Craps Side Bets

Fire Bet

The Fire Bet was invented by Las Vegas casino supervisor Perry Staci and introduced in several casinos. 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 different points before throwing a 7.

For the Fire Bet, these points must be different numbers. If the shooter makes 5, then 4, and then 5 again, only two point numbers will count toward the Fire Bet. Players usually wager the minimum, such as $1 or $5, because this side bet wins only on rare occasions. The probability of making several different points before a 7 is simply too low; a total of 7 is the most common dice outcome in this game, after all.

Typically, this side bet pays 25:1 if the shooter makes four different points before sevening out. The payout for making five different points before a 7 is 250:1, while the payout for six different points is 1000:1. Paytables vary across casinos, so players should keep this in mind when looking for a craps table with favorable side bets. The top payout applies to making all six different point numbers in the game: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

The probabilities below show how often a shooter makes zero through six different points before sevening out:

• 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%

The probability of making exactly one point is 26.08%. However, most casinos do not pay out unless four different points have been made before sevening out. The probabilities indicate that this scenario is highly unlikely. Although the payouts for making five or six points before a 7 may be appealing, the house edge for this side bet ranges from 20% to 25%, depending on the paytable.

Point 7

Point 7 is one of the simplest and most popular side bets available on the craps table. Players wager that the shooter will roll a point number on the come-out roll and then a 7 on the next roll. Pass Line bettors, including the shooter, will lose because a 7 loses after a point has been established. However, anyone who placed chips on the Point 7 side bet will receive a payout equal to seven times the wager (7:1).

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

The overall house edge for this bet is a little over 11%. Several prop bets offer similar house-edge percentages while providing much better payouts. For example, 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 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 revolves around the number 7. It has a relatively low house edge of 5.56%. With the 7 Point 7 side wager, players hope that the shooter will roll 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 side bet also wins and pays 3:1. Rolling a 7 on the come-out roll occurs 16.67% of the time. The probability of first establishing a point and then rolling a 7 on the next roll is 11.11%.

Based on these odds, the 7 Point 7 side bet is more likely to lose than to win. A losing outcome occurs 72.22% of the time. The overall house edge of 5.56% accounts for both the odds and the payouts.

Midway Bet

The Midway side bet is easy to place and track because it is settled on the 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. Players wager on the numbers 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

The payouts are small, although winning outcomes are comparatively frequent. The probability of rolling 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. There are only two possible combinations, so the true odds against this outcome are 17:1.

Soft totals are formed with different numbers on the dice. The winning combinations for a soft 8 are 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, and 5-3, while those for a soft 6 are 1-5, 5-1, 2-4, and 4-2. Together, these outcomes have true odds of 3.5:1 (or 7:2). Rolling a 7 on the next throw has true odds of 5:1. 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 various 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 wager 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 “small” numbers are 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, while the “tall” totals are 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. For the bet to win, every number from the chosen group must be rolled before the shooter rolls a 7. At least two versions of this side bet are available. 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, and the house edge is 7.76%
• Small/Tall bet wins: Pays 30:1, and the house edge is 18.30%

The other version also offers a wager called Make’em All, which wins if all small and tall numbers appear before a 7. The payoff is much higher, which makes this wager popular among craps players looking for something different. Here are the odds and payouts for the three options offered by the Small and Tall side bet:

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

Some casinos offer a different payout for a winning Make’em All side bet. The probability of winning this wager is around 1 in 190, while the payout may be 174:1 or 175:1. However, some operators pay only 150:1, which increases the house edge significantly to 20.61%. Players should be extremely cautious when making this bet and 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. This outcome occurs nearly half the time. The side bet wins 48.22% of the time and loses 51.78% of the time.

The payout is even money (1:1), while the house edge is impressively low for a craps side bet at only 3.55%. This makes it one of the lowest-house-edge side wagers described here, especially compared with many other craps side bets.

Sharp Shooter

The Sharp Shooter side bet is offered at only a small number of land-based casinos and applies whenever a new shooter enters the game. It resembles the Fire Bet because it relies on the shooter entering a hot streak by making points without sevening out. Unlike the Fire Bet, however, this wager pays even if the shooter repeats the same point numbers. It offers large potential payouts from a small stake, but this comes at a cost: the house edge is around 21.87%.

The Sharp Shooter bet becomes available when a new shooter takes the dice. If the shooter makes at least three points in a row, the side 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