Place Bets
I like to take a conservative approach when I first start to bet at the craps table. I make a $6 place bet on both the six and eight and I take them down or call them off after one to three wins. I try to avoid betting the 4, 5, 9, 10 until the table heats up enough to warrant it. See below for odds/house edge.
Naturally when the table is hot, I keep the bets up and will press them every other win. But we are just starting out, trying to get a feel for the table. I don’t want to leave my bets up and at risk for too long, so what I want to do is to pull profit off before a seven is thrown.
Taking bets down after 1st, 2nd or 3rd win
| 1st win pays $7 | 2nd win pays $7 | 3rd win pays $7 |
|---|---|---|
| Win total – $7 | Win total – $14 | Win total – $21 |
| Take bets down/off | Take bets down/off | Take bets down/off |
| Profit of $7 | Profit of $14 | Profit of $21 |
| Rack total of $19 | Rack total of $26 | Rack total of $33 |
Leaving bets up until seven is thrown
| 1st win | 2nd win | 3rd win | 4th win | 5th win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win total $7 | $14 | $21 | $28 | $35 |
| Seven thrown | Seven thrown | Seven thrown | Seven thrown | Seven thrown |
| Lose $5 | Profit $2 | Profit $9 | Profit $16 | Profit $23 |
| Rack $7 | Rack $14 | Rack $21 | Rack $28 | Rack $35 |
By playing conservatively and taking your bets down/off after one to three wins, you are lowering your risk and ensuring a profit (provided that the shooter throws one or more of your numbers before sevening out).
You need to have your place bets win three times just to win $2 more than if you took the bets down/off after just one win.
| 1st win pays $7 | 3rd win pays $7 |
|---|---|
| Win total – $7 | Win total – $21 |
| Take bets down/off | Seven is thrown |
| Profit of $7 | Profit of $9 |
| Rack total of $19 | Rack total of $21 |
The math is the same for any bet amount. You need to have your bets win two more times to win a slight bit more profit than if you just took your bets down/off early in the roll.
Most shooters will seven out after four or five rolls. Every once in a while a shooter will throw those extra few numbers, but the difference is only a few dollars and in the long run you will save your stake and increase your profits by being conservative and taking your bets down after one or two hits. On a hot table (which we can recognize by using my system) we would leave our bets working and start to press them.
Place bet odds & house edge
| Place number | Expectation | Odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place to win (4) | 4 before 7 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
| Place to win (5) | 5 before 7 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Place to win (6) | 6 before 7 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Place to win (8) | 8 before 7 | 7:6 | 1.52% |
| Place to win (9) | 9 before 7 | 7:5 | 4.00% |
| Place to win (10) | 10 before 7 | 9:5 | 6.67% |
Thoughts, comments, etc. can be made to me at starchip@live.com.