Is a Put Bet Plus Odds as Good as Placing a 6 or 8 in Craps?

By John Grochowski on Friday June 22, 2012

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The two most commonly rolled point numbers in craps are 6 and 8. Of 36 possible two-dice combinations, five add up to 6 and five add up to 8. The only more frequently rolled number is 7, with six combinations, but that’s a losing number to most players.

The frequency of rolls makes place bets on 6 and 8 among the most popular wagers at the game. If you place 6, you’re betting the shooter will roll a 6 before the next 7. If you win, you’re paid at 7-6 odds, and the house edge is a low 1.52 percent.

For larger bettors, there is a way to lower the house edge with what’s called a “put” bet. If you wait until the shooter rolls a 6 or 8, you can wager on the pass line and get that number. At that point, the house edge would be a whopping 9.09 percent, but you also get the opportunity to back the wager with free odds.

The break-even point as compared to a place bet is at 5x odds. If the point is 6 and your put bet is $5, backing it with $25 in free odds will yield the same 1.52 percent house edge as the place bet. It’s the same as if you had a $30 place bet on 6.

With more odds, the house edge drops, falling to 0.83 percent at 10x odds, and 0.09 percent at 100x odds.

For the record, I don’t play this way. I prefer to make my pass line bet on the comeout, when the house edge is only 1.41 percent, then reduce that edge further with the odds. I’m OK with longer shots like 4 and 10 being my point. But if you want to stick to 6 and 8, and your budget is big enough, put plus odds is there as an option.