Multi-Roll Bets in Craps

Craps is a fun, communal casino game where all players usually win or lose together. But while the majority of novices and experienced players alike tend to put their money on the Pass Line, a handful of craps fans dare to try something different and more complex such as the so-called multi-roll bets.

Indeed, there’s more to craps than the classic Pass and Don’t Pass bets, which revolve around the 7 and the craps numbers. Most casinos offer at least 30 types of bets and to make the most of their game, players should learn how to use them to improve their chances of winning. One category of bets are known as single-roll bets – they are the simplest and easiest to make since they are resolved within the next roll of the dice.

Multi-roll bets, on the other hand, may take two or more rolls to win or lose. They are much more interesting but, at the same time, making them requires experience, more concentration, and deeper knowledge of the game.

Basics of the Multi-Roll Bets

1Some Multi-Roll Bets Can be Placed at Any Time

Due to the wide range of bets, craps is one of the most complicated games on the casino floor, especially for people who are seeing it for the first time. However, many of these wagers are quite simple and straightforward once you learn the basics of the game. What may be seen as a difficulty when playing craps is to understand those wagers that cannot be settled with a single roll of the dice.

These bets, called multi-roll bets, may be harder to track during the game. Usually, several shots of the dice are needed so that their outcome could be determined. But there are several more things players should consider before they try Place or Lay bets in a real-money game. First of all, these wagers do not need to be placed at the beginning of a round – i.e. when a new player takes his turn to throw the dice. Instead, some multi-roll bets can be placed at any time, which is much more convenient than having to wait for the come-out roll to put your chips on the table.

2The May Remain Active For the Next Come-Out Roll

Sometimes, the shooter makes the point before the multi-roll bet is decided. Depending on the rules of the casino, these bets may remain active for the next come-out roll or they may be considered “not working”. Usually, they are paused until the new shooter establishes a new point. In addition, some multi-roll bets may be removed or increased and decreased in size during the game.

3Multi-Roll Bets Offer Much Better Odds

It is also important to note that compared to single-roll bets, which are easier to make and are decided within the next roll of the dice, multi-roll bets offer much better odds. They usually cover larger groups of numbers – the chances for winning with 5 or 6 numbers is higher than if we bet on a single number, for instance. The house edge is also usually much lower than the edge players would be up against if they make a single-roll bet. Lastly, players should also take the commission charged on certain bets into account – the commission fee is typically equal to 5 percent of the winnings.

Multi-Roll Bets in Craps Explained

Place Bets
Buy Bets
Lay Bets
Hard Way Bets
Big 6 and Big 8 Bets

Place Bets

The Place bet is a bet on a single number and it can be made only after a point has been established. With it, players can bet on any of the point numbers – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. However, when plying in a brick-and-mortar casino, they are not allowed to do this on their own. To make a Place bet, players should put their chips on the Come bet field and tell the dealer which number they wish to place a wager on. For instance, to bet on 8, they should put their chips and call out “Place it on the 8” or “Thirty on 8”.

When a Place bet is made, it wins if the point number appears before the shooter throws a 7. It loses if he tosses a 7 before the point number. The payout is slightly lower than the true odds, so it varies, depending on the number. However, those who play at a live, land-based casino should bear in mind that the Place Bet on 4,5, 9, and 10 should be made in units of $5, while the bets on 6 and 8 in units of $6. This is necessary for receiving the exact payout.

  • Place bet on 4, 10 – 9:5
  • Place bet on 5, 9 – 7:5
  • Place bet on 6, 8 – 7:6

Some casinos also offer the so-called “Place bets to lose”, which are the opposite of the Place bets. These wagers win if a 7 appears before the number we bet on and the payout is as follows:

  • Place bet on 4, 10 to lose – 5:11
  • Place bet on 5, 9 to lose – 5:8
  • Place bet on 6, 8 to lose – 4:5

Buy Bets

The Buy bets are very similar to the Place bets but they pay at true odds minus a small commission of 5%. When players make a Buy bet, they leave their chips on the table, calling out the number to the dealer. With this wager, players “buy” a certain number, betting that it will be rolled before a 7 appears. Buy bets cannot be made on the come-out roll – they are available after a point has been established. If a 7 is rolled before the number, however, the bet loses.

Once again, if the shooter makes a point before the Buy bet is resolved, it is left on the table and considered “not working” until a new point is established. Due to the 5% commission, also known as vigorish or vig, the minimum size of the Buy bet is usually the table minimum plus the commission. While some casinos take this commission on all Buy wagers, others charge it only on bets that win – in this case, the house edge is much lower. Here is the payout for this wager, depending on the number players decide to bet on:

  • Buy bet on 4, 10 – 2:1 minus 5% of the bet amount
  • Buy bet on 5, 9 – 3:2 minus 5% of the bet amount
  • Buy bet on 6, 8 – 6:5 minus 5% of the bet amount

Lay Bets

Lay bets are very interesting as they are practically the opposite of the Buy bets. They can be placed after the come-out roll when a point number has already been established or before that. With them, players bet that the shooter will toss a 7 before a particular number. This is a service bet, which means that the dealer takes the player’s chips and puts them on the number wagered on – it may be 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.

If that number appears before 7 is rolled, the Lay bet loses. If 7 appears first, however, the bet wins paying out at true odds. Since it is the exact opposite of the Buy bet, the payouts are also reversed. Moreover, the 5% commission is charged only on the amount of the winnings:

  • Lay bet on 4, 10 – 1:2 minus 5% of the winnings
  • Lay bet on 5, 9 – 2:3 minus 5% of the winnings
  • Lay bet on 6, 8 – 5:6 minus 5% of the winnings

Interestingly, winning Lay bets pay less than the money wagered as it is obvious from the payouts displayed above. For instance, a player lays $40 on 4 and he wins – according to the 1:2 payout, he wins $20. The commission will be $1 based on the $20 payout rather than the $40 bet. However, some casinos require the vig to be taken upfront, so the player must bet $41 to win $20.

Hard Way Bets

Throwing a total the “hard way” means throwing identical numbers on each dice. Players can bet on such an outcome and this wager is known as Hard Way betting or Doubles. Of course, players can bet only on certain numbers the hard way and these are 4, 6, 8, and 10. The natural numbers such as 2 and 12, however, are not included in this category of bets.

Of course, this bet wins only when a certain number appears as a double rather than a total of some other numbers – a Hard 10, for instance, wins only if the dice shows 5-5 and a Hard 8 wins only when the shooter throws 4-4. All other combinations are referred to as “easy way”. The Hard Way bets cannot be made in the come-out roll, so players need to wait for a point to be established. These bets lose when the 7 is rolled first or when the total of the same number is tossed as a non-double.

If we bet on a hard 8, for example, we lose if the shooter throws any 7, 5-3 or 6-2 before he rolls 4-4. When the bet wins, it pays slightly lower than the true odds, however. No commission is charged but the house edge is quite high compared to classic craps wagers such as Pass or Come bets.

  • Hard 4/10 – 7:1
  • Hard 6/8 – 9:1

Big 6 and Big 8 Bets

Experienced craps players usually avoid the Big 6 and Big 8 bets because these two can be described as “sucker bets”. The reason for this is their high house edge of over 9%. With these options, players bet that the shooter will toss 6 or 8 before a 7 is rolled. The two wagers can be placed by the players themselves without any assistance from the dealers. Also, these two bets can be made at any time – before or after the come-out roll.

The Big 6/8 bet has a dedicated box on the betting layout and it is located next to the Pass Line and the Don’t Pass fields. It loses if a 7 is rolled before 6 or 8. It wins if 6 or 8 appear before 7. The bet pays even money (1:1) while the true odds are 6:5.

Comparison Between the Multi-Roll Bets in Craps

1Advantages of Multi-Roll Bets

Compared to the standard Pass and Don’t Pass wagers in craps, multi-roll bets are a little more complicated to place but at the same time, they are very interesting to play with. Some of them offer great odds and relatively low house edge. Still, those who are still new to the world of craps should focus on practicing multi-roll bets in RNG games online where they can play multiple gaming rounds for free.

2Complete Multi-Roll Bets Table

To compare these bets, however, and find which ones are good and which ones should be avoided, players should learn when they can be placed, their payouts, true odds, and many more.

Bet Allowed Wins Loses True Odds Payout House edge
Place 4/10 After the come-out roll 04/10/19 7 02:01:00 09:05:00 6.67%
Place 5/9 After the come-out roll 05/09/19 7 03:02:00 07:05:00 4.00%
Place 6/8 After the come-out roll 06/08/19 7 06:05:00 07:06:00 1.52%
Buy 4/10 After the come-out roll 04/10/19 7 02:01:00 2:1 – 5% vig 4.76%
Buy 5/9 After the come-out roll 05/09/19 7 03:02:00 3:2 – 5% vig 4.76%
Buy 6/8 After the come-out roll 06/08/19 7 06:05:00 6:5 – 5% vig 4.76%
Lay 4/10 Any time 7 04/10/19 01:02:00 1:2 – 5% on winnings 1.67%
Lay 5/9 Any time 7 05/09/19 2:3 2:3 – 5% on winnings 2.00%
Lay 6/8 Any time 7 06/08/19 05:06:00 5:6 – 5% on winnings 2.27%
Hard 4/10 After the come-out roll 4/10 as a pair 7, 4/10 as non-pair 08:01:00 07:01:00 11.11%
Hard 6/8 After the come-out roll 6/8 as a pair 7, 6/8 as non-pair 10:01:00 09:01:00 9.09%
Big 6/8 Any time 06/08/19 7 06:05:00 01:01:00 9.09%

3Always Take a Look at the Rules and Payouts

The rules for some of these bets could vary across casinos so before risking their money, players should take a look at all rules and payouts. The house edge for the Buy bets, for instance, may be much lower if the commission or vig is charged only on the winnings rather than the amount of the bet. The standard 4.76% mathematical advantage of the casino changes to 1.67% for numbers 4 and 10, to 1.96% for numbers 5 and 9, and 2.22% for numbers 6 and 8.

As we can see, the Big 6 and Big 8 are not a good option and most players prefer making Place bets on 6 and 8 instead since they pay more. At the same odds of 6:5, Place bets on 6 or 8 pay 7:6, while the Big 6/8 pays only even money. The house edge is significantly lower – only 1.52% compared to 9.09% with the Big 6/8.

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