Better betting

8 September 2015

By Frank Scoblete

JOE: Hi Frank, big fan of yours and enjoy your articles.

In the game of craps, which of the two is the better?

1. $30 on the 5, 6 and 8 and $10 on the field (the iron cross bet) with a total outlay of $100, or

2. $10 on the 4 and 10, $15 on the 5 and 9 and $24 on the 6 and 8 for a total outlay of $98.

I appreciate your time and thoughts on this question.


FRANK: The best way to figure this out is to pretend that different players are making one of the bets to see what the expected loss per placement of the bet will cost him in the long run. The expectations have been rounded and, naturally, the game will go back and forth (based on these scenarios, the game will go forth to the casino more than back to you).

First Wager:

$30 on 5 = 4% edge = expected loss of $1.20 per placement
$30 on 6 = 1.52% edge = expected loss of 46 cents per placement
$30 on 8 = 1.52% edge = expected loss of 46 cents per placement
$10 on Field = 5.6% edge = expected loss of 56 cents per placement

Second Wager

$10 on 4 = 6.67% edge = expected loss of 67 cents per placement
$10 on 10 = 6.67% edge = expected loss of 67 cents per placement
$15 on 5 = 4% edge = expected loss of 60 cents per placement
$15 on 9 = 4% edge = expected loss of 60 cents per placement
$24 on 6 = 1.52% edge = expected loss of 36 cents per placement
$24 on 8 = 1.52% edge = expected loss of 36 cents per placement

With the exception of placing the 6 and/or 8, both betting schemes put your head in a vise and squeeze tightly. So my advice is not to care about which scheme is better (they both stink), and merely place the 6 and 8 for $24 or $30 each. That gives you far better value for your money. It also reduces the size of your bets — always a good thing.

The best value would be a come bet with full odds.