be found in many casinos because it is simple for players to understand and attractive to operators due to its relatively high house edge. With this side bet, players bet that all “small” or all “tall” numbers will be rolled before a 7. The betting area for Small and Tall, also known as Bonus Craps, is located in the middle section of the table.

The so-called “small” numbers are 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, whereas the “tall” totals include 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. For the bet to win, every number from the chosen group must be rolled before the shooter tosses a 7. At least two different versions of this side bet can be found. In the first, players wager on either the Small or the Tall numbers – the probability of winning is the same for both at 0.026354, which is about 1 in 38. The payouts are also identical and may vary:

• Small/Tall bet wins – Pays 34:1, the house edge is 7.76%
• Small/Tall bet wins – Pays 30:1, the house edge is 18.30%

The other version of the side bet also pays if all numbers, both small and tall, appear before a 7 – a wager called Make’em All. Naturally, the payoff here is much better, which is why this option is popular among craps players looking for something new, fun, and potentially lucrative. Here are the odds and payouts for the three possibilities offered by the Small and Tall side bet:

• Small bet wins – Pays 34:1, the house edge is 7.76%
• Tall bet wins – Pays 34:1, the house edge is 7.76%
• Make’em All bet wins – Pays 174:1, the house edge is 7.47%

Some casinos offer an altered payout for a winning Make’em All bet. The probability of winning this wager is around 1 in 190, so a payoff of 174:1 (sometimes 175:1) is perfectly acceptable. However, some operators pay only 150:1, which increases the house edge significantly – to 20.61%. In this case, players should be extremely cautious when making the bet and, above all, they should not wager more than the table minimum.

Four Rolls No 7

This is an extremely simple side bet, offered in only a few land-based casinos. Its name says it all – players win if the shooter rolls four times without throwing a 7. While this may sound unlikely, it happens more often than you might think. The side bet wins 48.22% of the time versus 51.78% of the time when it loses.

The payout is even (1:1), and the house edge is impressively low for a craps side bet – only 3.55%. This makes it one of the best side wagers available, especially when combined with more traditional bets such as Pass/Don’t Pass or Come/Don’t Come.

Sharp Shooter

The Sharp Shooter side bet is offered in only a handful of land-based casinos and applies to every new shooter in the game. It resembles the Fire Bet because it relies on the shooter entering a hot streak – rolling point numbers without sevening out. Unlike the Fire Bet, however, this wager pays even if the shooter repeats the same point numbers. It promises huge returns for a small stake and plenty of excitement, but that comes at a price – the house edge is a steep 21.87%.

The Sharp Shooter bet opens when a new shooter takes the dice. If the shooter manages to make at least three point numbers in a row, the bet pays 5:1. The longer the streak continues, the higher the payouts become, reaching 299:1 for 10 points in a row. Here are all the payouts for this bet:

• 3 points in a row – 5:1
• 4 points in a row – 9:1
• 5 points in a row – 19:1
• 6 points in a row – 29:1
• 7 points in a row – 49:1
• 8 points in a row – 99:1
• 9 points in a row – 199:1
• 10 or more points in a row – 299:1