Place and Buy bets
Skip the Come bet and pick your number. What Place bets pay, why the 6 and 8 are the ones to play, and when a Buy bet is the better deal.
A Come bet has to travel to a number. A Place bet goes straight there. You pick the number, and it wins every time that number rolls before a 7.
How Place bets work
Tell the dealer which number you want, or tap it on your phone. The bet wins when your number rolls before a 7 and then stays up, so it can win again and again. A 7 takes it down.
Place bets are off on the come-out by default, so a come-out 7 doesn’t cost you. You can call them working if you like.
What they pay
| Number | Place | Pass Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 9 to 5 | 2 to 1 |
| 5 | 7 to 5 | 3 to 2 |
| 6 | 7 to 6 | 6 to 5 |
| 8 | 7 to 6 | 6 to 5 |
| 9 | 7 to 5 | 3 to 2 |
| 10 | 9 to 5 | 2 to 1 |
Compare the two columns. True odds on a 6 are 6 to 5, but a Place bet on the 6 pays 7 to 6. That gap is the house edge.
Payouts come in awkward fractions, so each number has a natural bet size: multiples of $6 on the 6 and 8, and $5 on the 4, 5, 9, and 10.
Which numbers to place
| Place bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 1.52% |
| 5 or 9 | 4.00% |
| 4 or 10 | 6.67% |
The 6 and 8 are close to the Pass Line. The 4 and 10 cost over four times as much, which is where Buy bets come in.
Buy bets
A Buy bet works like a Place bet but pays true odds, less a 5% commission (at least $1). On the 4 and 10, a Buy bet pays 2 to 1 instead of the Place bet’s 9 to 5. The commission costs you less than the Place bet’s worse price, so regulars buy the 4 and 10 and place the 6 and 8. The Professor, one of the bots on PlayCraps Live, plays exactly that way.
Big 6 and Big 8
The corner of the layout has Big 6 and Big 8. They win if the 6 (or 8) rolls before a 7, the same as a Place bet, but pay only even money. The house edge is 9.09%, six times the Place bet on the same number. Place the 6 instead.