Place Bets Versus Come Bets

Dear Frank:

I am writing in regards to your article "Stupid Craps Strategies" in the October issue of Casino Player magazine.

I have been playing and dealing craps (fund raisers, Monte Carlo nights, etc.) for almost 40 years. Place bets are in your control and only have to be made once to cash and you can always take them down or move them as you please. Come bets are not movable and are always working on the come out.

I totally agree with all other bets mentioned in the article but I do take issue with come vs. place.

Regards,
Bob

Dear Bob:

I agree that Place bets have the luxury of being taken down, but why give the casino so much extra money for that privilege? A $10 Pass or Come bet only has a 1.41 percent house edge. That's a loss of just $1.41 per $100 wagered.

Now when you simply place the 6 and 8, you face similar odds as using the Come, 1.52 percent, a loss of $1.52 per $100 wagered. However, once you Place the 5 and 9 you now face a four percent edge (four dollar loss per $100 wagered) and when you Place the 4 and 10, you now go into the stratosphere with a house edge of 6.67 percent, a loss of $6.67 per $100 wagered.

That's a lot of money to spend for the luxury of taking down bets.

A lot of players think that the "taking down" of Place bets makes them a better bargain and this is not true. If I were to make 240 Come bets and you were to make 240 Place bets my expectation would be to lose a heck of a lot less than you.

If you say you will only play half as much time as the Come bettor by taking your bets off, I say -- make half as many Come bets and you will still be much better off.

You can't trick the math; that's the true master of the game of craps.

For your great letter I am giving you a free one-week subscription to my private members-only message boards at www.goldentouchcraps.com. We have over 5,000 members and the discussions on this private message board are interesting, enlightening and fun.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete